Calea Victoriei is Bucharest's oldest and arguably, most charming street. Built in 1692 to link the Old Princely Court to Mogosoaia Palace, it was initially paved with oak beams. The street became Calea Victoriei in 1878, after the Romanian War of Independence victory. Between the two world wars, Calea Victoriei developed into one of the most fashionable streets in the city.

Stroll along this street from Piata Victoriei to Piata Natiunilor Unite to discover some of the most stunning buildings in the city, including the Cantacuzino Palace, the historical Revolution Square, the Military Club, the CEC Headquarters and the National History Museum.

Calea Victoriei (Victory Avenue) is a major avenue in central Bucharest. It leads from Splaiul Independenţei (which runs parallel to the Dâmboviţa River) to the north and then northwest up to Piaţa Victoriei, where Şoseaua Kiseleff continues north. Initially, the road was named Drumul Braşovului (Braşov Road), being part of the trade route between Bucharest and the city of Braşov, in Transylvania. Between 1692 and 1700, a paved road which linked the centre of Bucharest to the Mogoşoaia Palace of Constantin Brâncoveanu was built and it was named Podul Mogoşoaiei, being made out of oak wood.

Most roads in the Balkans at that time became muddy in the spring and autumn, and the wood prevented this. Consequently the road was one of the most important construction works of the area and a source of pride to Bucharesters. The area surrounding the road became the most fashionable part of Bucharest: 35 boyar houses were located on the road itself in 1775. Podul Mogoşoaiei was the first street in Bucharest to be illuminated with candles during the night, starting July 1814. The wood was not a very sturdy material and often it was in a bad state, despite being repaired several times (including in 1793 and 1814). During the Russian occupation of the Danubian Principalities, in the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829), an extension from Piaţa Victoriei northward was built by Pavel Kiseleff, the commander of the occupation troops, and is today named after him. In 1842 the road was paved with cobblestone. It was later upgraded to asphalt. The road was renamed "Calea Victoriei" on October 12, 1878, following the Romanian victory in the Independence War of 1877-1878.

It was long home to the Constantin Tănase Revue Theatre (as of 2006, relocated to the Lipscani district), and was the site of the old Romanian National Theater just north of Palatul Telefoanelor; the departed theatre's façade is replicated by the front of the Bucharest Novotel that opened in summer 2006. The Romanian Athenaeum is set back slightly from the street, with a small park in between. Calea Victoriei was Bucharest's showpiece street in the Interwar years. Tudor Octavian wrote, "this is how the whole of Bucharest would look if we had been allowed…, if its builders had been clever enough…". After roughly half a century of decline, it has recently been returning to this role. The National Museum of Art of Romania (the former royal palace) and the University Library across the street from it (both damaged in the 1989 Revolution) were restored in the 1990s; Palatul Telefoanelor was restored between 1997–2005; and there has been an ongoing refurbishment of the street's many hotels, including the Athénée Palace, the Majestic, the Capitol, and the Capşa Hotel; as of 2010, the Grand Hotel du Boulevard is undergoing restoration, while renovation of the Continental and Novotel has been completed.

Calea Victoriei, a major street running north-south in downtown Bucharest, has many bookstores, hotels, and fashion stores. This elegant, tree-lined, meandering street is a quieter walk than the thundering thoroughfare of Magheru-Balcescu-Bratianu. At number 141, on the right-as you walk south, is a gorgeous mansion built in 1905, housing a museum dedicated to the composer George Enescu. It is worth the entrance fee even if you are not particularly interested in Enescu. arther down on the left, at number 120, look for Green Hours, a pleasant jazz club and cafe that opens its garden in summer. Continuing southward, you cannot miss the Athenee Palace Hilton, Bucharest’s most famous hotel, with various bars and restaurants. Lively and modern, it has been at the heart of high society since the 1930s.
Calea Victoriei then opens out into the enormous space of Piata Revolutiei. Here you will find a dainty, circular concert hall, Ateneul Roman, with a statue of the 19th century poet Mihai Eminescu at its entrance. You’ll also see two large palaces flanking the square. To your right, the former residence of the Romanian monarchy, completed in 1937, now houses the National Museum of Art. To your left is its apparent clone, constructed by communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu to house the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Imagine the dictator speaking from its balcony with the square full of angry people, and you have one of the scenes from the 1989 uprising that ended with Ceausescu’s death. In front of that building now stands a statue of Iuliu Maniu, a politician who opposed the arrival of communism after World War II and spent his last few years in prison.
Proceeding south down Calea Victoriei, where it crosses the western end of Piata Universitatii, is a tall Art Deco building from the 1930s, the headquarters of the national telecom company. Opposite it is an old dining establishment recently restored to its former glory: Casa Capsa.
In the final stretch of Calea Victoriei, you will see the badly-organized Museum of Romanian History on the left and the glittering glass dome of the CEC Palace, built in 1900 and formerly housing a bank, on the right.

As pleasant as a walk along Calea Victoriei may be, taking a couple of divergent turns along the way can take you to other very interesting places. Turn right, for example, at the point where the street crosses Piata Universitatii, and you will head down Bulevardul Regina Elisabeta, where, on your right, you will find the pretty Cismigiu Park. This includes a lake with an island in the middle, on which there is a fairly good restaurant. Or you may want to turn left off Calea Victoriei, just before the CEC Palace, and you are on an interesting pedestrianized street named Strada Lipscani. Here you can see the Romanian central bank building, buy cheap fur-coats, pop into a pub for a beer, or grab some mustard-slathered grilled meatballs from open-air food vendors.