The most important street in Bucharest and the city's spine — a 2.7 km boulevard running south to north from Piața Unirii to the Victoriei Square, threaded with palaces, churches, banks, museums, hotels, and bookshops. The southern half cuts through the Old Centre; the central section between Lipscani and Piața Revoluției holds the National History Museum, the Pasajul Macca-Vilacrosse, the Telephones Building, and the CEC Palace; the northern stretch passes the Royal Palace (now National Museum of Art), the Athenaeum, and the Athenee Palace Hotel.
Walking the full length is one of the best things you can do in Bucharest. On Sundays in summer a section is closed to traffic and turned into a pedestrian street with markets and street music — "Strada deschisă" — usually between Piața Victoriei and the Athenaeum.