Bucharest is a city with a complex urban structure, built layer by layer through different historical periods, expansions, and administrative reorganizations. One clear clue to this evolution lies in the very names of its streets. Terms such as bulevard (boulevard), cale, șosea (road), stradă (street), alee (lane), or intrare (access road) are not chosen at random. They provide information about a street’s role, size, age, or function within the city’s network.

Although modern road legislation works with fewer official categories, Bucharest has retained a wide variety of prefixes, shaped by history, urban planning, and bureaucracy. These names help with orientation and, at the same time, tell the story of how the Romanian capital has developed over time.

The boulevard, the city’s main axis

Boulevards are the largest and most important arteries in Bucharest. They are designed for heavy traffic, usually have multiple lanes in each direction, wide sidewalks, and often include green areas or central medians.

Unirii Boulevard, Nicolae Bălcescu Boulevard, and Magheru Boulevard are classic examples. These roads cut through key parts of the city, connect major districts, and play an essential role in urban mobility. From an urban planning perspective, boulevards are often lined with administrative, commercial, or cultural buildings and are meant to serve as representative spaces of the city.

“Calea,” a witness to Bucharest’s history

The term cale is older and carries strong historical significance. Originally, căi were major roads that crossed the city or connected it to other regions. As Bucharest expanded, these routes were absorbed into the urban fabric but kept their traditional names.

Calea Victoriei is the most famous example and one of the oldest arteries in the capital, with a major cultural and social role. Calea Dorobanți and Calea Moșilor are other examples showing how these historic roads became important urban axes without losing their original identity.

The “șosea,” linking the city to the outside

Șosele (roads) initially served as routes connecting Bucharest to nearby towns or regions. As the city grew, many of them became fully urbanized but retained their original designation.

Șoseaua Kiseleff, Șoseaua Colentina, and Șoseaua Cotroceni are now located in central or semi-central areas, yet they were once exit routes from the city. In general, șosele are wide, allow intense traffic, and have a mixed role, functioning both as transit corridors and urban streets.

The street, the basic element of the urban network

Strada (street) is the most common and flexible category. It can describe both busy commercial streets and quiet residential ones. Their size, width, and importance vary widely.

Strada Lipscani, for example, is one of Bucharest’s best-known historic and commercial streets, while many others bear the names of personalities or events and mainly serve residential areas. The term stradă is often used when a road does not clearly fit into larger categories such as boulevard or road.

The lane and the access road, gateways to the city’s intimate spaces

An alee (lane) is usually a short street with limited traffic, often found in residential areas or inside parks. It is not meant for transit but for local access, with pedestrian or restricted vehicle use.

An intrare (access road) is one of the smallest units of the street network. Typically very short and sometimes a dead end, it provides access to just a few buildings. Names like “Intrarea Gheorghe Munteanu” are common in older neighborhoods. These streets reflect the city’s organic development, especially in areas built before modern urban planning.

Other special designations: splai, cul-de-sac, extension

Beyond the main categories, Bucharest also uses terms such as splai, reserved for streets running along waterways (like Splaiul Independenței), fundătură, which indicates a dead-end street, or prelungire, meaning the extension of an existing road.

These prefixes are not merely administrative details; they reveal how the city has expanded and adapted over time.

Legislation governing the status of streets in Bucharest

There is no single “streets law” in Romania. Instead, the legal status of streets in Bucharest is regulated by a set of national laws and local normative acts that establish streets as public property and define the institutions responsible for their administration. In Bucharest, the street network is managed by the Bucharest Street Administration (ASPMB), a public authority operating under the Bucharest City Hall.

The legal framework combines national legislation—such as the Administrative Code and Law no. 213/1998 on public property—with local decisions adopted by the Bucharest General Council (CGMB). Together, these acts define streets as assets of public use and regulate how they are managed, maintained, and operated.

Key legislation

Law no. 213/1998 on public property and the legal regime of assets belonging to the public domain of the state and of administrative-territorial units (as amended)
This law defines what constitutes public property and explicitly includes streets and roads within the public domain.

The Administrative Code
The Administrative Code establishes the general framework for the organization and functioning of local public administration, including responsibilities related to public roads and streets.

Decisions of the Bucharest General Council (CGMB)

Decision no. 366/2018 (and subsequent amendments)
This decision regulates the reorganization and functioning of the Bucharest Street Administration (ASPMB).

Decision no. 444/2025 (and related decisions)
These acts approve the rules on the organization and operation of ASPMB, detailing its responsibilities in managing the city’s street infrastructure.

The role of the Bucharest Street Administration (ASPMB)

The Bucharest Street Administration is a public institution under the authority of the Bucharest City Hall. Its main responsibilities include the administration, maintenance, and management of Bucharest’s street network, in accordance with the legal acts mentioned above.

Because streets are classified as part of the public domain, their legal status implies free, public, and unrestricted access for all users. ASPMB ensures that this status is respected while overseeing the technical and administrative aspects of the city’s streets.

A system that tells the story of the city

Street names in Bucharest are more than simple labels. They reflect the city’s history, functionality, and urban evolution. From monumental boulevards to discreet access roads between houses, each term describes a specific role in city life and helps explain how Bucharest has grown and transformed.

For both residents and visitors, these names are more than map references—they are a key to understanding the city.