Tiriac Collection - The Most Unique Car Museum in Bucharest
There is a good chance you will pass this place without realising what is inside. The road through Otopeni is familiar to almost everyone who visits Bucharest. It takes you to the airport, and it is also part of the route many visitors follow towards Therme București. Along that road, at Calea Bucureștilor 289, is one of the most remarkable private car collections you can visit in Europe.
Țiriac Collection is an easy place to underestimate from the outside. Step in, though, and a quick stop can turn into a much longer visit. There are cars here that belong to entirely different worlds: early vehicles from the beginning of motoring, elegant classics, extravagant luxury cars and modern machines. Whether you know every model by sight or cannot tell one engine from another, there is plenty to look at.
Who Is Ion Țiriac?
The collection belongs to Ion Țiriac, a name Romanians know from both sport and business. His story began long before the cars. He represented Romania in ice hockey at the Winter Olympics, then became a professional tennis player. In 1970, he won the French Open men’s doubles title. After his playing career, he remained a major figure in tennis as a manager and tournament entrepreneur.
That background makes the gallery more interesting to me. This is not a manufacturer showing visitors how its own cars developed, or a museum assembled around one period. It is a personal collection built across decades by someone whose interests, resources and eye for distinctive vehicles shaped what ended up under one roof.
What Will You See Inside?
According to the gallery, Ion Țiriac owns around 400 vehicles, with more than 300 on display. The oldest date back to 1899, while other exhibits bring the story almost to the present day. Walking through the collection feels like moving between eras rather than following a single type of car.
One moment you might be looking at a vehicle from the years when the automobile itself was still a novelty. A few steps later, you are standing beside the kind of large American car that could only have come from the 1950s. Then the mood changes again with a restrained British luxury car or a striking Italian design.
Names in the collection include Aston Martin, Bentley, Alfa Romeo and Chevrolet. You do not need to arrive with a list of models to enjoy it. In fact, part of the pleasure is finding out which cars catch your attention unexpectedly. For some visitors it will be a famous badge. For others it will be a colour, a dashboard, the shape of a bonnet or the sheer scale of a car built in another age.
Some vehicles also have stories that extend well beyond their design. The gallery names Elton John, Sammy Davis Jr., Bernie Ecclestone and Eva Perón among the former owners of vehicles in the collection. Knowing that a car has been part of somebody’s life, rather than simply preserved as an example of a model, changes the way you look at it.
Why Is Țiriac Collection So Unusual?
The number and variety of cars would already make the visit worthwhile, but there is one detail that sets the collection apart. According to its official website, it is the only collection in the world that brings together all seven Rolls-Royce Phantom series, from I to VII.
You do not have to be a Rolls-Royce enthusiast to appreciate that display. Seeing different generations together gives you a clear view of how the idea of luxury has changed. Proportions, details and styling shift over time, yet every generation was built to make an impression.
Europe has many excellent automotive museums. What makes this one distinctive is the combination of scale, range and personal character: hundreds of vehicles spanning more than a century, cars with unusual histories and a complete Phantom sequence gathered within a privately owned collection open to visitors. If cars interest you even slightly, it deserves a place on your Bucharest itinerary.
A Surprisingly Good Addition to a Therme Day
Many visitors plan a trip to Therme București but leave the rest of that day empty. This is where Țiriac Collection fits especially well. The gallery is in Otopeni, close to the airport, while Therme is farther north in Balotești. Visiting both means you can spend the first part of the day exploring the cars, then continue towards the pools and saunas.
I would put the collection first. It is easier to give the exhibits your attention before a long, relaxing visit to Therme. You can take your time with the cars that interest you, then let the rest of the day move at a completely different pace. The two places make an unexpectedly satisfying combination, particularly if you have a car or are arranging transport between them.
Give the gallery more than a hurried look. With so many vehicles on display, rushing through just to say you have been there misses much of the fun. You do not need to examine every car, but it is worth allowing yourself to stop whenever one makes you curious.
Could You Visit Before a Flight?
Yes, provided your flight schedule leaves enough room. The collection’s Otopeni location makes it far more convenient for an airport day than an attraction in central Bucharest. It can be a good way to use a free morning or afternoon before heading to Henri Coandă International Airport.
I would still plan that visit around your departure time, especially if you need to return a rental car or check luggage. Being near the airport is useful, but it does not replace a comfortable buffer for check-in and security.
Is It Worth Visiting With Children?
It can be. Children do not need a lesson in automotive history to find something interesting here. Many of the older cars look nothing like the vehicles they see every day, and the changes in size, shape and design are easy to notice. If your family enjoys wandering through a gallery at its own pace, this is a good option to consider alongside the usual Bucharest attractions.
My Impression
What stayed with me is how easily this place could be left out of a trip. Otopeni is somewhere most travellers pass through with a destination already in mind. Yet behind that familiar airport route is a collection with enough variety to make you slow down, look closely and discover cars you would rarely get to see together.
If you are planning Therme, have spare time near the airport, or simply want an outing beyond central Bucharest, put Țiriac Collection on your list. You may come for the rare cars, but the stories and the journey through different eras are what make the visit memorable.
Address, Opening Hours and Tickets
Address: Țiriac Collection, Calea Bucureștilor 289, Otopeni, Ilfov, Romania.
Regular visiting hours:
Thursday to Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The gallery is closed for regular visits from Monday to Wednesday.
Private guided visits may be arranged on those days for a fee.
Tickets:
Adults, 50 lei.
Pensioners, 30 lei.
Students and children, 15 lei.
Children aged 6 and under enter free. Bring suitable documentation if you are using a reduced ticket.
Official website: https://tiriaccollection.ro/en/visitors
Check the official website before setting out, particularly if you are arranging your visit around a flight or a day at Therme. Opening hours can change for maintenance or special events.
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