Tour highlights:

• enjoy the services of a private, experienced guide, always available and ready to answer your questions and uncover Romania for you, and the flexibility that only a private tour can offer
• discover 8 of Romania’s UNESCO World Heritage sites
• take the unique opportunity of meeting a family of Transylvanian Gypsies in their own home and discover their particular culture and traditions over a home hosted meal
• learn about the ancient art of egg – painting from a local Bucovina artist
• take the time to visit some local markets along your route, a great opportunity to chat with locals and taste their products

Day 1 – arrival in Bucharest, followed by a city tour.

O/N in Bucharest, Hotel Ramada Majestic**** (centrally located)

Day 2 – start for Transylvania. Visit the Peles Castle and Sinaia monastery in Sinaia, then continue to Brasov. Guided walk in the Old Town upon arrival.

O/N in Brasov, Hotel Casa Wagner***, located right on the Old Town Square

Day 3 – start by visiting Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle) just outside Brasov. Then continue to Bucovina, through the picturesque Bicaz gorges. Arrival in Gura Humorului in the late afternoon.

O/N in Gura Humorului, Hotel Best Western**** (centrally located)

Day 4 - full day exploring of the famous painted monasteries of Voronet, Humor, Sucevita and Moldovita (all of them UNESCO World Heritage Sites). Enjoy a home hosted lunch at a local artist’s house and discover the ancient art of egg – painting.

O/N in Gura Humorului, Hotel Best Western**** (centrally located)

Day 5 – leave Bucovina, headed for the citadel – city of Sighisoara. As you enter Transylvania, visit the salt mines at Praid. Guided walk in Sighisoara upon arrival, followed by a coffee break in the birth house of Dracula. Home hosted dinner with a family of Gypsies in the evening.

O/N in Sighisoara, Hotel Sighisoara***, located in the heart of the old town citadel.

Day 6 – some more exploring of Sighisoara’s Old Town (UNESCO World Heritage Site) in the morning, including guided visits of the Clock Tower Museum and the Arms Museum. Depart for Sibiu. On the way, visit the Biertan fortified church (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Guided walk in Sibiu’s Old Town upon arrival.

O/N in Sibiu, Hotel Casa Luxemburg*** (located on the Old Town Square)

Day 7- leave Sibiu and head for Hunedoara, where you will visit the Hunyad Castle and the Densus Church (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Then continue to Targu Jiu, along the Jiu gorges. Guided walk in the evening, so that you can discover the best works of Constantin Brancusi, Romania’s best known artist.

O/N in Targu Jiu, Hotel Antique*** (centrally located)

Day 8 – head for Bucharest. On the way, visit the Horezu Monastery (UNESCO World Heritage Site), the monastery at Curtea de Arges and the Poienari fortress (Dracula’s actual Castle).

O/N in Bucharest, Hotel Ramada Majestic**** (centrally located)

Day 9 – departure, transfer to the airport

Day 1 – Bucharest, arrival. City tour

Atheneum Concert Hall

Upon your arrival, you will be met by your private guide and start discovering the city right away. With a population of just over 2 million, Bucharest is the largest city between Berlin and Athens. Nicknamed “The little Paris” between the two World Wars, Bucharest is, nowadays, a city of contrasts. 45 years of Communist rule changed the aspect of the city dramatically, but still, traces of the old, bohemian times can be found, especially in the French architecture of the residential districts and the famous churches that still survive throughout the Romanian capital.

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Arch of Triumph

The city tour will give you the opportunity to admire some of the landmarks of Bucharest, such as the Arch of Triumph (inspired by the one in Paris), the Atheneum (Romania’s most famous concert hall), the Revolution Square (where the 1989 anti – Communist revolt went nationwide) ,the Romanian Patriarch’s Church and the Palace of Parliament (also known as the House of the People, the second largest building in the world, after the U.S. Pentagon)

O/N in Bucharest, Hotel Ramada Majestic**** (centrally located)
 

Day 2 – Bucharest – Peles Castle – Brasov

Peles Castle

In the morning, we depart from Bucharest and head for the mountains of Transylvania. After a 2 hours drive, we arrive in Sinaia, a little town which has always been linked to the Romanian Royal family. Here we visit Peles Castle, an astounding Royal residence, built by Carol I, Romania’s first king, at the end of the 19th century. The King chose the location himself, and the construction took 39 years until the residence was completed. At the time of its building, the castle was one of the most modern buildings in Europe, with electricity, a central vacuum cleaning system and central heating. No expenses were spared in building it, and some of the most famous craftsmen and architects of Europe were employed by the King. The interior decorations are exquisite, with Carrara marble, Murano chandeliers and Venetian mirrors, and some 40 wood types were used for the wood carvings on the walls.

Sinaia monastery

Next, you’ll have your first encounter with the Orthodox faith and Romanian church architecture, by visiting the Sinaia Monastery. The old church was built by the a member of the Cantacuzino family at the end of the 17th century. Upon returning to his country after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he decided to build a monastery that would remind people of Mount Sinai, hence the name Sinaia. The old monastery was the first building in the area (and gave the town its name) and a new church was added to the monastery complex later on, in the 1840′s.
 

Brasov's Old Town Square

In the afternoon, drive to the city of Brasov. Southern Transylvania is famous for its 7 cities which were founded and ruled by the Saxon merchants from the 1200′s on. Brasov is one of the largest towns of the seven, and the central area in the Old Town has a distinct Central European feel to it. You will enjoy a guided walk in the Old Town, and admire sights such as the Black Church (the largest Gothic cathedral in southeastern Europe), the Old Town Square, the old city walls and the St. Nicholas Church, the main church of the Romanian community in the Middle Ages, next to which we also find the very first Romanian language school in the country.

O/N in Brasov, Hotel Casa Wagner***, located right on the Old Town Square

Day 3 – Brasov – Bran Castle – Gura Humorului

Bran Castle

After breakfast, you will depart Brasov and visit one of the most famous sights in Romania, the Bran Castle (also known as Dracula’s Castle). The castle was built as a military fortress by the merchants of Brasov, so that it could help them overlook and defend the trade route that connected the provinces of Wallachia and Transylvania. At the beginning of the 20th century the city of Brasov donated the castle to the Romanian Royal family, and it became the summer residence of the second queen of the Romanians, Marie. She is the one who renovated the castle extensively in the 1920′s, transforming it from an austere military fortress to a comfortable, yet simple residence.

After the visit, you will have some time to explore the souvenir vendors around the castle, or maybe taste some of the traditional cheeses and palinkas (plum or pear brandy) sold by the locals.

Bicaz gorges

After discovering Bran Castle, start driving for the northeastern part of Romania, to the area known as Bucovina. As you drive towards the eastern Carpathians, you will pass through the so called “Szekely land”, a region inhabited mostly by Hungarian ethnics. This will be a great opportunity to learn from your guide about the part this ethnic group played in the history of the region, as well as some of the controversies related to them in Romania’s present day politics.

We’ll continue our journey following one of the most picturesque routes in Romania, through the Bicaz gorges. The gorges, some 7 km long, with mountain walls on both sides of the road measuring up to 300m in height, is not only a breathtaking view, but also a chance to do some souvenir shopping at the local shops in the area. Late in the afternoon we will reach Gura Humorului, and check in at our hotel.

O/N in Gura Humorului, Hotel Best Western**** (centrally located)
 

Day 4 – Gura Humorului – Voronet – Humor – Moldovita – Sucevita

Fresco at Voronet monastery

Today, after breakfast, you will set out to discover one of Romania’s best preserved, most valuable historical and religious sites, the famous UNESCO World Heritage listed painted monasteries. Built in the 15th and 16th century, they tell us times of turmoil, when the borders of Moldavia were often threatened by the Ottoman Empire. Even though the architecture of the churches is humble, it is the frescoes that made them famous worldwide and each monastery is famous for a specific fresco and color.

The monasteries have been active, with well established, hard – working communities of nuns, ever since the political changes of 1989. Before that, during the Communist times, the monasteries were closed, a situation similar to the 17th and 18th centuries, when the Bucovina region was part of the Catholic Habsburg Empire.

You will start the day by visiting the monasteries of Humor and Voronet. Humor is famous for its vivid frescoes, with red being the predominant color, while Voronet is worldwide known for its “Last Judgement”fresco, also known as the “Sixtine of the East”.

Easter eggs from Bucovina

After the morning visits, you will stop for a home hosted lunch in the immediate vicinity of Moldovita Monastery. Your host today is a world renowned egg-painting artist. Egg painting is one of the traditional forms of art in Bucovina, and it is one of the most expressive ways of mixing secular art and creativity with religious symbols and tradition. Besides the opportunity of tasting the home-made, local food of Bucovina, you will also learn more about the art of egg – painting, while watching a demonstration performed by the master herself.

In the afternoon, you will visit the remaining two monasteries at Moldovita and Sucevita.

Fresco at Sucevita Monastery

At Moldovita, the predominant color is yellow, and the most famous fresco is the one depicting the “Siege of Constantinopole”, which took place in the 700′s. The attacking force were the Persians, but the artist painted them wearing uniforms similar to the Ottoman Turks (the image of the “enemy” at that time), while the people inside the fortress of Constantinople are dressed in traditional Moldavian clothes, and even the fortress is very similar to the one in Suceava, the capital of Moldova at that time. The fresco is good evidence on how the artists tried to convey a message addressed to the people of their times, while using important events from the past, mixed with various elements from the local culture and the times when the frescoes were painted.

The last monastery, Sucevita, the last one to be built in Bucovina according to this pattern, at the beginning of the 17th century, is also the largest, boasting an impressive fortification system. The most famous fresco here is the “Stairway to heaven”, depicting the trials a soul has to make its way through after death so that it can finally enter heaven.

Return to Gura Humorului in the afternoon.

O/N in Gura Humorului, Hotel Best Western**** (centrally located)
 

Day 5 – Gura Humorului – Praid – Sighisoara

You will leave Bucovina in the morning, headed back for Transylvania. The ride today is scenic, since you will take a mountain road with gentle curves, that will take you mostly through rural areas. As you cross the Carpathians, the difference in architecture becomes evident, since you will be returning to the region of Transylvania which is, even nowadays, inhabited by Hungarian ethnics.

Transylvanian landscape

Your first stop today will be the Salt Mine at Praid. It is one of the major salt mines in the area, and we have data that shows that the locals were mining here for salt even back in the Roman times. The mining continued during the Hungarian reign over Transylvania, with regular shipments of salt from Praid making their way on the Mures river. The mining continued in the 18th century, this time under the direction of the Habsburg Austrians. However, at this time, the quantity of salt the locals could use for their own trading was drastically limited, so the economy of the area suffered, and we even have records of salt being smuggled to Transylvania all the way from Wallachia.

There are sections of the mine where mining is still going on even today. The area you will visit is setup as a museum nowadays, but it will give you a very good idea of how difficult mining was in the past. You will also visit the museum, where some ancient tools used for mining are on display, and also, the church built in salt inside the salt mine.

Sighisoara's Old Town

Then you will continue to the charming citadel – city of Sighisoara. Sighisoara is, like Brasov, one of the seven cities founded by the Saxons. It stands out, however, due to the fact that the fortification system of the upper town is still largely intact, and this makes Sighisoara the only inhabited citadel in Europe. Sighisoara is also famous for being the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, the source of inspiration for the main character of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Born here in 1431, he became famous as a king of Wallachia in the 1450′s.

You will check in at your hotel, located in the very heart of the Old Town, and then spend the rest of the afternoon on your own, enjoying the old town or taking a rest.

The Gabor family

In the evening, meet your guide for a unique discovery experience. You will take a short drive outside Sighisoara, to a nearby village where an important community of Roma (Gypsies) live. Tonight, you will learn more about this fascinating, yet controversial people by enjoying a home hosted dinner with the Gabor family from the Gypsy community in the village. It is very rare that Gypsies open their homes to strangers, and that is why this is a great opportunity to discover their culture, history and traditional clothes (you can even try them on!) over an informal, cosy dinner at their place. Most interesting conversations can occur over a glass of home made brandy, as you get the answers to all your questions about this intriguing ethnic group.

After dinner, return to Sighisoara.

O/N in Sighisoara, Hotel Sighisoara***, located in the heart of the old town citadel.
 

Day 6 – Sighisoara – Sibiu

Vlad the Impaler Dracula

In the morning, you will enjoy a guided walk through the Old Town (UNESCO World Heritage Site), and visit the History Museum (located inside the 800 years old Clock Tower, from the top of which you can enjoy a magnificent view over the whole old town and the Arms Museum. Then you will make your way up the hill using a wooden, covered staircase built in the 1600′s to facilitate access to the Church – on – the Hill, a beautiful example of Gothic architecture of the 14th century.

Since Sighisoara is famous for being the birth place of Dracula, at the end of your walking tour, you will enjoy a coffee break in the very house where the legendary king was born, and have a look at the only remaining fresco of his father, also a Wallachian king.

Biertan fortified church

After visiting Sighisoara, discover some more of Transylvania’s architecture gems, by visiting the Biertan fortified church (UNESCO World Heritage Site). The Saxons are the ones who used this style of architecture extensively in the Transylvanian villages between the 13th and 15th centuries, as a way to protect themselves against the invasions that occurred often. This type of churches is also known as the “peasant fortified churches”, as they were built and maintained by locals. The Biertan curch is the last one to be built according to this pattern, in the early 16th century. For about 200 years after it was built it served as the seat of the Transylvanian Archbishop, thus becoming one of the most important churches in the region. The church has been beautifully restored recently, and the fortification systems are largely intact. A most interesting addition is the room used for married couples whose marriage did not go very smoothly: they would be locked in there for a while with just one spoon, one fork and one plate, and they would have no choice but to share everything and also talk their problems through.

The Evangelical Church

After lunch, you will drive to Sibiu, which, in the Middle Ages, was the most developed and fortified city of the seven that were founded and governed by the Saxons. This is where, for some time in its long history, the governors of Transylvania resided. At its heyday, Sibiu had no less than 7 concentric walls built around the city, as it was an important trading post and was often attacked by various migratory people, and later on by the Turks.

An excellent example of German Gothic architecture, Sibiu was appointed as European Cultural Capital for 2007. It is also the place where the first museum in Transylvania was open (The Brukenthal Museum) in 1817, only seven years after the National Gallery in London.

Upon arrival, we will take a stroll in its magnificent old center, and visit places such as the Large Square, Small Square, the Catholic Church, Liars’ Bridge, and also the imposing Evangelical Church.

O/N in Sibiu, Hotel Casa Luxemburg*** (located on the Old Town Square)
 
Day 7 – Sibiu – Hunyad Castle – Densus Church – Targu Jiu

Today you will stray a bit off the beaten track of most tours and head further into Tranylvania. You will travel west from Sibiu, headed for the region known as Hunedoara.

Hunyad Castle

The exploring of the area will start with a guided visit of the Hunyad Castle, built in the 15th century by Iancu de Hunedoara, a prominent Transylvanian noble, who was also the Regent of Hungary. He was famous for his campaigns against the Ottoman Turks (he lost his life in Zemun, Serbia, after a successful battle with the Ottomans in Belgrade). His son, Matthias, went on to become one of the most famous and revered kings in the history of Hungary.

The castle was built as a comfortable residence for the noble family, and even though it was built in Gothic style, some Renaissance elements were added later on. Some significant parts of the building include the Knights’ Hall, the Club Tower and the Diet Hall, where some of the earliest portraits of some local rulers can still be seen. Also, according to some legends, the castle was where Vlad the Impaler spent a few years as a prisoner after he was deposed in 1462.

Densus Church

Continue to the Densus Church, another sight listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It is one of the oldest churches in Romania, generally believed to have been built in the 13th century. The architecture is what makes it unique in the region, since it was built on top of an ancient Roman temple. Some sections were added later, and the stones used to build them were brought from the nearby Roman capital of Sarmisegetusa, where an important urban center had been built right after the Roman conquest in the early 1st century AD.

In the afternoon, you will take a scenic road that will take you through a gorge along the Jiu river, and you will reach today’s destination, the city of Targu Jiu, in the late afternoon. Your hotel is central, and after check in, you might want to cross the street to the main park in town, where you will be able to admire some of the best – known sculptures of Romania’s most famous artist, Constantin Brancusi.

Brancusi's Endless Column

Born in 1876, he lived most of his life in Paris, where he had his workshop, and his work became famous all over the world by the time of his death, in the 1960′s. Most of his works are abroad, but in the main park of Targu Jiu, you can admire some of his most famous sculptures, such as the “The Gate of the Kiss”, “The Table of Silence” and “The Endless Column”. The ensemble, considered to mark the apex of his artistic career, was placed in the park as a memorial to the Romanian soldiers who perished in World War I.

O/N in Targu Jiu, Hotel Antique*** (centrally located)
 

Day 8 – Targu Jiu – Horezu monastery – Curtea de Arges monastery – Poienari fortress – Bucharest

Bucharest is you destination for today, but before you reach it, there is some more exploring of Wallachia to be done on the way.

Fresco at Horezu Monastery

The first stop will be the Horezu Monastery (UNESCO World Heritage). Built at the end of the 17th century, by Constantin Brancoveanu (a great patron of art and culture), the monastery is nowadays the largest monastical complex in Romania. Even from the beginning, it became a cultural center for Wallachia, since it was here that Brancoveanu decided to also found his personal library, which at present boasts some 4000 volumes of great value.

The monastery is also the most representative example of the so called brancovenesc style of architecture, very popular at the end of the 17th and beginning of 18th centuries in Wallachia. The style is characterized by being the first one in the Romanian territories to embrace influences from Western Europe, such as elements of Renaissance or Baroque are, harmoniously blended with Romanian traditional motifs and architecture.

Curtea de Arges Cathedral

You will then stop at Curtea de Arges, where you will visit the monastery there. Built at the beginning of the 1500′s, its origins are surrounded by a famous legend in the area: the craftsmen who were building the church, led by a man called Manole, were working hard, but everything they built during the day would just crumble at night time. This went on for a while, and they were hardly able to make any progress until one night, Manole had a dream when he was told that the church needed a human sacrifice in order to be completed and, as such, the first woman bringing food the next morning should be buried inside the church wall. Sadly, the first woman to come in the morning was Manole’s wife, Ana, and she was the one sacrificed so that the church could be completed. The legend also says that after the church was completed, the King was so impressed with its beauty that he became worried that the craftsmen would build another similar church for somebody else, and since he wanted his church to be unique, he took away the scaffolding, leaving the craftsmen stranded on the roof. Following Manole’s idea, they built wings out of the left over wood and tried to fly down, but they crashed and perished, one by one.

This may be a legend, but just outside the church, there is a fountain which marks the supposed place where Manole fell, and in the church, the wall in which Ana was supposedly buried is also marked.

Poienari Fortress

Head north for a short drive towards the Carpathians and visit the Poienari fortress, the actual castle of Vlad the Impaler. it was built right after he made it to the throne, in 1456, and the legend has it that the people who worked here were none others than the nobles whom he had arrested under charges of treason. Not many of them survived to see it completed, since the work conditions were very harsh and besides, the fortress sits atop of a tall hill. Nowadays, it takes a climb of some 1500 steps to make it up to the ruins.

In the afternoon, after another day full of discoveries, you will head to Bucharest. Arrival in the late afternoon, check in at your hotel.

O/N in Bucharest, Hotel Ramada Majestic**** (centrally located)
 
Day 9 – Bucharest, departure

Today, you will say good bye to Romania and the friends you made here. Your guide will escort you to the airport for your flight home.