Romania - The Land that Time Forgot

Arrive in Bucharest. Depending on when you arrive, you may have a chance to start exploring the city on your own. Overnight Venezia Hotel or similar. No meals included today.

We start the day with a city tour of Bucharest. After lunch (optional) we leave Bucharest via the Prahova Valley. We stop off to see Peles Castle and then drive to the small village of Azuga and visit the Rhein wine cellars, which produce a renowned sparkling wine. There is a tour of the cellars followed by a wine tasting. We continue to one of Transylvania’s major towns, Brasov for the evening. Overnight in Brasov city centre – Safrano Hotel or similar. (B)

This morning we explore the city of Brasov before travelling for 45 minutes to Bran village. This is home to Bran castle, tenuously linked to the legend of Dracula. We have a tour of the castle and discover its colourful history. Returning to Brasov, we visit a special observatory in the forest accompanied by National Forestry Administration representatives. Here, if we are lucky we hope to see wild European Brown Bear in their natural habitat. The trip will take about 4 hours and include a 20 minute walk. We return to Brasov late this evening. Overnight in Brasov city centre – Safrano Hotel or similar. (B)

From Brasov we drive (about 1 ½ hours) to the delightful village of Viscri, a Saxon village and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the way we stop to view a beautiful UNESCO listed fortified church of Prejmer. Spend the day exploring the village and surroundings, and learning about local life. We visit the fortified church in the village, and then enjoy a horse and carriage ride through the surroundings. Along the way we will meet people specialising in traditional crafts and gain an insight into the customs of this part of the country. Overnight local house. (BLD)

Today we travel to Sighisoara with its beautiful medieval citadel. We explore the fortress and also visit the house where Vlad the Impaler was born. We then head to Sibiu, one of the best preserved medieval cities in Romania and carefully restored in recent years. We have time to explore the old centre with its ramparts, churches and narrow alleys. Overnight in Sibiu Continental Forum Hotel or similar. (B)

In the morning we drive to Alba-Iulia, a city with a high importance in Romania’s history, being the place where the Romanian Principalities and Transylvania united to form Romania after the First World War. The city is also home of the best preserved Vauban fortress in Europe. It was designed by an Italian architect in the early 18th century, modeled on a star shape with seven points. With its arrow-shaped bastions, the fortress is outstanding both for its baroque decorative elements and for the beauty of its six gates. We then continue to Turda salt mine. The salt mine that we see today dates from the 17th century and it is now a fascinating underground entertainment area, described as ‘the coolest underground place in the world’. This evening we will arrive in to Cluj, the former capital of Transylvania. Overnight in Capitolina Chic Hotel or similar. (B)

We explore Cluj this morning, a vibrant and cosmopolitan city. We then depart Cluj, travelling through the Carpathian Mountains and via the Tihuta mountain pass. This was the pass described as the ‘Borgo pass’ in Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel. Our drive takes us to the region of Bucovina, located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians. We arrive at our destination for the evening, Sucevita village, where we will have a traditional dinner prepared by our hosts. Overnight in traditional guesthouse. (BD)

In the morning we visit Moldovita Monastery, a wonderful masterpiece of Moldavian Gothic architecture adorned with lively exterior frescoes dating back to the beginning of the 16th century. Then we visit an egg painting workshop where we are shown the special technique required in this extremely delicate operation. We also see an exhibition of these local treasures. Later we visit Voronet monastery with its exterior frescoes dating to the 15th century, also named the Sistine Chapel of the East. On the way back to our accommodation in Sucevita, we stop in Marginea village to see the black pottery workshop and then we visit Sucevita monastery – the largest of the painted monasteries. We arrive back in Sucevita in time for dinner with our hosts. Overnight in traditional guesthouse. (BD)

This morning we travel to the village of Tarpesti and the remarkable Popa Museum. At his home, Nicolae Popa had gathered an incredible collection of Romanian folk art and handicrafts, giving us a fantastic insight into the ancient traditions of this region. We visit the museum and have a home prepared lunch here. We then travel to the Agapia Monastery before ending the day in Piatra-Neamt where we have time to explore. Overnight in Piatra-Neamt, Central Plaza Hotel or similar. (BL)

We leave Piatra-Neamt and continue via the Siret valley to Galati, on the ancient commercial road that connected the Orient, through Constantinople and the Black Sea, through the middle of Moldavia then Poland, to the wealthy cities of the Hanseatic League on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Here we cross the Danube by ferry and on towards Tulcea, the gate to the Danube Delta. In Tulcea we take a fast boat and arrive to our guesthouse for the following nights. Overnight in Crisan, Vasiliu Guesthouse or similar. (BD)

Today, depending on the weather, we can have two outings by small boat exploring the winding channels of the Danube Delta (returning for lunch at our guesthouse) or a whole day in the Delta with picnic lunch. In the evening we return to our guests for dinner and accommodation. Overnight at Vasiliu Guesthouse or similar. (BLD)

Today we visit the protected area of Letea forest, with oak trees as high as 30 meters, poplars, ash, but also Mediterranean type vegetation with creepers and vines. We have a fisherman’s lunch in Letea village and return in late afternoon to our guesthouse. Dinner and overnight at Vasiliu Guesthouse or similar. (BLD)

We leave the Delta behind and travel by boat back to Tulcea and from there we head back to Bucharest for our final night. Overnight Venezia Hotel or similar. (B)

Tour ends with transfer to the airport. (B)