Itinerary

Day 1

ROUTING: BUCHAREST
- Your English-speaking specialist guide will meet you on the arrival level of
Bucharest airport
- Departure and check in to hotel
ACCOMMODATION:
OPTION A: Crystal Palace Hotel ****
OPTION B: Casa Gabriela ***

Day 2

ROUTING: BUCHAREST : HOREZU : COZIA : SIBIU
- Breakfast in your hotel
- This morning we will have a short tour of the Capital City; main highlights
include The House of Free Press, Triumph Arch, Government Palace, Royal Palace,
Revolution Square and Parliament Palace
- We then depart Bucharest for Sibiu
- Our 1st stop on your World Heritage list will be Horezu Monastery; The
Monastery of Horezu was founded in 1690 by Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu in the
town of Horezu. . It is considered to be a masterpiece of "Brâncovean" style,
known for its architectural purity and balance, the richness of its sculpted
detail, its treatment of religious compositions, its votive portraits, and its
painted decorative works.
- We continue on the way and stop next at Cozia, to see the famed Monastery from
here.
- The Monastery was erected by Mircea cel Bãtrân in 1388 and boasts his tomb,
and is one of the most valuable monuments of national medieval art and
architecture in Romania. Wall facets' decorated with original stone rosettes and
frames display early Byzantine influence. Of great value is the hospital church,
'bolniþa' (1543), with original well-preserved indoor frescoes like the votive
portrait of ruler Mircea cel Bãtrân and his sons.
- We end the day in the European Capital of Culture for 2007; Sibiu
- Overnight in Sibiu
ACCOMMODATION:
OPTION A: Ramada Hotel ****
OPTION B: Zorba Guesthouse ***
B

Day 3

ROUTING: SIBIU : SLIMNIC : MEDIAS : BIERTAN : SIGHISOARA
- Breakfast in your hotel
- We start the day with a tour of the historical center of Sibiu.
- Highlights of the tour include: The Small Square , the Bruckenthal Museum, the
Huet Square , the Passage of Stairs , the House if the Butchers's Guild, the
Councillors Tower, the Staircase Tower and the Tanner's Tower
- We then head to Slimnic to visit the Fortified Church located here
- Then on to Biertan and visit the Saxon fortified church listed on UNESCO
Heritage List, the church dates from 1492 and is one of the pearl's of the Saxon
monuments in Transylvania
- We depart Biertan and head to Sighisoara; the entire citadel being declared a
World Heritage Site
- Overnight in Sighisoara
ACCOMMODATION:
OPTION A: Hotel Sighisoara ***
OPTION B: Poienita Hotel **
B

Day 4

ROUTING: SIGHISOARA - TARGU MURES - CLUJ NAPOCA
- Breakfast in your hotel
- We start the day with a tour of Sighisoara; the Citadel is the only one still
inhabited in Europe - a lost world and still so at the present!
- Highlights include: The Clock Tower, the Church on the Hill, the Scholar's
Stairs, The Monastery Church, The Shoemakers Town, the Tailor's Tower, the
Tinsmiths Tower
- We then leave for Targu Mures, and see the Orthodox and Catholic Cathedral's
as well as the old center.
- Next stop is Cluj-Napoca; one of the oldest cities of Romania, its origins
come from the ancient times of the Roman Empire when the city was named
“Napoca”. Visit the center of the city with St Michael's Cathedral, The Orthodox
Cathedral, Romanian Opera House, as well as the House that Matei Corvin (Mathias
Corvinus) the former king of Hungary was born, and the “Cetãþuia” with a
wonderful panorama of the city.
- Overnight in Cluj Napoca
ACCOMMODATION:
OPTION A: Rimini Hotel ****
OPTION B: Onex Hotel ***
B

Day 5

ROUTING: CLUJ - BAIA MARE : DESESTI : SIGHET/VADU IZEI
- Breakfast in your hotel
- In the morning we will depart for the fascinating region of Maramures
- We will have a short stop in the capital of Maramures County; Baia Mare
- Next we will visit the UNESCO protected Wooden Church in Desesti
- Overnight in Sighet or Vadu Izei ( depending on accommodation choice)
ACCOMMODATION:
OPTION A: CASA IURCA DE CALINESTI****
OPTION B: Borlean Traditional Guesthouse***
B

Day 6

ROUTING: SIGHET/VADU IZEI - SAPANTA - BARSANA : IEUD - DRAGOMIRESTI -
VISEU/BORSA
- Breakfast in Hotel
- Maramures : the land of traditions and wood churches.
- First stop at Sapanta and visit the famous Merry Cemetery, truly one of the
most unique sites in Europe. It is famous for its colourful tombstones with
native paintings describing, in an original and poetic manner, the people that
are buried there as well as scenes from their lives. The Merry Cemetery became
an open-air museum and a national tourist attraction
- Next we are off to The Birsana church , built in 1720 , listed on UNESCO
Heritage List , with the florid paintings , the best in Maramures and the
Barsana Monastery (UNESCO ) a large monastic complex comprising of several
wooden buildings, all constructed in the local style , including the wooden
church. The Gate Tower is the highest wooden building in Europe.
- In Dragomiresti we will visit The Maramures's Woman Museum
- Then go to Ieud and visit the oldest wooden church, another UNESCO monument
- Overnight in Borsa or Vatra Dornei
ACCOMMODATION:
OPTION A: Gabriela Hotel ***
OPTION B: Hotel or Pension **
B

Day 7

ROUTING: VISEU/BORSA - MOLDOVITA : HUMOUR : VORONET/GURA HUMORULUI
- Breakfast in Hotel
- Today we visit some of the World famous Painted Monasteries; most included on
the U.N.E.S.C.O list
- Moldovita : dates back from 1532 and is due to the ruling prince Petru Rares .
It has the aspect of a fortress, with imposing towers and high, thick walls. The
church has a three-cusped plan, as well as an open porch. It Is decorated with
scenes from the 16th c Moldavian life. You can see here the best preserved
frescoes, with fresh and vivid colors
- Sucevita : the last and the most magnificent monastic achievement among the
painted monasteries in Bucovina , looks as a real fortress, with towers,
buttresses and watch roads. Built in 1581, by one bishop, it was dedicated to
the Assumption in 1584. Paintings of the Sucevita monastery were best preserved
both on the outside and on the inside( Ladder of Virtue, the last Judgment, the
tree of Jesse,)
- Humor : dates from 1530, this monastery was among the first churches to be
painted , the frescoes were painted in 1535. Humor is painted in reddish brown (
from oriental madder pigment), colors are brilliant and truthful to nature
- Overnight in Gura Humorului or Vornet
ACCOMMODATION:
OPTION A: Hilde's Residence****
OPTION B: Doina Guesthouse***
B

Day 8

ROUTING: VORONET/GURA HUMORULUI - ARBORE - SUCEAVA - VORONET/GURA HUMORULUI
- Breakfast in Hotel
- We continue in Bucovina today; visiting some more of the sites.
- Voronet : founded in 1488 by Stephen the Great . It is the most accomplished
sample of artistic achievement in Moldavian architecture and painting . The
doors of the porch have a Renaissance framing, whereas the stone carvings of the
broken arches at the doors and windows belong to the Gothic style. Voronet
Monastery had been dubbed the oriental Sistine Chapel , whereas Voronet Blue , a
color obtained from lapis lazuli, entered in the lexicon of art alongside Titian
red and Veronese green, and to this day has yet to be reproduced by natural
means
- Arbore Monastery, was built between the 2nd of April and the 29th of August
1503, by Luca Arbore, one of Stephen the Great's generals, in the village of
Solca, that he owned. The monument has been consecrated to the Beheading of
Saint John the Baptist.
- Suceava : the former capital of Moldavia in the medieval ages and the seat of
the Moldavian kings or rulers. In Suceava we will visit the former fortress and
The Saint George's Church of Suceava, which is one of the seven Painted churches
of northern Moldavia included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- Return to Accommodation Choice
ACCOMMODATION:
OPTION A: Hilde's Residence****
OPTION B: Doina Guesthouse***
B

Day 9

ROUTING: VORONET/GURA HUMORULUI - TARGU NEAMT - BRASOV
- Breakfast in Hotel
- Depart for the Neamt Monastery: it is the oldest monastery in Moldavia and is
the largest men's monastery in Romania with seventy monks. The new church dates
from 1497 and was built by Stephen the Great to celebrate a victory over the
Poles. This church became the prototype for Moldavian churches in the next
centuries
- Ending the day in Brasov
- Overnight in Brasov
ACCOMMODATION:
OPTION A: Casa Wagner***
OPTION B: Flamingo Guesthouse***
B

Day 10

ROUTING: BRASOV - PREJMER - RASNOV - BRAN - BRASOV
- Breakfast in Hotel
- Our first stop today is the Prejmer fortified church, the biggest fortress of
its kind from Eastern Europe. The biggest fortified church in Southeastern
Europe built in the 14th century. The fortress has double walls and dungeons.
Inside its walls there is a church, but the interesting thing here is the
honeycomb like inner wall. Every family had one small room for sheltering in
case the village was attacked.
- Than go for a visit to Rasnov Fortress. Built in 1331, the Fortress had a
defense role and it was a shelter for the inhabitants of Rasnov in case of enemy
attacks. In the middle of the courtyard there is a well 146 meters deep and the
ruins of an 11th - 12th century - Orthodox church were discovered here. Nowadays
the Fortress houses an interesting museum.
- In the afternoon visit the famous Bran Castle. Also called Dracula`s Castle,
it is situated not far from Brasov (25 kilometers) at the entrance in the Bran -
Rucar passage. The castle got its fame from Dracula`s legend written in 1897 by
Bram Stoker and later on made into a film by Francis Ford Coppola.. The first
documents about Bran Castle appeared in 1377. Along the history, the Castle had
a strategic mission being the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. First
it was under the rule of the King of Hungary Sigismund of Luxemburg, of the
Romanian voievodes Mircea cel Batran and Vlad Tepes and later on it came under
the jurisdiction of the City of Brasov.
- Return to Brasov
- Overnight in Brasov
ACCOMMODATION:
OPTION A: Casa Wagner***
OPTION B: Flamingo Guesthouse***
B

Day 11

ROUTING: BRASOV - SINAIA - BUCHAREST
- Breakfast in your Hotel
- We start the day with a short tour of the medieval center of Brasov (2 hours)
: Council Square, Black Church, White and Black Towers, Weaver's Bastion and
Ecaterina's Gate.
- We then depart Brasov and head to Sinaia and visit the Peles Castle, former
summer residence of the kings of Romania. Nowadays the Castle is one of the most
important museums in Transylvania where one can admire furniture and ornamental
objects, carpets, tapestry, sculptures, paintings, collections of weapons from
the 15th up to the19th centuries.
- Continue your journey to Bucharest.
- Overnight in Bucharest
ACCOMMODATION:
OPTION A: Crystal Palace Hotel ****
OPTION B: Casa Gabriela ***
B

Day 12

ROUTING: BUCHAREST
- Breakfast in your Hotel
- Transfer from the hotel to Bucharest airport for a final good bye from your
guide.

Extra Information

Inclusions -

English-Speaking Specialist driver/guide for the duration of the tour

Exclusions -

Not Included: - Airfare - Alcoholic drinks - Gratuities - Entrance fees for the Castles and Monastery( to be paid direct) - Extra charges of hotel, eg. Laundry, telephone or fax charges, room service, etc.. - Insurance

Extras -

This Grand tour of Romania's UNESCO sites, is a perfect balance of both
culture and historical aspects. We start the tour in Bucharest where you will be
met at the airport. The next morning we head out to Transylvania and our 1st
overnight stop will be the European Culture of Capital for 2007; Sibiu. One of
the most important fortified cities from the great Saxon era here in
Transylvania. En Route we will visit Cozia, and Horezu Monasteries, both
fantastic examples of the diverse architectural designs in this region of
Europe.

We then head to Sighisoara, the birth place of the true life Dracula; Vlad Tepes.
The entire Citadel has been named a UNESCO heritage site. After Sighisoara, we
move on to Cluj Napoca; probably the most Western influenced cities of
Transylvania, and home to the birthplace of the great King of Hungary Matthias
Corvine

From Cluj, we depart for one of the most remote region of Europe; Maramures. In
this region we will see the famed wooden Churches of the area. All have been
crafted by hand, and a fantastic tribute to the regions skill in their
woodworking abilities. While in Maramures, we will see the Merry Cemetery in
Sapanta; famed for the humorous headstones of the village's deceased. All are
painted in bright colors and give a tribute to the life lived.

We also will visit the Church of Birsana, another stop on the World Heritage
list.

From Maramures, we depart for the region of Bucovina and the world famous
Painted Monasteries. The entire group of Churches here have been designated a
UNESCO heritage site. These regions, will give the visitor a glimpse back in
time, to see life like it was.
After Bucovina, we then move back into Transylvania, to get a more in depth look
at the monuments and Castles of this world renowned region of Romania. We will
stay first in the Saxon City of Brasov; one of Transylvania's most lively
cities. We then head on the next morning to Prejmer, to see the largest
fortified Church in Eastern Europe.

Following this we will depart for Rasnov fortress, and famous Bran Castle, the
home to the legend of Dracula. After these tours, we will head back to Bucharest
to return you to your final destination. Your final day of touring will be spent
in the medieval center of Brasov, then moving on to the work famous Peles Palace
in Sinaia; before returning to Bucharest