Itinerary

Day 1

ROUTING: BUCHAREST - SINAIA - BRASOV
- Your English-speaking specialist guide will pick you up from Bucharest Airport
or another location in the city (This tour is also available to start from Cluj)
- Depart for Sinaia and visit the Peles Castle (only for arrives in Bucharest
before 12.00), former summer residence of the kings of Romania. The Peles Castle
is 44 kilometres distance from Brasov. Sinaia is a well-known mountain resort as
well. 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.
- After we continue to the medieval town of Brasov
- Upon arrival check in hotel
- Evening at your leisure
- Overnight in Brasov
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Casa Wagner***
Option B: Flamingo Guesthouse***

Day 2

ROUTING: BRASOV - BRAN - BRASOV - SIBIU
- Breakfast in Hotel
- In the morning we visit Brasov, which was one of the most important Saxon
Cities in all of Transylvania. Highlights include the Black Church , the Council
Square, the Hirsher House, the old Saxon houses from the old town, and the White
and Black Towers. A short stop here, approx 1 hour.
- Continue our journey to Bran with it's famous Bran castle. Also called
Dracula's Castle, it is situated not far from Brasov (25 kilometres) at the
entrance in 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 the 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, then under the Romanian voievodes Mircea cel Batran and
Vlad Tepes and later on it came under the jurisdiction of the City of Brasov. In
1912 it was donated by the municipality of Brasov to the Romanian royal family,
in order to become their residence.
- Then we depart for Sibiu the "Cultural Capital of Europe" 2007
- Overnight in Sibiu
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Hotel Ramada Sibiu ****
Option B: Zorba Pension ****
B

Day 3

ROUTING: SIBIU - BIERTAN - SIGHISOARA - CLUJ
- Breakfast in Hotel
- Sibiu City tour which includes: 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
- Next we go enroute to Valea Viilor (UNESCO) for the Saxon fortified church.
- Then 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
- After to the Medieval Town of Sighisoara, on UNESCO's Word Heritage List and
makes the perfect introduction to Transylvania.. The Old Town or 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
- Ending the day in Cluj-Napoca
- Overnight in Cluj
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Hotel Agape****
Option B: Onix Hotel***
B

Day 4

ROUTING: CLUJ - DESESTI - SAPANTA - BARSANA - IEUD - VISEU
- Breakfast in Hotel
- In the morning enjoy a panoramic tour of the city center of Cluj (St.
Michael's Cathedral, Reunion Square, Opera House, Nationa Theatre, Orthodox
Cathedral).
- Then depart on the route to the Northern region, Maramures. Stop at wooden
church from Desesti which is included in the UNESCO heritages.
- Next stop at Sapanta and visit the famous Merry Cemetery, truly one of the
most unique sites in Europe. It is famous for its colorful tombstones with
native paintings describing, in an original and poetic manner, the persons that
are buried there as well as scenes from their lives. The Merry Cemetery became
an open-air museum and a national tourist attraction.
- Then we go to The Barsana 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 from Europe.
- Then at Ieud we will visit the oldest wooden church made in to the 14th
century (UNESCO). Don't miss the The Maramures's Woman Museum, where you can
learn about maramuresean traditions and way of live.
- Stop the day at Viseu.
- Overnight in Viseu
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A & B: Gabriela Hotel***
B

Day 5

ROUTING: VISEU - MOLDOVITA - HUMOR - PATRAUTI - VORONET
- Breakfast in Hotel
- Today we visit some of the World famous Painted Monasteries
- 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
- 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 6

ROUTING: VORONET - NEAMT MONASTERY - NEAMT CITADELL - 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
- Dinner
- Overnight in Brasov
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Casa Wagner***
Option B: Flamingo Guesthouse***
B

Day 7

ROUTING: BRASOV - PREJMER - BUCHAREST AIRPORT or GIURGIU* (*Romania/Bulgaria
border crossing)
- Breakfast in Hotel
- Early in the morning visit at the Prejmer fortified church, the biggest
fortress of its kind from Eastern Europe. The biggest fortified church in the
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.
- Drop off at airport, hotel or other location in Bucharest and final good-bye
from your local driver/guide (Approx 3pm) or continue this tour to Bulgaria with
our partners, for more details click here
B

Extra Information

Inclusions -

6 nights accommodation in 3 or 4 * Hotels and Rural Guesthouses

Exclusions -

- AirfareNot Included: - Airfare - Entrance fees - Alcoholic drinks - Gratuities - Extra charges of hotel, eg. Laundry, telephone or fax charges, room service, etc.. - Insurance

Extras -

After departing Bucharest the first stop of the itinerary is Sinaia, the "Pearl of the Carpathians" with its masterpiece, Palace of Peles. The next day we will head deep into the legend of Dracula, and the Transylvania region. Our first stop is the vibrant city of Brasov with Saxon routes and is a must see. Departing Brasov, we will move onto Sibiu, which is considered one of the most beautiful cities on all of Transylvania. On the way we will stop for a visit of the famous Bran Castle, home to the legend of Dracula. Continuing the following day on the path of Saxon Fortified Chruches; Prejmer and Biertan (the largest one) both UNESCO heritage monuments. Sighisoara, which is one of the best preserved medieval citadels in all of Europe; and also home to the birthplace of the real life Dracula; Vlad Tepes.
Then we head to the beautiful Maramures region, and the world renown wooden churches. Continuing to visit the "Merry Cemetery" in Sapanta, famed for their enlightening engravings. In Maramures we will also see the Museum of the Romanian Peasant, describing in full detail the life of the areas locals. See more examples of the exquisite woodwork which Maramures is famous for.
Continuing to Bucovina, and the UNESCO designated, and world famous Painted Monasteries. The most famous of the region; Voronet has been called the Sistine Chapel of the East, and once you see these magnificent Frescos, you will fully understand why. While here, on request, we can arrange a traditional dinner, and folklore show at the guesthouse. After we will return to Bucharest via Brasov to end your UNESCO heritage tour of Romania.


{italic}See the Heritage Cities of Mankind in Romania!!!{-italic}