A Touch of Transylvania
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5 days / 4 nights, 2008 tour
Itinerary:
Bucharest - Curtea de Arges - Sibiu -
Sighisoara - Brasov - Bran -
Sinaia - Bucharest
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Day 1 - Sinaia
Upon clearing custom formalities in Bucharest airport, be met by your guide for your tour to Transylvania. A short drive will take you to Sinaia - pearl of the Carpathians. The fairylike beauty of the landscape at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains had fascinated the young German prince Carol I of Hohenzollern who was to become the king of modern Romania.
- Arrival in Bucharest Airport, be met and greeted by the guide
- Transfer to Sinaia
- Accommodation in 3* hotel in Sinaia (Sinaia or similar).
Day 2 - Peles Castle and Sighisoara
Visit Peles Castle - former summer royal residence of Kings of Romania; It has 106 rooms, an imposing reception hall with fine ornaments of inlaid wood, a gallery of mirrors and a Florentine hall where one can admire splendid Murano chandeliers, a Moorish and Turkish drawing room.
Drive to Sighisoara, an ancient Romanian cradle located on Tarnave Plateau and one of the best-preserved 15th century citadel and the only mediaeval inhabited citadel in Europe.
The citadel has 14 towers; each of them had been built and watched by a guild. Here lived, between 1431-1435, Vlad Dracul (Vlad the Devil), future Prince of Wallachia, thus called because the German Emperor knighted him as Knight of the Dragon. He was Vlad the Impaler's father known as Dracula, who was most probably born here in Sighisoara, on 1431.
- After breakfast, visit Peles Castle in Sinaia
- Drive to Sighisoara
- Sightseeing tour of Sighisoara citadel : Clock Tower, The Citadel Walls, Wooden covered staircase, The church on the hill etc.
- Accommodation in 3* hotel in Sighisoara (Sighisoara or similar).
Day 3 - Sibiu
On our today's drive to Sibiu, we shall stop in Biertan to visit the fortified church, one of the most important among the Saxon fortifications in Southern Transylvania.
Included in the UNESCO world patrimony, it was built in 15th-16th centuries in late Gothic style with specific Renaissance elements. For 300 years Biertan was chosen as the residence of the Evangelic Diocese (1572-1867).
Sibiu - city mentioned for the first time in documents on 1192 under the name of Cibinum is one of the most romantic cities of Romania. Through the Council Tower we arrive in the Small Square which is the old commercial center of the fortified citadel. The Liars Bridge is the first Cast Iron Bridge in Romania. Its name comes from the false love declarations young people used to promise in the evenings. - Sightseeing tour of medieval Sibiu including: Evangelical Church, Small Square, Catholic Church, Liar's Bridge.
- Breakfast, drive to Biertan and visit the fortified church
- Sightseeing tour of medieval Sibiu including: Evangelical Church, Small Square, Catholic Church, Liar's Bridge
- Drive to Bran area
- Accommodation in 3* Acvila hotel in Moeciu de Jos (Bran area) or similar.
Day 4 - Bran - Brasov - Bucharest
Visit Bran Castle, the controversial and contested Dracula's Castle.
The fortress-castle was built on 1377 by master masons of Brasov, on a cliff, dominating the whole region. It was arranged by Queen Maria into a most romantic castles: the old garret became the fourth floor, the old cylindrical tower with defense gallery became an apartment, Gothic stone arches framed the entrance doors, stairs and boarded floors were rebuilt.
Visit the city of Brasov, one of the largest mediaeval towns in Transylvania. Old fortification ruins of the former burg, the narrow and tortuous streets, the old baroque houses with their bulky arched gates, still, keeps in the downtown the mediaeval patina.
Visit Black Church - built between 1385-1477, one of the most important Gothic art monuments in Romania, impressing by its massiveness, the richness of architecture and its historical background.
Arrive in the evening in Bucharest - capital of Romania. The legend says that a shepherd called Bucur, coming down from the mountain with his sheep, found here a nice spot between two rivers, Colentina and Dimbovita, which was a perfect place for him to settle.
The small village settled by Bucur became along the centuries the nowadays city, one of the most interesting in South East of Europe.
- Visit Bran Castle
- Sightseeing tour of Brasov including Councilor' Square, the Black Church, The Old City Hall, St. Nicholas Church
- Drive to Bucharest, panoramic sightseeing tour of the city before checking-in at your hotel
- Overnight in Bucharest in 3* hotel (Central or similar).
Day 5 Bucharest
We hope you enjoyed your trip and look forward to have you back in order to discover other wonders of Romania.
- After breakfast transfer to Otopeni International Airport for flight back home or extend your tour to Bulgaria (please check post extension tour availability date).
Price/person: 570 Euro (for a party of minimum 2 paying people)
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Services included:
- 4 nights accommodation (place in double room) on breakfast basis in 3 star hotels
- 1 farewell dinner including
- entrance fees to museums
- transportation by air conditioned car/minibus/bus with driver
- arrival/departure transfers
- English speaking guide assistance.
Supplements:
- Single room supplement: 110 Euro
Not included:
- arrival/departure flights
- health insurance (Get a Free Travel Insurance Quote)
- personal expenses of any kind, hotel services like phone calls, laundry, mini bar, room service
- soft and alcoholic drinks with the main meals unless otherwise specified.
