BEST OF ROMANIA
Day 1 Bucharest
Arrival at Bucharest International Airport (13 miles to Bucharest). Meet your English speaking guide. Brief presentation of Bucharest and of the tour on route to your hotel. Check in. Free time. Romanian festive folklore dinner show with dance at Pescarus restaurant on the shore of Herastrau lake.
D Transfer Accommodation at Lido Hotel **** ( or similar)
Day 2 Bucharest - Cozia - Sibiu
Hot buffet breakfast at hotel. Morning city tour of Bucharest including the Revolution Square, the People's House - the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon , the Metropolitan Church, the former Princely Court, the Village Museum - one of the world's most interesting open air museums with century old original peasant households from different parts of Romania. Afternoon departure for Sibiu. On route short visit to the 14th century Cozia monastery built by Prince Mircea the Old, the grandfather of Vlad Dracula. Drive along the Olt river Canyon. Cross the mountains into Transylvania. Overnight & dinner in Sibiu's famous “Roma'’s Empero” hotel, first built at the end of the 18th century.
B D Accommodation in Sibiu at Imparatul Romanilor Hotel ***
Day 3 Sibiu - Biertan - Sighisoara - Bistrita
Hot buffet breakfast at hotel. Start your day with a walking tour of Sibiu, the chief city of the Transylvanian Germans. Visit the old surrounding defense walls and the remaining towers each belonging to a certain guild. One of the landmarks of Sibiu is Bruckenthal Museum assembled by baron Bruckenthal, governor of Transylvania at the beginning of the 19th century. The Evangelical Cathedral was completed in its actual shape in 1520, but inside, there is a exquisite fresco of the Crucifixion on the north wall of the choir dating from 1445. Visit the Passage of Stairs linking the Upper town to the Lower town, the 1859 Liar's Bridge and the Byzantine style Orthodox Cathedral. At about 11 am departure to Biertan driving through typical Trasylvanian German villages. Biertan is a village set high on a hill within two and a half rings of walls linked by a covered staircase. It was completed as late as 1516 recently restored and added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. Drive another 10 miles to the splendid town of Sighisoara, one of the most well preserved medieval towns in Europe and still inhabited. Walking tour including: Dracula ( Prince Vlad the Impaler ) birthplace house, the Tower with Clock (climb up for a great view! ), the Weapon Museum and Torture Chamber. Cross the Transylvanian Plateau to Bistrita where the main character Jonathan Harker stayed overnight at the Golden Crown Hotel before leaving for Dracula's Castle in the Borgo Pass. All these places in the book, they actually exist, even the hotel. Short tour of of Bistrita.
B D Accommodation in Bistrita at Golden Crown Hotel ***
Day 4 Bistrita - Borgo Pass- Voronet Monastery - Campulung
A la carte breakfast. Drive through the Borgo Pass into the province of Bukovina. Pass through one of the first established spas in the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Vatra Dornei) on the way to the most important and the most well known painted monastery: VORONET, (World Heritage), built in three month in 1488 by Prince Stephen the Great, the most important historical figure of Moldavia. The frescoes show scenes from the Bible, saints and different other characters, but the most important is the Last Judgment scene on the Western facade. You will continue to the next two monasteries - Sucevita and Moldovita. Brief stop in the village of Marginea to see how they make this unique black pottery.
D Accommodation in Camapulung Moldovenesc at Eden Hotel ***
Day 5 :Campulung Moldovenesc-Bicaz Gorge-Brasov
After breakfast drive back south along the Bicaz Lake - one of the most scenic roads in the country - only to get to Bicaz Gorges where the surroundings are dramatic. Stopover for pictures and souvenir shopping. Continue your trip through two of the counties where around 85% percent of the population is ethnic Hungarian (very interesting are the by-lingual road singes). You are back to Transylvania. Visit one of the most well known German fortified churches -Harman. Inside the fortified outer walls, wooden staircases lead to the rows of meal-rooms where each family stored a loaf from every baking and other essential supply for use in times of siege. The village is got a 13th century church. Drive another 15 miles to Romania’s most important mountain resort-Poiana Brasov (altitude 2900 feet) for accommodation and a special dinner at The Outlaw's Hut/Dacian Den restaurants. Try their boiled plum brandy.
D Accommodation in Poiana Brasov at Ana Hotel *** (or similar)
Day 6 : Brasov-Bran-Sinaia
Hot buffet breakfast. Morning city tour of Brasov. Visit the 14 th century Black Church with its 4000 pipe organ, the old Romanian district and the narrowest street in the world. The attraction of the day is the well known Bran Castle also known as Dracula Castle. The castle was built in 1377 to safeguard the trading route between Transylvania and Wallachia and enlarged and restored a few times since then. Climb up to the tower. Continue your trip to Predeal, Romania highest town. Overnight in Sinaia.
D Accommodation in Sinaia at Sinaia Hotel *** (or similar)
Day 7 : Sinaia-Bucharest
Hot buffet breakfast. Visit one of the most important tourist attractions of Romania: Peles Castle in Sinaia, the royal residence of King Charles I of Romania and the most beautiful summer royal residence in Europe. This castle alone is worth your entire trip to Romania. Drive to Otopeni International Airport (Bucharest) for your flight back home.