Grand Tour of Romania – 10-Day Guided Tour from Bucharest

Discover Romania on a 10-day guided tour that connects the country’s main cultural regions: Bucharest, Transylvania, Bucovina and Maramureș. This itinerary combines royal castles, medieval towns, painted monasteries, traditional villages, mountain landscapes and important historical sites linked to Romania’s royal, Saxon, Romanian, Hungarian and communist past.

The Grand Tour of Romania starts in Bucharest and follows a varied route through Sinaia, Bran, Brașov, Viscri, Sighișoara, Bucovina, Maramureș, Cluj-Napoca, Alba Iulia and Sibiu, before returning to Bucharest.

Tour Highlights

This tour is designed for travelers who want to see Romania beyond a single city or region. The itinerary includes:

• A panoramic and walking tour of Bucharest
• The Parliament Palace, the Old Town and the Village Museum
• Peleș Castle in Sinaia, one of Romania’s most elegant royal residences
• Bran Castle, associated with the Dracula legend
• Brașov and the Saxon heritage of Transylvania
• Viscri Village and the fortified village atmosphere of rural Transylvania
• Sighișoara, the medieval citadel linked to Vlad the Impaler
• Bicaz Gorge and Red Lake in the Eastern Carpathians
• The painted monasteries of Bucovina: Voroneț, Moldovița and Sucevița
• Traditional crafts, including egg painting and black pottery in Marginea
• Maramureș, known for wooden churches, carved gates and village traditions
• The Merry Cemetery in Săpânța and the Memorial to the Victims of Communism in Sighetu Marmației
• Turda Salt Mine, Alba Iulia and Sibiu
• The Transfăgărășan scenic road, available from July to September

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Bucharest Sightseeing Tour

Meet your local guide at the airport in Bucharest and begin your Romania tour with a panoramic introduction to the capital city.

The tour includes some of the most important sites and areas of Bucharest, such as the Triumphal Arch, Victory Square, the Royal Palace, today the seat of the National Art Museum, the Romanian Athenaeum, Revolution Square, Victory Avenue and Union Square.

You will also have the chance to visit the Parliament Palace, the enormous building constructed during the communist period of Nicolae Ceaușescu. The tour continues with a walking visit through Bucharest’s Old Town, once an area of princely families and nobles, later a craftsmen’s district and today one of the city’s busiest areas for restaurants, bars and cobblestone streets.

The day ends with a visit to the Village Museum, one of the most interesting open-air museums in Romania.

Overnight in Bucharest, 3-star hotel.

Day 2: Bucharest – Peleș Castle – Bran Castle – Brașov

After leaving Bucharest, travel north towards the mountain resort of Sinaia, where you will visit Peleș Castle.

Peleș Castle is a masterpiece of German New-Renaissance architecture, commissioned by King Carol I in 1873 and completed in 1883. Its 160 rooms are decorated with European art, Murano crystal chandeliers, German stained-glass windows, Cordoba leather wall coverings, Meissen and Sèvres porcelain, ebony and ivory sculptures.

Continue to Bran and visit Bran Castle, often known as Dracula’s Castle. Its fame is connected to Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel and later to the film adaptations of the Dracula legend. The first documents mentioning Bran Castle date back to 1377. Over the centuries, the castle held a strategic position on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia.

Bran Castle was connected at different times with Sigismund of Luxembourg, the Romanian ruler Mircea the Elder, Vlad the Impaler and the city of Brașov. In the 20th century, it was donated to the Romanian royal family and became a royal summer residence. Today, the museum preserves furniture and objects from that royal period.

Overnight in Brașov, 3-star hotel.

Day 3: Brașov – Viscri Village – Sighișoara

Leave Brașov and travel towards Sighișoara through a landscape of old Saxon villages, fortified churches and rural Transylvanian architecture.

The first stop is Viscri Village, one of the best-known traditional villages in Romania. Viscri became especially famous after Prince Charles of Wales discovered and supported the preservation of this remarkable village, often described as a place where the atmosphere of medieval Transylvania is still visible.

Continue to Sighișoara, one of Romania’s most important medieval citadels. In 1431, in a house near the Clock Tower, Vlad the Impaler was born. Abroad, he became better known as Dracula, a name connected to his father, Vlad Dracul, who was made a knight of the Order of the Dragon by Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg.

In Sighișoara, you will discover the Clock Tower, the Church on the Hill, the Scholars’ Stairs, the Monastery Church and several of the old guild towers, including the Shoemakers’ Tower, the Tailors’ Tower and the Tinsmiths’ Tower.

Overnight in Sighisoara 3*.

Day 4: Sighișoara – Red Lake – Bicaz Gorge – Gura Humorului

Today you leave Transylvania and travel towards Bucovina, a region known as “the land across forested mountains.”

The route crosses the Eastern Carpathians through Bicaz Gorge, one of the most dramatic mountain passages in Romania. Before reaching Bucovina, the journey passes through the area around Red Lake, a region inhabited largely by the Hungarian Szekler community.

The landscapes of the Eastern Carpathians create a strong connection with the mysterious atmosphere often associated with Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Overnight in Gura Humorului 4*.

Day 5: Day Tour of the Painted Monasteries of Bucovina

Bucovina is one of Romania’s most visited cultural regions, especially known for its painted monasteries and traditional crafts.

The first visit of the day is Voroneț Monastery, built in 1488. The monastery combines Byzantine, Gothic and local architectural elements. Its exterior murals include traditional religious scenes, while the western wall is famous for the Last Judgment fresco.

The tour continues with an egg painting demonstration by a local artist from Bucovina, offering insight into one of the region’s traditional crafts.

Travel along one of the most scenic roads in the area, crossing the gentle slopes of the Bucovina Mountains and admiring the panoramas from Ciumârna Pass. The next stop is Moldovița Monastery, built in 1532. The monastery is set within a fortified quadrangular enclosure with towers, gates and well-kept lawns. The central painted church features impressive frescoes from 1537, including the Siege of Constantinople on the southern exterior wall.

After a Romanian lunch at a local restaurant, visit Sucevița Monastery. Here, you will learn more about the “Virtue Staircase,” an impressive fresco known for its size and contrast between angelic order and demonic chaos.

The day ends in Marginea Village, famous for black pottery. You can see how clay is prepared, shaped on the potter’s wheel, decorated by polishing and finally fired.

Overnight in Gura Humorului 4*

Day 6: Gura Humorului – Maramureș Region – Breb Village

Today’s journey is long but scenic. Leave Bucovina and head towards the remote region of Maramureș, often called “the Land of Wood.”

The route crosses the Eastern Carpathians through the Rodnei National Park area, passing through mountain landscapes connected with the mysterious atmosphere of northern Romania.

After reaching Maramureș, visit Bârsana Monastery, known for its tall wooden church and beautiful gardens. You will also visit the house of Toader Bârsan, a local wood carver known for his carved wooden gates and for taking part in the Smithsonian World Festival in Washington.

Overnight in Breb Village, traditional guesthouse.

Day 7: Maramureș Day Tour – Merry Cemetery – Sighetu Marmației – Breb Village

Start the morning in Sighetu Marmației, where local farmers sell their products at the vegetable market.

Continue to Săpânța Village, famous for the Merry Cemetery. The cemetery reflects an old belief that death is not only an end, but also a beginning. Its blue wooden crosses feature carved scenes and humorous epitaphs that describe essential details from the lives of the people buried there, including both their qualities and imperfections.

Next, visit Sighetu Marmației and the Memorial to the Victims of Communism, located in the former Sighet Prison. During the communist regime, especially in the 1950s, this prison was used to silence political opponents.

Later, meet a Romanian family in their home for a traditional lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy a walk through Breb Village and discover local traditions. Visit a local distillery where people prepare țuică or pălincă, a plum brandy. Nearby, you will see how locals wash carpets using a traditional method preserved for generations.

Continue walking through the village streets, admiring wooden gates, wooden houses, local architecture and daily village life.

Overnight in Breb Village, traditional guesthouse.

Day 8: Maramureș – Turda Salt Mine – Cluj-Napoca

Leave Maramureș and travel towards Transylvania. Around 20 km from Cluj-Napoca, visit Turda Salt Mine, a remarkable underground site and a museum of salt exploitation.

The salt deposits were first used by the Romans, and Turda later became an important salt exploitation center during the Habsburg period in Transylvania.

Overnight in Cluj-Napoca

Day 9: Cluj-Napoca – Rimetea Village – Alba Iulia – Sibiu

Leave Cluj-Napoca in the morning and drive to Rimetea Village, one of the best-preserved settlements in Transylvania. Here you can admire the white-painted houses, traditional architecture and the mountain scenery that frames the village.

There may also be a stop at a former manor, where you can taste local desserts.

Continue to Alba Iulia, a city with origins dating back to the Roman period in the 2nd century. Alba Iulia offers a journey through the history of Transylvania, from ancient times to the medieval and modern eras.

The visit includes Roman ruins, medieval fortifications, the Vauban-style modern fortress, the Catholic Cathedral, considered the oldest in Transylvania, and the Reunification Cathedral, which commemorates the union of the Romanian provinces into one country.

Overnight in Sibiu.

Day 10: Sibiu – Transfăgărășan Scenic Road – Curtea de Argeș – Bucharest

Begin the day with a walking tour of Sibiu’s Old Town. Sibiu is one of the most important fortified towns in Transylvania and was founded in 1190. It later became the main city of the Transylvanian Saxons.

The old town includes the Big Square, the Small Square, the Ursuline Church, the Franciscan Church, the Staircase Tower, the Tanners’ Tower, the Liars’ Bridge, the House of the Butchers’ Guild and the Brukenthal Museum.

An optional visit can be made to the Brukenthal Museum, the oldest museum in Romania, known for its collection of paintings, antiques, coins and rare books.

From July to September, the route can continue along the Transfăgărășan scenic road, one of the most spectacular mountain roads in Europe. Along this route, you can also see one of the places connected with the historical figure Vlad the Impaler.

Continue to Curtea de Argeș, the first capital of Wallachia. Here you will visit the old Princely Court and Curtea de Argeș Monastery, the burial place of three of the four Romanian kings from the Hohenzollern dynasty.

Drive to Bucharest.

End of tour services.

Why Choose This Grand Tour of Romania?

This itinerary offers a broad and balanced introduction to Romania. It includes the capital city, royal castles, medieval Transylvanian towns, traditional villages, painted monasteries, wooden architecture, mountain landscapes and important historical sites.

The route is suitable for travelers who want to understand Romania through its regions, architecture, landscapes and local traditions, not only through its most famous landmarks.

Request More Information

For details about availability, accommodation, included services, optional visits and pricing, please contact us. We can provide the full tour conditions and help you decide whether this 10-day Grand Tour of Romania is the right itinerary for your trip.

We can transfer you to the airport or take one day trip to Bulgaria Countryside

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