Romania Budget Tour – 7 Days

Description

ROMANIA BUDGET TOUR 7  Days

Trip Highlights: 

• Visit Bucharest, the most thriving city in the Eastern Europe.
• Visit one of the most luxurious Castles of Eastern Europe – Peles Castle.
• Drive through the magnificent mountain scenery of the Carpathians.
• Tour Dracula`s Castle and find the legend hidden here.
• Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Brasov historical town.
• Tour the Painted Monasteries with a local guide.
• Walk through Bicaz Gorges, one of the natural wonders of Romania.
• Go underground to the impressive Praid Salt Mine.
• Tour the historical town of Sighisoara, listed in UNESCO heritage.
• Find out the old stories hidden behind the walls of Biertan Fortified Church.
• Admire one of the best preserved medieval town in Transylvania – Sibiu.
• Wonder to the beautiful Curtea de Arges Monastery

Bucovina Region is among the most attractive and frequently visited tourist areas on Romania’s map. It is home to one of the world’s greatest art treasures: the UNESCO World heritage sites of the Painted Monasteries of Bucovina. Bucovina is a place which some consider stuck in time, others look behind appearance and find the truth about this cradle of decency, kindness and love for God.

Day 1 Bucharest Sightseeing tour

Arrival at Bucharest-Henri Coanda Airport: meet and greet by our guide-driver; Private transfer to your hotel for check-in. Depending on the arrival hour we can take a tour of the most important sites of Bucharest.

Overnight in Bucharest. Overnight in Bucharest Hotel Tempo 3*** or similar.

Day 2 Bucharest – Peles Palace- Bran Castle – Brasov

Leaving Bucharest in the morning we reach Sinaia Mountain Resort. After we cross the Southern Carpathians, you will have the chance to discover the famous castles of Sinaia – which served as a residence for the Royal family. Sinaia began developing into an important settlement with the construction of the famous Sinaia Monastery in 1695. Peles Palace is one of the best-preserved royal palaces in Eastern Europe. The Castle is full of ornaments the inside as well as on the outside, and features elaborate wood sculptures and paintings representing scenes from the works of German composer Richard Wagner.

From Sinaia Mountain Resort we drive for about one hour and 45 minutes to Bran Castle.

On the way to Bran Castle, we will pass through the fabulous mountain scenery and once arrived in Bran Village, we visit Dracula’s Castle, whose striking hilltop appearance inspired many myths and legends.

After we visit two of the most important castles of Romania we will set off for Brasov, one of the most important medieval handcraft center of Transylvania. We will take walking tour of the most important attractions of Brasov.

Overnight in Brasov 3*** hotel

Day 3 – Brasov – Gura Humorului

Leving Brasov in the morning, we drive from Transylvania Region towards Bucovina Region.

After a few hours’ drive we will stop in Piatra-Neamt, where we can have lunch and admire the attractions of this nice town. Piatra Neamt is the gateway to visiting the Painted Monasteries of Bucovina.

Before reaching Gura-Humorului we will have a few interesting stops. Agapia Monastery is one of them. This is one of the largest nunnery in Romania. More than 300 nuns are working together in different workshops of the monastery. You can visit the worlshops where the nuns are making different stuff such us: painted icons, or handmade carpets.

After this long ride we reach Gura Humorului in the evening.

Overnight in Gura Humorului in 3*** hotel.

Day 4 Gura Humorului- Voronet Monastery-Modovita Monastery- Sucevita Monastery- Gura Humorului

Today will be a wonderful experience, connecting the landscape of Bucovina`s mild hills to the religious life. First visit of the day is at the famous painted monastery of Voronet. Erected in 1488, Voronet Monastery is a combination of Byzantine, Gothic and local elements. On the western wall, the exterior murals depict traditional scenes, and the famous Last Judgment scene, unique in the whole world. The tour continues with an egg painting demonstration given by one of the many local artists from Bucovina. Driving on one of the most beautiful roads in the country, crossing the gentle slopes of Bucovina Mountains, admiring the amazing panoramas from the Ciumarna Pass, you’ll reach Moldovita Monastery. Built in 1532, this monastery occupies a fortified quadrangular enclosure with tower, gates and well-tended lawns. The central painted church has been partly restored and features impressive frescoes from 1537. The southern exterior wall depicts the Siege of Constantinople in AD 626, under a combined Persian-Avar attack. Interestingly, the besiegers are depicted in Turkish dress – keeping parishioners concentrated on the current enemy. After a delicious Romanian lunch in one of the best restaurants in the area, we visit Sucevita Monastery, where we will find out more about the “Virtue Staircase”, most impressive due to its dimension and contrast between the angel’s order and devil’s chaos.

We finish our day trip to Marginea Village, famous for the black ceramics with different shapes and various paintings. You can watch the preparation of clay and its modelling on the potter’s wheel, the decoration by polishing and the final burning process.

Overnight in Gura Humorului at 3*** hotel.

Day 5 Gura Humorului – Bicaz Gorges-Praid Salt mine –Sighisoara Citadel

Today`s journey is long and beautiful. We leave Bucovina and head to Transylvania Region  (The Land across forested mountains). Crossing the Eastern Carpathian Mountains through Bicaz Gorge you will discover a mysterious realm, the same one described in Bram Stoker`s Dracula. Once reaching the Red Lake you are in Transylvania passing through an area inhabited mostly by the Hungarian Szekler community. In the village of Praid visit the local salt mine. We reach Sighisoara Medieval Town in the evening. Sighisoara Citadel is a World Heritage Site and the only still inhabited medieval fortress in Europe. Overnight in Sighisoara at Hotel Sighisoara 3***- in the upper town.

Day 6 Sighisoara-Biertan-Sibiu

In the morning you will explore the Old Town of Sighisoara with cobbled streets, burgher houses and ornate churches. You will visit the Clock Tower, Church on the Hill and Dracula`s house where Vlad Tepes was born in 1431.The next stop is Sibiu, the largest and wealthiest of the walled cities built by the Saxons in the 12th century.

Transfer to Sibiu, with a stop in Biertan, UNESCO site and one of the first German settlements in Transylvania. This fortified church, surrounded by three rows of fortifications, was built by the German peasants in Transylvania and was used for nearly 300 years as the residence of the Transylvanian Archbishop. A room in the citadel was used for a long time as a reconciliation place for couples about to divorce (hear the full story on spot). The name “Biertan” was first attested in 1283. It had a township status.

Before noon, we arrive in Sibiu: the chief city of the Transylvanian Saxons. Take a leisurely walking tour of Sibiu, visit the old surrounding defense walls and the remaining towers each belonging to a certain guild. One of the landmarks of Sibiu is the Brukenthal Museum assembled by baron Brukenthal, governor of Transylvania at the end of the 18th century. The Evangelical Cathedral was completed in its actual shape in 1520, but inside there is an exquisite fresco of the Crucifixion on the north wall of the choir dating from 1445. View the Passage of Stairs linking the Upper town to the Lower town, the 1859 Liar`s Bridge and the Byzantine style Orthodox Cathedral, a replica of St. Sophia in Constantinople. Overnight in Sibiu`s famous Romans` Emperor Hotel, first built at the end of the 18th century, which hosted many famous guests: Emperor Franz Joseph II, composers Franz Liszt, Johann Strauss, as well as Prince Charles and other important people.

Accommodation in Sibiu at Continental Forum Hotel 3***

Day 7 Sibiu- Curtea de Arges- Bucharest

Leaving Sibiu, we cross the mountains on the Olt River Valley, one of the most spectacular valleys crossing the Southern Carpathians. From the July to September we can Transfagarasan Highway, one of the most spectacular scenic roads of Europe. Along this spectacular road we can even see one of the real places strongly connected with the real life historical character – Vlad the Impaler. Visit Curtea de Arges, the first capital of Wallachia with the old Princely Court and the monastery – the place where three of the four Romanian Kings of the Hohenzollern dynasty are buried. Drive to Bucharest.

We will end up the tour in Bucharest or we transfer to Otopeni Airport. Accommodation on your own.

All of our itineraries may be customized as you wish, add extra days, change a hotel, see different sights. Contact one of our expert consultants for your free, no-obligation vacation plan.