TRANSYLVANIA EXPLORER TOUR

Morning drive from Bucharest towards Transylvania. While crossing the Southern Carpathians, we stop in Sinaia to visit one of the most beautiful castles in Europe – the famous Peles Castle, a masterpiece of German New-Renaissance architecture, commissioned by King Carol I in 1873 and completed in 1883. Its 160 rooms are adorned with the finest examples of European art, Murano crystal chandeliers, German stained-glass windows, walls covered with Cordoba leather, Meissen and Sevres porcelains, ebony and ivory sculptures. Drive to Brasov via the village of Bran. Once arrived in Bran, visit Dracula’s Castle, the place where Dracula was imprisoned before he was taken to Budapest. Bran Castle is home to a rich collection of Romanian and foreign furniture and art items from the 14th-19th centuries. It sits atop a 200 ft. tall rock, overlooking the picturesque village of Bran.

Drive to Brasov where Dracula was betrayed here by the rich merchants of Brasov and because of this betrayal, he ended up to be imprisoned for 12 years in Pesta and Visegrad by his cousin – Mathias Corvinus, King of Hungary. Enjoy lunch at leisure (not included in tour price).

Accommodation in Brasov at Boutique Hotel Casa Wagner***

Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price).

INFO! Brasov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brasov County. The city is located in the central part of the country, about 166 km from Bucharest. It is surrounded by the Southern Carpathians and is part of the Transylvania region. Centrally located Brasov is a good starting point for trips around Romania. It is also the largest city in a mountain resorts area. The old city itself is very well preserved and is best seen by taking the cable-car to the top of Tâmpa Mountain (995 m), a beautiful lookout.

Hot and cold buffet breakfast at the hotel. Start your tour in Brasov with the Town Hall Square, where you can admire the colorful painted and ornate baroque structures. Visit the Black Church, the largest gothic church in Romania. Continue your visit and see Catherine`s Gate errected in 1559, the only original gate that still survives since medieval times. Visit The Weavers Bastion, the largest medieval bastion in Brasov and the best-preserved among the seven original watchtowers constructed around the city walls. On your way to Sighisoara you will visit Viscri fortified church. The VILLAGE OF VISCRI is a unique reason to visit Transylvania and might as well be one of the main reasons why Prince Charles of Great Britain fell in love with Romania.

Transfer to Sighisoara. Explore the OLD TOWN OF SIGHISOARA with cobbled streets, burgher houses and ornate churches. Start your tour along the medieval street and visit the Clock Tower known as the Council Tower, built in the second half of the 14th century and expanded in the 16th century. Continue our tour with the Venetian House, built in the 16th century. Visit Dracula`s house where Vlad Tepes was born in 1431 and lived with his father until 1435 and enjoy a walk on the covered stairs to the Church on the Hill.
Accommodation in the Upper Town of Sighisoara at the House with Antlers***.

Enjoy dinner at leisure (not included in tour price).

INFO! Central Sighisoara has preserved in an exemplary way the features of a small medieval fortified city. It has been listed by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Each July, a Medieval Festival takes place in the old citadel. The houses inside the Citadel of Sighisoara show the main features of a craftsmen`s town. There are some houses which belonged to the former town elite, like the Venetian House and the House with Antlers.

Hot and cold buffet breakfast at the hotel. 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 Transilvania 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 Bruckenthal Museum assembled by Baron Bruckenthal, 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****

Enjoy lunch at leisure (not included in tour price).

INFO! Sibiu is one of the largest cities in Transylvania, with a population of about 160,000. It straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt. It is one of the most important cultural and religious centers in Romania as well a major transportation hub in central Romania. The city used to be the center of the Transylvanian Saxons in Romania until World War II. Sibiu was designated European Capital of Culture for the year 2007 together with Luxembourg.

Leave Sibiu and cross the mountains on the Olt River Valley, one of the most spectacular valleys crossing the Southern Carpathians. See TRANSFAGARAS EXTENTION  (June to September). 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.

Accommodation in Bucharest or transfer to Otopeni airport.