Romania holiday, Discover Romania
| country: | Romania |
| location: | Transylvania |
| departures: | This trip can be tailored to individual requirements with flexibility on dates |
| price: | From £795 (8 days) excluding flights. Single supplement £130. Flights from the UK and ATOL cover can be arranged. Price includes donations to Climate Care and to The Travel Foundation |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This tour starts in Bucharest, where you may have the chance to visit the amazing Parliament Palace – Ceausescu's Kremlin.
The next day you transfer to Bucovina through the beautiful Moldovan landscape visiting the nunneries of Agapia and Varatec, examples of traditional architecture and monastic life. You will stay for two nights in Gura Humorului, allowing a day tour of the painted monasteries of Bucovina, designated UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites.
The following day you head to legendary Transylvania through the Bistrita valley, visiting Targu Mures and reaching Sighisoara, a Saxon mediaeval fortress town – also a World Heritage site.
Two nights are spent in Sighisoara, to allow time to explore the city. You may visit Biertan and its fortress church – yet another UNESCO monument and you will have the option of visiting the wine cellars of Jidvei.
Leaving Sighisoara, the sixth day is spent partly in Brasov, where you can visit the Black Church before drivng to Sinaia, a mountain resort. The following morning, the seventh, is spent in Sinaia and visiting Bran Castle, home of the legendary Dracula. After another night in Sinaia you return to the airport at Bucharest through the beautiful Prahova valley looking in at Snagov monastery, where Vlad Tepes – Dracula - is supposedly buried.
All accommodation and meals, except lunch and one dinner, are included as well as entrance to a range of attractions. Activities such as horse riding, hiking, and skiing can also be arranged.
The next day you transfer to Bucovina through the beautiful Moldovan landscape visiting the nunneries of Agapia and Varatec, examples of traditional architecture and monastic life. You will stay for two nights in Gura Humorului, allowing a day tour of the painted monasteries of Bucovina, designated UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites.
The following day you head to legendary Transylvania through the Bistrita valley, visiting Targu Mures and reaching Sighisoara, a Saxon mediaeval fortress town – also a World Heritage site.
Two nights are spent in Sighisoara, to allow time to explore the city. You may visit Biertan and its fortress church – yet another UNESCO monument and you will have the option of visiting the wine cellars of Jidvei.
Leaving Sighisoara, the sixth day is spent partly in Brasov, where you can visit the Black Church before drivng to Sinaia, a mountain resort. The following morning, the seventh, is spent in Sinaia and visiting Bran Castle, home of the legendary Dracula. After another night in Sinaia you return to the airport at Bucharest through the beautiful Prahova valley looking in at Snagov monastery, where Vlad Tepes – Dracula - is supposedly buried.
All accommodation and meals, except lunch and one dinner, are included as well as entrance to a range of attractions. Activities such as horse riding, hiking, and skiing can also be arranged.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Bucharest. Pick up from the airport and transfer to your hotel in Bucharest. Pick up from your hotel for a tour of Bucharest. You will see the Arch of Triumph and many other historic buildings. A visit will be paid to either: the Village Museum, with many houses showing how people have lived historically in different parts of this region or to the amazing Parliament Palace - Ceausescu's Kremlin. While all other dinners are included, we have made no arrangement for dinner on this evening as some may wish to leave the hotel for a restaurant in the city. Accommodation in Bucharest. |
| Day 2 | From Bucharest to Piatra Neamt. You will be picked up form your hotel and driven through the beautiful landscape of Moldova to the famous Bucovina. The nunneries of Agapia and Varatec will be visited, showing examples of Romanian religious monastic life as well as traditional culture. Accommodation in Piatra Neamt. |
| Day 3: | Visiting Bucovina. This day is dedicated to a full tour of the most representative painted monasteries of Bucovina, which are now UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites. The beauty and diversity in architecture and painting style of Moldovita, Arbore, Humor and Voronet give the identity of the whole area. The latest is also known as the Sistine Chapel of Eastern Europe, the Blue of Voronet being unique and difficult to be reproduce through modern art means. The visit will also include a visit to Sucevita, another painted monastery, the one with the richest frescoes in Bucovina. Accommodation in Piatra Neamt. |
| Day 4: | From Bucovina to Transylvania. This day you leave behind the enchanting Bucovina area and head towards the heart of legendary Transylvania - "the land beyond the forests". Passing through the astonishing Bistrita valley, you will visit Targu Mures, arriving later in Sighisoara, a Saxon medieval fortress-town. This town is part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage as the best preserved and continuously inhabited early medieval citadel in the world. Accommodation in Sighisoara, within the old city walls. |
| Day 5: | Visit to the German Transylvania: Sighisoara – Biertan - Sighisoara. In the morning, a tour of Sighisoara is organised, with visit to the Clock Tower which now doubles as the local history museum, and to the Church on the Hill. Sighisoara will be yours to explore for a couple of hours. You will identify the elements which makes this city the most famous medieval city in Europe, being continuously inhabited for centuries. In the afternoon, a visit to Biertan and its fortress church, another UNESCO monument will show you aspects of German style of life in the heart of Transylvania. As an optional tour you can visit the wine cellars of Jidvei and taste a few samples of the prized local wines. Accommodation in Sighisoara. |
| Day 6: | Towards Valahia through Brasov. A morning depart towards Brasov, another German city will save time for a comprehensive city tour: enter the Black Church - the largest gothic construction in SouthEast Europe, St. Nicholas Ortodox Church and the First Romanian school. Enjoy a whole afternoon in this charming Saxon city, then drive to Sinaia, a well-known mountain resort. located in Valahia, not far from the former border with Transylvania. Accommodation in Sinaia. |
| Day 7: | From King Carol I to Dracula: Sinaia - Bran - Sinaia. You will spend the morning to discover all the treasures Sinaia holds for the tourists. A visit to Peles Castle, will show you an exquisite piece of architecture, which has served as the summer residence for King Carol I of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Close to this place is Sinaia monastery - a beautiful example of the Valahian-Byzantine style, and the first building in Sinaia. In the afternoon, drive to Bran and visit the castle built in the 14th century by the merchants from Brasov in order to protect the borders between Transilvania and Valahia - the castle is better known as the residence of the gruesome vampire Dracula! Accommodation in Sinaia. |
| Day 8: | Towards the Capital, through Prahova land: Sinaia - Snagov - Bucharest. In the morning, depart to Bucharest, alongside the beautiful sceneries of Prahova valley. On the way, visit Snagov monastery - the place where, supposedly, Vlad Tepes - Dracula is burried. Snagov village will also show you the rich part of Romanian today's housing. Finish the tour with a panoramic tour of the capital. Then transfer to the airport or extend your stay with a special package tour in Bucharest. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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We are committed to playing our part through caring for the places and communities that we visit. We will continue to work with our suppliers to deliver a responsible product and quality performance.
We are helping to minimise the effects of emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases on the global climate from the transport that we use (aircraft, buses and cars) by contributing to Climate Care. This contribution is equivalent to some £1.50 per customer and will be invested, for example, in renewable energy schemes in less developed countries. We will continue to do this until governments bring in alternative ways in which to address the climate change impact of transport. We are contributing 50p per customer to The Travel Foundation– a British based charity that is implementing tourism projects and practice around the world to deliver long term caring. We will contribute also £1 per customer to a community project in Romania. Our customers are asked to make suggestions, based on what they see in Romania, about suitable projects to support. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |