Discover Romania

We will make our way individually to the hotel and sit down as a group for a welcome dinner.

Bucharest (Romanian: București) is the capital and largest city of Romania. Bucharest's first appearance in historical records was in a signed document in 1459 by Wallachian ruler Vlad the Impaler (also known as Vlad III or Vlad Dracula), who built the first fortress in Bucharest to hold back the invading Turks. Vlad is believed to be Bram Stoker's inspiration for his fictional vampire, Dracula. Dracula means "son of the Dragon"; Vlad was called as such as his father was known as Vlad Dracul ("Vlad the Dragon"). After centuries of foreign control, Bucharest is now the country's centre for education, culture, and commerce. Today we will have a full day of guided sightseeing in Bucharest including visits to the colossal Palace of Parliament, the National Museum of Romanian History, Apostles' Church, and the Museum of the Romanian Peasant, offering an insight into traditional Romanian rural life and culture. We will then have dinner in a local restaurant.

Today we will head north to Brasov, stopping en route at the Peleş Castle in Sinaia and the "Dracula Castle" in Bran, with guided tours at both. Peleş Castle is nestled at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains in Sinaia and is considered a stunning masterpiece of German Neo-Renaissance architecture. We will have an opportunity to tour the royal palace that was originally built for Carol I, the first ruler of the dynasty (Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen) that would rule Romania until 1947. The dramatic Bran Castle, situated on a mountain pass between Transylvania and Wallachia, is commonly known as Dracula Castle and is believed to be the site of imprisonment of Vlad the Impaler. In Brasov, we will have dinner in a local restaurant and retire in our hotel.

Today we will enjoy a half-day city tour of Brasov itself. The town has a very attractive central old-town area and is a great introduction to the Transylvanian region. We will view the Biserica Neagra or Black Church, originally a Roman Catholic structure that is now the largest Lutheran place of worship in the region. It was set ablaze during the Great Turkish War of the 1680s and its soot-covered walls earned it its name. We will see the First Romanian School Museum, built in 1495 and which served for centuries as a centre for Romanian teaching and book publishing, and ascend to Mt Tampa via cable car to enjoy a beautiful view of Brasov. Following this morning’s tour and visits, we will head to nearby Prejmer to see the Prejmer Fortified Church, one of the many fortified churches in Transylvania collectively inscribed on the list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. It was originally founded in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights, a German Roman Catholic religious and military order, before it was taken over by the local Saxon community, a Germanic people who settled in the region. Its 15th century Gothic triptych altarpiece is one of the most valuable and oldest in Romania. We will then transfer to Sighisoara in the historic region of Transylvania, which will be our base for the next two nights.

We will have a half-day city tour of Sighişoara to explore the charming medieval stronghold and visit some key museums. The UNESCO-protected Sighisoara Citadel (listed as "the Historic Centre of Sighisoara") was built in the 12th century by Saxon settlers and is still inhabited to this day. This fortification allowed the survival of medieval German architecture within its walls. We will visit the History Museum of Sighisoara and gain access to the 65-metre-tall Clock Tower, an important observation point in the city. At the foot of the Clock Tower is the Torture Room, used in the Middle Ages to extract confessions from hapless prisoners. We will also view the collections inside the Medieval Weapons Museum, located on the first floor of the house where Vlad the Impaler was said to have been born. We will then head to nearby Biertan to view the Biertan Fortified Church, and transfer to Mediaş, where we will meet with a local artist who uses spiders webs in their art (subject to their availability upon confirmation of exact tour dates). We will return to Sighişoara and have dinner at the hotel.

Today we will be going on a long ride on the tour coach as we head north from Sighisoara to Sucevita. We will stop en route at Bicaz to view the stunning Bicaz Gorge, a geological marvel which serves as a passageway between the Romanian provinces of Transylvania and Moldova. Tonight will be the first of two nights in Suceviţa.

We will start the day with a visit to one of the finest of the famed painted monasteries of the Bucovina region, the Sucevita Monastery, a World Heritage Site listed along with the other painted churches of the region. We will head to the monastery by horse-drawn carriage. Sucevita Monastery, built in 1585, served as a manuscript workshop and a printing centre, and its walls house an incredible collection of books and illuminated manuscripts, as well as historical art objects. This will be followed by a visit to another medieval monastery in Voronet, but first we will stop in Marginea to visit the Black Ceramics Centre, a workshop and retail outlet dedicated to this Lithuanian art. The Voronet Monastery is covered in beautiful frescoes that feature a shade of blue ("Voronet blue") that managed to maintain its intense colour even after several centuries. After a full day of sightseeing, we will return to Sucevita and have dinner at our hotel.

We will head to Moldovita to visit the painted Moldovita Monastery, whose well-preserved yellow-and-blue frescoes depict religious scenes and the Siege of Constantinople. Our next stop is the Wood Art Museum in Campulung Moldovenesc to view products of the traditional handicraft of this forested region. The afternoon will be spent travelling west towards Sighetu Marmatiei, via the scenic Prislop Pass, cutting through the heart of the Marmures region. If time allows, we can make a photo stop at the 60-metre-high Cascada Cailor Waterfall. We will have dinner at a local restaurant, and spend the night in Sighetu Marmatiei.

Sighetu Marmatiei, also known as Sighet, lies in the Tisza Valley on the border with Ukraine and was once under the rule of the Hungarian throne. Its Jewish population, a sizeable minority, were deported and later sent to Auschwitz during World War II. Among the deportees was Sighet native Elie Wiesel (1928-2016), author of La Nuit (Night), who would survive the Holocaust and become a Nobel Peace Prize awardee. During Romania's communist era, the government imprisoned its intellectual opponents in Sighet. This prison is now called the Museum of Arrested Thought, which we will visit today while learning more about this town's history. After a solemn reminder of human cruelty, we will have a bit of levity with a visit to the colourful Cimitirul Vesel or “Merry Cemetery" in nearby Sapanta, famous for its brightly painted tombstones and humorous epitaphs narrating the life stories of the deceased. We will also see the Sapanta-Peri Monastery, built in 1391 and the tallest wooden structure in Romania. Following this, we will transfer to an Agriturismo site in Botiza (for two nights), with the remainder of today free for us to relax. The Agriturismo in Botiza consists of two modern houses with suitable amenities; however the local area and surroundings are reminiscent of medieval rural life, giving us a chance to unwind.

Today will be spent at a more leisurely pace than previous days, with visits to the local towns of Bogdan Voda and Rozavlea to see their wooden churches, and Barsana to visit the wooden monastery. The remainder of the day is free.

We will head south from Botiza this morning to Cluj Napoca, once considered the capital of the historical province of Transylvania. We will be accompanied by a local guide to see the highlights of the city, including the beautiful St Michael's Church. Built in the Gothic style, it is the second highest church in Romania, after the Black Church in Braşov which we have viewed earlier on the tour. After lunch (own arrangements) we will have an underground guided tour of the enormous Salt Mine at Turda, in use since antiquity and modernised and reopened to tourism as a subterranean salt therapy centre and amusement park in 2010.

After breakfast we will travel to Oradea, a historic city near Romania’s western border. On arrival, we will meet our local guide for a half-day walking tour of the city and its main sights. Our tour will include the impressive Oradea City Hall, the distinctive Moon Church, and Oradea Fortress, a historic complex with origins dating back to the medieval period. We will also see the Neolog Synagogue Zion, an important example of Oradea’s rich Jewish heritage. The remainder of the afternoon and evening will be at leisure to explore Oradea independently and enjoy dinner at a restaurant of your choice. Dinner is not included tonight.

In the morning transfer to Arad to visit this city and its fortress. After that, continue to Timisoara, stopping en route to a winery for a Romanian wine tasting.

Full day city tour of Timisoara with a local guide.

In the morning transfer to Sibiu for half day guided tour, viewing the main sights with visits to the Council Tower and Brukenthal National Museum. Afternoon at leisure.

Today we will be heading back to Bucharest. Along the way, we will stop for a visit to the picturesque Cozia Monastery, the only Byzantine-styled monastery still preserved in Romania. We will also have free time to explore and have lunch (own arrangements) in the city of Curtea de Argeş ("The Court upon the [river] Arges"), one of the oldest towns in Wallachia. In Bucharest, we will have our farewell dinner in a local restaurant.

Tour concludes after breakfast.