Treasures of Transylvania and Bucovina – self drive
Tour description
Discover the treasures of Transylvania and Bucovina with our 8 days tour. Start the adventure with a sightseeing tour of Bucharest. Continue with the fascinating Transylvania, its medieval towns, fairy-tale like castles, including the famous Bran Castle. Journey towards Bucovina, and discover the famous painted orthodox monasteries. Enjoy a scenic ride of various landscapes, from the outstanding fields, lakes, canyons to the charming mountains of Romania.
Image gallery
Daily program
Welcome to Romania! On the way to the hotel, have a preview of what you are about to discover here with a panoramic tour of the city that takes you by the House of the Free Press, The Romanian Arch of Triumph, through The Victory Square, The Roman Square and finally to The University Square. Enjoy leisure time and discover the Old Town on your own, visit the ruins of the Old Princely Court, known as Dracula’s residence, where it is said that Vlad Dracula kept his prisoners. Dinner at the hotel.
Journey towards the beautifully preserved medieval city of Sibiu, visit the Bridge of Lies, the second iron bridge from Europe, the Citadel Park, the Council Tower, the Large Square, the Huet Square, and the Small Square. Enjoy a walk among the Old Town of Sibiu, one of the famous old towns from Romania, due to the presence of historical monuments with specific architectures that keep the medieval atmosphere alive, from which the majority are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Admire The Evanghelic Church, located in the historical city center of Sibiu, its tower of almost 74m of height, is the tallest tower from Transylvania. Discover the outstanding architecture of the famous Brukenthal Museum. Travel to the picturesque village Sibiel and enjoy a traditional dinner including homemade wine and plum brandy at a local restaurant. Return to Sibiu.
Journey towards The Fortified church of Biertan, one of the largest and most impressive strongholds in Transylvania, that looks like taken out of a fairy tale. Set in a spectacular landscape, perched high on a hill and surrounded by vineyards, the fortified church bears an enchanting love story. Legend has it that couples seeking divorce were locked for 2 weeks in the Prison Tower, being forced to share everything, and that after that most of the couple decided to give up the idea of divorcing. In the afternoon, you will go to Sighisoara, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe. Sighisoara was settled by the Germans in the 13th century and it is one of the few still inhabited medieval fortresses in the whole world, being also protected by UNESCO. During the walking tour you will visit the Clock Tower, admire the birth house of Dracula and the Church on the Hill. Check-in at the hotel and dinner.
Travel towards Bucovina, famous for its beautifully preserved painted monasteries. Cross the Carpathian Mountains and stop for a short break in Bistrita. Drive to Moldovita and visit one of the oldest monasteries from Romania, The Moldovita Monastery, included as an Unesco World Heritage Site as one of the traditional painted churches. The monastery has wonderful gold with deep blue paintings, and large frescoes similar tho the Siege of Constantinopole. Drive to Suceava and check-in at your centrally located hotel. Dinner at the hotel.
The tour of the painted monasteries continues today with the Sucevita Monastery. Built as a fortress at the end of the 16th century, Sucevita is the last of the 22 painted churches of Bucovina and has the largest number of painted images. Within the monastery you can find a museum with an outstanding collection of religious artifacts. The next stop will be made in Voronet, where you visit the most famous Romanian monastery. The Voronet monastery was built at the end of the 15th century by Stephan the Great and it is worldwide known as the Sistine Chapel of the East due to its stunning interior and exterior paintings featuring an intense blue color, known also as Voronet Blue. In the afternoon you will be transferred to Piatra Neamt. Check-in and dinner at the hotel.
Enjoy a scenic ride through the Moldavian countryside and then along the Bicaz Canyon with its spectacular road through the rocks. You make a short stop at the Red Lake, a very picturesque natural barrier lake. Your journey continues back to Transylvania, to the small village Prejmer, where you visit the Prejmer fortified church. Built by the Teutonic knights in the early 13th century, the fortified church was listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. Inside the fortification one can find 272 rooms, one for each village family, a church completed in 1225 and a school. Transfer to Brasov. Check-in and dinner at the hotel.
After breakfast, discover one of the most popular touristic attraction from Romania, considering its location in the peaks of the Southern Carpathians surrounded by nature, and historical monuments. Enjoy a tour of Brasov, admire the city symbol with a history of over 600 years-The Black Church, continue with The Black Tower, The White Tower, Ecaterina’s Gate and Rope’s Street. Scenic drive to Bran and visit of the 14th century imposing Bran Castle, one of the main landmarks of Transylvania, being a popular destination for the people that are interested in its history, as well as for the enthusiast in legends. Famous for its association with the legend of Dracula, the Castle hosts nowadays the museum of furniture dedicated to the Romanian Royal Family, especially to Queen Marie, the one that collected the objects, and to whom the people of Brasov gifted the Castle. On your way to Brasov, stop in Poiana Brasov for a traditional farewell dinner at a local restaurant including folk music and wine.
Travel to Sinaia in order to explore one of the most stunning castles from Europe, The Peles Castle, also known for being the summer residence of the Romanian Royal family. Nowadays, the castle is an outstanding museum preserving its original furniture, decorations and paintings. Take a walk through the castle’s garden and enjoy the new-Renaissance architecture before visiting the stunning and impressive interior. Explore the Orthodox Monastery of Sinaia built by the Prince Cantacuzino, in the 19th century with a Byzantine design, and admire the exhibition of valuable objects that belonged to the Cantacuzino family, as well as the first Romanian translation of the Bible from the 17th century. Transfer to the International Airport from Bucharest. Have a safe flight!