Penguin Travel

A round trip in the country, famous as Dracula’s homeland. But Romania is much more than that. Picturesque castles and citadels are scattered across the forested Transylvanian landscape, where wolves and bears roam in the majestic Carpathian Mountains. Historic monasteries, churches and villages contain some of the best medieval sites in the world, where folkloric traditions are still strong and seem unchanged for centuries. The capital city is Bucharest, but getting about the countryside can be a challenging yet rewarding experience. In recent times it is as if Romania has reappeared in front of the world out of a melted iceberg. The people have shaken off the yoke of isolation and are now rushing towards the future.
We invite you to join our trip in one of Europe's ‘best-kept secrets’, still covered by legends, still housing the face of old Europe as it was.

Download our trip-dossier as PDF

Country region:   Around Romania

Price without flight ticket:    830 EUR

Trip plan:
Day 1. Arrival at Bucharest Airport - transfer to Curtea de Arges (145 km, 2,5 hours), this small and cosy town in the flat lands in the southern Romania was once the capital of Wallachia (13th-14th centuries). It has a wonderful location in the hill area at the feet of the Carpathian Mountains. The air is fresh and tourists can take a nice walk late in the afternoon. Accommodation and dinner in local pension.
Day 2. Sightseeing Curtea de Arges – transfer to Sibiu (170 km). There are two interesting churches to be visited in Curtea de Arges: the old princely church with the ruins of the mediaeval princely court, both dating from the 13th-14th centuries and the Bishoff Cathedral, built in the 16th century. Further on we drive to Sibiu, where we will arrive early in the afternoon. There we make walking tour in the medieval centre of the town. Dinner and overnight in Sibiu.
Day 3. Sightseeing Sibiu and the surroundings (150 km). Morning visit to the Bruckenthal Museum for fine arts opened in 1819. In the afternoon we continue with a trip to Astra open-air museum. On the way back to Sibiu we stop in Sibiel village where the old traditions are still being kept these days. We will visit there the icons museum and will have dinner with local farmers.
Day 4. Sibiu – transfer to Biertan – transfer to Sighisoara (130 km). After breakfast we have a transfer to Sighisoara via Medias. En-route we stop in Biertan, well known for its Saxon fortress, cathedral and culture centre. Then we continue to Sighisoara for dinner and overnight among the city walls. This is a day with a short drive through hills and plateau areas. The afternoon is relaxed as there will be a walking tour in the fortress of Sighisoara.
Day 5. Sightseeing Sighisoara and the surroundings (200 km). This is a rather relaxing day. In Sovata spa resort, which is some 50 km from Sighisoara, we provide tourists with the chance to swim in the salty water of the URSU (bear) lake. From Sovata we have a transfer to Praid (around 30 km) to visit the local salt mine. It is also a place where many people go to cure there asthma disease. In the nearby village of Corund (famous ceramic centre) we can spend some time shopping.
Day 6. Sighsisoara – transfer to Predeal and Sinaia (150 km). After breakfast we drive to Predeal/Sinaia via Brasov and Bran. Along the way we stop for sightseeing tour in Brasov (for a visit to the Black Church, the Schei District, the Museum of Romanian School and not the least the city centre) before continuing to Bran, where the famous castle of Count Dracula will be visited. In the afternoon we continue further to the mountain resort Sinaia, where we stay for dinner and overnight.
Day 7. Sightseeing Predeal/Sinaia and the surroundings (100 km). Again a relaxing day. During the morning hours the Peles Castle (the former royal summer residence) will be visited and a nice walk will be taken in the area surrounding the castle. After that we will drive to Bucharest via Ploiesti / Valea Calugaresca, where we can make a short tasting of the local wines.
Day 8. In the morning short sightseeing in the capital (depending on flight program) and after that transfer to Bucharest Airport for departure.

Accomodation and food:   We spend 7 nights in small pensions and hotels with en-suite facilities. Mealplan is based on HB (breakfast and dinner included).

Luggage transport:   Luggage is taken care of throughout the whole trip. A small rucksack for carrying personal items during the day would be of use.

Included in the price:   Accommodation and mealplan as per program; ground transfers with private bus as mentioned in the program; English-speaking guide; entrance fees as per program;

Excluded from the price:   Flight tickets, tips, alcohol drinks and other personal expenses.

Tour highlights:   • Sibiu - The district of Sibiu is situated in the centre of Romania, in the South - East of Transylvania. This corresponds to the area where German communities have been colonized (Flandrens, Teutons, Saxons) by the kings of Hungary, has a specific character. • Medias - Originally an Iron Age and then a Roman settlement, Medias was a predominantly Saxon town for many centuries, walled and with gate towers, two of which remain on Strada Closca. • Sighisoara - A European treasure, Sighisoara is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located on the Tarnava Mare River, the town was built by Saxons between the 12-th and 17-th centuries. Eleven towers guard Sighisoara's walls.• Fagaras - Fagaras County lies in the western part of Brasov county in the Fagaras Depression, on the left side of the Olt river and south of the chain of the Transylvanian Alps, i.e. Fagarasului Mountains. Fagaras Fortress is the most impressive monument of the town, and the core around which the town was actually built.• Bran - The Dracula's Castle in Bran is no doubt one of the milestones when travelling in Transylvania. Towers, narrow corridors, hidden premises - the castle offers many interesting facts and stories, mysterious enough to incite the legend lovers.• Brasov - Brasov is everything that Bucharest is not: a placid, gentle, civilised city of 300,000 people nestled in the Carpathian mountains. At present the 2nd industrial centre after Bucharest and one of the main university, historic and tourist cities in Romania. Places of interest in the city include remnants of a citadel built in 1553, The Black Church (14-th - l5-th centuries), the largest Gothic church in Romania and within the territory between Vienna and Istanbul and many others.• Sinaia – Sinaia is a famous mountain ski resort and is well known as "The Carpathians Pearl". Situated on 780 m a.s.l. along Prahova river valley, into the Bucegi massive of the Carpathian Mountains, Sinaia is a great destination for both summer and winter holidays.• Peles Castle - Peles Castle is one of Romania's most important museums in the country since it was the final resting place for several Romanian monarchs including King Carol I, who died here in 1914. The castle was built in wood, stone, bricks and marble and comprises more than 160 rooms.

Recommended travel period of the year:   June - September

 

Tour difficulty:   A 

No special experience is needed; everyone who is in condition to cope with long Saturday walks in the forest can also cope with these tours. As a rule, the trips are short and at a low altitude. Often, it is your choice to join or skip a day-tour. The routes follow a hilly terrain without steep ascents and descents. Normally we walk 3/5h a day.

Group Size:   min. 6 persons

Vacation Extensions:
Best of Bulgaria, roundtrip
Sozopol (Bulgaria)
Sunny Beach (Bulgaria)
Lozenets (Bulgaria)
Sveti Vlas (Bulgaria)
Nessebar (Bulgaria)
Varna / Golden Sands (Bulgaria)

Reservation System Code: RORUND

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