DRACULA, MEDIEVAL TRANSYLVANIA AND BUCOVINA MONASTERIES

Description:

Duration: 8 days / 7 nights.
Cities: Bucharest, Sibiu, Sighisoara, Targu Mures, Bistrita, Gura Humorului, Piatra Neamt, Brasov, Sinaia, Bucharest.

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Palace of the Parliament

Day 1. Airport – Bucharest

Departure to Bucharest – arrival at Otopeni Airport, meeting with the guide and transport to the 4* or 5* hotel / Bucharest. On the way, we shall make a panoramic tour of the Romanian capital city, where we can admire, among others: Free Press Square (Piaţa Presei Libere), the Arch of Triumph, Victoriei Square (Piaţa Victoriei), Revolution Square (Piaţa Revoluţiei), the Romanian Athenaeum, Constitution Square (Piaţa Constituţiei), Unirii Square (Piaţa Unirii), University Square (Piaţa Universităţii) and Romana Square (Piaţa Romană). Welcoming dinner with a traditional show and beverages included, at the restaurant “Pescăruş”, located on the shore of Herăstrău lake, one of the greenest areas of the capital, where traditional dances of each region of the country shall be presented.

Day 2. Bucharest – Sibiu (270 km)

Breakfast – buffet type. We shall spend all morning discovering Bucharest, continuing the panoramic tour of Cismigiu Park, the Romanian National Opera, Cotroceni Palace, the Military Academy and a visit at the Palace of Parliament a spectacular building, the second largest in the world after the Pentagon in the USA. We also visit the Patriarchal Cathedral, built in 1656. Lunch will be served at the famous restaurant “Jariştea”, in a “Little Paris” ambient. Francis Ford Coppola and other celebrities went here and served a great meal. Then, we shall be heading to Sibiu, European Cultural Capital in 2007 that preserved best all its medieval architecture. Along the way, we shall visit Cozia Monastery (14th century). The most representative element of the monastery is represented by the frescoes outside the narthex, dating back to the 14th century. The byzantine influence is obvious; you only have to look carefully at the alternative strips of stone and brick walls. Accommodation and dinner will take place at the Ramada 4* hotel or at a similar hotel in Sibiu.

Sibiu

Sighisoara

Day 3. Sibiu – Sighişoara – Bistriţa (240 km)

Breakfast. We shall start the day with a tour of Sibiu, where everything reminds of the essence of the Middle Ages. We shall visit the Large Square (Piaţa Mare) and the Small Square (Piaţa Mică), the Bridge of Lies, the Evangelical Cathedral (14th – 15th centuries), where the tomb of Mihnea, Vlad the Impaler’s son is, and in the end, we shall visit the Orthodox Cathedral and Brukenthal Museum (optional), which bears one of the largest art galleries in the country. Our departure to Sighişoara will start shortly after that, whereas this town is the only inhabited medieval citadel from Europe, being classified as UNESCO heritage and also being the place where Vlad the Impaler, the ruler of Wallachia was born. He was the inspiration for the character in Bram Stocker’s novel, Dracula. Here, we shall visit the Clock Tower, the Medieval Weapons Hall and the Torture Chamber. After lunch in Sighişoara, we shall head towards Bistrița, crossing the town of Târgu Mureş, the town of roses. Dinner and accommodation at the Coroana de Aur 4* hotel or at a similar hotel in Bistriţa.

Day 4. Bistriţa – Gura Humorului (175 km)

Breakfast. Departure towards Bucovina, the starting point of Dracula novel, passing through the Borgo Pitch, passing also the Eastern Carpathians towards Moldova, in a fairytale landscape. Lunch shall be served at Casa Elena 4*/Voroneţ. We shall take the afternoon to visit Voroneţ Monastery, also called “The Sixtin Chapel of the East”, with its impressive blue background and the frescoes filling the international catalogues along with Veronese green and Tiziano red. Inside the church we must notice the nave’s paintings and the paintings found in the sanctuary dating back to the 15th century, in the times of Ștefan the Great. Dinner and accommodation at the Best Western 4* hotel or similarly / Gura – Humorului.

Voroneţ Monastery

Suceviţa Monastery

Day 5. Gura Humorului – Piatra Neamţ (250 km)

Breakfast. We are in the area of painted Monasteries in Bucovina, which are UNESCO patrimony (the 15th and 16th centuries) and shall visit Moldoviţa Monastery, built under the rule of Pentru Rareş, son of Ştefan the Great. Ocre yellow paintings with dark blue background are still maintaining their splendor. Suceviţa Monastery shall be next, displaying the highest number of biblical images. It shows intense green colors transforming the monastery into a poem of light. The external paintings are very well preserved, being observed particularly due to their Northern intact side, showing the scene of Virtues Scene, the most important due to its dimensions and due to the contrast. Lunch is taken and afterwards followed by the visit of the black ceramics workshop in Marginea. Departure towards Piatra Neamţ, a beautiful mountain locality along Bistrița river, an important industrial center located at the bottom of the Eastern Carpathians. Over time, this was also called “The Sinaia of Moldova” due to the ski areas arranged. Accommodation and dinner at Hotel Central Plaza 4* or at a similar one / Piatra-Neamt.

Day 6. Piatra Neamţ – Braşov (250 km)

Breakfast. We shall cross Eastern Carpathians from Moldova to Transilvania, through the Bicaz river keys, a wonder of nature (Cheile Bicazului). We shall take a break on the shore of the Red Lake (Lacului Roşu). Lunch. We shall continue our road towards Brasov, the greatest tourism town resource in Romania, located at the center of the country, and which forms the border between the three historical regions, Wallachia, Moldova and Transilvania, located at heights of 500 m. Accommodation in Hotel Ambient 4* or similar / Braşov. Dinner at the famos restaurant “Şura Dacilor”, located 13 km of Brasov, with an altitude of 1000 meters in Poiana Brasov, the largest winter sports resorts in Romania, where you can have special game meat dishes. (bear, wild boar and deer). Guests will have the opportunity to listen to popular traditional songs performed with Romanian traditional instruments.

Bran Castle (Dracula)

Peleş Castle

Day 7. Braşov – Sinaia – Bucharest (200 km)

Breakfast. We are in the beautiful town of Brasov and we shall visit Piata Sfatului and Biserica Neagra (The council square and the black church) dating back to the 14th and 15th centers, the largest gothic building in Romania. We shall continue our route towards Sinaia, crossing Bran locality where we shall visit the famous Dracula’s castle (14th century). In Sinaia, Peles Castle is waiting for us, considered to be one of the most beautiful castles in Europe, an art masterpiece in wood, with an eclectic style, ordered by the First King of Romania – Carol I, member of the family Hohenzollern de Sigmaringen of Germany. Lunch shall be served at a local restaurant in Sinaia and then we shall leave towards Bucharest.

The rest of the afternoon will be free for knowing the Romanian capital. Farewell Dinner will be served at the restaurant “Caru cu Bere”, located in the capital’s old center, just a former brewery built in 1878 in a gothic German style, the place of many meetings of Stavropoleos Church, a true jewel of the Orthodox architecture built in 1724. In the old center of the town we can also find the ruins of the Old Court in the 15th center, which was built at the time of Vlad the Impeller (Dracula). After dinner, you can walk on the old side of the city, where there are many bars and terraces. Accomodation at a 4* sau 5* / Bucharest.