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The Dracula and Transylvania Tour
Tour ID:
1031
Tour Theme:
Historic and Cultural Tours
Regions:
Transylvania
Duration:
6 Days / 5 Nights |
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Day by Day Itinerary:
Day 1:
ROUTING: BUCHAREST - SNAGOV - CURTEA DE ARGES
- Your English-speaking specialist guide will pick you up from Bucharest Airport or another location in the city (This tour is also available to start from Cluj)
- Starting your journey on Vlad the Impaler (the real Dracula) trail with his grave. First we go to Snagov, a small village 40 km north of Bucharest, with its beautiful sixteen kilometer long lake; In the centre of the lake is an island occupied by a monastery, built in 1519. The Snagov monastery is situated on the island of the lake with the same name, we have to reach the monastery by crossing the lake by boat (If time and weather permit).
- Visitors come here to seek the tomb of Dracula sitting in the front of the church altar. Vlad's murder is believed to have occurred in the forests nearby, where the monks took his body, since both Vlad and his father had both given money to the monastery.
- After we leave the Bucharest region and go to Curtea de Arges, the former second capital of Wallachia. The strongholds rebuilt in the 14th century. See its Princely Church and its frescoed interior which is one of the first examples of Romanian paintings. The Episcopal Church (the monastery) which is a recreation of the original built in 1512 -1517 by prince Neagoe Basarab (rebuilt in 1875 - 1885) and Olari Church.
- Overnight in Curtea de Arges
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Casa Domneasca Pension****
Option B: Montana Pension ***
Day 2:
ROUTING: CURTEA DE ARGES - POENARI CASTLE - BRAN CASTLE - BRASOV
- Breakfast
- in the morning with a visit at Poenari Castle. Standing on a cliff but know in ruins this is known as the real castle of Dracula (Vlad Tepes). To get to the top you must climb up its 1400 steps (takes approx. 1 hour). Once you arrive to the top of the Citadel you will find that the citadel is surprisingly small, one third has collapsed down the mountainside in 1888. Entering through a narrow wooden bridge, you come across the crumbling remains of two towers within; the prism shaped one was Vlad's ( Dracula's) residential quarters, from here, according to the legend , The Impaler's wife flung herself out from the window, declaring that better this way than be captured by the Turks, who were besieging the castle. Legend has it that Vlad himself escaped over the mountains on horseback.
- Continuing we go to Bran
- Bran Castle is dubbed Dracula's Castle; however this is disputed point among historians
- According to the stories of that time, Vlad Tepes (or Dracula) laid siege to it in 1460 when he attacked this land. After centuries, one of the famous residents was Queen Maria of Romania, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and the wife of prince Ferdinand.
- Visit inside the Village museum of Bran & the Ancient Customs House Museum
- Ending the day in Brasov is one of the most important cities from Romania and a very powerful medieval citadel during the history. Short tour of the magic medieval center of Brasov (2 hours) Council Square, Black Church, White and Black Towers, Weavers Bastion and Ecaterinas Gate.
- Evening at your leisure
- Overnight in Brasov
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Casa Wagner***
Option B: Flamingo Guesthouse***
Day 3:
ROUTING: BRASOV - SINAIA - PREJMER - RASNOV - SIGHISOARA
- Breakfast
- Then onto Sinaia and visit the Peles Castle, former summer residence of the kings of Romania, the Peles Castle is 44 kilometres far from Brasov, in Sinaia, a well-known mountain resort as well. Nowadays the Castle is one of the most important museums in Transylvania where one can admire furniture and ornamental objects, carpets, tapestry, sculptures, paintings, collections of weapons from the 15th up to the19th centuries.
- After we visit Prejmer Fortified Church, one of the best preserved of its kind in Eastern Europe. The church is modeled after churches of Jerusalem, as well as built in the style of Late Gothic churches from the Rhineland.
- Next stop at Rasnov and visit the old citadel. Built in 1331, the Fortress had a defense role and it was a shelter for the inhabitants of Rasnov in case of enemy attacks. In the middle of the courtyard there is a well 146 metres deep and the ruins of an 11th - 12th century - Orthodox church were discovered here. Nowadays the Fortress houses an interesting museum
- Continue the route to Sighisoara, the birthplace of Vlad Tepes
- On UNESCO's Word Heritage List and makes the perfect introduction to Transylvania.
- The Old Town or the Citadel is the only one still inhabited in Europe - a lost world and still so at the present!
- Overnight in Sighisoara
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Hotel Sighisoara***
Option B: Casa Saseasca Pension***
B
Day 4:
ROUTING: SIGHISOARA - BISTRITA - PIATRA FANTANELE (BORGO PASS)
- Breakfast
- Visit Sighisoara the medieval city and fortress including the famous Clock Tower, the History Museum and the Torture Room. In 1431, the storey house at Museum Square 6, within the shadow of the old town's Clock Tower, a women whose name is lost to posterity gave birth to a son called Vlad, who in later life earned the title of The Impaler , abroad better known as Dracula, derived from Dracul or the Devil referring to his father Vlad Dracul, whom the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund of Hungary made a knight of the order of The Dargon in 1431. The Clock Tower, the Church on the Hill, the Scholars Stairs, The Monastery Church, the towers of the citadel (originally fourteen), The Shoemakers Town, the Tailors Tower, the Tinsmiths Tower are only a few of the marvels of this place called Sighisoara.
- Then we are off to the famous Borgo Pass via Targu Mures
- Stop in Bistrita to enjoy a panoramic tour
- Bistrita is where Bram Stoker based the setting for his novel "Dracula"
- The capital of the Northern Bistrita-Nasaud County has several well preserved medieval buildings, an Orthodox church dating from the 13th century and a county Museum
- The Golden Crown is outstanding in Romania and in the world, as it was described in the well known novel "DRACULA" by the Irishman Bram Stoker. One of the main characters in the novel, the lawyer Jonathan Harker, was also a guest of the hotel and he felt here as comfortable as at home. Here the tourists can enjoy a blood taste - a unique drink: blood-red liquor, an exclusive beverage of the Golden Crown Restaurant.
- We pass Bistrita, the setting for much of Bram Stoker's Dracula, at km 108, followed by Bargau Valley we will find the Hotel Castle Dracula in Piatra Fintinele.
- Birgau Valley has a very dramatic scenery, with huge hills draped in forests of fir trees and with villages appearing as living monuments to a way of life unchanged for centuries, with the Saxon House Museum from Livezile village, attesting a former Saxon population in this region (established here in the 12 and 13 centuries).
- The Borgo Pass is the border between Transylvania and Bucovina, with fantastic landscapes. The Hotel situated on a 1116m altitude with a fantastic view of the Carpathian mountains. The Hotel dates from 1983, built in the style of a medieval mansion, it was created to bring alive an authentic Dracula atmosphere.
- Overnight in Piatra Fantanele
ACCOMMODATION: HOTEL CASTEL DRACULA***
B
**Optional: In the evening â“ âœDracula - festive dinner & showâ�. After the dinner follows a Dracula Show with surprises, costume parade, photo session and visit of âœCount Draculaâ� himself. (This program can only be organized for minimum 20 people)**
Day 5:
ROUTING: PIATRA FANTANELE - BISTRITA - MEDIAS - SIBIU
- Breakfast
- Continuing the travel through Transylvania, Birgau Valley. We pass through Bistrita and Targu-Mures, one of the great Magyar cities of Transylvania, with the famous Teleki - Bolyai Library, with 40,000 volumes founded by the Hungarian Count Samule Teleki, containing many ancient medical scientific texts.
- Pass the city of Targu Mures and stop at Medias, old medieval town dating from XV century. The Margareth Cathedral is a monument included in UNESCO Heritages List and its famous Trompets Tower is one of the most slided buildings from the world.
- End the day in Sibiu. Sibiu is one of the most important fortified towns in Transylvania.. The city is reminiscent of old European cities such as Nuremburg and it was founded in 1190 and grew to be the chief city of the Transylvanian Saxons. This amazing town, with the "Old Town" (The Big Square, the Small Square, the Ursuline Church, The Franciscan Church, The staircase Tower, the Tanners Tower, the Lier’s Bridge , the House of the Butcher’s Guild and last but not least with the amazing Bruckenthal Museum) is a gorgeous place to see.
- Overnight in Sibiu
ACCOMMODATION: Ramada Hotel****
B
Day 6:
ROUTING: SIBIU - BUCHAREST
- After departure to Bucharest and time to say good-bye to Dracula's Romania
- Drop off at airport or hotel in Bucharest (estimated time: 1:00PM) or continue this tour to Bulgaria with our partners, for more details click here
B
End of tour services
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