Tour of Romania UNESCO monuments in Maramures, Bucovina and Transylvania

Tour ID: 1016
Tour Theme: Historic and Cultural Tours
Countries: Romania
Duration: 8 Days / 7 Nights

Day by Day Itinerary:
Day 1:
ROUTING: BUCHAREST - SINAIA - BRASOV
- 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)
- Depart for Sinaia; rightfully nicknamed the "Pearl of the Carpathians"
- Tour of Peles Castle
- In the natural baryck drops of the Carpathian mountains the Palace of Peles is a masterpiece of German Renaissance architecture. Used to be the Romanian Royalty Summer residence and retreat. The Palace's 160 rooms are adorned by the finest examples of European art, Murano crystal chandeliers, German stained-glass windows, walls covered with Cordoba leather, Meissen and Sevres porcelains, ebony and ivory sculptures. Its medieval collection of swords and nights armour are simply astonishing.
- Depart for Brasov; upon arrival check in hotel
- Overnight in Brasov
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Casa Wagner *** or similar
Option B: Flamingo Guesthouse *** or similar

Day 2:
ROUTING: BRASOV - BRAN - BRASOV - SIBIU
- Breakfast in Hotel
- We start with a tour of Brasov, which was one of the most important Saxon Cities in all of Transylvania. Highlights include the Black Church , the Council Square, the Hirsher House, the old Saxon houses from the old town, and the White and Black Towers.
- We will continue our journey to Bran with it's famous Bran castle. Also called Dracula's Castle, it is situated not far from Brasov (25 kilometres) at the entrance in Bran - Rucar passage. The castle got its fame from Dracula`s legend written in 1897 by Bram Stoker and later on made into a film by Francis Ford Coppola.. The first documents about the Bran Castle appeared in 1377. Along the history, the Castle had a strategic mission being the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. First it was under the rule of the King of Hungary Sigismund of Luxemburg, then under the Romanian voievodes Mircea cel Batran and Vlad Tepes and later on it came under the jurisdiction of the City of Brasov. In 1912 it was donated by the municipality of Brasov to the Romanian royal family, in order to become their residence.
- Ending the day in Sibiu the "Cultural Capital of Europe" 2007
- Sibiu City tour which includes: The Small Square , the Bruckenthal Museum, the Huet Square , the Passage of Stairs , the House if the Butchers’s Guild, the Councillors Tower, the Staircase Tower and the Tanner’s Tower
- Overnight in Sibiu
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Ramada Hotel **** or similar
Option B: 3 *** Pension in Sibiu
B

Day 3:
ROUTING: SIBIU - ALBA IULIA - BIERTEN - SIGHISOARA
- Breakfast in Hotel
- First stop will be at Alba Iulia. Having its origins back in 2nd century from Roman time, the city of Alba Iulia offers a journey through the history of Transylvania from ancient times to medieval and modern days. We’ll visit the ruins of the Roman town, the medieval fortifications, the modern fortifications made in Vauban style, the Cathoilc Cathedral – the oldest from Transylvania and the Reunion Cathedral which commemorates the Union of all Romanian provinces ina single country.
- Next we go enroute to Valea Viilor (UNESCO) for the Saxon fortified church.
- Then Biertan and visit the Saxon fortified church listed on UNESCO Heritage List, the church dates from 1492 and is one of the pearl's of the Saxon monuments in Transylvania
- After to the Medieval Town of Sighisoara, 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!
- highlights include: The Clock Tower, the Church on the Hill, the Scholar’s Stairs, The Monastery Church, The Shoemakers Town, the Tailor’s Tower, the Tinsmiths Tower
- Overnight in Sighisoara
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Hotel Sighisoara*** or similar
Option B: Claudiu Hotel *** or similar
B

Day 4:
ROUTING: SIGHISOARA – TARGU MURES – DRAGOMIRESTI – IEUD - BOTIZA
- Breakfast in Hotel
- After breakfast we’ll leave on the way to Maramures, the northern region of Romania, the land of wooden churches and well preserved traditions.
Today we’ll visit the wooden church from Ieud, the oldest wooden building from Europe, built in 14-een century. At Dragomiresti we’ll visit the Maramures Woman Museum, where you can learn about maramuresean traditions and way of live.
- Enjoy a traditional Marumures dinner
ACCOMMODATION A & B: 3*** Pension in Botiza
B,D

Day 5:
ROUTING: BOTIZA - BARSANA – SAPANTA – DESESTI - BOTIZA
- Breakfast in Hotel
- First stop at the Barsana Monastery (UNESCO ) a large monastic complex comprising of several wooden buildings, all constructed in the local style , including the wooden church The Gate Tower is the higher wooden building from Europe.
- Then go to Sapanta and visit the famous Merry Cemetery, truly one of the most unique sites in Europe. It is famous for its colourful tombstones with native paintings describing, in an original and poetic manner, the persons that are buried there as well as scenes from their lives. The Merry Cemetery became an open-air museum and a national tourist attraction.
Next stop at the wodden church from Desesti which is included in the UNESCO heritages.
- We’ll return to Botiza through the area of Calinesti – an area with isolated traditional villages where traditional costumes and way of life is still very well preserved
- Enjoy a traditional Marumures dinner
ACCOMMODATION A & B: 3*** Pension in Botiza
B,D

Day 6:
ROUTING: BOTIZA - MOLDOVITA - HUMOR - PATRAUTI - VORONET
- Breakfast in Hotel
- Today we visit some of the World famous Painted Monasteries
- Voronet : founded in 1488 by Stephen the Great . It is the most accomplished sample of artistic achievement in Moldavian architecture and painting . The doors of the porch have a Renaissance framing, whereas the stone carvings of the broken arches at the doors and windows belong to the Gothic style. Voronet Monastery had been dubbed the oriental Sistine Chapel , whereas Voronet Blue , a color obtained from lapis lazuli, entered in the lexicon of art alongside Titian red and Veronese green, and to this day has yet to be reproduced by natural means
- Moldovita : dates back from 1532 and is due to the ruling prince Petru Rares .
It has the aspect of a fortress, with imposing towers and high, thick walls. The church has a three-cusped plan, as well as an open porch. It Is decorated with scenes from the 16th c Moldavian life. You can see here the best preserved frescoes, with fresh and vivid colors
- Sucevita : the last and the most magnificent monastic achievement among the painted monasteries in Bucovina , looks as a real fortress, with towers, buttresses and watch roads. Built in 1581, by one bishop, it was dedicated to the Assumption in 1584. Paintings of the Sucevita monastery were best preserved both on the outside and on the inside( Ladder of Virtue, the last Judgment, the tree of Jesse,)
- Humor : dates from 1530, this monastery was among the first churches to be painted , the frescoes were painted in 1535. Humor is painted in reddish brown ( from oriental madder pigment), colors are brilliant and truthful to nature
- Overnight in Gura Humorului or Vornet
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Hilde's Residence**** or simialar
Option B: Casa Elena*** or similar
B

Day 7:
ROUTING: VORONET - NEAMT MONASTERY - NEAMT CITADELL - BRASOV
- Breakfast in Hotel
- Depart for the Neamt Monastery: it is the oldest monastery in Moldavia and is the largest men's monastery in Romania with seventy monks. The new church dates from 1497 and was built by Stephen the Great to celebrate a victory over the Poles. This church became the prototype for Moldavian churches in the next centuries
- Ending the day in Brasov
- Dinner
- Overnight in Brasov
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Casa Wagner***
Option B: Flamingo Guesthouse***
B

Day 8:
ROUTING: BRASOV - PREJMER - BUCHAREST AIRPORT or GIURGIU* (*Romania/Bulgaria border crossing)
- Breakfast in Hotel
- Early in the morning visit at the Prejmer fortified church, the biggest fortress of its kind from Eastern Europe. The biggest fortified church in the Southeastern Europe built in the 14th century. The fortress has double walls and dungeons. Inside its walls there is a church, but the interesting thing here is the honeycomb like inner wall. Every family had one small room for sheltering in case the village was attacked.
- Drop off at airport, hotel or other location in Bucharest and final good-bye from your local driver/guide (Approx 3pm) or continue this tour to Bulgaria with our partners, for more details click here
B

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Day by Day Itinerary

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