Maramures, Bukovina, Transylvania, Danube Delta and Bucharest

Maramures, Bukovina, Transylvania, Danube Delta and Bucharest

Day 1: arrival in Romania - Cluj-Napoca                                                                                            

Arrival at Cluj-Napoca International Airport.

Welcome by your English speaking guide.

Transfer and check-in at your hotel in Cluj-Napoca.

Accommodation in Cluj-Napoca.

Day 2: Cluj-Napoca - Baia Mare - Sapanta - Sighetu Marmatiei - Barsana - Sighetu Marmatiei - breakfast, dinner

Breakfast.

Cluj-Napoca 2 hours walking city tour: St. Michael Church, The University, Evangelical Church, Mathias Corvin Memorial House, National Theater, Orthodox Cathedral.
Departure for Baia Mare, Maramures County’s Capital.
Panoramic city tour: Stefan’s Tower, old city Center.
We continue to Sapanta, via Negresti-Oas and Huta-Certeze. Huta-Certeze is probably the richest village in Romania, with impressive and beautiful houses, strong popular traditions. Arrival in Sapanta, where we visit the Merry Cemetery, unique in Europe. It is famous for its colorful tombstones with naive 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.
We continue to Barsana, via Sighetu Marmatiei. Arrival in Barsana. Visit of the impressive complex of Wooden Churches ‘Entrance of Virgin Mary in the Church’, probably the most exquisite wooden monastic complex in Romania.

Back to Sighetu Marmatiei.
Traditional dinner.

Accommodation in Sighetu Marmatiei.

Day 3: Sighetu Marmatiei - Viseu de Sus - Vaser Valley steam train - Viseu de Sus - Prislop Pass - Vatra Dornei - Gura Humorului - breakfast, dinner

Early breakfast.

Departure for Viseu de Sus.

We embark on “Mocanita”, the only steam train in use in Europe, used for both wood and passenger transport. We follow upstream Vaser Valley, for 21 km and around 3 hours of train ride. Disembark at Paltinu. We can hike, have a pique nique or simply admire the wilderness of the place. Re-embark on the train for the ride back to Viseu de Sus. We disembark from the train and re-embark in the coach. Departure for Gura Humorului in Bukovina region, crossing the Prislop Pass at 1416 m altitude. Short stop on the Prislop Pass, for pictures. Arrival in Gura Humorului, in the very heart of historical region of Bukovina.
Dinner.

Accommodation in Gura Humorului.

Day 4: Gura Humorului - Humor Monastery - Voronet - Moldovita - Sucevita - Marginea - Gura Humorului - breakfast, dinner

Breakfast.

Today we will visit the painted monasteries from Bukovina, almost all of them are listed as World Heritage sites by UNESCO.

We start with Humor Monastery. Visit of the Humor Monastery and then departure to Voronet. Visit of the Voronet Monastery, UNESCO World Heritage site, built by Stephen the Great, one of the greatest Romanian Princes ever. Voronet Monastery is famous for the parenting of the Last Judgement and for its unique Voronet Blue color. Departure tor Moldovita Monastery. Visit of Moldovita Monastery, also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. We continue to Sucevita. Visit of Sucevita Monastery.
Back to Gura Humorului.

Short stop in Marginea, famous for its ceramics.
Dinner.

Accommodation in Gura Humorului.

Day 5: Gura Humorului - Targu Neamt - Bicaz Gorges - Red Lake - Sighisoara - breakfast, dinner                          

Breakfast.

Departure for Targu Neamt.

Visit of Neamt Medieval Citadel, one of the most important medieval citadels in Moldova.
Departure for Bicaz Gorges, Romania’s most spectacular gorges. Stop for pictures. We continue to Red Lake, Romania’s only natural dam lake. Stop for pictures.
Departure for Sighisoara, the Pearl of Transylvania.
Arrival in Sighisoara, also connected to the Legend of Dracula. Sighisoara is the only medieval citadel in Europe, entirely and continuously inhabited, since its construction! Vlad Tepes was born in this beautiful city in 1431, in the house Casa Vlad Dracul. Vlad Tepes was a strong defender of Christianity, defeating many times the Ottoman Empire. Sighisoara is the only medieval citadel in Europe, entirely inhabited, inscribed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
Walking tour to see famous places and monuments such as the Clock Tower, Vlad Dracul House (15th century; in this house was born Vlad Tepes in 1431), Venetian House, Stag House, Scholar's Stairs and the Church on the Hill, the third largest Catholic church in Romania (after the Black Church in Brasov and Saint Michael’s Church in Cluj-Napoca).

Afternoon at leisure in Sighisoara.

Dinner.

Accommodation in Sighisoara.

Day 6: Sighisoara - Alba Iulia - Sibiu - breakfast, dinner

Breakfast.

Departure to Alba Iulia, Romania’s Union Capital.

Alba Iulia city tour: We start with Reunification Cathedral, also called “Coronation Cathedral”, which was built between 1921 and 1922. Visit then Catholic Cathedral of Alba Iulia. Then we will admire the Princiary Palace and Equestrian Statue of Michael the Brave. Nearby there are the two buildings of the Union Museum and many sculptures of great Romanian figures that have participated at the Romanian Union on December 1st 1918. Then we will visit Alba Carolina medieval citadel, a masterpiece of Vauban style, complete our tour with the three gates and, if we will have the chance, maybe attend the guard change. At the end of the tour, we will visit the cell where national heroes Horea, Closca and Crisan, the leaders of a Revolt in 1784 were incarcerated.
Departure to Sibiu, one of Romania’s most beautiful cities, former European Cultural Capital in 2007.
Sibiu walking city tour: Grande Square, Little Square, Huet Square, Evangelical Church, Romano-Catholic Cathedral, The Lutheran Cathedral of Saint Mary, Orthodox Cathedral, Bridge of Lies, Craftsmen’s Square, Goldsmith Square, City Hall, City Hall Tower, Brukenthal Museum.

Traditional dinner.

Accommodation in Sibiu.

Day 7: Sibiu - Bran - Brasov - breakfast

Breakfast.

Departure to Bran.

Visit the Bran Castle, listed in Top 10 Most Famous Castles on Earth, connected to the Legend of Dracula and one of Romania’s most prestigious tourist icons. 
Departure to Brasov, another beautiful Transylvanian city.
Brasov walking city tour: City Hall Square, City Hall, Rope Street (one of the narrowest streets in Europe), The Black Church, the icon monument of Brasov. This is the largest Catholic church in Romania and the largest one between Vienna and Istanbul, Gothic style architecture.

Accommodation in Brasov.

Day 8: Brasov - Sinaia - Ploiesti - Urziceni - Giurgeni Vadu Oii - Murighiol - Uzlina - breakfast, dinner

Breakfast.

Departure to Sinaia, known as The Pearl of the Southern Carpathians.

In Sinaia we will visit Peles Castle, Romania's most beautiful castle, former Romanian Royal Family summer residence. Today a very rich museum, architectural masterpiece built in German style between 1875 and 1914.
Departure for Europe’s “youngest” land: Danube Delta, reaching Ploiesti, crossing The Romanian Plain, then crossing Danube over Giurgeni-Vadu Oii Bridge. Arrival at Murighiol, on the right side of Danube. Disembarking from the coach and we embark on the boat.

We cross the Danube to Uzlina.

Check-in at the hotel.

Dinner.

Accommodation in Uzlina.

Day 9: Uzlina - excursion in Danube Delta - Uzlina - breakfast, dinner

Breakfast.

Day dedicated for a boat excursion of 8 hours in this paradise of waters and birds.

Back to the hotel.

Dinner.

Accommodation in Uzlina.

Day 10: Uzlina - Murighiol - Bucharest - breakfast

Breakfast.

Check out from the hotel.

Transfer to the boat.

We cross back the Danube to Murighiol. Disembark from the boat and then embark on the coach again.

Departure for Bucharest, Romania’s capital, dubbed Little Paris.
Bucharest is another place connected to the Legend of Dracula. The legend says that Bucharest was founded by a shepherd called Bucur. Another Legend says Bucharest was founded by Mircea the Elder, the ruling Prince of Wallachia at the end of 14th. But officially, it was Vlad Tepes, Prince of Wallachia at that time, who signed the Act of Attestation of Bucharest, at September 21st 1459.

Check-in at the hotel.

Accommodation in Bucharest.

Day 11: Bucharest - breakfast

Breakfast.

We will start the visit in Bucharest, one of Europe's largest cities, with a few of the most important landmarks Bucharest has to offer: the Palace of the Parliament, Constitution Square, University Square, Union Square and the Romanian Patriarchal Cathedral, except for the Palace of the Parliament, panoramic views only.
We will continue exploring another part of Bucharest, with a panoramic city tour which takes us along the following route: The Arch of Triumph, Victory Square, Victoria Palace, Victory Avenue, Romanian Athenaeum (architectural masterpiece and the main concert hall for one of the most prestigious classical music festivals on Earth: George Enescu Festival) and the beautiful old quarter of the city, with a few stops for scenic photos, where possible.
Afternoon at leisure.

Accommodation in Bucharest.

Day 12: Bucharest - departure from Romania - breakfast

Breakfast.

Transfer to the airport, according with your flight schedule.

Departure from Bucharest International Airport.