Designed for independent travel, that allows you to alternate the days accompanied by knowledgeable tour guides with those in which you explore at your pace and give yourself time to soak in the local atmosphere, which Bucharest and the cities of Southern Transylvania have plenty of.
What’s included
What’s not included
This is our list of preferred hotels. The final list used for your tour will be based on availability.
Welcome to Romania! Your private tour begins in the capital, Bucharest – once known as “Little Paris.” After airport pickup, enjoy a comfortable transfer to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, take a gentle stroll along Victory Avenue or admire the grandiose architecture of the Romanian Athenaeum and Revolution Square. Settle in, relax, and prepare for a journey through Romania’s storied heart.
Take in the capital’s layered identity on a guided city tour. See wide boulevards, Belle Époque architecture, and the Arch of Triumph, a proud symbol of Romanian unity. Enjoy an interior visit of the imposing Palace of the Parliament — the world’s heaviest building, and of the splendid Romanian Atheneum, the city’s beloved concert hall. Wrap up with a culinary stroll through the lively Obor Market.
Free day in Bucharest. Suggestions: Choral Temple (an exquisite synagogue); National Art Museum, hosted in the former Royal Palace; National History Museum; Primăverii Palace (the former residence of communist dictator Nicolae Ceauseșcu and his family). In the nearby Village Museum you may walk through an open-air landscape of authentic houses, churches and workshops brought from all regions of Romania, stepping from one historical era to another while discovering how rural families lived, worked and organized their daily life for centuries. You may taste the ample choices of local street food, very popular among the locals and increasingly sought after by foreign foodies. And the Cismigiu Garden invites you to take a stroll through its shaded alleyways or to row on its two interconnected lakes and under the original arched stone footpaths.
After leisurely packing your bags in the morning and a private chauffeured transfer from your hotel to the Bucharest Gara de Nord railway station, embark on an experiential train ride over the Carpathians. The Sibiu guide will be awaiting you on arrival and will use his local knowledge to help you pick from the multitude of restaurant options for lunch. Then he will lead you on a walking tour through the streets of this German-looking town, which lie under the watchful “eyes” of the roof dormers. Despite its day-time tranquil feel, in the evening it becomes the host of numerous cultural events and festivals, especially since 2007, when it was the European capital of culture.
Free time in Sibiu. You have the whole day to fall in love with this idyllic city, highly prized by numerous major publications, like Forbes or National Geographic. Suggestions: You can feel like Quasimodo in the attic of the dizzying Evangelical Church tower from where one gets a bird’s-eye view over the sprawling medieval center against the background of the surrounding snow peaked mountain. Mingle with the locals in the ungentrified fresh produce market. Visit the 18 century palace of the Transylvanian governor, Samuel Bruckenthal, who was a passionate art collector and wanted to share his treasures with the world. So, at his bequest, after passing away, his residence was converted into one of Europe’s first public art museums. You may also take a 10 minute cab ride to the locals’ favorite retreat, Astra open-air museum: a collection of traditional houses, windmills, water operated sawmills and wooden churches from all over Romania. The 240 acres park displays all this around a center lake.
Today you meet your next guide either in the hotel lobby and start off towards Sighișoara. Take a guided tour of the walled city where Dracula was born. You may still walk the cobbled streets and marvel at the defense towers. Since the citadel is still completely surrounded by its original defenses and the age of most of the buildings inside range from one hundred fifty to six hundred years, UNESCO decided, in 1999, to add the entire Old Town on its list of protected sites. Carry on, by private car, to the much larger walled city of Brasov. During the city tour, walk the streets of the Medieval old town and be dwarfed by its majestic 14th century Gothic cathedral. In the evening, have your pick among the local restaurants whose cuisine reflects the ethnic melting pot of the region.
The stories left untold will be continued, when yesterday’s guide will take you through the ski resorts of the Carpathian Mountains, to visit Peles Castle, one of the most astonishing royal residences of Europe, adorned both inside and out with the best of 19th century craftsmanship. Head back over the mountains, towards Bran. Sit down for lunch in one of the many local restaurants. Don’t shy away from garlic; it may come handy during your next visit: Bran Castle. It’s unproven whether it really chases away vampires, but it certainly gives you more personal space in the crowded interior. Within the castle’s age-beaten confines find out about its true histories and Dracula legends.
Free time in Brasov. Suggestions: Climb the nearby Tampa mountain by cable car. Opportunity for a short hike on the summit, on the way to the eagle-nest platform that offers an unimpeded view over the entire Old Town and into the distance. For bibliophiles, we recommend a visit to the First Romanian School, home of the oldest surviving printing press of Romania (16th century), which used a technology – block printing – made obsolete by Gutenberg’s mobile letters. Some of the exhibits had been printed on the actual machine. For the more active type, you may get your heart pumping from the beauty of the scenery as viewed from above during a private flight on a four sitter plane that will show you Brasov and its surrounding. Or go with an English speaking wildlife expert to spots where you can safely see wild bears foraging. We will provide a list of contacts for these independent activities, which you may book yourself or with our assistance.
Private chauffeured transfer to the airport.
