UNESCO Sights Tour of Romania and Bulgaria

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 and visit the Peles Castle (only for arrives in Bucharest before 12.00), former summer residence of the kings of Romania. The Peles Castle is 44 kilometres distance from Brasov. Sinaia is 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 continue to the medieval town of Brasov
- Upon arrival check in hotel
- Evening at your leisure
- Overnight in Brasov
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Casa Wagner***
Option B: Flamingo Guesthouse***


Day 2:
ROUTING: BRASOV - BRAN - BRASOV - SIBIU
- Breakfast in Hotel
- In the morning we visit 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. A short stop here, approx 1 hour.
- 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.
- Then we depart for Sibiu the "Cultural Capital of Europe" 2007
- Overnight in Sibiu
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Hotel Ramada Sibiu ****
Option B: Zorba Pension ****
B


Day 3:
ROUTING: SIBIU - MEDIAS - BIERTAN - SIGHISOARA
- Breakfast in Hotel
- Sibiu City tour which includes: The Small Square , the Bruckenthal Museum, the Huet Square , the Passage of Stairs , the House if the Butchers Guild, the Councillors Tower, the Staircase Tower and the Tanner Tower
- Today we explore the beautiful saxon citadels and fotresses of Transylvania
- 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
- 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!
- Overnight in Sighisoara
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Sighisoara Hotel***
Option B: Casa Saseasca Pension***
B


Day 4:
ROUTING: SIGHISOARA - CLUJ - BAIA MARE - CAVNIC
- Breakfast in Hotel
- In the morning a walking tour of the Sighisoara citadel. Visits at Clock Tower and History Museum, Born House of Vlad the Impaler, Covered Stairs, Church on the Hill, and more.
- Depart Sighisoara on the route to the northern regions.
- We pass by the cities of Cluj and Baia Mare having short panoramic tours.
- Overnight in Cavinc
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A & B: Secret Garden Hotel***
B


Day 5:
ROUTING: CAVINC - DESESTI - SAPANTA - BRASANA - IEUD - VISEU
- Breakfast
- Continuing our tour of Maramures. Stop at wooden church from Desesti which is included in the UNESCO heritages.
- Next stop at Sapanta and visit the famous Merry Cemetery, truly one of the most unique sites in Europe. It is famous for its colorful 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.
- Then we go to The Barsana church, built in 1720 , listed on UNESCO Heritage List , with the florid paintings , the best in Maramures and 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 highest wooden building from Europe.
- Then at Ieud we will visit the oldest wooden church made in to the 14th century (UNESCO). Don't miss the The Maramures Woman Museum, where you can learn about maramuresean traditions and way of live.
- Stop the day at Viseu.
- Overnight in Viseu
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A & B: Gabriela Hotel***
B


Day 6:
ROUTING: VISEU - MOLDOVITA - HUMOR - 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****
Option B: Doina Guesthouse***
B


Day 7:
ROUTING: VORONET - NEAMT MONASTERY - 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
- 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.
- Return to Bucharest in the evening
- Overnight in Bucharest
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Hotel Berthelot****
Option B: Venezia Hotel***
B


Day 9:
ROUTING: BUCHAREST - GIURGIU (BULGARIAN BORDER) - VELIKO TURNOVO
- Breakfast
- In the morning a sightseeing tour of Bucharest
- Then transfer to Bulgarian Border where you will meet the Bulgarian guide. Estimate arriving hour 13.00 - 14.00
- Pick up at Giurgiu – Romanian side of the border
- Cross the border to Bulgaria
- Transfer to Veliko Turnovo
- Check-in hotel
- Overnight.
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Bolyarski hotel****
Option B: Hotel***
B


Day 10:
ROUTING: VELIKO TURNOVO
- Breakfast
- After breakfast – sightseeing of Veliko Turnovo - the ancient capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12th -14th C.), picturesquely situated on the hills at the banks of the meandering river Jantra. Visit of the medieval fortress of Tsarevets hill and of Samovodska charshiya - handy craft street.
- Sightseeing of Arbanassi – 17th C. fortified village with entrance to Konstanzaliev’s house (17th C.) and Jesus Christ’s Nativity Church which interior is covered in frescos depicting 2000 scenes.
- Overnight
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Bolyarski hotel****
Option B: Hotel***
B


Day 11:
ROUTING: VELIKO TURNOVO - SHIPKA - PLOVDIV
- Breakfast
- Drive to Plovdiv via Shipka Pass.
- Stop at Shipka monument for pictures.
- Visit to the Shipka Memorial church with golden domes.
- Visit to the Thracian tomb in Kazanlak, UNESCO World Heritage monument
- Arrival in Plovdiv in the afternoon. Walking in the old part of the town with beautiful old houses from the Bulgarian Revival period (18th – 19th C.).
- Entrance to the St. Konstantin and Elena church and to the Roman Theatre.
- Overnight at 3-star hotel in Plovdiv.
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Hotel****
Option B: Hotel***
B


Day 12:
ROUTING: PLOVDIV - RILA - SOFIA
- Breakfast
- Departure to Rila Monastery across the magnificent nature of the Rila and Rhodope Mountains.
- Stop at winter resort Borovets.
- Visit of the largest and one of the oldest Bulgarian monasteries (10th C.), included in the UNESCO World Heritage List with medieval defense tower from the 14th C. and fine frescoes.
- Departure to the capital Sofia. Overnight at 3-star hotel in Sofia.
- Overnight in Sofia
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Hotel****
Option B: Hotel***
B


Day 13:
ROUTING: SOFIA
- Breakfast
- Sightseeing on foot of the capital town – St. Sofia statue, St. Petka church, St. George Rotunda, Ruins of Serdica, National Theater, Russian church, Al. Nevski Cathedral and St. Sofia church.
- Continue the sightseeing of Sofia – entrance to Boyana Church (UNESCO site) and National History museum or trip to Vitosha Mountain. Overnight as the same hotel.
- Overnight in Sofia
ACCOMMODATION:
Option A: Hotel****
Option B: Hotel***
B


Day 14:
ROUTING: SOFIA
- Breakfast
- Transfer to the airport and the final good-bye
B


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