Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival in Budapest
Arrive in Budapest, where you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. This afternoon is at leisure. In the evening meet your fellow travelers and Tour Director at the welcome dinner. Includes: (D).
Day 2: Budapest sightseeing
Discover today one of Europe's most beautiful capitals. Visit both sides of the city: Buda with the historic Castle District and Pest, with majestic boulevards and buildings from th 19t century. See also the Heroes' Square, the Opera-house, Parliament House, Gellert Hill, Matthias Church and the Fisherman’s Bastion. In the evening enjoy a romantic Danube river cruise. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 3: Budapest at leisure or Danube Bend Excursion
Today you can choose to spend the day on your own, exploring more of Budapest or join a Danube Bend Excursion: Visegrad, Esztergom and Szentendre. Includes: (B).
Day 4: Entering Transylvania
After breakfast leave Budapest and and drive towards the Romanian border. At around noontime you will arrive in Western Romania, in the Art Nouveau city of Oradea. Many of the city center's buildings were built in Art Nouveau style and were beautifully restored during the last years. The Baroque Catholic cathedral impresses with its decorations and grandeur. In the afternoon drive further to reach the largest Transylvanian city, Cluj. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 5: Transylvania
In the morning have a walking tour of Cluj's center. Leave Cluj and stop in the city of Alba Iulia. The city has an intact Vauban-style fortress built in the 18th century by the Hapsburg Empire. In the afternoon reach the city of Sibiu, the Cultural Capital of Europe 2007. Many of the buildings were built at the time of the Hapsburg Empire (Transylvania belonged for a while to the Hapsburg Empire and then to Austria-Hungary, until 1918). The city has a great atmosphere and you can fully enjoy it, as your hotel lies in the city center. Afternoon is at leisure. In the evening you are invited in the small village of Sibiel, where you will taste some Romanian specialties in a farmhouse! Includes: (B), (D).
Day 6: Medieval Transylvania
Driving deeper into Transylvania you reach the small village of Biertan. Here you will visit the largest fortified Lutheran church for which Transylvania is famous. The church is surrounded by three defense walls dating back to the 15th, 16th and 17th century and is an UNESCO Heritage Site. At around noontime you arrive in Sighisoara, one of the few inhabited medieval citadels in Europe, which is as well under UNESCO protection. Discover on a walking tour the well preserved citadel. Climb the Clock Tower for a good view over the city. See also the former torture chamber and the different towers and bastions erected by the city's guilds. In the afternoon, through the Transylvanian hills and forests you will reach Brasov, one of the most beautiful cities in Romania. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 7: Brasov and surroundings
In the morning drive outside Brasov to visit the Dracula Castle in Bran dating back to the 14th century. You will learn here more about Vlad the Impaler, the Romanian prince, which served as a model for Bram Stocker's Dracula. Find out what's legend and what's real. Return to Brasov and visit the Old Town. The rest of the day is at leisure. You can walk on the pedestrian streets, relax at one of the many street cafes, shop or take the cable car for a gorgeous view over the city center. Includes: (B).
Day 8: Enter Bulgaria
Leave Transylvania and stop in Sinaia. The Peles Castle in Sinaia is the former summer-residence of the Romanian Royal family. You will be impressed by its decorated rooms and the beauty of its details. Arrive then in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Enjoy a tour of the city, including the Parliament (former Ceausescu Palace), which is the second largest building in the world, the Revolution Square, where people gathered to overthrow communism in 1989, the Patriarch Church – the seat of the Romanian Orthodox Church, and admire the great boulevards and villas and palaces along them. In the afternoon leave Bucharest and cross the Danube into Bulgaria. Today you reach the Veliko Tarnovo, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 9: Veliko Tarnovo and Kazanlak
After breakfast visit first Veliko Tarnovo, one of the most picturesque towns in Bulgaria. It became the capital of Bulgaria in the 12th century and remained the capital until the end of the 14th century when it was conquered by the Turks. Leave Veliko Tarnovo and drive to Tryavna, a center of woodcarving and icon painting. Discover on a walking tour the secrets of Tryavna and drive then further over the Shipka Pass to Kazanlak. Visit here the famous Thracian Tomb from the 4th century. The original tomb is protected by a special building, but tourists can visit a very fine replica. Most probably this was the tomb of a Thracian king, taking into account the funeral objects found and the frescoes showing hunting scenes. Accommodation in Kazanlak. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 10: Sofia, Bulgaria's capital
Today drive to Sofia and check into your hotel in Sofia. Have a city tour and discover the Bulgarian capital. Your tour includes the 4th century St George Rotunda, the Presidential Office Building, the National Theatre, the City Garden, the Parliament Square, the St. Alexander Nevski Memorial Cathedral with the most valuable collection of Bulgarian Icons (13-19th c) and the 6th century St. Sofia Church. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 11: Rila Monastery and Plovdid
Breakfast. Drive southwards to visit one of the most famous places in the Balkans: the Rila Monastery. It is the largest monastery in Bulgaria and is situated in the beautiful Rhodope Mountains. The monastery was founded in the 9th century and is nowadays an UNESCO Heritage Site. Some of the frescoes have been painted by famous Bulgarian artists from the 19th century. From Rila you will drive to the city of Plovdid, famous for its Old Town. It is one of the oldest and most colorful towns in Bulgaria. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 12: To Istanbul
Visit in the morning the Old Town of Plovdid, including the Roman Amphitheater. Cross the border into Turkey and arrive in Istanbul. Check into your hotel, which lies in walking distance to most of Istanbul's sights. Rest of the day is at leisure. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 13: Istanbul
Discover in the morning the splendors of the sultan's palace, the Topkapi, with its pavilions and large halls, treasure and Harem. Here you will find also one of the best vantage points over the Marmara Sea. The afternoon is yours to explore the ancient quarters of Istanbul. What about a visit to the Great Bazaar or the Spices Bazaar? Includes: (B).
Day 14: Istanbul
Breakfast. Visit two of the greatest landmarks of Istanbul: the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque. Continue your journey through Istanbul to the Asian part of the city, where you will visit the Beylerbeyi Palace. The palace was commissioned by Sultan Abdulaziz in the 19th century and served as a summer residence and a place to entertain visiting heads of state. Explore afterwards also the Galata quarter. In the evening join a farewell dinner. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 15: Good bye, Istanbul!
Your tour ends today. Transfer to the airport is included. Good bye!
Includes: (B).
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- 14 nights accommodation in 4 and 5* hotels
- 14 breakfast
- 11 dinners
- Transportation in air-conditioned minibus/bus
- Professional tour guide
- All entrance fees
- Transfers to and from the airport
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Hungary
Romania
Bulgaria
Cultural Journey
Sightseeing
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