Tour Highlights:
- Parliament Palace in Bucharest, which is the second largest building in the world, after the Pentagon
- Sibiu - Cultural Capital of Europe 2007, a beautifully preserved medieval town, which played a major role in Transylvanian history
- Dinner at a farmhouse in Sibiel, near Sibiu
- The citadel of Sighisoara, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, the best preserved medieval citadel in Europe
- Biertan fortified church
- The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina
- The Wooden Churches of Maramures
- Tokaj-wine tasting
- 2 nights in beautiful Budapest
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in Bucharest, where you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. This afternoon is at leisure. In the evening meet your Tour Director at the welcome dinner.
Day 2: Today you will visit Bucharest, "The Paris of the East". Admire the large boulevards and the villas and palaces along them. Visit the Ceausescu Palace (the second largest building in the world) and find out more about communism in Romania. After a lunch in one of Bucharest's most famous restaurants, discover the Old Town. In the evening have dinner in beautifully set restaurant.
Day 3: The tour takes you today to Transylvania. First visit in Curtea de Arges the beautiful 16th century monastery, where the Romanian Royal family is buried. Have lunch in a local restaurant. After a drive through the beautiful Olt-Valley you will arrive in Sibiu, the cultural capital of Europe in 2007! Discover on a walking-tour the Old Town of Sibiu, which is beautifully preserved and renovated. You will see why it was chosen the Cultural Capital of Europe. In the evening you are invited to dine in a farmhouse in the small village of Sibiel. Taste some delicious Romanian specialties.
Day 4: After breakfast drive to Biertan, a beautiful medieval Saxon village. Visit the imposing fortified Lutheran church and explore the village. Drive afterwards to Sighisoara, an UNESCO site. This is one of the best preserved citadels in Europe. On a walking-tour explore this romantic town, with its narrow streets, colorful houses and medieval towers and bastions. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure. Your hotel lies in the heart of the citadel!
Day 5: In the morning drive through a special region of Transylvania, the Szeklerland, where the majority of inhabitants are Hungarian. Admire truly magnificent nature. Have lunch near the Red lake and then drive through the 6 miles (11km)-long Bicaz-Gorge. In the late afternoon you arrive in Gura Humorului, in the heart of the Bucovina region. Dine in the hotel.
Day 6: The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina are one of the most valuable cultural treasures of Eastern Europe and are included in the UNESCO Heritage. The interior, as well the exterior walls are fully covered with Byzantine frescos, telling biblical and historical stories. Visit today the most beautifully preserved monasteries in Voronet, Moldovita and Sucevita. After the tour in Moldovita, the nons also invite us to lunch. Enjoy an evening at leisure.
Day 7: Drive in the morning over the impressive Prislop Pass. At noon stop in Borsa, at the limit of a National Park, for lunch. You are now in Maramures. Maramures is famous for its wooden churches and gates. Visit 2 of the most impressive wooden churches and meet also one of Maramures' well-known wood-carvers. You will be accommodated in a village in the beautiful Iza-Valley and have the opportunity to meet and talk to the locals. Dinner.
Day 8: See more of Maramures and its people. Stop in Sighetu Marmatiei (Sighet) and visit the former communist jail, transformed now in a memorial. It was one of the most cruel places in communist Romania. Elie Wiesel, Nobel prize-winner for peace was born here. Have lunch and visit then the most special cemetery of Romania- the "Merry Cemetery". In the late afternoon arrive in Baia Mare. Dinner is included.
Day 9: Today you will leave Romania and enter Hungary. Drive towards the border, through the city of Satu Mare. Cross the border into Hungary and arrive at noon in Debrecen. Have a tour of the city and then check into your hotel and have lunch. The afternoon is at leisure.
Day 10: Through the Hungarian puszta drive towards one of the most famous wine-regions of Europe: Tokaj, also placed under UNESCO protection. Visit the wine yard of a Hungarian Count and taste the wonderful wines of Tokaj. Have lunch in the castle of the count, converted now in one of the most elegant places in Hungary. In the late afternoon arrive in Budapest, the capital of Hungary.
Day 11: Discover one of the most beautiful capitals of Europe. Visit both sides of the city, Buda and Pest. See the castle, the Heroes' Square, the Opera-house and much more. Have lunch and enjoy an afternoon at leisure in Budapest.
Day 12: In the morning visit more of Budapest. After lunch you will have again the opportunity to discover more of Budapest on your own. In the evening join a farewell dinner.
Day 13: Good bye, Hungary! The transfer to the airport is included.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Included:
- 12 nights accommodation in good, centrally-located 3* hotels and
good family run rural hotels
- 12 breakfasts, 7 dinners, including a fabulous dinner at a
farmhouse
- Professional tour director
- Transportation by modern motorcoach, minivan or SUV, depending on
the number of travelers
- All entrance fees to museums, churches, other sites
- Transfers from and to the airport.
Tour price:1880 USD per person.
Price is per person,based on double occupancy.
At request we can customize the tour - change hotel category, shoerten or extend the trip. Ask us for a quote.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Romania
Hungary
Cultural Journey
Archeology/History
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