UNESCO Heritage Sites - Best Tour

Price from: 1150€/pers
UNESCO Heritage Sites - Best Tour

UNESCO Heritage Sites - Best Tour

Price from: 1150€/pers
UNESCO Heritage Sites - Best Tour

                    Discover Romania's UNESCO Heritage - Best Tour 

Medieval towns, fortified churches, painted monasteries, wooden masterpieces and ancient Dacian ruins are just some of the attractions that make up Romania's exceptional cultural heritage.

Highlights of UNESCO sites:

Horezu Pottery 
Sighisoara Medieval Citadel
Viscri Fortified Church
Bucovina - Painted Monasteries 
   (Voronet, Moldovita, Sucevita, Agapia, Varatec)
Maramures - Wooden Churches and Gates of Maramures 
Prejmer Fortified Church
 
Other attractions included in the tour: 
Sibiu city 2007 European Cultural Capital
Brasov - medieval town and one of the most beautiful in Romania
The famous Bran Castle or Dracula's Castle 
Peles Castle - one of the most beautiful in Europe
Sapanta Merry Cemetery - a place unique in the world
PRICES FROM: 1150€/pers
Departures: all year
Duration: 8 days/ 7 nights
PRIVATE TOUR: private tour
day by day trip
Day 1
Bucharest - Horezu Poterry - Sibiu

We start the tour in the morning heading Sibiu medieval city. 

On the way we will have visit of Curtea de Arges Monastery and Horezu pottery village. 

Horezu ceramics is a unique type of Romanian pottery that is traditionally produced by hand around the town of Horezu in northern Oltenia (Valcea County), close to the famous Horezu Monastery. It reflects many generations of knowledge and skills development of pottery, which is why the craftsmanship of Horezu pottery was inscribed on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 6 December 2012.

Horezu ceramics are decorated in a unique, easily recognizable style marked by specific elements: roosters, stars, trees, snakes, folk motives and the sun.

Overnight in Sibiel, a pitoreque village at guest house. We have dinner included, traditional homemade food and drinks: tipical wine and traditional drink named tuica or palinca, a kind of plum brandy. 

Day 2
Sibiu - Alba Iulia - Turda - Cluj
After breakfast, we will go to Alba Iulia where will visit Carolina Citadel. 
 
One of the oldest settlements in Romania, known in ancient time as Apulum, Alba Iulia served as the largest military and economic center during the Roman occupation. Temples, mosaics, thermae and statues, amphitheaters, the governor's palace "Daciarum Trium" – all rendered the original Dacian Apulul as the miniature copy of the mother Rome.
 
Then we will go to Turda and visit Turda Salt mine, the largest and modern in Romania. Inside the old Turda Salt Mine stands the world's largest salt mine museum. Originally established in the 17th century, the massive mines were formed completely by hand and machine rather than by using explosives. Visitors are invited to descend as far down as almost 400 feet into the Earth in order to witness the history of the trade.
 
Arrive in Cluj in the afternoon and have a city tour discovering the most important sites: the old Benedictine monastery, the square of the history museum, the Catholic Church “St. Michael”, a milestone in Cluj (the second largest Gothic church in Transylvania), Bannfy Palace, “old Town Hall” and the “mirror street". 
 
Overnight in Cluj Napoca at 3* hotel, breakfast included, centrally located.  
Day 3
Cluj - Baia Mare - Wooden Churches - Sapanta Merry Cemetery - Sighetul Marmatiei
Leaving Cluj, we will enter to Baia Mare, the gate to Maramures county, a region where you'll feel like you're back in time. 
 
Old customs, old and traditional houses, traditions, wooden churches, wooden gates, special people and much more you'll discover in this part of Romania.
 
Visit Sapanta Merry Cemetery, a place unique in Europe. 

The village of Sapanta, located just 4 kilometres south of the Ukrainian border is world-famous for its original idea: a special kind of graveyard, with wooden crosses painted in vivid colors. A particular blue, called „Sapanta blue" rules over all the other colors.

Stan Ioan Patras, the author of this cemetery, carved the first cross in 1935. He died in 1977 and his creation was continued to this day.
 
Each cross is different: the carved images naively catch one of the deceased lifetime's characteristic attitudes, while the epitaphs are short poems, deprived of the usual cliches and full of substance, written in the first person like a confession of the deceased himself.
 
Overnight in Sighetu Marmatiei, nearby city, in a 3* hotel, breakfast included.
Day 4
Sighetul Marmatiei - Barsana - Vatra Dornei
After breakfast will discover the wonderful, UNESCO included wooden churches. 
 
The most beautiful is Barsana Monastery. Then will take Iza Valley and pass towards Botiza, Bogdan and other traditional villages with wonderful nature and landscape. 
 
We will pass the Carphathians from Maramures to Bucovina and arrive in the evening  in Vatra Dornei.
 
Overnight at 3* hotel, breakfast included. 
Day 5
Vatra Dornei - Voronet - Sucevita - Piatra Neamt
Breakfast and fresh air!
Today will visit the most important and beautiful of Bucovina/Moldova's monasteries. 
 
Perhaps the most famous and stunning of the painted monasteries is Voronet, founded in 1487 by Stephen the Great to celebrate a victory over the Turks. Widely known throughout Europe as "the Sistine Chapel of the East" due to its interior and exterior wall paintings, this monastery offers an abundance of frescoes featuring an intense shade of blue commonly known as ‘Voronet blue.’  The composition of the paint continues to remain a mystery even now, more than 500 years after the church was built.
 
Then we will visit Sucevita Monastery and afterwards we will arrive in Piatra Neamt.
 
Overnight at 3* hotel, breakfast included.
Day 6
Piatra Neamt - Bicaz Gorges - Red Lake - Brasov
Breakfast buffet at the hotel and start to go south.
We continue via Bicaz Gorges, gorges in the Eastern Carpathians, on the river Bicaz, making the connection between Transylvania and Moldavia. The gorges attract by its beauty many tourists every year. They are crossed by a winding road. 
 
We will pass through Lacu Rosu/Red Lake where we will have a short stop to admire the landscape, to take some nice pictures and find out the legend of this wonderful place. 
 
We will visit The Fortified Church in Prejmer - the biggest fortified church in the Southeastern Europe built in the 14th century and included in Unesco for its special value in 1999.

The largest fortified church in southeastern Europe, Prejmer (Tartlau in German) was built by Teutonic knights in 1212-1213. The oval-haped courtyard is protected by 40-feet high / 12-feet thick defending wals, which are surrounded by a, 18-feet deep / 25-feet wide, water ditch.
Historical records attest that in its 500 years of existence, the fortress was besieged 50 times. 
However, it was only captured once, in 1611 by Gabriel Báthori, Prince of Transylvania; the fighters defending the fortress have surrendered after several days without any drinking water. 

Bastions, drawbridges and a secret, subterranean, passage are some of the features of Prejmer stronghold.
The church's most-feared war device was the "death machine," made of several fire-weapons that could shoot simultaneously, causing the enemy significant losses.

Arrive in Brasov in the evening and overnight to a 3* hotel, breakfast included.
Day 7
Brasov - Viscri - Sighisoara - Brasov
Discovering Brasov in the morning in a walking tour and then depart to Viscri village
 
Although is a small village, Viscri is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Romania, mainly because of Prince Charles of Wales, who had discovered this amazing location, a fairy tale from the forgotten medieval times. Nowadays, almost all travel books, brochures and advertises present the image of this frozen in time town. 
We will visit Viscri Church, one of the oldest in Transylvania.

Viscri Fortified Church is one of the 25 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Romania. The name comes from the German Weisse Khirche, meaning white church.

Unlike other Transylvanian fortified churches, Viscri was built around 1100 by the Szekler population and taken over by Saxon colonists in 1185. This explains why this unique gothic church displays a plain straight ceiling rather than a traditional vaulted one. In the 14th century, the eastern section was rebuilt and around 1525, the first fortification walls with towers were added. In the 18th century, the church was endowed with a second defensive wall. Inside, you can admire a classic 19th century altar featuring a Blessing of the Children centerpiece by the painter J. Paukratz from Rupea. During 1970-1971, the fortified church underwent major renovations. 

Then, we will go to Sighisoara, Europe's best preserved medieval town. The entire town is listed to Unesco World Heritage.
Here will have a walking city tour including Guild Tower, Venetian House (built in the 13th Century), Vlad the Impaler (Dracula) House, Antler House, Wood Covered Staircase, Hill Church, Hermann Oberth Square. 
Day 8
Brasov - Bran Castle - Sinaia - Peles Castle - Bucharest
Leaving Brasov, we will go to Bran village where we will visit a place known all over the world, Dracula's Castle, made famous by Bram Stocker in his novel. 
Bran Castle was built between 1377 and 1388 atop a strategic site overlooking a heavily trafficked mountain pass between Transylvania and Wallachia, the land over which Vlad the Impaler ruled in the 15th century. Also known as Vlad III Dracula, the ruler is widely believed to be the inspiration for Count Dracula due to his historic bloodlust. He liked to torture people and would impale his enemies on the battlefield to deter his other enemies. 
 
Then we will continue our way to Sinaia, the beautiful mountain resort surnamed “The pearl of the Carpathians”, where you will visit Peles Castle, one of Romania’s most beautiful palaces, which once was the summer residence of Romanian Kings, and also one of Romania’s most important museums.
Peles Castle is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful castles in Europe. This castle was used as a summer residence by the kings of Romania. Built at the wish of the first Romanian king, Carol I, the German architect Johannes Schultz created a grand, sumptuous alpine castle combining different features of classic European styles, mostly following Italian elegance and German aesthetics along Renaissance lines.
 
In the evening we will arrive in Bucharest. End of the tour. 
Map
The most beautiful places to visit for an unforgettable trip
Price

1150 EUR/pers (for a group of min. 6 persons travelling in minivan)

*for less people traveling together, the price will be revised

Services included
  • Professional guide assistance, English speaking (or other languages upon request), during the whole trip;
  • Transport by private modern AC car/mini-van (fuel and parking fees incl);
  • Airport pick-up/drop off (if the tour starts and ends at the airport - upon request);
  • 7 night accommodation, breakfast included, in 3* and 4* hotels and 3* rural guesthouse;
  • City tour in each city in the trip.
Not included
  • Entrance fees to the touristic attractions included in the itinerary;
  • Photography fee;
  • Meals, other than those mentioned in the itinerary;
  • Other expenses (such as souvenirs, room service, tips and so on).

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