UNESCO Heritage Sites Tour
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UNESCO Heritage Sites Tour
* Transport to Romania not included
UNESCO Heritage Sites Tour
Day 1: Bucharest - Horezu Poterry - Sibiu
We start the tour in the morning heading towards famous Sibiu city, driving on one of the most beautiful roads linking the Southern and Northern parts of Romania. On the way we will have a short stop to visit Curtea de Arges Monastery, built in the 16th century. This is where some of the Royal Family members are buried. Next stop is in Horezu to admire local handcrafting. Horezu ceramics is a unique type of Romanian pottery that is traditionally produced by hand only here. 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 December 2012. We will spend the night in a guest house in Sibiel, a small pitoresquw village in the Southern part of Transylvania region. Our hosts will prepare a special dinner for us - traditional homemade food and drinks, including local wine and a traditional drink named tzuica or palinca, a kind of plum brandy.
Day 2: Sibiu - Alba Iulia - Turda - Cluj
Right after breakfast we will start our journey towards Alba Iulia, one of the oldest cities in Romania. Here we will visit Carolina Citadel, a star-shaped Romanian fortress built between 1715 and 1738. Our journey to the wonders of Transylvania will continue with a tour of the largest and most modern salt mine in Romania, in Turda. In the afternoon we will arrive in Cluj, the oldest cities in the region, first documented in AD 107. A city tour will be available for those interested, during which we will discover the most important sites. Accommodation will be provided in 3 stars hotel, centrally located, breakfast included.
Day 3: Cluj - Baia Mare - Wooden Churches - Sapanta Merry Cemetery - Sighetul Marmatiei
Early in the morning we will leave behind the beauty of this ancient city and we will travel to Maramures region. Once we enter the region, one will feel like a jump back in time - traditional houses built after ancient designs, wooden churches that have witnessed the history, unique traditions and welcoming people. The highlight of the day will be the tour of the Sapanta Merry Cemetery, an out of the ordinary, unique in Europe. It is famous for its colourful tombstones with naïve paintings describing, in an original and poetic manner, the people who are buried there as well as scenes from their lives. The Merry Cemetery became an open-air museum and an international tourist attraction. We spend the night in in Sighetu Marmatiei, 3* hotel, breakfast included.
Day 4: Sighetul Marmatiei - Barsana - Vatra Dornei
After an energizing breakfast we will begin our tour of the UNESCO heritage wooden churches, built starting from the 17th century all the way to 19th century. The most beautiful and renowned is Barsana Monastery, which we will have the privilege to discover. Our journey into the past history of the region will take through untouched landscapes, traditional villages and the Iza Valley, a national protected area after crossing the mountains we will enter another famous region, Bucovina, ready to discover in the next days. Overnight at 3* hotel, breakfast included.
Day 5: Vatra Dornei - Voronet - Sucevita - Piatra Neamt
After an energizing breakfast at the hotel, we will start the day with a trip to the famous Voronet and Sucevita monasteries from Bukovina historical region. These amazing structures are still delighting tourists from all over the world, although they were built and painted around 500 years ago. When it comes to their artistic value, some art historians compared them with the mural paintings of San Marco church in Venice or the church of Orvieto. What is interesting, is that the secret of the painters who prepared the colours hundreds a years ago, to make them look incredibly vivid even today, is still a mystery. The jewel of these monasteries, remains, undoubtedly, The Voronet Monastery, founded in 1488 by King Stephen the Great. Also named the „Eastern Sistine Chapel”, its uniqueness in the world comes from the dominant color: the famous „blue of Voronet”. The frescoes are like a symphony of colours and lights and hide lots of semantics that we invite you to discover with us. The Sucevita Monastery is chronologically the last and greatest monastic ensemble among the painted monasteries in Bukovina. Its appearance, of a real fortress, with towers, buttresses and watch roads, make a strong impact and remains, over time, a testimony of a great history. Overnight at 3* hotel in Piatra Neamt town, breakfast included.
Day 6: Piatra Neamt - Bicaz Gorges - Red Lake - Brasov
Breakfast buffet at the hotel and ready to go to Brasov. On our way we will see the Bicaz Gorge, excised by the waters of Bicaz River and serving as a passageway between the Romanian regions of Moldova and Transylvania. We continue via Bicaz Gorges, gorges in the Eastern Carpathians, on the river Bicaz, making the connection between Transylvania and Moldavia. The road along the 8 kilometres of ravines, often in serpentines with rock on one side and a sheer drop on the other, is one of the most spectacular drives in the country. We will also pass through Lacu Rosu/Red Lake where we will have a short stop to admire the landscape and learn about the legends of this place. Just to give a hint, this is a natural dam lake formed following the collapse of a slope due to the earthquake of January 23, 1838. As we approach our destination we will also visit The Fortified Church in Prejmer. This is the biggest fortified church in the South-Eastern Europe, built in the 14th century and included in UNESCO heritage in 1999 for its special value. Arriving in Brasov in the evening and overnight to a 3* hotel, breakfast included.
Day 7: Brasov - Viscri - Sighisoara - Brasov
In the first part of the day we will discover the beauties of Brasov, by foot, and then depart to Viscri village. The village became famous after Charles, Prince of Wales, bought an old house here in 1996, which he renovated. The place has seen an increasing number of tourists ever since. We will also visit Viscri Church, one of the oldest in Transylvania. Our next stop is the famous Sighisoara, Europe's best preserved medieval town. The entire town is listed to UNESCO World Heritage. The walking city tour includes the Guild Tower, the Venetian House (built in the 13th Century), the Vlad the Impaler (Dracula) House, the Antler House, the Wood Covered Staircase, the Hill Church, and Hermann Oberth Square. Most of the 164 houses in the city are at least 300 years old, thus considered historical monuments.
Day 8: Brasov - Bran Castle - Sinaia - Peles Castle - Bucharest
This is our last day in this amazing part of Europe. We will conclude the journey by visiting Bran village where we will tour a site known all over the world, Dracula's Castle. Made famous by Bram Stocker in his novel, the castle hosts now a museum. After living Dracula to deal with the other turists (), we will drive to Sinaia, the beautiful mountain resort surnamed “The pearl of the Carpathians”. Here we will visit Peles Castle, one of Romania’s most beautiful palaces, which once was the summer residence of Romanian Kings. The tour will end in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. We hope that all these places we have visited will have a special place in your hearts. And that the feelings they have nourished will make you tell the stories you have learned to others.