Private 5-day Tour In Transylvania From Bucharest Hotel Pick-up And Drop Off

Itinerary

Day 1: Bucharest - Peles Castle - Bran Castle - Rasnov Fortress - Brasov.

Pass By: National Military Museum Bucharest, Strada Mircea Vulcanescu 125-127, Bucharest Romania
While we leave Bucharest, you can admire the beautiful city centre.

Stop At: Peles Castle, Str. Pelesului 2, Sinaia 106100 Romania
Pick you up at 9 am from your hotel in Bucharest. Our first destination is the tourist town of Sinaia, where Peles Castle is located, the summer residence of the former Romanian royal family.
Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes

Stop At: Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle), Str. General Traian Mosoiu nr. 24, Bran 507025 Romania
Next stop is the infamous Bran Castle, aka Dracula Castle where you will discover the truth behind the legends! To get there we must go through Prahova Valley. Breathtaking natural beauty is opened in front of your eyes but the most spectacular view is from Busteni where you can admire the peaks of Bucegi Mountains. Traditional lunch can be arranged in Bran village.
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes

Stop At: Rasnov Citadel, Unirii Square no. 12, Rasnov 505400 Romania
Travel to Rasnov town which, besides the picturesque streets with medieval houses orderly arranged, will enchant you with gorgeous Rasnov Fortress, one of the best-preserved peasant fortress of Transylvania. Beautiful panorama over Barsa Land from the very top of the fortress. 
Duration: 1 hour

Pass By: Brasov Historical Center, Piazza Sfatului, Brasov Romania
Transfer to Brasov, arriving time around 6 pm. Overnight at Casa Timar Pension or similar, en-suite room, breakfast included.

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight at Casa Timar Pension, en suite room.

Day 2: Brasov - Bears Sanctuary - Viscri - Sighisoara.

Stop At: Libearty Bear Sanctuary Zarnesti, DN 73A km 6 - near the entrance in Zarnesti from Rasnov, Zarnesti 500075 Romania
Visit The Bears Sanctuary which is located in the forest, near Piatra Craiului Mountain. It covers an area of 69 hectares of forest, streams and ponds where around 100 brown bears live. It is the biggest of this kind in the entire world. Prepare your cameras!
Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes

Stop At: Viscri Fortified Church, Viscri 507039 Romania
Visit Viscri, an authentic Transylvanian village and the oldest fortified church in Transylvania and UNESCO world heritage site. Walking through this enchanting village is like going back in time! Even Prince Charles of Wales, attracted by the beauty of this area, bought a house here a few years ago. Time allocated for taking pictures and walking through the village. Your guide will lead you to the best spots!
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Sighisoara Historic Center, Piata Cetatii Nr.1 Center of Sighisoara, Sighisoara 545400 Romania
Visit Sighisoara medieval town - UNESCO world heritage and Vlad the Impaler birthplace. Walking tour in Sighisoara Citadel. So resplendent are Sighişoara’s pastel-coloured buildings, stony lanes and medieval towers, you’ll rub your eyes in disbelief. Fortified walls encircle Sighişoara’s lustrous merchant houses, now harbouring cafes, hotels and craft shops. Visit Sighisoara medieval town including The Clock Tower, The Church on the Hill and the house where Vlad the Impaler was born. Lunch can be arranged in Sighisoara medieval town at Dracula House Restaurant.

The rest of the day at your leisure.
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in Sighisoara at Citadela Hotel or similar, en suite rooms.

Day 3: Sighisoara - Biertan - Sibiu - Sibiel.

Stop At: Biertan Fortified Church, Central Square, Biertan 557045 Romania
Visit Biertan Fortified Church, UNESCO world heritage. Rising sharply above a huddle of Saxon-style buildings, Biertan’s fortified church is a poetic sight surrounded by medieval-themed inns and pastel-coloured houses.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Sibiu Tourist Information Center, Strada Brukenthal Samuel 2, Sibiu 550178 Romania
Sibiu is the heart of Germanic Transylvania. Saxon colonists called the town Hermannstadt. Sibiu town lies on the site of one of the largest Middle Age fortresses from Romania. In the Middle Ages Sibiu was surrounded by three concentric rings of fortified walls. Some have survived, along with a fascinating network of squares, staircases and towers dating between 13 and 18 centuries. We visit the Big Square which is the historic centre of Sibiu, first mentioned in documents in 1411 as a cereal market, the square existing since 1366 when the third fortification belt of the city was finalized.

We visit the Little Square which is the second largest historic place of Sibiu and one of the most beautiful in town and Huet square, dominated by the Evangelical Church, which is the oldest in Sibiu, the Liars' Bridge. Highlights: The Big Square, The Little Square, The Council Tower, The Bridge of Liars, The Evangelical Cathedral and the oldest house in the town.

Visit Medias old town for about 60 minutes including The Evangelic Cathedral. During the Middle Ages, Medias, like most other towns in Transylvania, was strongly fortified. Its 33 craft guilds built, maintained and defended the bastions of the walled city against invading forces. The fortified church of St. Margaret represented the core around which the citadel gradually developed. The centre of the ancient settlement of Medias has maintained a medieval feel with narrow winding lanes, centuries-old houses and a large pedestrian square surrounded by colourful facades.

Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner: Traditional 3-Course dinner made of fresh local products, homemade wine and homemade plum brandy included.

Accommodation included: Overnight at Ramona House in Sibiel village, a homestay style pension, en suite rooms.

Day 4: Sibiel- Hunyads Castle- Alba Iulia- Brasov.

Stop At: Castelul Corvinilor, Strada Castelului 1-3, Hunedoara 331141 Romania
Visit Hunyads Castle, one of the seven wonders of Romania and Transylvania most spellbinding fortress. The castle is thought to have been cursed and many believe that it is the most haunted castle in Europe! Let's go there and find out! Equally chilling is the Bear Pit, where prisoners were thrown to animals after their usefulness expired.
Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes

Stop At: Citadel of Alba Iulia, Calea Motilor, nr. 5A, Alba Iulia 510134 Romania
Alba Iulia’s star-shaped citadel is one of Transylvania’s most overlooked sights. The walls of this magnificently preserved citadel – the largest in Romania – enclose grand monuments and museums, glittering churches, and archaeological treasures.
Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast: made of fresh local products including eggs, cold cuts, cheese, gem, traditional zacusca, fruits, tea and coffee.

Accommodation included: Overnight at Casa Timar Pension in Brasov, en suite room.

Day 5: Brasov - Snagov Monastery - Bucharest.

Stop At: Snagov Monastery, Strada Manastirea Vlad Tepes Silistea, Snagov 077117 Romania
There are many gaps to fill when it comes to the life of Vlad the Impaler. While his life has been exploited and his heroic battles against the Turks highly praised, little is known about the last hours of his legendary life. It is believed that Vlad’s decapitated body was found in the woods around Bucharest by the monks of the Snagov monastery and brought here to be buried since both Vlad and his father had donated money to the church. But Snagov was also a place of punishment. In a small cell, Vlad the Impaler invited his victims to kneel in front of an icon of the Virgin Mary. Suddenly a trap door would open and his guest would be sent to a ditch below where stakes stood erect ready to pierce his body. Decapitated skeletons found here stand as proof of these horrific crimes.

Another legend says that after the battle with the Turks in 1476, subsequent to which he died, the body of Vlad the Impaler was secretly buried in the Christian manner inside either of the churches. In one version of the story, Vlad was murdered in a nearby forest, and the monks of the monastery found the body. Perhaps the monks felt indebted to Vlad for the additions he insisted be added to their abode, most bizarrely, the prison and the torture chamber. Whatever the reasons, the monks dressed the body richly and put it to rest in front of the church altar.

Peasants talk about the “hidden treasures” of the Impaler. Sensing death, Vlad had them make cast-iron barrels in which he placed silver, gold and precious jewels; he then ordered the course of a river to be diverted by a dam (perhaps the Dambovita river) after getting rid of the riches, he gave free flow to the river and all the peasants involved were IMPALED!

Visitors who cross the lake by boat or over the bridge, reach the quiet, remote monastery that brings the legend alive! One can pay his respects at Dracula’s tomb, located at the altar footsteps, and admire the beautiful frescoes, some of which go as far back as the 15th century. Locals tell stories about a different church that existed here, which fell into the lake together with its steeple, during a storm. When the wind blows they say you can hear a chime rising from the bottom of the lake.

Nevertheless, people are superstitious and the monastery has had its fair share of bad luck: floods, earthquakes, the burning of the bridge connecting it to the mainland during the 1821 revolution as well as being transformed into a prison in the 19th century. Although there has been a lot of debate around the real tomb of Vlad the Impaler and whether you are a Dracula fan or not, the monastery of Snagov is worth a peak! It was once an important hub of the cultural and monastic life: it hosted a printing shop as well as a mint…When coming here travellers understand why it was used as a refuge as well as a prison… As for the vampire hunters…what better place to end a trip to Romania than the legendary burial place of the count of all counts: Count Dracula?!

Transfer to Bucharest City at your hotel.
Duration: 50 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.