Transylvania Trip: From Budapesta To Bucharest, Private Tour, 6 Days

Itinerary

Day 1: Budapests - Oradea

Stop At: Debrecen, Hungary
Debrecen is Hungary’s second largest city, but it is often known as the Capital of the Great Hungarian Plain. Although it may seem as though it is a little far away from Budapest, it is well worth making the trip to experience a different side of Hungary.

The city has also been labelled as the Calvinist Rome, thanks to the city’s strong links with this religious denomination. Whilst you will not encounter as many English speakers as you would in the capital city, you will be sure to feel the warmth and openness of the Debreceni people.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Oradea, Oradea, Bihor County, Northwest Romania, Transylvania
Located just 8 miles from the Hungarian border and spanning both shores of the Crisu Repede River, the elegant city of Oradea is a great starting point for exploring Romania.
First documented in 1113, under the Latin name Varadinum, the city was administered at various times by the Principality of Transylvania, the Ottoman Empire, and the Habsburg Monarchy. In 1598, the Oradea fortress was besieged and, on August 27, 1660, it fell to the Ottoman raids, only to be seized in 1692 by the Austrians.

Until the construction of flood-banks along the length of the Crisu Repede River, Oradea was facing constant flooding threats. In 1836 a large part of the town was destroyed by fire. The picturesque town of present-day Oradea was rebuilt in the 18th century to the plans of Viennese engineer Franz Anton Hillebrandt following the then-trendy Austrian architectural style called Secession with its richly decorated facades of pale pink, blue, green and white. In addition to the many Baroque buildings, Oradea is remarkable for its particularly rich collection of Art Nouveau architecture.
Duration: 12 hours

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 2: Oradea - Cluj Napoca

Stop At: Oradea Fortress, Piata Unirii nr 1, cam. 234, Oradea 410100 Romania
The Oradea Fortress is the most famous building of Oradea, with an almost millenary history, the first signs dating its setup are during the Hungarian King Ladislaus I (1077-1095). The fortress is the city’s emblematic symbol and an historical masterpiece.

The Oradea Fortress is unique in Eastern Europe through its complex architectural old Italian and military-style fortified bastions kept relatively good condition.

Over the time, the city was an important Renaissance religious and secular military establishment and has a tumultuous history, being besieged by the Tatars, the Turks, the rebellious Transylvanian Principality of the Transylvanian and Austrian armies.

Besides defense function of the fortress, here was the place where fairs were held, such as Fair St. Mary, where people were exchanging goods from East and West.

Currently, the Fortress of Oradea is the venue of various fairs, of which the most appreciated and expected is the Christmas Fair.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, Northwest Romania, Transylvania
This western city in the region of Transylvania traces its origins back to the Dacian settlement of Napuca in the 2-nd century A.D. After the Roman take-over of Dacia, it was renamed Napoca and in 124 A.D., received the rank of "municipium". The city quickly advanced socially and economically and during Marcus Aurelius' reign Napoca received the title "colonia", the highest possible urban status in the Roman Empire.
With one of the most vibrant economies in the country and a population of around 330,000, Cluj, is today a vibrant cultural and educational city. The six state and several private universities located here also make Cluj Napoca the city with the largest percentage of student population in Romania.
Duration: 12 hours

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 3: Cluj Napoca - Sighișoara

Stop At: Salina Turda, Aleea Durgaului 7, Turda 401200 Romania
Salina Turda is a salt mine in the Durgău-Valea Sărată area of Turda, the second largest city in Cluj County, northwest Romania. Opened for tourists in 1992, the Salina Turda mine was visited by about 618,000 Romanian and foreign tourists in 2017.

Salina Turda was ranked in 2013 by Business Insider as among the "25 hidden gems around the world that are worth the trek".
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Targu Mures, Targu Mures, Mures County, Central Romania, Transylvania
Named literally for a 'market' on the Mures River and known as the city of roses, Targu Mures (Marosvásárhely in Hun­garian ~ Neumarkt am Mieresch in German) enjoys the best of both Romanian and Hungarian cultures. Numerous vestiges attest the presence of Neolithic cultures and those of the Bronze and Metal Ages in this area. Archaeological diggings have brought to light Roman relics in the surrounding towns.
Targu Mures became a modern town in the second half of the 19th century, along with the expansion of the railway line. Today its centrally located Piata Trandafirilor (Roses Square) is lined with modern streetside cafes and restaurants, churches, and monuments. Targu Mures' top attraction is located at the south end of the square: the Culture Palace (Palatul Culturii), a flamboyant early 20th-century city hall with an outstanding stained-glass hall, housing some of main local museums.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Sighisoara Historic Center, Piata Cetatii Nr.1 Center of Sighisoara, Sighisoara 545400 Romania
The origins of Sighisoara city go back to the Roman times.
During the First Century AD, the Dacians (ancient inhabitants of the territory of modern Romania which eventually will develop into the Romanian people), built a fortification called Sandava.
Under the Roman administration it was known as Castrum Stenarum.
During the 12th century, the Transylvanian Saxons built a new citadel which was named Schäßburg.
Sighisoara (Schäßburg - Schassburg or Schäsbrich in German) still stands as one of the most beautiful and best-preserved medieval towns in Europe.
Designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, this perfectly intact 16th century gem with nine towers, cobbled streets, burgher houses and ornate churches rivals the historic streets of Old Prague or Vienna for atmospheric magic. It is also the birthplace of Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), ruler of the province of Walachia from 1456 to 1462.
It was he who inspired Bram Stoker's fictional creation, Count Dracula.
Duration: 12 hours

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 4: Sighișoara - Brasov

Stop At: Peasant Citadel, On Hill Above the Town, Saschiz 547510 Romania
Saschiz is renowned not only as home to one of Transylvania's finest fortified churches but also as a carpentry and wood-painting center. It was here that Saschiz blue pottery was born in 1702.

The Evangelical Church of Saschiz was built between 1493 and 1496 by Saxon colonists. The monument is very impressive due to its sheer size and the way the fortifying elements have been adapted to the shape of a church building. From the outside, the church appears to be a bulwark, but its defensive role is surpassed by the beauty of its gothic elements: huge arches, massive buttresses and decorative stone and brick aspects. Due to the significant distance between the center of the village and the hill on which a Saxon fortress was built in 1496, the fortified Evangelical church became the main refuge for the inhabitants of Saschiz during invading raids.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Cetatea Rupea, Strada Cetatii, Rupea 505500 Romania
One of the most imposing and best-conserved medieval sites in Transylvania, Rupea Fortress is a definite must during your trips across this world-unique destination. Half-way between the medieval cities of Brasov and Sighisoara, the fortress of Rupea amazes through its imposing dimensions and old centuries of history.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Viscri Fortified Church, Viscri 507039 Romania
One of the most interesting Saxon fortified churches is located in the village of Viscri (Weisskirch in German). 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.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Brasov Historical Center, Piazza Sfatului, Brasov Romania
Fringed by the peaks of the Southern Carpathian Mountains and resplendent with gothic, baroque and renaissance architecture, as well as a wealth of historical attractions, Brasov is one of the most visited places in Romania.
Founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1211 on an ancient Dacian site and settled by the Saxons as one of the seven walled citadels*, Brasov exudes a distinct medieval ambiance and has been used as backdrop in many recent period films.

The location of the city at the intersection of trade routes linking the Ottoman Empire and western Europe, together with certain tax exemptions, allowed Saxon merchants to obtain considerable wealth and exert a strong political influence in the region. This was reflected in the city's German name, Kronstadt, as well as in its Latin name, Corona, meaning Crown City (hence, the coat of arms of the city which is a crown with oak roots). Fortifications were erected around the city and continually expanded, with several towers maintained by different craft guilds, according to medieval custom.
Duration: 12 minutes

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 5: Brașov - Bucharest

Stop At: Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle), Str. General Traian Mosoiu nr. 24, Bran 507025 Romania
Surrounded by an aura of mystery and legend and perched high atop a 200-foot-high rock, Bran Castle owes its fame to its imposing towers and turrets as well as to the myth created around Bram Stocker's Dracula.

Built on the site of a Teutonic Knights stronghold dating from 1212, Bran castle was first documented in an act issued on November 19, 1377, giving the Saxons of Kronstadt (Brasov) the privilege to build the Citadel.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Peles Castle, Str. Pelesului 2, Sinaia 106100 Romania
Nestled at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains in the picturesque town of Sinaia, Peles Castle is a masterpiece of German new-Renaissance architecture, considered by many one of the most stunning castles in Europe.

Commissioned by King Carol I in 1873 and completed in 1883, the castle served as the summer residence of the royal family until 1947. Its 160 rooms are adorned with the finest examples of European art, Murano crystal chandeliers, German stained-glass windows and Cordoba leather-covered walls.

King Carol spared no expense.
Peles Castle was the first European castle to have electricity, it even has its own power plant.
The Castle has hot and cold running water, central heat and central vacuum system.
The stain glass roof of the foyer opens mechanically and there is a small elevator for the royal family.
Each room is decorated in a different style or theme.
There is a Concert Hall, Music Room (India), Turkish Salon, Great Salon (Italy),
Council Room (Switzerland), Moor Hall, and so much more.
The Royal Library has a secret door
and the castle's 60-seat Theater, with royal box, showed the first movie projection in Romania in 1906.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Snagov Monastery, Strada Manastirea Vlad Tepes Silistea, Snagov 077117 Romania
Located on a small island outside Bucharest, Snagov Church is considered to be one of the most important religious monuments in Southern Romania. The church, originally part of a monastery, enjoys this status since the medieval centuries when local princes endowed, strengthened and enlarged it in their effort of supporting the Orthodox Church.
Strongly connected to the time of Vlad the Impaler who over the centuries inspired more or less accurately the myth of Dracula, Snagov Church was supposedly built on an ancient Dacian site. The religious monument was, however, mentioned for the first time in the second half of the 14th century when a local prince donated an entire village to the monastery.
This practice was not unusual at the time, and more documents indicate even more donations in the next century from medieval princes like Mircea the Old or Vlad Dracul.
Duration: 2 hours

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 6: Bucharest tour

Stop At: Palace of Parliament, Strada Izvor 2-4, Bucharest 050711 Romania
The Parliament Palace from Bucharest is one of the most important communist-built monuments in the entire world. The gigantic and controversial concrete dream of one of the most dreaded communist dictators – Nicolae Ceausescu – the Parliament Palace is a World Record construction with over 1,000 rooms and a must-see for all those interested in the history of communism, the regime that changed the history of the world.
Located on Arsenalului Hill, very close to the central Unirii Square, the Palace of the Parliament or the House of the People is one of the highlights of Ceausescu’s megalomaniac vision of how the capital was set to transform if his dictatorship would have lasted. The capital was supposed to be an example of the new society Ceausescu wanted to build, the devastating earthquake from 1977 giving him the perfect excuse to systematize the city.

His plans involved destroying the Old Town, its presence being a vivid reminder of a historical time the regime wanted to erase from the collective memory. Overall, one-fourth of the historical center was destroyed and no doubt the process would have continued if the regime would have lasted beyond 1989.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Muzeul National al Satului "Dimitrie Gusti", Kiseleff Road 28-30 In King Michael I Park, Bucharest 011347 Romania
Bucharest Village Museum is one of those few places that take us back to the past and inspire us to understand and appreciate it for its true value. Extending on 14 hectares, in one of the capital’s most beautiful and largest parks, Herastrau, the Village Museum is one of the first open-air ethnographic museums in the world.
This must-see museum recreates the past three centuries of the Romanian village, obtaining on an almost surreal experience in urban Bucharest. The Village Museum currently displays 346 house and more than 53,000 objects, unique peasant homes and technical installations, moved from their original location and rebuilt according to the original techniques, including watermills, oil presses, fountains, roadside crucifixes and churches.

The houses are organized according to their historical region, offering a rare opportunity to compare in just a few hours the diversity of architectural styles from Romania’s provinces, a clear sign of their history and social realities.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Ceausescu Mansion, Bulevardul Primaverii No.50 District 1, Bucharest 011975 Romania
There’s no better place to visit in Romania than Ceausescu Mansion to understand the double standards of the communist regime or the absurd cult of personality of one of its most ruthless dictators.

Opened in 2016 for visitors, Ceausescu Mansion was back in the dark and freezing communist days one of the best-kept secrets of the regime. Only the closest members of the family and the highest rank party members had access to Ceausescu’s residence. Why all the secrecy you wonder if he was ‘the first son of the nation’ who was guiding Romania to the ‘Golden Age’?
To make the best out of your visit, you should know a few things about Nicolae Ceausescu before. Born in 1918, in a poor family of peasants, young Ceausescu aspired to be a shoemaker and didn’t complete more than his primary education studies. That didn’t prove to be a big problem for his future career as most communist party members had a complete lack of academic education.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Muzeul Curtea Veche, 27-31 Franceza Street in Old Town, Bucharest 030104 Romania
Old Court of Bucharest or Dracula’s Court or, nowadays Old Court Museum can be visited in the heart of the old Vlad the Impaler’s court, in the middle of Bucharest and of the Old City of Bucharest. It is on French Street, near Manuc’s Inn and it was built in the middle of the 14th century.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Romanian Athenaeum (Ateneul Roman), Str. Franklin 1, Bucharest Romania
The exquisite Athenaeum is the majestic heart of Romania’s classical-music tradition. Scenes from Romanian history are featured on the interior fresco inside the Big Hall on the 1st floor; the dome is 41m high. A huge appeal dubbed ‘Give a Penny for the Athenaeum’ saved it from disaster after funds dried up in the late 19th century. Today it’s home to the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra and normally only open during concerts, but you can often take a peek inside.
Duration: 1 hour

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.