Balkan Trip: Romania Bulgaria Macedonia Kosovo Muntenegro Croatia Bosnia Serbia
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Itinerary
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Itinerary
Day 1: From Bucharest to Veliko Tarnovo
Stop At: Bucharest, Bucharest
Romaniaโs capital sometimes gets a bad rap, but in fact it's dynamic, energetic and lots of fun. Many travellers give the city just a night or two before heading off to Transylvania, but thatโs not enough time. Allow at least a few days to take in the very good museums, stroll the parks and hang out at trendy cafes and drinking gardens. While much of the centre is modern and the buildings are in various stages of disrepair, you'll find splendid 17th- and 18th-century Orthodox churches and graceful belle รฉpoque villas tucked away in quiet corners. Communism changed the face of the city forever, and nowhere is this more evident than at the gargantuan Palace of Parliament, the grandest (and arguably crassest) tribute to dictatorial megalomania youโll ever see.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: St. Dimitrii of Basarbovo Monastery, Basarbovo 7071 Bulgaria
It is an old rock monastery from 13 Century, very well preserved.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Konstantsalieva House, Ul. Kapitan Pavel Gramadov, Arbanasi 5029 Bulgaria
The Konstantsalieva house, on one of the main roads through the village, originally built in the 17th century, has been beautifully restored in National Revival style. It reflects not only the wealth of the owners but also the attention to detail and the quality craftsmanship of that time. In a style typical for Arbanassi, the two storey house is set in a large yard surrounded by a high stone wall. The lower floor is constructed of stone, the upper floor and living quarters are timber construction.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Tsarevets, Tsar Asen Square, Veliko Tarnovo 5000 Bulgaria
The inescapable symbol of Veliko Tรขrnovo, this reconstructed fortress dominates the skyline and is one of Bulgariaโs most beloved monuments. The former seat of the medieval tsars, it hosts the remains of more than 400 houses, 18 churches, the royal palace, an execution rock and more. Watch your step: there are lots of potholes, broken steps and unfenced drops. The fortress morphs into a psychedelic spectacle with a magnificent night-time Sound & Light Show.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Veliko Tarnovo, Veliko Tarnovo, Veliko Tarnovo Province
Veliko Tarnovo is a town in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province.
Often referred as the "City of the Tsars", Veliko Tarnovo is located on the Yantra River and is famously known as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, attracting many tourists with its unique architecture. The old part of the town is situated on three hills, Tsarevets, Trapezitsa, and Sveta Gora, rising amidst the meanders of the Yantra. On Tsarevets are the palaces of the Bulgarian emperors and the Patriarchate, the Patriarchal Cathedral, and also a number of administrative and residential edifices surrounded by thick walls.
Duration: 1 hour
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 2: From Veliko Tarnovo to Sofia
Stop At: Sofia, Sofia, Sofia Region
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. The city is at the foot of Vitosha Mountain in the western part of the country. Being in the centre of the Balkans, it is midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, and closest to the Aegean Sea.
Sofia is the 15th largest city in the European Union. The city is surrounded by mountains, such as mountain Vitosha by the southern side, Lyulin by the western side, and the Balkan Mountains by the north, which makes it the 2nd highest European capital after Madrid. The city is built on the Iskar river, and has many mineral springs, such as the Sofia Central Mineral Baths. Sofia has a humid continental climate.
Sofia has been described as the 'triangle of religious tolerance'. This is due to the fact that three colossal temples of the three world major religions - Christianity, Islam and Judaism, reside inside the borders of the city, which are the Sveta Nedelya Church, Banya Bashi Mosque and Sofia Synagogue.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 3: From Sofia to Skopje
Stop At: Skopje, North Macedonia
Skopje is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; remains of Neolithic settlements have been found within the old Kale Fortress that overlooks the modern city centre. Originally a Paeonian city, Scupi became the capital of Dardania in the second century BC. On the eve of the 1st century AD, the settlement was seized by the Romans and became a military camp. When the Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western halves in 395 AD, Scupi came under Byzantine rule from Constantinople. During much of the early medieval period, the town was contested between the Byzantines and the Bulgarian Empire, whose capital it was between 972 and 992.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 4: From Skopie to Pristina
Stop At: Pristina, Pristina
Pristina is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city has a majority Albanian population, alongside other smaller communities. With a municipal population of 204,721 inhabitants (2016), Pristina is the second-largest city in the world with a predominantly Albanian-speaking population, after Albania's capital, Tirana. Within Serbia, it would be the 4th largest. Geographically, it is located in the north-eastern part of Kosovo close to the Goljak mountains.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 5: From Pristina to Budva
Stop At: Podgorica, Podgorica, Podgorica Municipality
Podgorica is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.
Between 1946 and 1992โin the period that Montenegro formed, as the Socialist Republic of Montenegro, part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)โthe city was known as Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ะขะธัะพะณัะฐะด [tรฎtoษกraหd]) in honour of Josip Broz Tito.
Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Moraฤa rivers and at the meeting-point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavliฤi Valley has encouraged settlement. The city is close to winter skiing centres in the north and to seaside resorts on the Adriatic Sea.
Podgorica Municipality covers 10.4% of Montenegro's territory and is home to 29.9% of the country's population. It is the nation's administrative centre and its economic, cultural, and educational focus.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Budva, Budva, Budva Municipality
Budva is a Montenegrin town on the Adriatic Sea, former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see.
It has 19,218 inhabitants, and it is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budva riviera, is the center of Montenegrin tourism, known for its well-preserved medieval walled city, sandy beaches and diverse nightlife.
Budva is 2,500 years old, which makes it one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic coast.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 6: From Budva to Dubrovnik
Stop At: Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik is a city on the Adriatic Sea in southern Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva County.
Its total population is 42,615 (census 2011). In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites.
The prosperity of the city was historically based on maritime trade; as the capital of the maritime Republic of Ragusa, it achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries, as it became notable for its wealth and skilled diplomacy.
In 1991, after the break-up of Yugoslavia, Dubrovnik was besieged by Serbian and Montenegrin soldiers of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) for seven months and suffered significant damage from shelling.
After repair and restoration works in the 1990s and early 2000s, Dubrovnik re-emerged as one of the top tourist destinations in the Mediterranean.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 7: From Dubrovnic to Sarajevo
Stop At: Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Sarajevo Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits.
The Sarajevo metropolitan area, including Sarajevo Canton, East Sarajevo and nearby municipalities, is home to 555,210 inhabitants.
Nestled within the greater Sarajevo valley of Bosnia, it is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of the Balkans.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 8: From Sarajevo to Belgrade
Stop At: Belgrade, Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula.
The urban area of Belgrade has a population of 1.23 million, while nearly 1.7 million people live within the administrative limits of the City of Belgrade (which encompasses almost all of its metropolitan area), a quarter of the total population of Serbia.
One of the most important prehistoric cultures of Europe, the Vinฤa culture, evolved within the Belgrade area in the 6th millennium BC. In antiquity, Thraco-Dacians inhabited the region and, after 279 BC, Celts settled the city, naming it Singidลซn. It was conquered by the Romans under the reign of Augustus and awarded Roman city rights in the mid-2nd century. It was settled by the Slavs in the 520s, and changed hands several times between the Byzantine Empire, the Frankish Empire, the Bulgarian Empire, and the Kingdom of Hungary before it became the seat of the Serbian king Stefan Dragutin in 1284. In 1521, Belgrade was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and became the seat of the Sanjak of Smederevo. It frequently passed from Ottoman to Habsburg rule, which saw the destruction of most of the city during the Austro-Ottoman wars. Belgrade was again named the capital of Serbia in 1841.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 9: From Belgrad to Timisoara
Stop At: Timisoara, Timisoara, Timis County, Western Romania, Transylvania
Timiศoara is the capital city of Timiศ County, the 3rd largest city in Romania and the main social, economic and cultural centre in western Romania.
Nicknamed the Little Vienna or the City of Flowers, Timiศoara is considered the informal capital city of the historical Banat. The countryโs third most populous city is the economic hub of the region, with 319,279 inhabitants as of the 2011 census, home to almost a half-million inhabitants in the metropolitan area, as well as ca. 50,000 student from over 50 countries.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 10: From Timisoara to Sibiu
Stop At: Castelul Corvinilor, Strada Castelului 1-3, Hunedoara 331141 Romania
The most spectacular Gothic-style castle in Romania, Corvin was built by the Anjou family on the site of a former Roman camp. The castle served as a fortress until the mid-14th century when it became the residence of Transylvania's voivode, Iancu de Hunedoara (Ioannes Corvinus in Latin, Hunyadi in Hungarian).
Iancu upgraded the fortress transforming it into a stunning Transylvania castle.
The beautifully preserved structure features a sumptuous Knights' Hall, an impressive drawbridge, high buttresses, inner courtyards, a chapel and some 50 rooms resplendent with medieval art.
The castle's courtyard features a 100-ft. well dug into stone, in the 15th Century.
Legend says that the wheel was dug by three Turkish prisoners who were promised freedom when job was done.
It took them 15 years and 28 days to reach water.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Sibiu, Sibiu, Sibiu County, Central Romania, Transylvania
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania, with a population of 147,245. Located some 275 km (171 mi) north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt. Now the capital of Sibiu County, between 1692 and 1791 and 1849โ65 Sibiu was also the capital of the Principality of Transylvania.
Sibiu is one of the most important cultural centres of Romania and was designated the European Capital of Culture for the year 2007, along with the city of Luxemburg. Formerly the centre of the Transylvanian Saxons, the old city of Sibiu was ranked as "Europe's 8th-most idyllic place to live" by Forbes in 2008. The city also administers the village of Pฤltiniศ, a ski resort located 35 kilometres to the south.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 11: From Sibiu to Bucharest
Stop At: Transfagarasan Highway, Dn 7C Sibiu and Arges County, Curtea de Arges 115300 Romania
This is the best road in the world โ said Jeremy Clarkson in a Top Gear episode while comparing it to a race track. Still, Transfagarasan offers so much more besides the amazing driving experience, connecting the south of Romania with Transylvania, going straight across the massive Fagaras Mountains through five tunnels and winding roads that needed 6,500 tons of dynamite to be built.
Transfagarasan is 90 km long and reaches an altitude of 2,042 meters, being the second highest road in Romania after Transalpina that has the maximum altitude of 2,145 meters. A veritable road from the clouds, but with a history that has much to do with the communist regime and its obsession with oversized projects.
Transfagarasan was finalized in 1974 after almost five years of hard work done mainly by soldiers and engineers. The army started working at the same time from the two opposite ends, in Arges and Sibiu counties, and a monument marks along the way the place where they finally met. Another monument, this time the Engineersโ Gate, was done in the memory of those who lost their lives in this project โ officially 40 people died โ, but some of the witnesses indicate hundreds of deaths among their colleagues.
Duration: 4 hours
Stop At: Poienari Castle, Transfagarasan On the Transfagarasn Road, just after you pass the village Corbeni., Arefu 117040 Romania
The ruins of Poienari Fortress stand high on a cliff overlooking the Arges River, at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Built at the beginning of the 13th century by the first Walachian rulers, the castle changed names and residents a few times over the decades; eventually, it was abandoned and left in ruins.
Vlad Tepes ( Vlad the Impaler - Dracula) recognized the potential of the location and upon taking over the throne, he ordered that the structure be repaired and consolidated, turning it into one of his main fortresses. When the Turks attacked and captured the castle in 1462, Vlad escaped via a secret passageway leading north through the mountains. Although the castle was used for many years after Vlad's death in 1476, it was eventually abandoned again in the first half of the 16th century and left to the ravages of time and weather. In 1888, a major landslide brought down a portion of the castle which crashed into the river far below. The castle underwent repairs and the remnants of its walls and towers stand to this day.
You will need stamina to climb the 1,462 steps to reach the castle ruins, perched high above the surrounding area like an eagle's nest.
Duration: 2 minutes
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 12: Bucharest city tour
Stop At: Romanian Athenaeum (Ateneul Roman), Str. Franklin 1, Bucharest Romania
The Romanian Athenaeum (Romanian: Ateneul Romรขn) is a concert hall in the center of Bucharest, Romania and a landmark of the Romanian capital city. Opened in 1888, the ornate, domed, circular building is the city's main concert hall and home of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic and of the George Enescu annual international music festival.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Palace of Parliament, Strada Izvor 2-4, Bucharest 050711 Romania
The Palace of the Parliament is the seat of the Parliament of Romania. It is located on Dealul Arsenalului in the national capital city of central Bucharest (Sector 5).
The Palace has a height of 84 metres (276 ft), a floor area of 365,000 square metres (3,930,000 sq ft) and a volume of 2,550,000 cubic metres (90,000,000 cu ft).
The Palace of the Parliament is the heaviest building in the world, weighing about 4,098,500,000 kilograms (9.0356ร109 lb).
The building was designed and supervised by chief architect Anca Petrescu, with a team of approximately 700 architects, and constructed over a period of 13 years (1984โ97) in Totalitarian and modernist Neoclassical architectural forms and style, with socialist realism in mind. The Palace was ordered by Nicolae Ceauศescu (1918โ1989), the dictator of Communist Romania and the second of two longtime autocrats in power in the country since World War II, during a period in which the personality cult of political worship and adoration was noticably increased for him and his family. Known for its ornate interior composed of 23 sections, it houses the two houses of the Parliament of Romania: the Senate (Senat) and the Chamber of Deputies (Camera Deputaศilor), along with three museums and an international conference center.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Ceausescu Mansion, Bulevardul Primaverii No.50 District 1, Bucharest 011975 Romania
Ceausescu Palace, also known as Primaverii Palace is a luxurious building where Romania's former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu lived together with his family. After the Romanian Revolution, the Palace was used as a VIP residence for official delegations, and in 2016 it was turned into a museum.
Duration: 2 minutes
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 1: From Bucharest to Veliko Tarnovo
Stop At: Bucharest, Bucharest
Romaniaโs capital sometimes gets a bad rap, but in fact it's dynamic, energetic and lots of fun. Many travellers give the city just a night or two before heading off to Transylvania, but thatโs not enough time. Allow at least a few days to take in the very good museums, stroll the parks and hang out at trendy cafes and drinking gardens. While much of the centre is modern and the buildings are in various stages of disrepair, you'll find splendid 17th- and 18th-century Orthodox churches and graceful belle รฉpoque villas tucked away in quiet corners. Communism changed the face of the city forever, and nowhere is this more evident than at the gargantuan Palace of Parliament, the grandest (and arguably crassest) tribute to dictatorial megalomania youโll ever see.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: St. Dimitrii of Basarbovo Monastery, Basarbovo 7071 Bulgaria
It is an old rock monastery from 13 Century, very well preserved.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Konstantsalieva House, Ul. Kapitan Pavel Gramadov, Arbanasi 5029 Bulgaria
The Konstantsalieva house, on one of the main roads through the village, originally built in the 17th century, has been beautifully restored in National Revival style. It reflects not only the wealth of the owners but also the attention to detail and the quality craftsmanship of that time. In a style typical for Arbanassi, the two storey house is set in a large yard surrounded by a high stone wall. The lower floor is constructed of stone, the upper floor and living quarters are timber construction.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Tsarevets, Tsar Asen Square, Veliko Tarnovo 5000 Bulgaria
The inescapable symbol of Veliko Tรขrnovo, this reconstructed fortress dominates the skyline and is one of Bulgariaโs most beloved monuments. The former seat of the medieval tsars, it hosts the remains of more than 400 houses, 18 churches, the royal palace, an execution rock and more. Watch your step: there are lots of potholes, broken steps and unfenced drops. The fortress morphs into a psychedelic spectacle with a magnificent night-time Sound & Light Show.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Veliko Tarnovo, Veliko Tarnovo, Veliko Tarnovo Province
Veliko Tarnovo is a town in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province.
Often referred as the "City of the Tsars", Veliko Tarnovo is located on the Yantra River and is famously known as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, attracting many tourists with its unique architecture. The old part of the town is situated on three hills, Tsarevets, Trapezitsa, and Sveta Gora, rising amidst the meanders of the Yantra. On Tsarevets are the palaces of the Bulgarian emperors and the Patriarchate, the Patriarchal Cathedral, and also a number of administrative and residential edifices surrounded by thick walls.
Duration: 1 hour
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 2: From Veliko Tarnovo to Sofia
Stop At: Sofia, Sofia, Sofia Region
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. The city is at the foot of Vitosha Mountain in the western part of the country. Being in the centre of the Balkans, it is midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea, and closest to the Aegean Sea.
Sofia is the 15th largest city in the European Union. The city is surrounded by mountains, such as mountain Vitosha by the southern side, Lyulin by the western side, and the Balkan Mountains by the north, which makes it the 2nd highest European capital after Madrid. The city is built on the Iskar river, and has many mineral springs, such as the Sofia Central Mineral Baths. Sofia has a humid continental climate.
Sofia has been described as the 'triangle of religious tolerance'. This is due to the fact that three colossal temples of the three world major religions - Christianity, Islam and Judaism, reside inside the borders of the city, which are the Sveta Nedelya Church, Banya Bashi Mosque and Sofia Synagogue.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 3: From Sofia to Skopje
Stop At: Skopje, North Macedonia
Skopje is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; remains of Neolithic settlements have been found within the old Kale Fortress that overlooks the modern city centre. Originally a Paeonian city, Scupi became the capital of Dardania in the second century BC. On the eve of the 1st century AD, the settlement was seized by the Romans and became a military camp. When the Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western halves in 395 AD, Scupi came under Byzantine rule from Constantinople. During much of the early medieval period, the town was contested between the Byzantines and the Bulgarian Empire, whose capital it was between 972 and 992.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 4: From Skopie to Pristina
Stop At: Pristina, Pristina
Pristina is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city has a majority Albanian population, alongside other smaller communities. With a municipal population of 204,721 inhabitants (2016), Pristina is the second-largest city in the world with a predominantly Albanian-speaking population, after Albania's capital, Tirana. Within Serbia, it would be the 4th largest. Geographically, it is located in the north-eastern part of Kosovo close to the Goljak mountains.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 5: From Pristina to Budva
Stop At: Podgorica, Podgorica, Podgorica Municipality
Podgorica is the capital and largest city of Montenegro.
Between 1946 and 1992โin the period that Montenegro formed, as the Socialist Republic of Montenegro, part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)โthe city was known as Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ะขะธัะพะณัะฐะด [tรฎtoษกraหd]) in honour of Josip Broz Tito.
Podgorica's favourable position at the confluence of the Ribnica and Moraฤa rivers and at the meeting-point of the fertile Zeta Plain and Bjelopavliฤi Valley has encouraged settlement. The city is close to winter skiing centres in the north and to seaside resorts on the Adriatic Sea.
Podgorica Municipality covers 10.4% of Montenegro's territory and is home to 29.9% of the country's population. It is the nation's administrative centre and its economic, cultural, and educational focus.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Budva, Budva, Budva Municipality
Budva is a Montenegrin town on the Adriatic Sea, former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see.
It has 19,218 inhabitants, and it is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budva riviera, is the center of Montenegrin tourism, known for its well-preserved medieval walled city, sandy beaches and diverse nightlife.
Budva is 2,500 years old, which makes it one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic coast.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 6: From Budva to Dubrovnik
Stop At: Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik is a city on the Adriatic Sea in southern Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva County.
Its total population is 42,615 (census 2011). In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites.
The prosperity of the city was historically based on maritime trade; as the capital of the maritime Republic of Ragusa, it achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries, as it became notable for its wealth and skilled diplomacy.
In 1991, after the break-up of Yugoslavia, Dubrovnik was besieged by Serbian and Montenegrin soldiers of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) for seven months and suffered significant damage from shelling.
After repair and restoration works in the 1990s and early 2000s, Dubrovnik re-emerged as one of the top tourist destinations in the Mediterranean.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 7: From Dubrovnic to Sarajevo
Stop At: Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Sarajevo Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits.
The Sarajevo metropolitan area, including Sarajevo Canton, East Sarajevo and nearby municipalities, is home to 555,210 inhabitants.
Nestled within the greater Sarajevo valley of Bosnia, it is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of the Balkans.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 8: From Sarajevo to Belgrade
Stop At: Belgrade, Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula.
The urban area of Belgrade has a population of 1.23 million, while nearly 1.7 million people live within the administrative limits of the City of Belgrade (which encompasses almost all of its metropolitan area), a quarter of the total population of Serbia.
One of the most important prehistoric cultures of Europe, the Vinฤa culture, evolved within the Belgrade area in the 6th millennium BC. In antiquity, Thraco-Dacians inhabited the region and, after 279 BC, Celts settled the city, naming it Singidลซn. It was conquered by the Romans under the reign of Augustus and awarded Roman city rights in the mid-2nd century. It was settled by the Slavs in the 520s, and changed hands several times between the Byzantine Empire, the Frankish Empire, the Bulgarian Empire, and the Kingdom of Hungary before it became the seat of the Serbian king Stefan Dragutin in 1284. In 1521, Belgrade was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and became the seat of the Sanjak of Smederevo. It frequently passed from Ottoman to Habsburg rule, which saw the destruction of most of the city during the Austro-Ottoman wars. Belgrade was again named the capital of Serbia in 1841.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 9: From Belgrad to Timisoara
Stop At: Timisoara, Timisoara, Timis County, Western Romania, Transylvania
Timiศoara is the capital city of Timiศ County, the 3rd largest city in Romania and the main social, economic and cultural centre in western Romania.
Nicknamed the Little Vienna or the City of Flowers, Timiศoara is considered the informal capital city of the historical Banat. The countryโs third most populous city is the economic hub of the region, with 319,279 inhabitants as of the 2011 census, home to almost a half-million inhabitants in the metropolitan area, as well as ca. 50,000 student from over 50 countries.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 10: From Timisoara to Sibiu
Stop At: Castelul Corvinilor, Strada Castelului 1-3, Hunedoara 331141 Romania
The most spectacular Gothic-style castle in Romania, Corvin was built by the Anjou family on the site of a former Roman camp. The castle served as a fortress until the mid-14th century when it became the residence of Transylvania's voivode, Iancu de Hunedoara (Ioannes Corvinus in Latin, Hunyadi in Hungarian).
Iancu upgraded the fortress transforming it into a stunning Transylvania castle.
The beautifully preserved structure features a sumptuous Knights' Hall, an impressive drawbridge, high buttresses, inner courtyards, a chapel and some 50 rooms resplendent with medieval art.
The castle's courtyard features a 100-ft. well dug into stone, in the 15th Century.
Legend says that the wheel was dug by three Turkish prisoners who were promised freedom when job was done.
It took them 15 years and 28 days to reach water.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Sibiu, Sibiu, Sibiu County, Central Romania, Transylvania
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania, with a population of 147,245. Located some 275 km (171 mi) north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt. Now the capital of Sibiu County, between 1692 and 1791 and 1849โ65 Sibiu was also the capital of the Principality of Transylvania.
Sibiu is one of the most important cultural centres of Romania and was designated the European Capital of Culture for the year 2007, along with the city of Luxemburg. Formerly the centre of the Transylvanian Saxons, the old city of Sibiu was ranked as "Europe's 8th-most idyllic place to live" by Forbes in 2008. The city also administers the village of Pฤltiniศ, a ski resort located 35 kilometres to the south.
Duration: 12 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 11: From Sibiu to Bucharest
Stop At: Transfagarasan Highway, Dn 7C Sibiu and Arges County, Curtea de Arges 115300 Romania
This is the best road in the world โ said Jeremy Clarkson in a Top Gear episode while comparing it to a race track. Still, Transfagarasan offers so much more besides the amazing driving experience, connecting the south of Romania with Transylvania, going straight across the massive Fagaras Mountains through five tunnels and winding roads that needed 6,500 tons of dynamite to be built.
Transfagarasan is 90 km long and reaches an altitude of 2,042 meters, being the second highest road in Romania after Transalpina that has the maximum altitude of 2,145 meters. A veritable road from the clouds, but with a history that has much to do with the communist regime and its obsession with oversized projects.
Transfagarasan was finalized in 1974 after almost five years of hard work done mainly by soldiers and engineers. The army started working at the same time from the two opposite ends, in Arges and Sibiu counties, and a monument marks along the way the place where they finally met. Another monument, this time the Engineersโ Gate, was done in the memory of those who lost their lives in this project โ officially 40 people died โ, but some of the witnesses indicate hundreds of deaths among their colleagues.
Duration: 4 hours
Stop At: Poienari Castle, Transfagarasan On the Transfagarasn Road, just after you pass the village Corbeni., Arefu 117040 Romania
The ruins of Poienari Fortress stand high on a cliff overlooking the Arges River, at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Built at the beginning of the 13th century by the first Walachian rulers, the castle changed names and residents a few times over the decades; eventually, it was abandoned and left in ruins.
Vlad Tepes ( Vlad the Impaler - Dracula) recognized the potential of the location and upon taking over the throne, he ordered that the structure be repaired and consolidated, turning it into one of his main fortresses. When the Turks attacked and captured the castle in 1462, Vlad escaped via a secret passageway leading north through the mountains. Although the castle was used for many years after Vlad's death in 1476, it was eventually abandoned again in the first half of the 16th century and left to the ravages of time and weather. In 1888, a major landslide brought down a portion of the castle which crashed into the river far below. The castle underwent repairs and the remnants of its walls and towers stand to this day.
You will need stamina to climb the 1,462 steps to reach the castle ruins, perched high above the surrounding area like an eagle's nest.
Duration: 2 minutes
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 12: Bucharest city tour
Stop At: Romanian Athenaeum (Ateneul Roman), Str. Franklin 1, Bucharest Romania
The Romanian Athenaeum (Romanian: Ateneul Romรขn) is a concert hall in the center of Bucharest, Romania and a landmark of the Romanian capital city. Opened in 1888, the ornate, domed, circular building is the city's main concert hall and home of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic and of the George Enescu annual international music festival.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Palace of Parliament, Strada Izvor 2-4, Bucharest 050711 Romania
The Palace of the Parliament is the seat of the Parliament of Romania. It is located on Dealul Arsenalului in the national capital city of central Bucharest (Sector 5).
The Palace has a height of 84 metres (276 ft), a floor area of 365,000 square metres (3,930,000 sq ft) and a volume of 2,550,000 cubic metres (90,000,000 cu ft).
The Palace of the Parliament is the heaviest building in the world, weighing about 4,098,500,000 kilograms (9.0356ร109 lb).
The building was designed and supervised by chief architect Anca Petrescu, with a team of approximately 700 architects, and constructed over a period of 13 years (1984โ97) in Totalitarian and modernist Neoclassical architectural forms and style, with socialist realism in mind. The Palace was ordered by Nicolae Ceauศescu (1918โ1989), the dictator of Communist Romania and the second of two longtime autocrats in power in the country since World War II, during a period in which the personality cult of political worship and adoration was noticably increased for him and his family. Known for its ornate interior composed of 23 sections, it houses the two houses of the Parliament of Romania: the Senate (Senat) and the Chamber of Deputies (Camera Deputaศilor), along with three museums and an international conference center.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Ceausescu Mansion, Bulevardul Primaverii No.50 District 1, Bucharest 011975 Romania
Ceausescu Palace, also known as Primaverii Palace is a luxurious building where Romania's former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu lived together with his family. After the Romanian Revolution, the Palace was used as a VIP residence for official delegations, and in 2016 it was turned into a museum.
Duration: 2 minutes
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Tour leaving from Bucharest
Bucharest, the capital of Romania, is a vibrant city full of history. With its impressive architecture, lively nightlife, and delicious food, Bucharest offers a unique experience for travelers. Explore the Palace of the Parliament, stroll through the Old Town, and indulge in traditional Romanian cuisine. Don't miss the Village Museum to immerse yourself in the country's culture.
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