Bucharest – Peles – Bran – Rasnov – Brasov – Fagaras – Rupea – Viscri – Sighisoara – Biertan – Alba Iulia – Hunedoara – Sibiu – Curtea de Arges – Bucharest
Day 1: The day will start at your hotel in the morning at 7:30. We stop after 2 hours at Sinaia, to visit the formal summer residence of the Romanian royal family. One of the most beautiful castles in Europe, Peles Castle was built by Carol I, the first King of Romania. We continue crossing the mountains to Transylvania to the most famous Romanian Castle in the world: Bran Castle. The property of Queen Maria of Romania is the home of Dracula vampire from Bram Stoker’s novel. The next sight we see is the fortress on the top of the hill from Rasnov. From here we have a great view of the entire valley, including Rasnov town. The end of the day will be in Brasov, with a walking tour in the historical center. Accommodation will be here, in Brasov (not included)
Day 2: The first place we visit is Fagaras Fortress, the fortress that never been conquered. One of the best conserved feudal monuments in Romania, the fortress is surrounded by two sets of walls and a moat. Next is the oldest archaeological site in Romania, the first signs of human settlements dating from the Paleolithic and early Neolithic: Rupea Fortress. After two fortresses it’s time for the old style of living in Romania: Viscri village. This place is famous because of the fortified church and the house that belongs to Prince Charles. We continue to Sighisoara to stay overnight.
Day 3: On the way to discover the fortifications of Transylvania, we are going in the morning to Biertan, the biggest fortified church from Romania, UNESCO world heritage. Here we discover a unique lock system for a door, the biggest tryptic from a Transylvanian church and a special jail, the marital prison. After about two hours of driving, we stop at Alba Iulia, a very important place for Romanian unification from 1918. Here, Ferdinand I and Maria became king and queen of all Romanians, after Basarabia, Bucovina, and Transylvania unified with Romania. The fortification of Alba Iulia is restored and presents the history from Romans after they conquered Dacia, the 18th-century star-shaped citadel, Vauban architecture, and two important cathedrals: Catholique and orthodox. Next on the list is Corvin’s Castle, a spectacular Gothic-style castle, built by the Anjou family and who became the residence of Transylvanian’s voivode, Iancu de Hunedoara (Iohannes Corvinus in Latin). We end the day in Sibiu.
Day 4: After a walking tour in Sibiu to discover the fortifications of the city, the most important churches and also the Walk of Fame, we start the trip to Bucharest. On the way, we discover the Olt Valley and we stop to the Royal Necropolis, Curtea de Arges Monastery. We visit this place not only for the architectural style but also for the legend of Manole. After four days, we end the tour in Bucharest, the capital of Romania.