HIGHLIGHTS OF TRANSYLVANIA, THE MOLDAVIAN MONASTERIES, THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS AND THE DANUBE DELTA

Flight to Sibiu, one of the oldest cities in Transylvania. Reception by the local tour guide and transfer to the hotel for 2 nights.

 

Visit of the city and the medieval castle with the old fortresses and defense towers, the Protestant church - an impressive monument in Gothic style - and the church tower, the symbol of the city. Afternoon visit to the Village Museum, beautifully located in the Young Forest and drive to Sibiel  to see the glass icon museum. Festive dinner with folklore program in the Restaurant “ Crama Ileana “in Sibiu.

 

Visit to some of the Saxon fortified church castles in Slimnic, in Axente Sever  and the Gothic St. Margaret's Church in Medias. Then visit the largest German fortified church, Biertan , which was the residence of the evangelical bishops for 300 years until the end of the 19th century. Departure to Sighisoara , the oldest inhabited castle in Europe. Visit of the castle, the Clock Tower, the house of Vlad Dracul and the Church on the Hill. Hotel accommodation for 1 night in Sighisoara (medieval building with atmosphere).

 

Continue to Bistrita, in whose Protestant church the medieval guild flags are still kept today. Then drive to visit the Moldovita Monastery with an expert guide by one of the nuns. The monastery was built between 1532 and 1537 by Prince Petru Rares, son of Stephen the Great. Then visit the Sucevita Monastery, which was donated by the family of Prince Movila. Hotel accommodation in Suceava for 2 nights.

 

Excursion to the Moldavian  monasteries, with its colored frescoes on the outside. Drive to Mitocu Dragomirnei  to visit the Dragomirna Monastery, an original incorporation of the Gothic style into Romanian architecture. Then visit the monasteries Humor and Voronet, known as the “Sistine Chapel ” of Romania. Drive to the Marginea ceramics center, where the famous black ceramics are still made today. Visit the old Cacica salt mine, located between the mountains of Gura Humorului. Visit to the Church of St. Barbara, the salt lake and the dance hall. Return to Suceava. 

 

Drive through the Bucovina, whose monasteries are under the protection of UNESCO. Visit the Neamt Monastery and continue to Vanatori to visit the Agapia Monastery, with frescoes by Nicolae Grigorescu. Leaving the Moldova region over the Bicaz gorge and past the Red Lake back to Transylvania. Hotel accommodation in Miercurea Ciuc for 1 night.

 

Drive to Brasov , one of the largest industrial centers of the Carpathian Mountains and the capital of the Barsei country. Stop at the fortified church of Prejmer, the easternmost German settlement in Transylvania. In Brasov visit of the Black Church, the largest Gothic religious building in Romania. Tour through the old town with the town hall and the Orthodox St. Nicholas Church (1292). Hotel accommodation in Poiana Brasov for 2 nights.

 

Drive to Sinaia, the pearl of the Carpathian Mountains. Visit to the Peles Castle, the summer residence of the Hohenzollern dynasty in Romania and the Orthodox monastery of Sinaia, which was founded by monks from the Sinai Peninsula in the 16th century. Drive to Bran and visit the medieval Bran Castle, the so-called Dracula Castle, which was built as a fortress by German knights in 1212. Then return to the hotel.

 

Drive via Tulcea and then with the speedboat into the Danube Delta, which encloses the area between the three Danube arms Chilia, Sulina and Sfintu Gheorghe and then flows into the Black Sea. Hotel accommodation for 2 nights.

 

Boat excursion Danube Delta: from Hotel Sunrise to Sulina, the lowest town in Romania with about 5,000 inhabitants, to the Busurca Canal, at the gates of Sulina, on the right-hand side to the sea. Continue over the Rosu Canal, Imputita and Rosulet Lake to Rosu Lake, where a large variety of birds can be observed (including pelican, curly pelican, small cormorant, red necked goose, little egret, etc.). The reed islands floating in Lake Puiu often clog the channels, but the pike and perch that occur make the area interesting for fishermen. We continue over the Caraorman Canal back to the hotel (4-5 hours). Afternoon at leisure  to use the swimming pool or to fish in the hotel pond.

 

Transfer to Tulcea and on to Bucharest, the capital of the country. Short city tour with a visit to the Patriarchal Church, seat of the Orthodox head of Romania, and the Parliament Palace, the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon. Hotel accommodation for 1 night in Bucharest.

 

Depending on departure: visit to the Cotroceni Museum and the former monastery and Royal Palace of King Ferdinand and Queen Maria. Transfer to Bucharest airport, farewell and return flight.

On Sunday the opportunity to take part in the Christian mass of the Protestant church in the respective parish.

 

11 nights in 3 * and 4 * hotels, half board, tour guide, 3 days boat trip in the Danube Delta with the Carpathian Princess, festive dinner with folklore program, modern bus available according to the program