- Accommodation
- Attractions
- Exclusive Tour
- Fortified Churches
- Holiday in Bucovina
- Holiday in Maramures
- Holiday in Transylvania
- Holiday to Romania
- Long Tour
- Medieval Castles
- Medieval Cities
- Medieval Fortresses
- Painted Monasteries
- Private Tour
- Saxon Villages
- Tours in Bucovina
- Tours in Maramures
- Tours in Romania
- Tours in Transylvania
- Traditional Food
- Traditional Villages
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Wooden Churches
SIMPLY THE BEST 11-DAY CULTURAL PRIVATE TOUR OF ROMANIA
Visit the main historic regions of Romania in this Famous and Charming Romania Tour in the Transylvania, Maramures, and Bucovina regions. This 11-day private guided tour begins in Bucharest and it will take you to the most important tourist attractions, including the Transylvanian medieval towns and castles, the Old Painted and Wooden Churches from Bucovina, and Maramures, starting with a tour of the vibrant Bucharest. Experience the delightful cuisine in the homes of the local people and sleep in memorable locations right in the heart of medieval towns. Book this Famous and Charming Romania Tour for the best experience in Romania and for taking your holiday to the next level!
The tour can be personalised according to your time and points of interest.
Itinerary: Bucharest Tour – Sibiu Walking Tour – Corvin Castle – Cluj-Napoca Tour – Wooden Churches of Maramures – Maramures Region Highlights & Folklore Show – Sapanta Merry Cemetery – Bucovina Exterior Painted Monasteries – Bicaz Gorges & Red Lake – Exclusive Gypsy Home Visit – Historic Center of Sighisoara – Saxon Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania – Peles and Bran Castles
DEPARTURE/RETURN | Bucharest |
TRANSPORTATION | Fully insured car/minivan with climate control |
TOURIST GUIDE | Certified English-Speaker Tourist Guide (speakers of other languages at request) |
13 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 2 on the Tentative List | Surdesti Wooden Church (Maramures Wooden Churches) Budesti Wooden Church (Maramures Wooden Churches) Barsana Wooden Church (Maramures Wooden Churches) Ieud Wooden Church (Maramures Wooden Churches) Voronet Monastery (Bucovina Exterior Painted Monasteries) Moldovita Monastery (Bucovina Exterior Painted Monasteries) Sucevita Monastery (Bucovina Exterior Painted Monasteries) Humor Monastery (Bucovina Exterior Painted Monasteries) Historic Center of Sighisoara Biertan Fortified Church (Villages with Fortified Church in Transylvania) Saschiz Fortified Church (Villages with Fortified Church in Transylvania) Viscri Fortified Church (Villages with Fortified Church in Transylvania) Prejmer Fortified Church (Villages with Fortified Church in Transylvania) Historic Centre of Sibiu and its Ensemble of Squares (Tentative List for UNESCO World Heritage Sites) Historic Town of Alba Iulia (Tentative List for UNESCO World Heritage Sites) |
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS AND UNIQUE CULTURAL CONNECTIONS
- The benefit of complete flexibility of having the tour tailored on your requirements, in terms of the route, the duration and the features of the tour;
- No more than two days in the same location;
- Enhance your experience through our choices of tours to match your particular interests and travelling style;
- Visit through our exclusively designed tours and cultural connections in Transylvania, Maramures and Bucovina no less than 13 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 2 on the Tentative List;
- Enjoy the exceptional knowledge and expertise of Romania’s top-rated licensed tourist guide with excellent reviews;
- Take the unique chance of meeting Gypsies in their own community in Transylvania and discover their particular culture and see what good skills they have at crafts;
- Enjoy traditional Romanian delight specialities from all three big regions, authentic local dining in our traditional homes in Maramures and Transylvania, and taste traditional Bucovina lunch;
- Meet local people in traditional markets and in a real home in Maramures;
- Discover the daily life, self-sufficiency, and sustainability in the remote Saxon villages of Transylvania and Maramures;
- Meet & interact with locals in both home-hosted experiences and local markets on our authentic cultural connections;
- Enjoy 10 nights of accommodation full of character, centrally located buildings, as well as two superb local homes in Maramures and Transylvania;
- Meet local artists such as a woodcarver, an icon designer, a blacksmith, a potter, and an egg painter in their workshops and learn about the traditional arts & crafts;
- Make the most of your tour experience through our exclusively designed tours with all admissions included and not just only guided walks;
- Discover the capital city of Bucharest, on a comprehensive city tour including the guided tour in the Palace of the Parliament and in the former private residence of the Ceausescu family.
DEPARTURE/RETURN | Bucharest (it can be changed at your request) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
TRANSPORTATION | Fully insured car/minivan with climate control | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
TOURIST GUIDE | Certified English-Speaker Tourist Guide (speakers of other languages at request) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
INCLUDED |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
NOT INCLUDED |
|
Day 1: Bucharest Arrival
***Optional: You can choose a traditional Romanian Welcome Dinner with Folklore Show
Day 2: Bucharest City Tour with Parliament Palace and Ceausescu Residence & 80s Apartment – Olt River Valley – Cozia Monastery – Sibiu
The tour continues with a short stop at the 14th century Cozia Monastery built by King Mircea the Elder featuring a superb late 17th century Last Judgment fresco. Drive along the Olt River Valley crossing the mountains into Transylvania. After reaching Sibiu, a brief orientation tour on the way to the hotel. Accommodation in a 4* hotel in the center of Sibiu.
Dinner on your own. A suggestion is Crama Sibiul Vechi, the best cellar – restaurant in town or La Taifas restaurant.
Day 3: Sibiu Walking Tour – Corvin Castle – Alba Iulia Citadel – Cluj Napoca
Late afternoon arrival in Cluj Napoca city, the capital of Transylvania in the 18th and 19th century, today an important university center. Take an orientation tour before arriving at the hotel.
Day 4: Cluj Napoca Walking Tour – Organic Smoked Bacon Tasting with Home-made Lunch – Surdesti & Budesti Wooden Churches – Home Hosted Dinner in Maramures
After this stop, we head to the splendid and remote region of Maramures (The Land of Wood). Due to the relative isolation of their land, the people of Maramures developed a particularly strong community with a unique personality, traditions, culture, and lifestyle unspoiled for centuries.
Today you will visit two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, first the early 1766’s Church of Surdesti, the tallest oldest wooden structure in Europe. This is a good opportunity to learn about the Greek Catholics, the next one is Budesti Wooden Church, finished in 1643 and having the tower built in Gothic style, unique for Maramures architecture.
Now is the time to understand the dowry traditions and to admire the wonderfully carved wooden gates of Maramures. Accommodation is in a private house in a Maramures village. The dinner and the traditional homemade plum brandy are included so that the people will faster get deeper into the local culture.
Day 5: Exclusive Walking Tour – Sighetu Marmatiei – Communism Memorial – Sapanta Merry Cemetery – Dinner with Folklore Show
Next is the house of Nobel Prize Winner, Elie Wiesel who was born in this Romanian town. Continue west reaching the village of Sapanta, with the world-famous Merry Cemetery. Here each wooden cross carries a funny epitaph about the person’s life. Before returning to the village, take a view of what is the tallest wooden structure in the world at this moment, the Sapanta Peri monastery. In the evening enjoy the home-hosted dinner with an exclusively organized Maramures folklore show at the accommodation place.
***Optional: Three-hour trip in Ukraine, to Solotvina and Nyzhnya Apsha
Day 6: Barsana & Ieud Wooden Churches – Woman Museum – Borgo Pass – Egg Painting Workshop – Bucovina
After this museum, we are crossing the scenic Carpathian Mountains through the picturesque Borgo Pass or the Prislop Pass into the northern part of Moldavia called Bucovina.
Later, we will visit an egg-painter artist and we will learn more about this tradition, this being one of the ancient local traditions of the Bucovina region. You will also have the chance to admire painted eggs from all over the world.
After arriving at the 4* hotel in Gura Humorului the evening is at your leisure.
***Optional: Three-day Republic of Moldavia Extension with Tiraspol Tour (requires three extra days)
Day 7: Bucovina Painted Monasteries (UNESCO World Heritage Sites) & Traditional Lunch – Black Pottery Workshop
Next, is Moldovita Painted Monastery with its towers on both corners of the facade and a powerful tower for the gate. At the lunch, enjoy a traditional Bucovina lunch in the picturesque village of Sucevita. Later continue to the nearby Sucevita Painted Monastery, which is the largest of all, looking more like a mighty fortress than a monastery. Inside, the Virtues Ladder is considered one of the best frescoes from Bucovina, being the most impressive by its amplitude and the contrast between angles and hell’s chaos.
Next, we will visit the workshop on black pottery, the historians date the beginning of pottery here in 1500, they use a technique called “oxygen reduction”, and the same technique is used in Mexico only. The last monastery is Humor Painted Monastery, the only one without a belfry tower.
The accommodation is at the same hotel as yesterday.
Day 8: Neamt Citadel – Bicaz Gorges & Red Lake – Exclusive Gypsy Home Visit – Sighisoara
After Neamt Citadel, you will reach Bicaz Gorges, crossed by the road that links the historical regions of Moldavia and Transylvania. Bicaz Gorges are without a doubt one of the most breathtaking natural attractions in Romania, here you have the choice to leave the car behind and explore it on foot on a short hike. Next is the Red Lake, formed by a mountain sliding in 1838, because of the colour of the water the names received this name. After the Red Lake, you will have the chance to visit a Gypsy home, on this exclusive home visit you will have the unique opportunity to learn about this less known yet controversial ethnic group, its culture, identity, and lifestyle. Afternoon arrival in Sighisoara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the only still inhabited medieval citadel in Europe. Accommodation in the Upper Town.
***Optional: Transylvanian wine tasting in a 500-year-old cellar in Sighisoara
Day 9: Sighisoara Walking Tour – Saxon Village of Biertan & Saschiz & Viscri with the Fortified Churches with Traditional Dinner
The last stop for today is in Viscri village, the traditional Saxon village, one of the oldest in all of Transylvania. It is famous for the traditional houses that Prince Charles bought, restored, and converted into guesthouses for tourists. Here you will meet a traditional blacksmith in his workshop and he will show you how it works in a blacksmith workshop.
You will spend the night in a traditional homestay and enjoy a dinner, prepared by your host from local ingredients.
Day 10: Viscri Fortified Church – Prejmer Fortified Church – Bran Castle – Brasov Walking Tour
Later, it is time for Bran Castle also known as Dracula Castle. This medieval structure was built in 1377 to safeguard the trading route between Transylvania and Wallachia, enlarged and restored a few times to become a royal residence in the 1920s under Queen Marie of Romania. After the visit, you will have time for buying souvenirs and have an exclusive natural cheese sampling.
Remain of the day is spent in Brasov, another of the important Saxon cities with a rich heritage and one of the oldest in Europe, dating from 1235. The tour will reveal the Old Town with the magnificent Black Church – the largest Gothic-style church in South-Eastern Europe and featuring a collection of over one hundred Muslim prayer rugs, Council Square, Catherine’s Gate, the Guild Towers, Schei Quarter with the First School in Romanian language and the narrow Rope Street. Hotel check-in in the lovely pedestrian area of the Old Town with its many restaurants and outdoor cafes.
Day 11: Peles Castle – Bucharest Airport
After the visit drive to Henri Coanda International Airport for your afternoon return flight.
***Optional: Two days Black Sea & Danube Delta Extension with Danube Delta Private Cruise accompanied by the certified skipper (requires two extra days)
Traditional Romanian welcome dinner with Folklore Show
In the evening, you can opt to serve a traditional dinner at a local restaurant with an idyllic view, situated on the lakeshore in Bucharest’s most famous park, the Herastrau or Michael I Park. Here, you will enjoy a three-course meal dinner with wine included, and you will get a chance to discover the traditional Romanian folklore costumes while enjoying the dances of the local performers. The entire show displays authentic Romanian traditions and customs, from the sewn details on the white outfits of the dancers to the delighting music played by the local artists.
Three-hour trip in Ukraine, to Solotvina and Nyzhnya Apsha
After Sapanta Peri Monastery visit, you can choose to visit the Ukrainian Maramures with a visit to Solotvina, which is the Ukrainian part of the Romanian town. And you will have the chance to visit Nyzhnya Apsha village. This region was in Transylvania until 1920.
Two day Black Sea & Danube Delta Extension with Danube Delta Private Cruise accompanied by certified skipper
Extra Day 1: Bucharest – Constanta Walking Tour – Histria Fortress – Tulcea
Extra Day 2: Danube Delta Private Cruise with Lunch – Bucharest Airport
After the tour, we will drive back to Henri Coanda International Airport for your afternoon return flight.
Three day Republic of Moldavia Extension with Tiraspol Tour
Extra Day 1: Bucovina – Iasi City Tour – Soroca
Extra Day 2: Soroca Fortress – Old Orhei with Traditional Lunch – Cricova Wine Cellars – Chisinau City Tour
Next, we travel south, stopping at the outstanding cave monastery of Old Orhei, which organically combines the natural landscape and vestiges of ancient civilizations. A homemade lunch will be served in the village with the same name.
In the afternoon, you head to Cricova, where you will visit the largest wine cellar in the world and where you will enjoy some of the best Moldavian wines. The winery Cricova was founded in 1952 and it is one of the few wineries which produce sparkling wine using the Champagne Method. Before reaching the hotel, we will visit the capital city of the Republic of Moldavia, which is one of the greenest city in Europe. The tour will reveal the Arch of Triumph, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Chisinau with the Belfry Tower and the Parliament of Moldavia. To have a sweet evening we will have a short stop at the famous “Bucuria” shop, which is the greatest enterprise specialising in the production of candies. The rest of the evening is at your leisure.
Extra Day 3: Bender Fortress – Tiraspol Tour – Bucovina
First, we will visit Bender Fortress, which was built in one of the most powerful of the medieval cities of Moldavia – Tighina, which was an important trade outpost. Later we will cross Dnister in Transnistria, where you will understand why this is the world’s last Soviet republic in fact.
In Tiraspol, we will visit Suvorov Plaza & Monument, Memorial of the WW2 and Afghanistan war, Lenin statue and more.
After the walking tour in Tiraspol, we will go back to Bucovina, crossing back Prut River in Romania.
Tour Reviews
Holiday to Romania was awesome! I learned so much from our guide, Daniel and I would highly recommend him as your guide if you travel to Romania. If I had arranged the visit to Transylvania on my own without a travel guide, I would have regretted it. Daniel was informative and very welcoming. Request him — he is great and this company is fantastic! I will look them up if I plan to return to Romania in the future!
We had a wonderful visit to Romania. Dan was a very knowledgeable and entertaining guided. I would recommend anyone traveling to Romania in general to get in touch with Holiday to Romania.
Holiday to Romania organized our trip to Romania. They provided a wonderful tour guide named Alex and a very spacious van for our 11 day tour. During our trip we visited beautiful Gothic Fortified Churches, Medieval Castles, Traditional Villages, The People Parliament, museums, the countryside, and much more. Everyday we visited at least three sights. Every sight had something interesting or beautiful to see. Holiday to Romania’s program to travel the country is perfect. You are able to experience the country because you see so much. Yet, at the end you are left with the feeling of wanting to see more. My husband who booked the tour was in continuous contact with Dan. He was always very accessible and keen to making sure that we were happy. His choice of accommodations were great because we were able to stay in very nice hotels, and with Romanian run lodging homes. In these homes we were able to interact with the family and eat homemade Romanian meals. Both Dan and our guide speak English perfectly. Alex’s personality is great. He never said, no. I have 2,000 pictures in Romania almost all taken by Alex. Plus, another 1,000 he took on my husbands Iphone. A very safe driver. Just an around nice person. I am glad Dan chose Alex as our guide because he made us feel like family.
If you are looking for quality service, a comprehensive and diverse tour, and a beautiful country with history, architecture, art, mountains, a beautiful countryside, great food and another secret – great wine…you must visit Romania and put Holiday to Romania to organize it. Thank you Holiday to Romania for an unforgettable vacation!
Leave a Review