Tour of Transylvania from Bucharest

We will leave Bucharest and head north to Sinaia, the summer residence of the Royal Family. There, in a beautiful natural setting, at the foothills of the Carpathians mountains, we will visit the exquisite Peles Castle. After the castle, we will have a tour of the cellars of the Royal family champagne provider. We can’t call it Champagne, because is made in Romania, but the end product is exactly the same, if not even better than the famous sparkling wine. After the tour, we can have a champagne tasting and lunch.
At the end of the day, we will visit the Bran Castle. The 14th-century medieval stronghold was transformed into a royal residence in the 20th century by Queen Maria of Romania. Overnight in Brasov.

We will start the day with a walking tour inside of the Brasov old town. We will see the main landmarks of the city, like the Black Church, The Council Square, Rope street or the Elisabeth and Schei gates. Then, if you want, we will take the cable car to reach the top of Tampa Mountain, for an outstanding view of the Brasov.
We will leave Brasov and start the UNESCO part of the trip. First, we will visit Prejmer fortified church, a safe shelter for centuries for the local population against invaders.
The trip will continue with a walk in the village of Viscri. Hidden among Transylvanian hills, the village preserved its authenticity and became a most wanted tourist attraction. We will stroll on the streets of the village, witness the village life and we will visit the fortified church.
The final part of our tour will be Sighisoara, the charming medieval citadel. The town became even more popular due to its connections with prince Vlad Dracula, who supposedly was born here. Overnight in Sighisoara or at a nearby guesthouse.
Optional visit for today: Rupea fortress.

We are in the second half of our holiday to Transylvania. We will leave Sighisoara and head to a nearby village for a farm visit. We will see the cutest animals ever, we will learn more about sustainable farming, and we will have the possibility of a home-cooked meal at the farm.
Then we will head to Biertan, another village hidden among the rolling hills of Transylvania. We will visit the village and the impressive fortified church, UNESCO site. We will discover the secrets of the church and enjoy a first-hand view of the village from a nearby hill.
On the way back to Sibiu, we can have a short tour of the little town of Medias. There we will discover the interesting collection of Turkish carpets inside the fortified church or learn the story of the leaned bell tower.
Overnight in Sibiu.
Optional visit: meet a gipsy family and learn more about the lifestyle and craft ( they are coppersmiths)

On this day of our trip day we will get to know better Sibiu and its surroundings. We will start in the morning with a visit to the local market, to feel the real vibe of the city. At the market will have the chance to taste some of the goodies the region offers. If it is Friday or Saturday, we will visit the weekly markets, and for the rest of the days, we will go to the daily market.
Bonus: I will show you where to find the best coffee in town.

Then, we will continue our day in Sibiu with a walking tour of the old town. We will learn more about its rich history, wander through the romantic squares and hear the stories and the anecdotes hidden behind the old buildings.

In the afternoon, we will explore the surrounding area of the city. We can go to visit the Astra Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation, or we can drive to the nearby villages to have a first-hand touch of the Transylvanian countryside. Depending on the season, we may see locals working the field, horse-driven carts, flocks of sheep, haystacks and… storks.

Today we will visit the Corvin Castle, the largest gothic castle in Transylvania. We will leave Sibiu in the morning and after a one-and-a-half hour of driving, we will arrive in Hunedoara. The city is an industrial town laid around the 15th-century castle. We will visit the castle, learning more about the Transylvanian history and the different stages of construction of the Castle. And yes, don’t worry, we know all the anecdotes and little stories that will make this trip much more interesting and funny.

After the Castle visit, we will leave Hunedoara and head to Alba Iulia, where we will visit the huge fortress built in the 18th century by the Austrians. There we will admire the baroque decorations of the monumental gates and learn more about the military architecture of the era. More than that, we will complete our knowledge about Romanian history ( yes, you will be surprised how many events happened there). We will also see some Roman ruins, the Romans being the first to raise a fort there.
Optional visit: Calnic fortified church, UNESCO site.

Sadly, our holiday to Transylvania is coming to an end. Today we will leave Sibiu and head back to Bucharest. We will use this day at maximum, so we will use the Transfagarasan road to cross the mountains. We will enjoy the spectacular mountain scenery, and we will stop many times to take pictures. We will see Balea Waterfall, Balea Lake, Vidraru Lake or Poenari fortress, the real Dracula fortress.
After Transfagarasan we can stop at Curtea de Arges to visit the monastery. The 16th-century church, a masterpiece of Romanian architecture, was chosen by King Carol to be the necropolis of the entire family.
In the afternoon we will reach Bucharest, and after dropping you off at your hotel, our program will end.

Remark: if the trip will take place in winter, we will use the normal road to get to Bucharest. In winter, the Transfagarasan road is closed, so we will not able to see the places mentioned for this day.

We can extend your holiday to Transylvania with a trip to Cluj and Turda salt mine. The tour starts from Sibiu, as Cluj and Sibiu are well connected by the highway. The first stop will be at Turda, where we will visit the Salt Mine. Then, we will head to Cluj, where we will have a walking tour of the city.

This day trip from Sibiu is an incursion to Romania’s antique history. We will visit two sites, with the same name. The first one is Sarmisegetuza Regia, the former Dacian capital, hidden deep in the Carpathians Mountains. The second one is the former Roman province capital, raised by the Romans 40 kilometres away from the Dacian one.