Transylvania winter trip

The first day of our winter trip to Transylvania will be dedicated to visiting Bran Castle, largely known as Dracula’s Castle, the former summer residence of Queen Maria of Romania. After visiting the castle we will do a half-day hiking tour in the mountain villages near Bran. We will walk about 5-8 kilometres, and during the hike, we will admire the splendour of the Romanian villages in winter and our eyes will be delighted by the fantastic views of the Carpathian mountains. In the afternoon we will go to Brasov, where we will have a short walking tour of the old town.

Driving time: 2 hours
Overnight in Brasov.

In the morning we will head to Sinaia, where we will visit the Peles Castle, the residence of the Romanian Royal Family. One of the most modern castles in the world at its inauguration, the design of the castle was influenced by the aesthetic taste of King Carol. The result was a unique castle, built in an eclectic style, combining elements of the German Neo-Renaissance with decorations in Italian, French, Moorish and Turkish styles.

Then we will head to Szeklerland, at Tusnad, where we will head to our bear spotting observatory. There, at sunset, we will wait patiently for the bears to show up. We will be able to take pictures of them, and it’s preferable to have with us cameras with zoom lenses.

Driving time: 3 hours
Overnight in Harghita county.

Today we will go up in the mountains, to meet the friendly winter dogs and have an introductory course of husky sledging. Then we will start the husky sleigh ride. The length of the ride is usually 30 minutes, but depending on your experience, we can have longer rides.

In the afternoon, we will head to our guesthouse, where we will have a hands-on course in the traditional Szeclers desert and snack: the chimney cake. Although is a popular sweet treat all over Central Europe, it is said that the origin of the cake is in Szecklersland. We will learn the recipe for the dough and then learn to roll it on the cylinder. And of course, in the end, we can taste it!

In the evening, we can relax in the sauna or the outdoor traditional hot bath (so bring your swimming suit with you).
Driving time: 1.5 hours
Overnight in Harghita county.

The first place we will visit today is Mini Transylvania Park, an open-air exhibition with scale models of the most representative buildings of Transylvania, from its golden age, some of them belonging to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Then, we will leave Szecklersland and head to Sighisoara, where we will have a walking tour of the former medieval citadel, a UNESCO site and the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler.

In the afternoon, we will head to Sibiu, where we will also have a walking tour of the old town, before checking in at the hotel.

Driving time: 3.5 hours
Overnight in Sibiu

Today we will visit the only ice hotel in Central and Eastern Europe. The hotel is built every year, in the heart of the Carpathian Mountains, at 2000 meters altitude. To reach the hotel, we will drive around one hour from Sibiu, and then we will take the cable car for a 15 minutes long ride. We will be able to admire from the cable car the impressive Balea Waterfall and the famous Transfagarasan, the mountain road crossing the Carpathians from Transylvania to Wallachia (closed in winter).

Arrived at the hotel, we will be able to have a tour inside and enjoy a drink at the hotel’s bar. We can also have a short walk around the area to enjoy the pure hibernal landscape.

Then, in the afternoon, we will return to the car, and if we want we can stop for lunch at a trout farm at the foothills of the mountain. Before heading back to Sibiu, we can visit a very interesting building, the Clay Castle, made entirely from clay and wood, with architecture inspired by Gaudi’s works and fairy tales.

Castelul de Lut de pe Valea Zanelor Sibiu Romania[/caption]” frame=”dropshadow”]The Clay Castle in winter

Driving time: 2.5 hours
Overnight in Sibiu

Today, on the last day of our Transylvania winter trip, we will return to the mountains, but this time we will go to Cindrel mountains, near Sibiu. The area is perfect for a hike in the snow, as the risk of avalanches is minimum, and the trails are easy to medium. Moreover, in clear days, the view from Cindrel mountains, near Paltinis ski resort is spectacular.

We can decide between snowshoeing or just hiking in the snow depending on your preference and the conditions of the snow layer.

The hike is around 10 kilometres long with a 600 meters altitude gain. Depending on your physical shape, we can shorten the hike, in order to thoroughly enjoy the time spent in the mountains.

Driving time: 1.5 hours
Overnight in Sibiu