Romania in a pocket
Romania is a stunning land of fairytale castels, enchanting lanscapes, rural traditions and countrysides to be explored.
This Romanian tour could offer you the best chance to really get to know this charming European country by taking you from Bucharest to Dracula's land, Transylvanian medieval castles and fortified churches, the impressive wooden churces and traditional houses of Maramures, Bucovina with its famous painted monasteries and finally Danube Delta, an unique natural reservation (UNESCO heritage).
A real opportunity to discover some of the most important tourist objectives and beautiful landscapes in Romania!
Proposed route :
Day 1:
Arrival in Bucharest and explore this marvellous city. A sightseeing tour of Bucharest should include the Palace of the Parliament, the Village Museum, Cotroceni Palace and many other interesting sights. This beautiful old capital was decimated by Nicolae Ceauşescu’s programme of systemisation between the 1960s and 1990s, but the historic centre is still a bastion of old world charm. In the city you’ll find as well enough museums, ancient churches and historical monuments to satisfy even the most ardent culture vulture.
Day 2:
Bucharest-Sinaia-Bran-Brasov
A very picturesque route through Carpathian Mountains will allow you to discover Sinaia, also known as "The Pearl of the Carpathians". This is a beautiful mountain resort located in the Carpathian mountains at 800 meters altitude. Here you can visit Sinaia Monastery (with the old and the new church) and Peles Castle, built by the first King of Romania, Carol I, to be a summer Royal residence. The castle has an impressive architectural style and built to be a very modern construction (for that time) being the first castle in Europe having electric power.
After visiting the Peles Castle a wine tasting and traditional lunch at Azuga Wine Cellars (founded in 1892 and "Official wine supplier of the Royal Family") it may be a good idea.
From Sinaia, continue your journey to Brasov, an old medieval citadel, first documented in 1235, the most important commercial center from all the seven German Medieval Cities of Transylvania (Siebenbuergen). Visit the Old Town (the Historical Centre) with its superbe architecture, a real delight to explore, followed by a traditional tasty dinner & accommodation.
Day 3:
Drive further to Sibiu, one of the best preserved medieval citadels in Transylvania, having a documentary attestation dating back in 1191 and Sibiel, one of the most beautiful traditional villages.
Follow the Dracula's tracks and go further to Sighisoara, the birthplace of Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), ruler of the province of Walachia from 1456 to 1462. It was he who inspired Bram Stoker's fictional creation, Count Dracula.
Designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Sighisoara has a magical mix of winding cobbled alleys, steep stairways, secluded squares, towers, turrets and enchantingly preserved citadel. It's like stepping back in time.
Afterwards drive north to Bucovina, the Romanian hidden gem, and end the day in a traditional guesthouse in Vatra Dornei region.
Day 4:
Explore Bucovina, which is among the most attractive and frequented touristic area on Romania’s map. It is not by chance that this area, famous today in the whole world, was honored in 1975 with the international “Pomme d’Or” prize, by the International Federation of Journalists and Writers of Tourism and the ancient architectural monuments with inside and outside frescoes, from this part of the world were appointed by UNESCO in the list of the universal art monuments. Built in the 15th and 16th centuries and featuring colorful exterior frescoes depicting dramatic religious scenes, these richly decorated houses of worships are unique in the world.
Painted churches not to be missed include Sucevita, with its distinctive greens, Humor, where the frescoes are predominantly red and Voronet- often called "the Sistine Chapel of the East" . Also nearby are Arbore, Dragomirna, Moldovita and Putna monasteries.
A visit to Bucovina would not be complete without some stunning nature walks through Ceahlau National Park, Romania’s Olympus – the sacred mountain of the Dacians, the forefathers of the Romanian people. Make sure you bring binoculars as some 90 species of birds can be seen in the park area. Cozla Mountain, located in Piatra Neamt offers panoramic views of the city of Piatra Neamt and Ceahlau Mountain – is possible by foot and by gondola (cable car).
Traditional gueshouses in this area are waiting for you with home cooked meals. Yummy!
Day 5:
The trip should continue with Bicaz Canyon, which is dug by the Bicaz river waters and
serves as a passageway between Transylvania and Moldavia. It is 8 km long until it reaches
the village called Bicazul Ardelean.
The road inside this canyon looks like serpentine windings. The limy walls of the crags hide
amazing caves (The Black Cave and The Waterfall Cave) and also circular precipices (Licas,
the precipice with three entrances). Along this way, you may find bazaars where you can buy
products made by the Romanian and Hungarian craftsmen from this area.
The “Izvorul Muntelui” barrier lake is another tourist attraction (it’s 35 km long on an area of
33 square meters.) and it is also known as “The Bicaz Lake.” This is the largest artificial lake
from Romania, being situated on the higher course of the river Bistrita. This place was
formed as a result of the building of the Bicaz hydro-energetic dam, which is 127 m tall.
By proceeding from Piatra Neamt you can get to the Red Lake which lies 57 km away.
Short and long walks provide access to the lake's spectacular scenery and many fishing spots.
The Red Lake (Lacu Rosu) is a natural storage dam lake and is situated at the foot of Hasmasu
Mare Mountains, somewhere near the town Gheorgheni. It is the largest natural mountain
lake in Romania, its name coming from the reddish alluvia (iron oxides and iron hydroxides)
deposited in the lake by the Red Creek.
There is a legend that says that in Lazarea there lived a very beautiful girl, called Estera.
She went to Gheorgheni and there she met a handsome lad that was supposed to be even
stronger than a bear. Once they saw each other, they fell in love. The lad asked this girl to be
his wife, but they couldn’t get married because the boy had to go in the army. Since then,
the girl kept waiting for him, she used to go with the pitcher at the well, she used to wait for
him for hours and hours, hoping that the one whom she loved, would return. It was a
Sunday afternoon when, while passing by near the well, she was seen by a thief that
kidnapped her, taking her to the caves of the Suhardu Mic Mountain, where he used to live.
He promised the girl that he would give her everything, as long as she would marry him, but
she refused to do so. The thief lost his patience and wanted to marry her by force.
Then Estera cried to the mountains for help. The rocks heard the girl’s lament and summoned
a heavy storm. The rain destroyed everything in its way, and so the girl and the thief were
killed when the rocks fell on them. After that, all the mountain waters gathered there,
forming The Red Lake (The Killer).
Another legend says that on the meadow between the mountain slopes, there used to be
the sheepfold, which was called the “Shepherds”. When the shepherds saw the storm
approaching, they tried to run for cover, but when the killing mountain collapsed, it buried
them alive together with their sheep.
The lake seems dark and threatening, the stumps that come out of the water makes you
think that a lacustrian civilization met their fate just a few years before you pass by.
Flocks of ducks just fly around you if you decide to venture into sailing a boat.
You will be amazed by the wild beauty of the mountain landscape and think that you have
discovered a piece of paradise.
The journey can continue with Lake Sfanta Ana, the only lake from Romania located in a
volcanic crater.
The lake is supplied with water exclusively from precipitations, therefore the degree of
mineralization of the water is very low. The water purity is close to that distilled water. Also,
there is no animal that can survive in the oxygen-filled water of Lake Saint Anne.
If the time will allow, we would recommend you to visit also some caves around, more
precisely the ~smelling caves~. Here, the emanation of the sulfur shows the volcanic activity
that is still active in the area. Many tourists come here, at the smeling caves for medical
purposes.
From Lake Saint Anne, explore further the Berca mud volcanoes near Buzau. Extremely rare
in the world, the mud volcanoes give the area a lunar tone and form fantastic images in a
scenery taken from another world.
After the visit to the Mud Volcanoes we recommend you make a stop at the Amber Museum
from Colti, the only amber museum in south east Europe. Amber is a stone that was formed
from many pine species and its age exceeds 50 million years.
The building looks like a peasant’s house and has remained unaltered for over three decades.
It is the image of Romanian tradition. The museum shelters a vast collection of stones, iconographic material, charming traditional clothes, sewing objects and jewelry from different eras.
We would recommend an accommodation at 20 km from Buzau in Sarata Monteoru. The resort attracts lots of tourists because of its thermal mud treatments and mineral springs. The protective nature will add to your state of mind and amplify your relaxing mood.
Day 6:
From Sarata Monteoru the scenery changes as you will drive out of the mountains and into the plains on the way to the Danube Delta. Drive to Tulcea and further to Murighiol, spend the next two days exploring the astonishing Danube Delta, the second largest and best preserved of Europe's deltas: 2,200 square miles of rivers, canals, marshes, tree-fringed lakes and reed islands. The Danube Delta is a wildlife enthusiast’s (especially a bird watcher’s) paradise.
Depending on how many days you would like to spend exploring the Danube Delta, the return will reluctantly leave the delta behind and drive to Bucharest.
Beautiful journey and much more to discover! Why not coming back?
