Discover Medieval Transylvania

Transfer Bucharest airport – Sibiu city (280 km, about 4 hours driving). Accommodation at a 3* pension. Declared for Cultural capital of Europe Sibiu was once the king of the Transylvanian Saxon towns, serving as capital and dominating cultural activity. Sibiu is home to the first hospital in Romania (1292), the first pharmacy (1494) and the oldest museum in Romania, the Brukenthal Museum, opened in 1817. Welcome dinner!

We drive to Hunedoara (130 km, about 2 hours driving). We visit Corvin Castle, also known as Hunyadi Castle or Hunedoara Castle (Romanian: Castelul Huniazilor or Castelul Corvinilor), a Gothic-Renaissance castle. It is one of the largest castles in Europe and figures in a list of the seven wonders of Romania. It is great and breathtaking, provides the feeling of medieval times. We drive back to Sibiu. Lunch. In the evening we visit Sibiu by night! Dinner.

Short drive to visit Astra Open Air Village Museum - the second largest open-air museum in Europe (250 acres) is located in the middle of a dense forest and surrounded by a beautiful lake. It features more than 300 buildings as well as watermills and windmills, and other structures representing village architectural styles from many parts of Romania.

Drive to Biertan (70 km, about 1 hour driving). Biertan is one of the most important Saxon villages with fortified churches in Transylvania, having been on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1993. Featuring late-gothic architecture with heavy doors and double exterior walls, the church boasts the largest Transylvanian multi-paneled wooden altar and a remarkable wooden door which once protected the treasures in the sacristy.

We continue the tour to the remarkably well-preserved town of Sighişoara (30 km, about 30 minutes driving), so rich in history that the entire old city center is a UNESCO site. Hear about the medieval town’s legendary former resident Vlad the Impaler, a Wallachian prince and warlord who inspired Bram Stoker’s fictional character Dracula. Discover the only city in Romania which looks exactly the same way as in the XVIth century.

Lunch and dinner. Accommodation at a 3* hotel.

We drive to Viscri about 1 hour. As we approach, admire the impressive whitewashed walls and red-roofed towers that surround the village, designed to protect early inhabitants from invading Turks. Wander the rustic streets of the town and visit its UNESCO World Heritage-listed church. Prince Charles, who owns a house in Viscri, says "Transylvania is in my blood".

Visit a remarkable fortress - Rupea - with three rings, dating from the 14th century, built on a basalt rock. Inside the fortress there is a well 60 m deep. The water is still drinkable.

We continue the tour to Brasov (90 km, about 90 minutes driving). Lunch and dinner. Accommodation at a 3* hotel for 3 nights.

Brasov walking tour by night.

Fringed by the peaks of the Southern Carpathian Mountains and resplendent with gothic, baroque and renaissance architecture, as well as a wealth of historical attractions, Brasov is one of the most visited places in Romania. Founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1211 on an ancient Dacian site and settled by the Saxons as one of the seven walled citadels, Brasov exudes a distinct medieval ambiance and has been used as backdrop in many recent period films.

Today we visit Bran Castle (a.k.a. Dracula's Castle) - Rasnov Fortress - Peles Castle. Lunch and dinner.

We drive about 45 minutes to Sinaia town for visiting Peles Castle. The expansive, Bavarian-style Peleș Castle was built among a lush forest to house Romania’s royalty in the 19th century and is among the most beautiful in Europe. A guide will lead you through many of its immaculate, ornate rooms, still adorned with luxuriant furnishings and décor. You’ll also have the chance to tour the neighbouring Pelișor Castle, a smaller royal residence decked out in art nouveau finery.

We continue the tour from Sinaia (about 60 minutes) to Bran Castle, also known as ‘Dracula’s Castle’ — a hilltop estate that conjures up visions of howling wolves and bats fluttering in the moonlight. Wander the castle’s Gothic chambers and learn about its ties to Bram Stoker’s undead antihero. Enter if you dare and wander through the castle’s many well-preserved rooms and chambers. Gothic furnishings and details help set the scene for ghastly legends of all that happened here, including the imprisonment of Vlad the Impaler. This 15th-century prince was notorious for his bloodthirsty campaigns against invading Turks and is said to have inspired Stoker’s malevolent Count Dracula.

We drive about 30 minutes to Râșnov, situated among the stunning Bucegi Mountains. Learn about the storied history of Râșnov Fortress, a walled stone compound designed to ward off attacks by the fierce Tartars and used as a refuge for local villagers during medieval warfare. Explore the time-worn courtyards, ramparts and well of the 13th-century fortress built by the Teutons. A short drive back to Brasov.

A Walk Between an Empire and a Kingdom. Get to know one of the Transylvanian villages at a leisurely pace. Get close to the real character of the mountain villages as you enjoy a relaxing rambling day trip with beautiful scenery and a network of trails that could be rewarding to explore on foot.

Located at 1 hour drive from Brasov, it's a great place for all kinds of outdoor activities – among them walking, the activity you experience with our licensed guides.

The rolling hills afford wide views over the entire region with stunning landscapes of the mountains: Bucegi Natural Park, Piatra Craiului National Park, Postavaru Massif.

Whilst many of the villages in the area are heavily visited, it is possible to walk here and experience real authentic village life.

The walking grade is easy to moderate, in a round trip for walkers looking to explore a corner of Transylvania way off the tourist trail.

At the foothills of Piatra Craiului mountains, on the former border of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Romanian Kingdom, lies a mysterious and remote village called Ciocanu.

A village which once blossomed thanks to the trade and economic benefits of a border settlement, became almost untouched as if time stopped passing since the unification happened following the first War War. First established by three deserter Austro-Hungarian soldiers, and named the village Ciocanu, meaning Hammer, as the outline of the village is shaped like a hammer now is populated mainly by elderly living of their cattle and sheep farms.

We are inviting you to experience a walk/hike in this beautiful area to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of an authentic Romanian mountain village and take in the idyllic beauty of the landscape which doesn't stop amazing its visitors no matter of the season. Accompanied by an experienced licensed tour guide you will be introduced not only to the history and culture of the area but also to local legends and myths.

After our 10-12 km hike a well deserved lunch awaits for us at a local guesthouse, where we can taste local cheeses (sheep and cattle), pork sausages or lard, home grown vegetables or home made preserves/pickles.

3 hour transfer to Bucharest airport.