PRE- AND POST- DANUBE CRUISE LAND TOURS
ENDING YOUR CRUISE IN BUDAPEST OR BUCHAREST ?
EXTEND YOUR CRUISE TO TRANSYLVANIA & BEYOND...
PRIVATE & SMALL GROUPS OF 3 TO 5 DAYS. 2024 EARLY RATES.
Itinerary (from Bucharest): Sinaia & Peles Castle - Bran Castle - Brasov - The Saxon Trail - Sighisoara - Gypsy Home Visit - Biertan - Home Hosted Dinner - Sibiu - Olt River Gorge / Trans Fagarasan - Cozia Monastery - Bucharest
Day 1 (Daily departures. If a Monday, the tour will be operated in reverse):
Bucharest Hotel OR Port of Giurgiu - Sinaia & Peles Castle - Bran Castle - Brasov City Tour & Evening at Leisure
Meet your tour guide at your hotel or Port of Giurgiu. Start with a scenic drive to Sinaia - one of the famous Carpathian Mountains towns. Named after St. Catherine Monastery on Mount Sinai, Sinaia became the unofficial capital of the Kingdom of Romania toward the end of the 19th century. The Orient Express use to regularly call here and it still does once a year on its way from Paris to Constantinople. Take a tour including a view of the superb Casino building inspired by the one in Monte Carlo. Next is one of the most important tourist attractions of the country: Peles Castle and Gardens, known as one of the most beautiful summer royal residences in Europe. Then cross the mountains into Transylvania to the village of Bran. The attraction is the medieval Bran Castle also known as Dracula Castle. Built in 1377 to safeguard the trading route between Transylvania and Wallachia was later be turned into a royal residence under Queen Marie of Romania. Enjoy cheese sampling on the premises. Continue to the nearby town of Brasov, in time to see the Black Church with its valuable collection of Anatolian prayer rugs. Brasov has one of the best preserved medieval quarter and fortifications. The tour will include the Council Square, Schei Quarter and the the First School in Romanian language, the Rope Street and Cathetine's Gate. View of the Brasov Synagogue. Hotel check in. The rest of the day is at leisure. Enjoy Brasov’s lovely pedestrian area with its many shops and outdoor cafes.
B Accommodation in Brasov at Hotel Bella Muzica *** (or similar)
B Accommodation in Brasov at Hotel Bella Muzica *** (or similar)
Day 2:
Brasov - The Saxon Village Trail - Sighisoara (UNESCO Site)
Hot and cold buffet breakfast at hotel. Drive through the picturesque Transylvanian Plateau with its quaint villages and Saxon fortifications. Arrive to Sighisoara, a World Heritage Site and the only still inhabited medieval citadel in Europe. It was developed by the German settlers as of late 12th century. It stands on a network of tunnels and catacombs and, according to one version of the myth; this is where the Pied Piper brought the children of Hamelin after their ungrateful parents refused to pay him his due. The walking tour includes the two squares of the Citadel (Upper Town), the Scholars' Staircase, the Ducklings' Square, the Tinsmiths' Tower, the House with Antler and the Venetian House, the Tower with Clock (climb up for a great view), the Torture Chamber and the Weapon Museum. Visit a local arts & crafts exhibition. Sighisoara is the place where the famous Vlad the Impaler Dracula was born in 1431. The Birthplace is today one of the main tourist attractions. Hotel check in. The remainder of the day is at leisure in the Upper Town.
B Accommodation in Sighisoara at The House with Antler ***
The hotel is located in the Upper Town in a historical building. Previously used by King Charles III on his stay in Sighisoara.
The hotel is located in the Upper Town in a historical building. Previously used by King Charles III on his stay in Sighisoara.
Day 3:
Sighisoara - Biertan - Gypsy Home Visit - Sibiu Walking Tour - Sibiel Home Hosted Dinner
Hot and cold buffet breakfast at hotel. Our Transylvania private travel reaches the impressive Biertan fortified church and a UNESCO World Heritage. As the former Seat of the Lutheran Bishops 
between 1516 and 1867, this place is proof of the important Heritage of the Transylvanian Saxons. Take a guided tour. On an exclusive basis, visit a Gypsy village and a Gypsy family in their own home, an opportunity to learn about this ethnic group. In the afternoon enjoy a leisurely walking tour of the Old Town Sibiu with the Great and Lesser Squares and the surrounding defense walls and guild towers. The late Gothic Evangelical Cathedral was completed in its actual shape in 1520, but inside there is an exquisite Fresco of the Crucifixion on the north wall of the choir dating from 1445. View the Passage of Stairs linking the Upper Town to the Lower Town and the 1859 Liar's Bridge. Hotel check in. Continue your tour of Romania with a visit to Sibiel, a typical Romanian village in the heart of Transylvania. Tour the local icon-on-glass museum (formerly a private collection) and learn about the technique. Then enjoy a home hosted dinner with a local family in their own home: an authentic cultural interchange. Return to Sibiu for overnight.
between 1516 and 1867, this place is proof of the important Heritage of the Transylvanian Saxons. Take a guided tour. On an exclusive basis, visit a Gypsy village and a Gypsy family in their own home, an opportunity to learn about this ethnic group. In the afternoon enjoy a leisurely walking tour of the Old Town Sibiu with the Great and Lesser Squares and the surrounding defense walls and guild towers. The late Gothic Evangelical Cathedral was completed in its actual shape in 1520, but inside there is an exquisite Fresco of the Crucifixion on the north wall of the choir dating from 1445. View the Passage of Stairs linking the Upper Town to the Lower Town and the 1859 Liar's Bridge. Hotel check in. Continue your tour of Romania with a visit to Sibiel, a typical Romanian village in the heart of Transylvania. Tour the local icon-on-glass museum (formerly a private collection) and learn about the technique. Then enjoy a home hosted dinner with a local family in their own home: an authentic cultural interchange. Return to Sibiu for overnight.B Accommodation in Sibiu at Hotel My Continental *** / The Council *** (or similar)
Day 4:
Sibiu Open Air Market - Olt River Gorge - Cozia / Trans Fagarasan Road - Bucharest
Hot and cold buffet breakfast at hotel. Start your day with a visit to a local open air fruit and vegetable market (with an opportunity to sample various produce).
TOUR CHOICES:
- Visit the Bruckenthal Museum assembled by Baron Bruckenthal, the art-loving Governor of Transylvania at the beginning of the 19th century and the second museum to ever open in Europe after the National Gallery in London (closed Mondays and Tuesdays);
- Take a walking tour by in the open-air ASTRA Museum of the Transylvanian Folk Civilisation.
Your Price Includes:
- 3 nights at three star hotels (all centrally located)
- fully insured sedan or minivan with climate control, for the entire distance
- fuel & parking fees included
- all sightseeing tours & cultural connections
- Gypsy Home Visit (on exclusive basis, organized by Compass Travel Romania)
- informal talks on: Vlad the Impaler - Dracula, The Gypsies and Their Journey, Transylvanian History Overview (all by the tour guide)
- 4 meals: 3 breakfasts & 1 home-hosted dinner
- informal cheese sampling in the village of Bran
- a Tours Of Romania® professional English speaking guide (driving) to accompany you throughout
- guide's expenses
- porterage at hotels
- VAT and local tax
- detailed map of Romania.
You'll Visit 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
- Historic Center of Sighisoara
- Historic Center of Sibiu & Ensemble of Squares
- Biertan Fortified Church
Not Included:
- Other meals than stated
- Alcoholic beverages
- Admissions to attractions & museums (pay on spot based on the tour type you elect, senior discounts available)
- Credit card fee of 2.5%
- Gratuities of any kind.