Complete Tour of Monasteries in Bucovina and Transylvania
Day 1. Bucharest Romania
Arrival in the Romanian capital ( Bucharest ) where we will meet up with our English-speaking guide who will go with us throughout the trip. A private coach will take us to our 3 or 4 star accommodation.
Day 2. Bucharest - Bran - Brasov
The second day starts with a breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast we leave for Bran to visit the famous castle known as Castle Dracula. Bran Castle was built in 1378 on top of a cliff, and served as a control point between Wallachia and Transylvania. It played a strategic defensive role in the passage between the two regions. Currently, the castle is a museum included in most tourist circuits as its legend is connected with the image of Vlad Tepes, the figure who inspired Bram Stoker's character. This medieval fortress is a national monument and was built by the Knights of the Teutonic Order around 1212, when they were received into the Kingdom of Hungary, after being defeated by the Saracens in the Holy Land and returned to Europe. After visiting the castle we continue on our way to Brasov City where we will have a lovely walk around the city while visiting outstanding monuments like the Old Market Square (main square), the Old Town Hall, the guild towers and the Black Church, an impressive Gothic church.
Day 3. Brasov - Sighisoara - Biertan - Sibiu
Breakfast at the hotel. We continue to the city of Sighisoara, known to be the best preserved medieval city in Europe, protected by UNESCO. This medieval citadel, still inhabited, was built in several stages between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries. It emerges as a core of solid houses, painted in different colors and distributed along narrow streets, and surrounded by a defensive wall 7 km long and along which there are 14 towers. We will visit the Clock Tower, the Torture Chamber the Museum of Medieval Weapons, the Evangelical Church and the Covered Stairs. After Sighisoara, we continue to Sibiu, on the way stopping to visit the Biertan (UNESCO ) church.
Day 4. Sibiu - Targu Mures - Gura Humorului (Bucovina)
Breakfast at the hotel followed by a a tour of Sibiu, which was the European Cultural Capital in 2007 as a medieval city. It iss located right in the middle of the country. City of Germanic origin, it was founded around 1190 in the basin of the river Olt, and soon became one of the most commercially important cities, thanks to its 19 craft guilds. The city has two levels: the upper part of the city that contains most of the monuments of Sibiu, and the lower part of the city, which is a set of old houses and charming squares. The Citadel of Sibiu was for centuries one of the largest and best fortified in Europe. The Citadel was surrounded by walls and towers, some of them are still preserved and in perfect condition. The sightseeing tour of the Old City of Sibiu includes the entrance to the Orthodox Cathedral, the Stairs Passage, the walls of the citadel, a walk through the streets and squares of the historic centre, the main square of the city which is the center of Sibiu since the sixteenth century and is one of the biggest city squares found in Transylvania, with its Gothic arcades, elegant Renaissance houses, baroque churches and Art Nouveau buildings. The main highlight is the old town hall building, an imposing fifteenth century building where the transition from Gothic to Renaissance can easily be seen. We continue to Gura Humorului through Targu Mures.
Day 5. Gura Humorului - Bucovina Monasteries - Piatra Neamt
This day well could very well justify the entire trip to Romania, since it is devoted fully to visiting one of the most important and at the same curious treasures of the country: the painted monasteries of Bucovina. These wonderful testimonies are found on the List of World Heritage UNESCO and are considered masterpieces of Byzantine art. We start out by visiting the Voronet monastery, considered to be one of the most beautiful in the country. It was built in 1488, with St. George the Martyr as its patron saint. Since its begginings, the monastery was populated by monks of high spiritual fame, and in the times of the pious Saint Daniel, was a true example of Romanian hermitage. The paintings on a light blue background are monumental, have clarity and rigor of composition. Note that the color knows as "Voronet blue" is located in international catalog colors, alongside Titian red and Veronese green. After Voronet we will visit the Moldovita monastery. Located on the ruins of a monastery in the fourteenth century, this is the most modest of monasteries found in Bucovina. It was founded in 1532 and has the look of a fortress, with imposing towers and high, thick (6 meters high and 1.2 meters wide) walls. The interior and exterior walls are decorated with scenes of life in Moldova in the sixteenth century. But the most interesting painting is "The Siege of Constantinople" found on the south facade; It is a monumental composition, related to the wars and battles of the inhabitants of Moldova against foreign invaders, especially Turks. Sucevita Monastery is the last and largest monastery we will visit, decorated with frescoes and dating back to 1584, when the Movila brothers decided to build it upon the site of a smaller monastery built by one of their ancestors. It is the monument decorated with the largest number of paintings in the country. Its imposing wall has served as a protective shield for the frescoes found on the facade of the church, and is the reason for their optimum condition. Sucevita paintings are the best preserved, both interior and exterior. The frescoes are painted in red and purple blue, in contrast to an emerald green background. En route, we stop to visit the pottery workshop, famous for its black pottery and before reaching the hotel in Piatra Neamt we will also visit the Agapia Monastery.
Day 6. Piatra Neamt - Lacul Rosu( The Red Lake) - Prejmer - Brasov
Breakfast at the hotel and departure to Brasov. We will cross the great Bicaz gorge, on the border between Moldova and Transylvania, which is one of the most beautiful and amazing natural landscape found in Romania, bordering the Red Lake, a natural lake found in the heart of the mountains. On the way, we will make a short visit to the monastery of Sumuleu in the city of Miercurea Ciuc and afterwards proceed towards Brasov.
Day 7. Brasov - Sinaia - Bucharest
Breakfast and departure to Sinaia, also known as the Pearl of the Carpathians. After our arrival in Sinaia we will take some time to visit the Peles Castle. Former royal residence, now famous museum, most important tourist destination in Sinaia and one of the most popular monuments in Romania. Built between 1875-1883, the castle is build is built in different architectural styles, although it is considered a masterpiece of Germanic Renaissance architecture. It is located in the middle of a magnificent park with beautiful terraces and consists of 160 rooms with decorative elements of great value. It has a noble design, an opulent display of art and elegance with ornaments from all over Europe like Murano chandeliers, stained glass from Germany, walls covered with Cordoba leather, Meissen porcelain, ebony and carved ivory, etc. It is worth mentioning that this castle is the first European castle which was lit entirely by electric current. This was possible because electricity produced for the electrical plant is located in the ravine of a nearby stream. Lunch will take place at a local restaurant. In the afternoon we will visit the Monastery of Sinaia also known as the "Cathedral of the Carpathians", founded in 1695 by Mihail Contacuzino during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Within the same monastery there is a library and a museum containing objects of cultural interest and works of medieval art. After Sinaia we will continue to Bucharest.
Day 8. Bucharest (Departure)
Breakfast at the hotel and followed by an airport transfer for your flight back. End of the circuit and our services.
Accommodations at either a 3 or 4 star hotel or at guest house with a bathroom for every room. Breakfasts are included in the tour offer.
All services can be tailored to the customer's preferences.
For information and reservations:
- info@viaje-rumania.com
- Telephone: (0040)740471117
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