A Taste of Medieval
This tour was especially put together for Medieval Eastern Europe enthusiasts. If you are fascinated by castles, citadels, old cities, centuries’ old monasteries and Palaces, this might be your dream tour! The same thing applies for those of you who are interested in Eastern European culture, architecture, history and superb natural landscape and environment. We have selected a tour that takes you through Romania’s capital city, Bucharest and then works its way to the Romanian mountainside of Sinaia, Brașov, and various other stops towards Alba Iulia and Cluj-Napoca, which is the last town on our list in Romania. We then move towards the West, en route for the capital city of Hungary, Budapest, followed by Bratislava, Slovakia’s capital city, then Vienna, the capital of Austria, and ending with Prague, the Czech Republic’s capital city. Some highlights on the list of unique attractions you will be seeing and activities you will be doing are: visiting Europe’s biggest bear sanctuary in Zărnești, Romania, taking a stroll around the second largest building in the world (after the US’ Pentagon), the People’s Palace, Bucharest, visiting the Gellert Cave- Church in Budapest, going on a night cruise in the Danube in Budapest, visiting the famous Catholic Cathedral Esztergom in Bratislava, walking on the amazing Viennese Ring and the UN headquarters in Vienna, visiting Prague’s renowned Golden Lane and City Hall.
Tour Program
You will arrive at the Henri Coandă international airport, located several kilometers away from Bucharest. There, you will meet your guide who will tell you more about the tour and then take you to your hotel.
You can find your own accommodation or we will provide you with one downtown, in one of Bucharest’s top hotels, such as Hotel Radisson Blu or similar.
After breakfast we will go on a panoramic sightseeing tour of Bucharest’s most important and flashy buildings and tourist attractions. We will also visit the Parliament Palace.
We will then proceed to depart for Sinaia. We will make a short stop en route near Ploiesti – city known as the city of Black Gold.
Afterwards, we will arrive in Sinaia mountain resort, called The Pearl of the Carpathians and visit the Peleș Castle – the world’s first castle which is fully powered by locally produced electricity.
Late afternoon we will arrive in Brașov where we can admire the main attractions of the Town Hall Square, including the Black Church. This is where we will also have an accommodation.
After breakfast, we will drive to Zărnești to visit the bear sanctuary – the largest bear sanctuary of Europe and the second worldwide in terms of animal population.
Then, after another 20 minutes’ drive, we will arrive in Bran. Once arrived here, we will visit Dracula’s Castle, the place where prince Vlad Țepeș, the inspiration for Dracula, was imprisoned before he was taken to Budapest. Bran Castle is home to a rich collection of Romanian and foreign furniture and art items from the 14th – 19th centuries. It sits up atop a 200 ft. tall rock, overlooking the picturesque village of Bran. On the grounds bellow there is an open-air ethnographic museum of old village buildings with exhibits of furniture, household objects, and costumes.
We will continue our journey by driving to Sâmbăta de Sus situated at the foot of the Făgărași Mountains in a tranquil area which invites you to meditation and prayer, where we will visit Sâmbăta Monastery, built in the 17th century.
Finally, we will arrive in SIBIU where we will have booked an accommodation.
After breakfast, we will enjoy a relaxing city tour of Sibiu, the European Capital of Culture in 2007, a medieval city with narrow streets and gothic architecture. Considered to be the jewel in the crown of German Siebenbuergen (Transylvania), the town dates back from 1400 and is one of the main tourist attraction in Romania.
We will then depart for Alba Iulia, an important city in both Romanian and Hungarian cultures. The unification of Transylvania with Moldavia and Wallachia was proclaimed here and in the beautiful archbishopric cathedral is the final resting place of many Transylvanian rulers. Upon arrival we will visit the castle of Alba Iulia.
We will then depart for Turda to visit one of the most beautiful and original salt mines in the world – Turda’s Salt Mines.
Late in the afternoon we will arrive in Cluj Napoca where we will take a short sightseeing tour around the centre of the town and we will visit the beautiful neo-gothic St. Michael church. Accommodation will also be provided here.
After breakfast we will start our journey to Budapest, Hungary. There, we will go on a tour of the city where we will visit Castle Hill. We will stop to visit the Fishermen’s Bastion, the Royal Palace Mattyas church, Andrassy Avenue (opera), Heroe’s square, the Curch of St. Stephen, the Parliament, Danube’s cross. During the tour we will see the following attractions from the coach: the citadel, the Gellert statue, Maragreta Bridge, Margareta Island, Chain Bridge, Elizabeth Bridge, Liberty Bridge, and Petofi Bridge.
There will be some free time whe you can choose what you want to do. Our suggestions include individual visits to the following attractions: Danube Corso pedestrian promenade, the Royal Palace Museums, the Art Museums, Gellert Cave- Church.
You could also go shopping in West End (shopping complex), in the Great Hall or in Vaci Utca (main commercial spot),
Another choice is taking a night cruise on the Danube. This includes a local guide and 1 glass of champagne as well as a festive buffet dinner with drinks included and music.
We will stay in an accommodation in Budapest.
We will continue our tour with Bratislava. Here we will visit the historic centre, the Coronation of Maria Theresa Church. We will then follow up with an excursion to the Danube bend. We will also explore Szentendre, a cosy touristic town, Visegrad castle (former residence of King Matei Corvin (1443-1490) ), Esztergom (Catholic cathedral, coronation place for Hungary’s kings and millennial centre of Catholicism, offering a superb view over the Danube valley and Storovo town in Slovakia).
Next, we will start the drive to Vienna. There we will stop by the Giant Ferris Wheel in Prater, the UN headquarters, Danube Tower, the Danube crossing and the Viennese ring road (Opera, the Art Museum, Maria Theresa Square, Parliament, City Hall, University, Burgtheatre). We will enjoy a walking tour in the Viennese ring road and admire the following: The Heroes’ Plaza, Hofburg Palace, St. Steven Cathedral, the commercial streets Kartnerstrasse and Graben, the Plague Column. In the evening we will spoil ourselves by going to a concert in Vienna’s Hofburg Palace.
Accommodation will be found in Vienna.
After breakfast we will start the drive to Prague. Once we get there, we will enjoy a bus tour of Prague Castle (Hradul), then a walking tour of: St. Vit cathedral, Loreta monastery, the Golden Lane, Mala Strana neighbourhood. We will then cross the Carol bridge to get to the Old Town, where the main attractions are the City Hall and the Clock with Saints), the Hebrew neighbourhood and Vaclavske Namestie (the area of luxury shops). Afterwards, we will relax by going on a cruise on Vlatva.
Accommodation and dinner will be in Prague.
After breakfast we will continue our tour of the beautiful and vibrant city of Prague. We will visit the Karlstein Castle then work our way towards Konopiste castle. We will then have some free time, and in the evening we will be delighted with an artistic program with dinner, open bar and dancing. The accommodation will be provided in Prague again.