Treasures of Transylvania

Fly from London Heathrow to Bucharest and transfer to the 4-star Mercure City Center Hotel for a two-night stay.

A tour of the capital city shows you the huge white edifice of the Palace of the Parliament (as deep as it is tall, with eight of its twenty storeys underground); the 17th-century Metropolitan Church (aka the Patriarchal Cathedral); the Romanian Athenaeum concert hall with its Baroque cupola; the Arcul de Triumf, commemorating WW1 with more than a nod to its Paris equivalent; and the open-air Village Museum, recreating traditional rural life.
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Travel through the country’s longest gorge, the 47km Olt Valley, to Cozia Monastery, where its cupolas are reflected in the river, and its Byzantine style cloister is the only one remaining in Romania; continue to Sibiu, its Old Town circling three main squares with pastel-painted buildings. A walking tour includes Large Square and Huet Square; Liar’s Bridge (or Bridge of Lies), the first cast iron bridge in southeast Europe; and a visit to the Bruckenthal Museum, another ‘first’, the Baroque palace opening in 1817 as the country’s only museum. Overnight at the 4-star Hotel Ramada in Sibiu.
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After a morning at leisure, visit the village of Malancrav for lunch, with Saxon architecture, a 14th-century church, and five wooden staircases climbing to fabulous views from the top of the tower. Drive to Biertan to visit the 15th-century fortified church, crowning a hill, encircled by the village below, its tiered ten-metre-high walls connected by towers; and continue to Sighisoara, for an overnight stay at the 4-star Mercure BinderBubi (27 Sep - DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cavaler).
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 Delightfully stroll-able Sighisoara is UNESCO listed as one of the best-preserved medieval towns of southeast Europe. Within the multi-towered city walls, a walking tour of its cobbled lanes passes ornate churches and burgher houses. Travel to Târgu Mures (‘market on the River Mures’), where Roses Square is lined with cafés, churches, monuments and Teleki Library. Continue to Cluj-Napoca, a vibrant, elegant and arty city, where a walking tour shows you the prestigious National Theatre and the 15th-century Gothic St. Michael’s Cathedral, a landmark on lovely Piata Unirii (Union Square). Overnight at the 4-star DoubleTree by Hilton - City Plaza.
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The journey to Bucovina includes a visit to Bistrita, set by its namesake river at the foot of the Bargau Mountains, known for its 15th-16th century merchant houses and for its unhurried tempo. Cross the Tihuta Pass, 1,100m above sea level, the factual road of Bram Stoker’s fictional ‘Borgo Pass’, the gateway to Dracula’s realm. Continue to the town of Gura Humorului, at the confluence of two rivers. Two nights at the 4-star Best Western Bucovina.
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We tour the best of Bucovina’s Byzantine treasures, the UNESCO World Heritage ‘painted churches’, including the best preserved, Sucevita, with imposing walls, defensive towers, and distinctive greens in its frescoes; and the most famous, Voronet Monastery, its epithet ‘the Sistine Chapel of the East’, its blue paint, incredibly unfaded by time, known worldwide as Voronet Blue.
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A superbly scenic journey today takes us through the dramatic beauty of Bicaz Canyon, the rocky gorge carved by millennia of its river’s flow, and to the Red Lake, its water coloured by sediments of iron oxide. Formed from an earthquake in 1838, and flooding a former forest, the lake is studded with the (now petrified) tree trunks, which rise like silent witnesses above the water. Continue to historic Brasov, with its Saxon city walls and Gothic ‘Black Church’, for a two-night stay at the 4-star Aro Palace Hotel (27 Sep - Radisson Blu Aurum Hotel).
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Travel the medieval route linking Wallachia and Transylvania, to picturesque Sinaia, ‘The Pearl of the Carpathians’, to visit Peles Castle, a fairy-tale confection of wood and marble, towers and spires, romance and ingenuity. Continue to Bran to visit ‘Dracula’s Castle’ atop its rocky cliff. The turreted fortress has an air of mystery about it, but its interior is a far-from-menacing mix of beamed rooms and hidden stairways. Return to Brasov and walk through the cobbled streets to visit the 16th-century St. Nicholas Church and First Romanian School Museum.
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 Transfer from Brasov to Bucharest for the return flight to London Heathrow.
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Fly from London to Bucharest and transfer to the 4-star Mercure City Center Hotel or 4-star Hotel Cismigiu for a two-night stay.

Enjoy a half-day introductory tour of the capital, where landmark sights include the 17th - century Metropolitan Church (aka the Patriarchal Cathedral); the Arcul de Triumf, commemorating WW1 with more than a nod to its Paris equivalent; and a visit to the enormous white edifice of the
Palace of the Parliament, as deep as it is tall, with eight of its twenty storeys underground.
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A walking tour this morning includes Revolution Square, focused on the modern Memorial of Rebirth, and lined with lavish monuments including the former Royal Palace, and the Romanian Athenaeum concert hall, with its Baroque cupola; and characterful Lipscani, the Old Town district, a
beguiling blend of beautiful churches and busy eateries; followed by lunch of local fare at the iconic Hanu lui Manuc Inn /restaurant. In the early evening, enjoy a stroll through lakeside Herastrau Park and the open-air Village Museum, recreating traditional rural life of centuries past, before
transferring to the airport for your flight to Suceava, for overnight at the 4-star Sonnenhof Hotel.
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A varied day begins with visits to two of the best of Bucovina’s Byzantine treasures, the UNESCO World Heritage ‘painted monasteries’. Boasting the most frescoes of the Moldova region’s churches, Sucevita is encircled by fortified walls and defensive towers; while impressive frescoes in the 16th-century Moldovita Monastery include The Siege of Constantinople and The Tree of Jesse, representing Christ’s genealogy. From here, cross into the Transylvania region via the Tihuta Pass. At
1,100m above sea level, it is the factual road of Bram Stoker’s fictional ‘Borgo Pass’, the route to Dracula’s realm. With stops enroute for a wine tasting and a late light lunch, continue to Sighisoara for an evening arrival and two-night stay at the 4-star Mercure BinderBubi Hotel.
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Delightfully stroll-able Sighisoara is UNESCO listed as one of the best-preserved medieval towns of southeast Europe. Enjoy a half-day tour within the multi-towered city walls, where a walk through its cobbled lanes passes ornate churches and burgher houses; with the rest of the day at
leisure for independent exploration.
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Drive to Biertan to visit the most imposing of the Saxon Fortified Churches. Crowning a hill, encircled by the village below, with its tiered ten-metre-high walls connected by towers, the Gothic/Renaissance style church was built in the 15th century, on the site of an earlier basilica. Continue by
road, stopping for an early lunch at the remote and rural village of Alma Vii, and arriving in historic Brasov in the afternoon, for an orientation walking tour of the city, and a three-night stay at the 4-star Aro Palace Hotel or 4-star Radisson Blu Aurum Hotel.
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A guided half-day tour of Brasov includes visits to the 16th-century St. Nicholas Church, the oldest Orthodox church in Transylvania, which dominates the historic district; and the nearby First Romanian School Museum, with 400 years of history and 4,000 antiquarian books. Afternoon free to
explore and enjoy the town.
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The final full day of your tour takes you back toward Bucharest, via picturesque Sinaia, ‘The Pearl of the Carpathians’, where we visit Peles Castle. The former summer residence of the first Romanian king, the palace is a fairy-tale confection of wood and marble, towers and spires, romance and ingenuity. After time to browse in the mountain town, continue to Otopeni, just north of the capital, for an overnight stay at the 4-star Hilton Garden Inn Bucharest Airport, just 350m from the departure terminal. (B)

Make your way to the terminal for your return flight to London.
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