7-Day Western Romania Tour with Transfagarasan and Recas Winery

• Start the tour heading north from Bucharest to Sibiu, passing through the Carpathian Mountains via the famous Transfagarasan Road into Transylvania. So, prepare your cameras for incredible scenery!
• On your way, have a short stop to visit Curtea de Arges Cathedral and then Vidraru Dam, located on the bank of the Arges River along the Transfagarasan Road, considered by specialists a real jewel of engineering, especially as it was built with many human sacrifices.
• Once you reach Sibiu/Hermannstadt, the European Capital of Culture in 2007 and the European Region of Gastronomy in 2019, explore the city during a walking tour, including the Big Square and Little Square, Huet Square, Iron Bridge, the Council Tower, the Evangelical Church, and the Orthodox Church.
• Enjoy accommodation in Sibiel in a local guesthouse, with a delicious traditional homemade dinner prepared specially for you with pure organic food and alcoholic drinks.

*Between the 1st of July and the 15th of October, the Transfagarasan Road is usually open, and we can visit Curtea de Arges Monastery; when the weather conditions do not permit it, or the road is closed, we will change our route and visit Cozia Monastery, located on the beautiful Olt River Valley.

• Have breakfast in the morning, then continue your trip in Transylvania, getting insights into two beautiful medieval landmarks from the southwest of this magnificent territory: Corvin Castle (also known as Hunyadi Castle) and Alba Iulia Citadel, the enormous citadel in Romania.

• Before reaching Corvin Castle, have an optional stop at Calnic Fortress, a beautiful citadel on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

• Once you arrive in the city of Hunedoara, visit the beautiful Gothic-Renaissance Corvin/Hunyadi Castle, which many refer to as "one of the seven wonders of Romania". The castle is one of the largest castles in Europe and the largest in Transylvania, an essential piece of history for Romania. Hunyadi Castle, alongside Poienari Citadel, Bran/Dracula's Castle, and Sighisoara Citadel, is sometimes mentioned as a great source of inspiration for Bram Stoker's famous novel, Dracula.

• After that, walk through history once you arrive in the city of Alba Iulia, a place of monumental historical significance associated with the Great Union of 1918 and the coronation of Kings Ferdinand I and Mary, the first monarchs of Greater Romania. Its ancient medieval center, the Alba Carolina Fortress, encloses within its walls several centuries-old attractions laden with history, including Saint Michael's Cathedral.

Accommodation in Alba Iulia, in a four-star hotel.

• After breakfast, continue your visits and head to your first stop: Turda Salt Mine, a must-see underground tourist attraction in Romania. You will be surprised to discover an underground history museum of salt exploitation and an incredible underground theme park nestled inside one of the world's oldest salt mines, dating back to the Middle Ages. Once inside, you'll find a theatre, a bowling alley, an underground lake with paddle and rowboats, a mini-golf course, ping pong courts, and even a Ferris wheel.
• In the afternoon, reach Cluj Napoca - the heart of Transylvania and the second-largest city in Romania. Discover the history and most important sights of this dynamic city with a youthful vibe - no surprise that it was named European Youth Capital in 2015.
• Do a walking city tour downtown of the main square, which will include some of the best landmarks of the city: St. Michael's Cathedral, Matthias Corvinus Statue, Banffy Palace, the Opera House, and the Franciscan Monastery.

Accommodation in Cluj Napoca, in a four-star hotel.

• Have breakfast in the morning, then head west, crossing the Western Carpathian Mountains to Oradea - Romania's surprising Art Nouveau capital, your first sight for today.
• Explore Oradea's landmarks in a sightseeing tour, including the Black Eagle Palace, the Moon Church, the Episcopal Palace, and the Moskovits Buildings.
• Relish an afternoon at Recas Winery and Vineyards (Banat region) - one of the largest wineries in Romania, where you will enjoy a visit to the cellars and wine tasting of local wines.
• Leave the winery and head to your final stop, Timisoara - Romania's third-largest city, designated the European Capital of Culture in 2021. In 1884, the city was the first mainland European city and just the second in the world, after New York, to have electric public street lighting. It is also "The First Free City", where the sparks of the Revolution against Ceausescu's communist regime were ignited in 1989.
• For the afternoon walking tour, visit the city's main squares: Liberty, Union, and Victory.

Accommodation in Timisoara, in a four-star hotel.

• After breakfast, make a short visit to the 1989 Revolution Memorial in the morning. Then, for history enthusiasts, drive into the mountains, very close to the wild Retezat National Park, where you will find the ruins of Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, the capital of Roman Dacia.
• Continue driving across the Carpathians during the afternoon.
• The end of today will be in Targu Jiu, known as the City of Brancusi.
• Admire the monumental open-air sculptures of Constantin Brancusi, one of the most famous European sculptors born here. The main attractions in this city are the Endless Column, the Gate of the Kiss, the Chairs Alley, and the Table of Silence.

Accommodation in a three-star hotel in Targu Jiu.

• Have breakfast, then return to Bucharest through beautiful hill scenery, including a short uphill ride to the spectacular Transalpina Mountain Road. The highest road in Romania, reaching a maximum altitude of 2,145 meters, Transalpina competes with the stunning and most famous Transfagarasan Road for the title of the most beautiful road in the country. Whichever is more impressive is hard to say, but during this tour, you will have the opportunity to experience them both and decide.
• Another landmark for today is Horezu Monastery in Valcea County, considered the most representative construction in the Brancovenesc style and a real masterpiece.
• After the monastery visit, you will be able to discover the Horezu area as a famous and representative place in Romania in terms of ceramics, pottery, traditional crafts, and folklore. Since 2012, Horezu Ceramics has been included in the UNESCO Cultural Patrimony.
• In the evening, return to Bucharest and drop off at the hotel.

Accommodation in a 4-star hotel, centrally located.

**Some restrictions may exist during wintertime. When the road is closed, or the weather conditions do not permit it, we will change our route.

• After breakfast, meet the Romanian guide for your last day in Bucharest, the capital.
• Take a morning panoramic and walking tour of downtown Bucharest. The tour includes the Arch of Triumph, inspired by the one in Paris, Press Square, where a copy of Moscow University can be seen, the former Royal Palace, nowadays the Art Museum, the Athenaeum, Romania's most famous concert hall, and Revolution Square, where the 1989 anti-communist revolt went nationwide.
• Ride along Victoria Avenue, the University, the National Theatre, the Opera House, Manuc's Inn, the Old Town, the Palace of Parliament Building, the second-largest administrative building in the world after the Pentagon, and the Village Museum.
• After the city tour, you have free time to spend as you wish, maybe for some shopping or walking and enjoying the city, then transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

End of the tour!