The Transylvanian villages with their fortified churches, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, provide a vivid picture of the cultural landscape of southern Transylvania. The seven villages inscribed (Prejmer, Viscri, Saschiz, Darjiu, Valea Viilor, Calnic), founded by the Transylvanian Saxons, are characterized by a specific land-use system, settlement pattern and organization of the family farmstead that have been preserved since the late Middle Ages. They are dominated by their fortified churches, which illustrate building styles from the 13th to the 16th century. Included also - Horezu monastery listed by UNESCO as part of the World Heritage, Peles and Bran Castles
Itinerary
Day 1- BUCHAREST - SINAIA - BRAN - BRASOV
Breakfast. 09:00 -11:30 Bucharest - Sinaia. Stop over in Sinaia to visit the Peles Castle. Sinaia is known as "the Pearl of the Carpathians" for its magnificent mountain scenery and arhitecture. Peles Castle is one of Romania's most important museums. The Castle was designed as summer Royal residence and build up between 1875 and 1883. It combines various architectural styles, notably elements of the German and gothic Renaissance. The castle has 160 rooms, opulently decorated with leather, ebony, and walnut and contains invaluable collections of art and furniture.(from June to September closed on Mondays).On to Bran - lunch (14:00-15:00). Visit of the Bran castle. It has been built between 1377 and 1382, on a 60m high rock to safeguard the vital route between Valachia and Transilvania and it is known nowadays as "Dracula Castle" because of its associations with Vlad Tepes (the Impaler). The building has four towers positioned at the four cardinal points. The walls are made of stone blocks, the rooms and narrow corridors constitute a mysterious labyrinth of secret chambers, and the well in the inner courtyard is connected to an underground network. Queen Maria of Romania, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, was perhaps the castle's most famous resident- it is even said that her heart, kept in a silver box, was discovered in a niche of the building. Nowadays it houses a museum of feudal art, exhibiting valuable collections of furniture, weapons and armory. On to Brasov - a town the still preserves its medieval centre. One of the main attractions is The Black Church, so called for its blackened walls as a result of a great fire, lit by an Austrian army, that swept Brasov in 1689. Panoramic s/s tour. Dinner and accommodation in Brasov 3* hotel Casa Wagner.
Day 2- BRASOV - PREJMER - VISCRI - SASCHIZ - DIRJIU - SIGHISOARA
Breakfast. Departure to Prejmer, a Saxon village whose church was prepared for sieges in the troubled times of Vlad Tepes. A five-towered wall, 12 m high, surrounds the 13th century church. The entrance tower is its self protected by another fortified enclosure - the Town Hall Courtyard - added in the 16th and 17th centuries, to which the Saxons appended an arcaded corridor or Bakers' Courtyard in Baroque style. Continue to Viscri. It is probably the only fortress in Romania protecting a church built in the 12th century which still exists. Most of the historians believe the citadel was built by the Teutonic knights, who lived inhere for fourteen years while they were residing in Tara Barsei. On to Saschiz- the church has been built up between 1493 -1496 and was selected for the building and fortifying techniques used in the process. Nowadays it is an evangelical church. Continue with Darjiu- the construction of the church started in the 14 th century and it has been fortified in the 16th century. The particular touch is given by its mural paintings. Continue to Sighisoara. Accommodation 3* Rex.
Day 3 -SIGHISOARA - BIERTAN - VALEA VIILOR - CALNIC SIBIU or OCNA SIBIULUI
Breakfast. Sight seeing tour of Sighisoara. Raised in the 13th and 14th centuries Sighisoara is one of the last medieval towns in Europe still inhabited. It is the birthplace of Vlad Tepes " The Impaler". The medieval citadel dominates the town. Above all rises the mighty Clock Tower. On to Biertan - built as late as 1516, this was the seat of Lutheran bishops, and their fine gravestones can be seen inside the towers. It is set up on a hill within two and a half rings of walls, linked by a splendid covered staircase.Stop over in Valea Viilor village. Continue to Calnic - one of the most interesting monuments of the 13th century as far as the architecture is concerned. On to Sibiu, a charming town full of history.. Panoramic s/s including the Evangelical Cathedral, raised during the 14th and 15th centuries. It contains a fine collection of funerary plaques, a superb altarpiece, and in the crypt the tomb of Mihnea the Bad, Dracula's son and voivode of Wallachia for just one year. He was stabbed to death outside after attending Mass in 1510 (when the building was still a Catholic place of worship). Accommodation in Sibiu 4* (Ramada / Golden Tulip / Forum).
DAY 4- SIBIU - COZIA - HOREZU - BUCHAREST
Breakfast. Departure to Bucharest with a stop over in Cozia. Continue with Horezu (a small town known for its pottery. The main attraction is Horez Monastery built in 1690 to1697 by Constantin Brancoveanu - centred around the Great Church, entered via a porchway with ten pillars and wooden carved doors. The colours of the interior frescoes (which include portraits of Brancoveanu and its family) have been tarnished by smoke from fires lit by Turks who camped here but in some places such as in the Nuns' Refectory one can get a better idea of their original colours. The complex also includes Dionisie's Fire-Tower, a structure with finely carved columns and a stone balustrade, and set apart to the west, the small St.Stephen 's Hermitage. The monastery of Horezu, is a masterpiece of the 'Brancovan' style. It is known for its architectural purity and balance, the richness of its sculptural detail, the treatment of its religious compositions, its votive portraits and its painted decorative works. The school of mural and icon painting established at the monastery in the 18th century was famous throughout the Balkan region.). Return to Bucharest.
Departure dates
The tour starts from Bucharest upon request, from March till November. Please note that Bran Castle is closed on Monday. Peles castle is closed on Monday from May 19th till September 13th and on Tuesday also for the rest of the period.
Included services
3 nights BB acc
the visits mentioned in the programme
English speaking guide
A/C car / minibus / bus for the programme
Price
Price valid for minimum 2 persons: pax in double - 710 €/pax
Price valid for minimum 4 persons: pax in double - 490 €/pax
sgl supl - 70 €