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The Best of Romania and Bulgaria
a package tour that affords you the opportunity
of discovering colorful, historic cities, towns & villages
and many of their UNESCO World Heritage Sites
– ideal for those with limited time
Starting Dates in 2010:
May 14, Jun 18, Aug 6, Sep 10, Oct 1
Price per Person in Twin: $2,795
Single Supplement: $740
Your Package Tour Features
* 9 nights at deluxe & first-class hotels including taxes
* 1 night at a private home (B&B)
* 10 breakfasts * 6 Dinners
* English-speaking professional Guide Escort throughout
* All entrances to places mentioned where required
* Transportation by modern air-conditioned vehicles (car, minibus, coach)
* Round-trip individual transfers on arrival in Bucharest & on departure from Sofia
* Departures guaranteed with a minimum of 2 participants
Fri, Day 1: Arrival in Bucharest
Individual arrivals at Bucharest airport or rail station with private transfers to the Athenee Palace Hilton hotel in the heart of the city. This evening your Tour Manager greets you, and you enjoy dinner in local restaurant. (D)
Sat, Day 2: Bucharest Highlights
After breakfast, you get acquainted with the Romanian capital, once nicknamed "Little Paris". During the tour you will visit the lavish Parliament Palace, the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon, and the open air Village Museum. Your city drive takes you past the Romanian Athenaeum, the Metropolitan Church, the Opera House, the National Military Club, the Military Academy and the Triumphal Arch. The rest of the day is at your leisure. Optional tours can be arranged. (B)
Sun, Day 3: Bucharest * Sibiu * Cozia Monastery * Sibiel
After breakfast, depart for Sibiu, once the richest town in Transylvania. Your route crosses the Transylvanian Alps through the scenic Olt river valley, and along the way you will visit the Cozia Monastery built in 1386. You arrive in the picturesque village of Sibiel where you enjoy a hearty Romanian dinner at a private home with overnight stay (B, D)
Mon, Day 4: Sibiel *Sibiu * Biertan * Sighisoara * Brasov
In the morning you enjoy a comprehensive walking tour of Sibiu including a visit to the Cathedral, where the son of Vlad the Impaler (commonly known as Dracula) was assassinated. You stop at the Brukenthal Art Gallery before continuing to the Saxon village of Biertan where you visit the fortress church that is one of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites. The church has the largest wing altar in Romania and was used as the residence of the Lutheran bishop of Transylvania for over 300 years. Your next stop is in Sighisoara, the best-preserved medieval fortified town in Romania, and birthplace of Vlad the Impaler. You enjoy a walking tour of the town and visit the famous Clock Tower Museum with its Torture and Weapons Rooms and stop at the house in which Dracula was born in 1432. You continue to Brasov for dinner and overnight at the Curtea Brasoveana hotel, situated in the medieval old town (B, D)
Tue, Day 5: Brasov * Bran * Brasov
After breakfast, you depart to the small village of Bran, to tour spectacular Bran Castle, made famous by Bram Stoker’s novel as the residence of the vampire count. The castle that today is popularly referred as the “Dracula’s Castle” was built on the top of a steep rock by Prince Mircea the Old in 1377 to protect the border between Wallachia and Transylvania. The day continues in the fairytale town of Brasov, founded in the 12th century. Your sightseeing includes the Black Church where you can admire the collection of Ottoman prayer rugs dating from 16th to 18th centuries, in the church’s stark white interior. At the museum dedicated to the first Romanian school in Transylvania, Professor Olteanu presents an engaging and informative talk about Romania, past and present. The evening is at your leisure. (B)
Wed, Day 6: Brasov * Peles Castle * Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
After breakfast, you will visit marvelous Peles Castle, once the summer residence of the Romanian royal family, before driving south, across the Danube river, continuing into Bulgaria to the medieval city of Veliko Tarnovo, former capital of the Bulgarian Empire. Dinner and overnight is at the Yantra Hotel. (B, D)
Thu, Day 7: Veliko Tarnovo & Arnabassi
After breakfast you enjoy a tour of Veliko Turnovo, and tour its medieval quarter and the historical Tsarevets Hill, where remains from the former capital’s glory can still be seen. You continue to the picturesque village of Arbanassi. The village was originally founded by Albanians, but it prospered after Sultan Suleyman I gave it to one of his sons-in-law in early 1538, thus exempting the bustling town from the harsh Ottoman taxation. In this typical medieval Bulgarian town of stone houses and red tiles roofs, you visit the Church of Nativity, the most richly decorated church in Bulgaria, with an interior completely covered with colorful frescoes painted in the first part of the 17th century. (B)
Fri, Day 8: Veliko Tarnovo * Etara * Kazanlik * Plovdiv
After breakfast, you leave for Plovdiv. On the way you stop for a short visit of Etara open-air museum, notable for examples of the architecture, the life style and the economic past of the Gabrovo region during the National Revival Period. You cross the Balkan mountains through the Shipka Pass, where you will learn about the historical significance of this Pass. The last stop will be in Kazanlik to see the UNESCO listed Thracian Tomb with its Hellenistic frescoes from the 3rd century B.C. A stop for lunch on your own will be made, before reaching Plovdiv, where you enjoy a walk in the old town with its cobbled streets and typical National Revival architecture, with visits of the Ethnographic Museum, the Roman Amphitheatre, the Church of St. Konstantine and Elena–one of the oldest churches in Bulgaria. You overnight and enjoy dinner at the Trimontium Hotel (B, D).
Sat, Day 9: Plovdiv * Rila Monastery * Sofia
After breakfast, you leave Plovdiv and drive across the mountains to Rila Monastery – one of the greatest centers of scholarship and religion in Bulgaria during the National Revival Period. Founded in the middle of the 10th century, the monastery played a key role in preserving Bulgarian culture and language during the centuries under Ottoman rule. It is also included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. You tour the monastery church with its amazing frescos painted by the most famous and finest 19th century Bulgarian artists and the monastery museum. You continue to Sofia and overnight at the Hilton hotel (B)
Sun, Day 10: Sofia Highlights
After breakfast, you discover the Bulgarian capital with a walking tour that takes you to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, St. Nicholas Russian Church and the Rotonda of St. George Church, the oldest building in Sofia, and the National Theatre. The afternoon is at your leisure. This evening enjoy a farewell dinner. (B, D)
Mon, Day 11: Departure
After breakfast, you are transferred to the airport. (B) |
