UNESCO Heritage Tour

Itinerary

• Day 1. Bucharest

  Arrival in Bucharest. Group meeting with the guide. Airport transfer. On the way - paoramic tour of Bucharest: Kiseleff Boulevard, the Arch of the Triumph, Victory Square, Roman Square, University Square, Revolution Square. Dinner and program presentation. Accommodation in Bucharest.

• Day 2. Bucharest – Prejmer Fortified Church – Brasov – Piatra Neamt

  Buffet breakfast. We leave Bucharest to Brasov, crossing the mountain resorts on Prahova Valley. In Brasov we will have a panoramic tour and we will have lunch. After lunch, near Brasov, we will find our first UNESCO objective - the fortified church in Prejmer. This fortified church was included in the UNESCO patrimony as the strongest fortification in Transylvania and thanks to the perfect preservation of the site. From Prejmer we will go toward the painted monasteries of Moldova. The route will cross the beautiful scenery of Olt River, the Bicaz River gorges and the Red Lake. We will stop for dinner and overnight in Piatra Neamt - a nice city in Moldova. Accommodation and dinner in Piatra Neamt.

• Day 3. The Painted Monasteries of Moldova

  Breakfast buffet at Hotel. Out of the 7 painted monasteries included in UNESCO patrimony, we will visit four - the most representatives for their unique characteristics. Probota Monastery is remarkable for its specific architecture and for its wall painting representing 16th century scenes. Voronet Monastery is well known for its specific blue color of the external wall painting. Humor Monastery has a unique architecture (without tower). Moldovita is unique for the theme of its 1530 painting: the fall of the Constantinople. The local landscape is an additional reason for visiting this architectural jewels, similar with those from Cappadocia, Mistra or Meteora. In the evening - dinner and accommodation in Gura Humorului.

• Day 4. The Wooden Churches in Maramures

  Buffet breakfast at Hotel. Today we are heading to another region with lot of patrimony monuments - Maramures. From Moldova to Maramures we will cross Prislop pass; the road cross two national parks: Maramures National Park and Rodna National Park. There are 8 Maramures wooden churches included in the UNESCO patrimony. Our program includes visiting of five of them, but also other heritage monuments. Today we will visit the churches in Ieud and Poienile Izei, but also Barsana Monastery. In the evening - dinner and accommodation in Sighetu Marmatiei.

• Day 5. From Maramures to Transylvania

  Breakfast buffet la hotel. Today we will continue to visit other important attractions in Maramures, and we will head to Transylvania region at the end of the day. In the morning we will visit the Merry Cemetery in Sapanta - this place is not included in the UNESCO patrimony, but it is unique for the way how locals decided to remember the dead relatives. Back in Sighetu Marmatiei, we will visit the Communism Victims Memorial - a museum where you will understand what communism meant for the Romanians. After lunch we will visit the wooden churches in Desesti and Surdesti, both of them included in the UNESCO patrimony. In the evening we will arrive in Bistrita city. Dinner and accommodation in Bistrita.

• Day 6. The Fortified Churches in Transylvania

  Buffet breakfast at Hotel. This day is dedicated to the fortified churches in the Saxon villages. There are 7 Saxon fortified churches included in the UNESCO patrimony. We included four of them in our program, but we will also visit other attractions in the area. In the morning we are heading the rural site of Viscri, passing Reghin city, Sovata resort, Praid salted mountain and Corund manufacturers. In Viscri we will visit the fortified church and few houses of the village. The village become worldwide known after the British Royal family decided to directly be involved in preservation of traditional life in the area. We are leaving Viscri for another UNESCO fortified church - Saschiz. In the evening we arrive in Sighisoara citadel - a medieval fortified city which is still inhabited. For this reason, Sighisoara Citadel is entirely included in the UNESCO world heritage. Before dinner we will have a walk tour of the citadel, visiting the guild towers, the wooden stair and the birth place of Vlad the Impaler. Dinner and accommodation in the old citadel of Sighisoara.

• Day 7. Sighisoara and the Fortified Churches in Transylvania

  Buffet breakfast. In the morning we will continue to visit the attractions of Sighisoara citadel: the Clock Tower, the Weapon Museum and the Torture Chamber. Before lunch we will visit the fortified church in Biertan - first Romanian monument included in UNESCO patrimony, in 1993. We will have a medieval lunch in a restaurant near Biertan church. After lunch we will head Sibiu, our next stop. On the way we will pass Dumbraveni Armenian Cathedral and the city of Medias. After check-in in Sibiu we will have a walking tour of this bohemian city which in 2007 was selected the European Cultural City. The daily cultural events in Sibiu and the medieval architecture transformed Sibiu into the most visited Romanian city by foreigners. Dinner at a restaurant in the old city center. Accommodation in the historical center of Sibiu.

• Day 8. The Dacian Fortresses in Orastie Mountains

  Buffet breakfast. We are leaving Sibiu for other UNESCO monuments. First we will visit a last fortified church in Calnic. Then we will visit the oldest monument in our tour - the Dacian fortress of Sarmisegetusa Regia. There are 6 Dacian ruins included in the UNESCO patrimony. Sarmisegetusa Regia is the best preserved monument. After this visit we will head to Orastie and Deva - two cities with Dacian sources. Dinner and accommodation in Deva.

• Day 9. Hurezi Monastery

  Buffet breakfast at Hotel. In our final day of the tour we will visit Hurezi Monastery, but also other attractions of the region. From Deva we will visit Densus for visiting the oldest church in Romania - a unique building which combine various architectural styles. On the way to Horezu we will also visit Banita Dacian ruins, also included in UNESCO patrimony. In Horezu we will visit the most important Brancoveanu monastery - Hurezi. This monastery is unique due its architectural style. In the afternoon we will arrive in Bucharest. Farewell dinner and accommodation in Bucharest.

• Day 10. Bucharest

  Buffet breakfast. Depending the individual schedule, you can visit Bucharest, shopping or transfer to the airport. End of tour.