Day 1, aprox. 25km.: meeting Romania…

Program:

Arrival at Bucharest Otopeni international airport at ….o'clock. Transfer from airport to the hotel in Bucharest.

After dinner the group will have a get-to-know evening at the hotel in order to get acquainted to one another and to be briefly informed about the program of the whole tour.

Accommodation and half-board:

on the 1^st and 2^nd days in Bucharest

Day 2, aprox. 25km.: Bucharest, "little Paris" of Eastern Europe

Program:

Sightseeing of Bucharest - the Orthodox Patriarchy, the village museum and if possible, the Palace of the Parliament, the second biggest building in the world after the Pentagon.

Lunch in a neat restaurant, local cuisine specialties.

Day 3, approx. 315 km.: Introducing Transylvania…

Itinerary:

Bucharest - Pitesti - Sibiu - Ocna Sibiului

Program:

First stop of the day will be in the proximity of Bucharest, at Mogosoaia where we will visit a beautiful palace built in 1698 -1702 by Constantin Brâncoveanu (a famous Romanian ruler). The Palace is an architectural monument having traditional elements, arcades and columns with capitals (specific to the "Brâncovenesc" style) and also some Byzantine decorative adornments. Next stop on our road to Transylvania will be at Cozia Monastery, a very old and famous religious monument, built by a legendary Romanian ruler (Mircea, "the Old").

As we will cross the narrow path created by the Olt river, we will slowly enter the mysterious area of Transylvania, "the land beyond the forests…"

Accommodation and half-board:

on the 3^rd and 4^th and 5^th days in Ocna Sibiului, a salt-water resort

Day 4, approx. 60 km.: The proximity of Sibiu

Itinerary:

Sibiu - Cisnadioara

Program:

Sibiu is one of the major cities of Transylvania, once the capital of Transylvania "Gubernium" during the Habsburg rule and one of the biggest administrative and cultural centers of the Transylvanian Saxons. The Brukenthal Palace (the first museum of Transylvania) is included in most of the region's travel guides, for it holds one of the biggest and most valuable collections of paintings of the country (Rubens, Titian and many other famous artists' paintings are to be seen here). The town itself is a jewelry among the other Saxon towns and a sightseeing tour including the Big Square, Small Square, The Lies bridge, the Huet square with its beautiful gothic Cathedral is almost compulsory.

After the sightseeing tour we will shortly arrive in Cisnadioara, a small place near Sibiu, where we will meet the local Saxons, have lunch and visit the beautiful and well-preserved Romanesque fortified church. The last place to visit for the day will be the open-aired museum Astra, the biggest ethnographical museum of Romania and also the best of the kind. It houses beautiful examples from most of the ethnographical regions of the country and gives a large view over the village life of all the ethnic groups of Romania.

At the end of this cultural day we will return to our base, in Ocna Sibiului, where we will have program at leisure by bathing in the salt lakes of the spa.

Day 5, approx. 210 km.: Saxon Heritage

Itinerary:

Slimnic - Medias - Biertan - Mosna

Program:

The day will be almost entirely dedicated to the Saxon fortified churches near the Sibiu town. We will make the first stop in Slimnic, where ruins of a former Saxon fortification are still impressive and worth to visit. Medias is another major settlement founded by the colonized Saxons. The pseudonym "Pisa of Transylvania" was given by the leant tower of the beautiful gothic St. Margaret church. Once, competing with the town of Medias, Biertan used to be for almost 300 years the archbishopric centre of the Transylvanian Saxons. It has three surrounding fortified walls, ramparts and towers and inside the church can be found the biggest winged altar of Transylvania.

After lunch we will return to our accommodation place, but on different road and including one more fortified church, Mosna. The church is impressive by the grandeur given by the huge pillars and its gothic interior. No wonder it became one of Prince Charles' favorite Saxon sites of Transylvania. In Ocna Sibiului, bathing in the same salty lakes will be an opportunity for relaxation at the end of the day.

Day 6, approx. 170 km.: where the sun shines for two times…

Itinerary:

Sebes - Aiud - Rimetea - Savadisla

Program:

On this day we will head towards north and the first place to visit will be the icon museum in Sibiel. The Romanian glass-icon painting school is famous and this museum holds great examples of this art. We will leave Saxonland behind, but not before visiting one more Saxon church, Sebes, maybe the best-shaped one, beautiful for its gothic interior and famous for the Weit Stoss painted winged altar.

The village Rimetea has been given the Europa Nostra Award and we will understand why: the houses' unique architecture, the richest and most colorful traditional costumes of Transylvania and the surrounding picturesque landscape overwhelmed by the "Szekler Stone" are three reasons to be appreciated by travelers. After lunch the bus will take us in a village near Cluj Napoca, where we will set our "camp" for two nights.

Accommodation and half-board:

on the 6^th and 7^th days in a village near Cluj Napoca, in private houses, with very high level of services.

Day 7, approx. 90 km.: Around the heart of Transylvania

Itinerary:

Cluj Napoca - Turda

Program:

Cluj Napoca, one of the biggest towns of Romania is the cultural capital of Transylvania due to the multitude of Universities, centers of education, museums, etc. Our sightseeing tour in the town will take us to the center where we will step into one of the most beautiful churches of Romania, St Michael church. In Turda, famous for its "freedom of religions" dated 1568 is one of the biggest salt mines of Europe, where the Romans were the first to excavate the precious salt and reached to its apogees in the Habsburg period. Today it is a museum and a cure center. Not far, we will have a nice hike in the Turda Gorge, a very spectacular and impressive canyon. The hike is actually an easy walk, not longer than 2 km. We will return to our accommodation place and before dinner we will take part in the village church at a cultural program, a concert where artists from Cluj Napoca are invited to perform.

Day 8, approx. 420 km.: The Calata region

Itinerary:

Huedin - Oradea - Szolnok - Budapest

Program:

The region "Calata" is well-known for the beautiful protestant churches, architectonic building style of the houses and for the very rich and colorful costumes that even nowadays man and women are wearing on special occasions or religious celebrations.

We will stop first in Izvorul Crisului where we will have a look into one of these protestant churches and we will have also a shopping program. The village (and the whole region, too) is also known for the embroideries that the people are selling outside of their houses. Not far, the bus will stop in another village where we will be witnesses of a folkloric show performed by a few pair of youngsters that will present some dances and the costumes of the region. After lunch we will head directly to the border of the country and shortly after the bus will ride on Hungarian highways. Budapest is our final destination where the group will be accommodated in a nice hotel with a superb panorama view over the city.

Accommodation and half-board:

on the 8^th and 9^th days in Budapest, in a 3^*** hotel.

Day 9, approx. 25 km. Splendors of Budapest

Program:

The entire day is dedicated to Budapest: sightseeing tour (The Buda Castle, the Parliament, Central Market, the Fine Arts Museum, etc…) and also program at leisure. Traditional lunch in a fancy restaurant.

Day 10, approx. 25 km.: The last day…

Program:

transfer from the hotel to the Budapest Ferihegy airport. Departure at…o'clock

~ end of program ~