From Budapest to Bucharest. A Cultural Tour of Hungary and Romania.
12 Nights / 13 Days
Hungary offers the cultural traveler all the delights of Eastern Europe. Its capital city Budapest, can par with any of its western neighbors. Stunning architecture, arts, and a lively social scene based around cafes, bars, and baths built by the Turks, make the capital a great starting point before heading into the countryside; filled with medieval castles, churches and towns. Fine wines, folk customs, music, and art, make Hungary a feast for the greediest of culture lovers.
And then comes Romania - one of Europe's ‘best-kept secrets’. Picturesque castles and citadels are scattered across the forested Transylvanian landscape, where wolves and bears roam in the majestic Carpathian Mountains. Historic monasteries, churches and villages contain some of the best medieval sites in the world, where folkloric traditions are still strong and seem unchanged for centuries.
The capital city is Bucharest, but getting about the countryside can be a challenging yet rewarding experience. Much of Romania is unexplored and if you want to get off the beaten track in Europe - this is about as exciting as it gets.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Budapest
Arrive in Budapest on a Tuesday, where you’re welcomed by our local guide and transferred to your hotel. Overnight: Hotel Taverna, Budapest. (3 nights)
Day 2: Budapest
Budapest is truly a lively and vivid Cultural City, the ‘heart of East – Europe’. Our full-day tour will acquaint us with the city’s most famous monuments, including the Androssy Avenue, the magnificent Opera House, the St Stephen Basilica, the Castle District, the Matthias Church, the Fishermen's Bastion (WHS), the Margaret Island and the Citadel in a very personal and informative manner. This tour will make you feel the elevated spirit of this magical city! (Breakfast)
Day 3: Budapest / Szentendre / Visegrad / Budapest (drive 120 km)
In the morning we drive to nearby Szentendre, a quaint old market town, loved by artist, painters and sculptures, many of them having settled here from the beginning of the 20th century. We’ll walk through the narrow streets of the city, packed with tourist all over the year, and many artisan and souvenir shops.
Later we continue with a drive to Visegrad and visit the Castle where Romanian ‘Vlad the Impaller’ (called Dracula) was imprisoned by the Hungarian King Mathias Corvinus. From here we drive back to Budapest and our evening is free to discover and enjoy the famous Hungarian cuisine at one of the City’s renowned restaurants. (Breakfast)
Day 4: Budapest / Eger / Miskolc / Tokaj (drive 250 km)
After breakfast we check out and leave Budapest for Tokaj. En route we first stop in Eger and visit this superb Baroque town: the renowned Eger Castle, the Cathedral and then walk on the Szechenyi street and – eventually – taste a glass of red wine from the World-famous local red wine called ‘Egri Bikaver’ (The Bull's Blood of Eger).
Next we’ll stop in Miskolc to visit the Synagogue that has an outstanding main façade with a triple-arched entrance and an equally fine interior. After Lunch we continue drive to Tokaj, which is another famous wine area, once one of the main supplier of kosher wine in Europe.
Here will have the chance to visit the house of Rabi Bodrogi Keresztur as well having a tour of the famous Wine Cellars, combined with some wine tasting. Overnight: Degenfeld Hotel, Tokaj (1 night) (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 5: Tokaj / Hoteni (Romania) (drive 250 km)
After our breakfast we leave Hungary and cross the border at Petea into Romania, and we drive to the Maramures County. Here, while driving through the small villages, we can still see the traditional inhabited wooden houses with elaborate carved details and the world-famous wooden churches.
Today we’ll also enjoy a special treat as we spend the evening & night in a farmhouse in Hoteni, where treated by a local family we’ll be sharing a wonderful home cooked dinner. Overnight: at a Farmhouse in Hoteni. (2 nights) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 6: Maramures
Today is our full-day tour in Maramures, the land of wooden churches and carved wooden gates. Our tour will include a visit to the World-unique Merry Cemetery of Sapanta, created by a local ‘peasant-artist’ in a very personal, colorful and sometimes funny way.
The tour will include visits to some of most representative wooden churches of Maramures, part of UNESCO World Heritage such as Calinesti and Desesti. Since today it is Sunday, we’ll join the locals for the Holy Sunday Mass and mingle into the colorful crowds, wearing traditional folk-costumes and observing centuries-old customs. Return for Dinner and overnight in Hoteni at the farmhouse. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 7: Hoteni / Cluj / Targu Mures / Sighisoara (drive 330 km)
After an early breakfast, and before leaving Maramures, we also visit Surdesti Village, which hosts the highest wooden church in Europe with its 57 m high spire. Continue then to drive to Cluj-Napoca, the Cultural Capital of Transylvania. The highlights of our visit here are the St. Michael Roman-Catholic Cathedral, in front of which stands the equestrian statue of King Mathias Corvinus, the Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Cathedral, and the Centuries-old & famous Hazsongard Cemetery.
Our route then takes us southwards, into the heart of the Legendary Transylvania, "the land beyond the forests”. A short stop in Targu – Mures will consist in a visit to the Palace of Culture and the Teleki Library, followed by an evening arrival to Sighisoara. This Medieval Saxon fortress-town has become a part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, and it is known as the best-preserved and continuously inhabited early medieval citadel in the world. Overnight: Hotel Sighisoara. (2 nights) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 8: Sighisoara / Biertan / Sighisoara (drive 60 km)
After breakfast we’ll have a half-day city tour to explore old Sighisoara. Here are located the famous Clock Tower Museum with the Torture Room, the Evangelical Church and the Armor Room, the house in which Count Dracula / Vlad the Impeller was born, and the most impressive ‘Church on the Hill’.
From here a short drive gets us to Biertan, where we visit the Fortress Church, a World Cultural Heritage Site that hosts the largest wing altar in Romania and also was the Evangelical Bishops’ residence for more than 300 years. After our tour, we return to Sighisoara. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 9: Sighisoara / Brasov (drive 200 km)
Today we’ll spend some time visiting the countryside of southeastern Transylvania. Especially the area called the ‘Land of Fortified Churches’, as we stop en our route to Brasov to see Prejmer and Harman Fortified Churched villages, first one being listed as a UNESCO Cultural Site.
Then we drive to Brasov, a so-called ‘fairytale town’, founded in the 12th century by the Saxon settlers. Brasov today still preserves its beautiful, warm medieval atmosphere, created by many of its ‘Middle Age’ buildings. We’ll take a short tour and walk the Old Centre-part of the town. Overnight: Aro Palace, Brasov. (2 nights) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 10: Brasov / Bran / Brasov (drive)
In the morning we will go to Bran and visit ‘Dracula’s Castle’, which was made famous by Bram Stoker's novel, where he mentions the Castle as the residence of the Vampire Count Dracula. The Castle was built in the 14th century by few of the merchants from Brasov to protect the border between Valachia and Transylvania.
Later we drive back to Brasov where we visit to the Gothic Black Church, the largest Gothic church in South-Eastern Europe, the St Nicolae Church and the First Romanian School, where a local teacher will hold a lecture about Brasov. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 11: Brasov / Bucharest (drive 170 km)
In the morning we drive to Sinaia, the mountain resort known as the "Pearl of the Carpathians", where we visit the Peles Castle, the former Summer Residence of King Carol the 1st – King of Romania and Sinaia Monastery. After leaving Sinaia and the picturesque Prahova River Valley, we drive towards Bucharest, the Capital city of Romania, founded in 1459 by the mighty Prince Vlad Tepes. Overnight: Hotel Lido, Bucharest. (2 nights) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 12: Bucharest
In past years Bucharest was called the “Paris of the East”. Our today’s city-tour will start with the Palace of Parliament (the second largest building in the World, after the Pentagon; yet another proof of the grandeur- mania & madness of the former dictator Ceausescu), then visit the Metropolitan Church, the Romanian Athenaeum and the Arch of Triumph.
Finally, we’ll enjoy a walk to Harastrau Park and tour the open-air Folk Village Museum. This museum is really interesting, as it is literally a rural Romania ‘in a nutshell’, and it displays over 70 traditional Romanian wooden-house structures in an open-air setting. The rest of the afternoon is free for us to explore further Bucharest on our own. In the evening enjoy a farewell dinner with folklore show at Pescarus Restaurant. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 13: Departure from Bucharest
After breakfast at our hotel, we are transferred to the airport for our flight home. After an exciting East- European journey, we bring back long-lasting memories from what it was a venture through the land of the Huns’ and the land of ‘Dracula'. (Breakfast)
- End of our Tour and services -
* Tour Size: This tour operates on a minimum of 02 and a maximum of 12 participants.
* Tour highlights & World Heritage Sites (WHS)
- Romanian Athenaeum, Bucharest
- The Fortified Church in Biertan (WHS)
- The Medieval Fortified Town, Sighisoara
- The Gothic Black Church, Brasov
- The Peles Castle, Sinaia
- The Fishermen's Bastion, Budapest (WHS)
- The Visegrad Castle
- The Eger Castle
- The Tokaj Wine Cellars
- The Merry Cemetery of Sapanta
- The Wooden Churches of Maramures (WHS)
- The St. Michael Roman-Catholic Cathedral and the statue of King Mathias Corvinus, Cluj
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Prices for 2008
USD: 3,675.00 / CAD: 3,700.00 - per person in double occupancy.
Single supplement is USD: 710.00 / CAD: 720.00
Price includes:
- Accommodation as mentioned or similar (all superior category!)
- Meals as mentioned (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- All sightseeing and transfers by AC car or minivan
- Road taxes, parking fees, driver’s overnight wages
- Services of local English-speaking guides
- Entrance fees to museums, parks and sites included in the itinerary
Price does not include:
- International airfares and airport taxes
- Insurance & visa fee
- Personal expenses / Beverages / Tips / Bills
- Services not mentioned above
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Hungary
Romania
Cultural Journey
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