On March 5, 1946, in describing the recent appearance of economic, social, and military barriers between Eastern and Western Europe, Winston Churchill said in Fulton in the United States: "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the European continent". This vivid metaphor caught the public’s imagination, and phrases such as "behind the Iron Curtain" remained in widespread use right up until the collapse of Communism.
Among the eastern European countries, which were considered to be "behind the Iron Curtain" are Romania, Bulgaria and Sates of the former Soviet Union, including Ukraine & Moldova. For long decades cultural travel to these areas were almost or totally impossible. This unique journey will trace ancient history and culture, folklore and local customs, arts and architecture, all delightful heritages!
Your Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Kiev
We arrive in Kiev where we are welcomed by our local host and taken to the hotel. The rest of the day is free for relaxation. Overnight: Hotel Vozdvyzhensky, Kiev (3 nights) (Breakfast)
Day 2: Kiev / Cernihov / Kiev (drive)
After breakfast we take a full-day tour to Cernihov and visit this old and interesting Ukrainian town. Our tour includes a visit to the Cathedral of St. Borisogleb, then a visit of the old town area, as well as an excursion to the nearby Atonoiniev Caves. Later in the afternoon we’ll return to Kiev. (Breakfast)
Day 3: Kiev
Today after breakfast we’ll have a full day visit of Kiev & to the ‘Pechersk Caves’ Monastery. The city tour of Kiev includes a visit to the Vladimir’s Cathedral, which is the most prominent sacral painting complex of the late 19th century, decorated by world-famous artists.
We will observe later the magnificent mosaics and frescoes of St. Sophia Cathedral, the oldest temple in the Eastern Slavonic states, built at the beginning of 17th century to glorify the victory of Prince Yaroslav the Wise over Pechenegs’ tribes. The tour continues with the St. Andrew’s Church, a striking piece of baroque architecture of the 18th century, finally also visit the Historical and Cultural Reserve of Ukraine.
Then we drive outside Kiev to visit the ‘Pechersk Caves’ Monastery. The monastery was built in the mid 11th century A.D. and it is one of the most ancient monasteries on the territory of the Eastern Slavonic states.
During this tour we will observe underground labyrinths of caves with mummies of monks, a Museum of Treasures, displaying the rich Scythian Gold collection and a collection of the Judaic ritual silver objects from the 18th & 19th centuries. The Monastery is situated on a picturesque hilltop and from the Bell-tower we will have a fascinating overview of the gold-domed monastery complex and the marvelous banks of Dnepr River. (Breakfast)
Day 4: Kiev / Vinnitsa / Kiev (drive) & Kiev / Lvov (overnight train)
This morning we will drive to Vinnitsa and have a tour of the town. Here we must see the local Cathedral, the Aircraft Museum, as well as the old town area. After completing our walking tour, we will return to Kiev, with en route stop of Uman. In Kiev we are transferred to the train station for our overnight train journey to Lvov. Overnight: Onboard train to Lvov (21:46 - 08:00) (Breakfast)
Day 5: Lvov
Once arrived in Lvov, we’ll have a tour of the city and later we’re taken to the hotel. The city tour of Lvov, also called “a gem of European Architecture”, includes a panoramic view of the city from the High Castle, the unique architectural ensemble of the Market Square, the St. George’s Cathedral & the Ethnographic Museum. The evening is free to rest and explore on our own. Overnight: Grand Hotel, Lvov (1 night) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 6: Lvov / Chisinau (Moldova) (train)
After breakfast, we are driven to the Railway Station for our day-train to Chisinau (Republic of Moldova). On arrival to Chisinau Railway Station, we are welcome by our local guide and driver and we are transferred to the hotel. The rest of the day is free. Overnight: Hotel Leogrand, Chisinau (3 nights) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 7: Chisinau
After a leisurely breakfast in our hotel, we go for a full-day City tour of Chisinau. Our tour includes the Holy Gates, the Arc de Triumph, the Orthodox Cathedral, and the flower market.
Later, we also visit the Archeology & Ethnography Museum and in the afternoon we take a trip to the Orheiul Vechi, a historic-monastic conservation complex, situated 40 miles away from Chisinau, on the site of the Moldovan Medieval City Orhei – the only medieval town on the territory of the country (XII-XVII centuries). In the evening drive back to Chisinau for overnight stay. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 8: Chisinau / Tiraspol (or Milestii Mici) / Chisinau (drive)
Our early morning breakfast is followed by a tour to the township of Tiraspol, the capital city of ‘Trans-Dniester’, controversial Moldovan territory presently controlled by the Russian Military. A three-hour permit is issued for our visit here (subject to political situation!). In the event we fail to visit Tiraspol, we’ll have instead a tour to Milestii Mici - The qualified wine manufacturer, which will acquaint us with an underground gallery, where the huge barrels of wine are stored.
There is a special tasting hall designed in medieval style with tables and benches made of wood. The pleasant feeling of this air smothered by the aroma of wine will embrace us. Here we will try eight brands of wine and will learn the old traditions of wine making. After completing tour, we’ll return to Chisinau. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 9: Chisinau / Albita / Suceava (Romania) (drive)
We leave Chisinau this morning, as we are transferred to Albita, the border crossing point between Moldova & Romania. Here we will meet our Romanian guide, and continue drive to Suceava, where we visit the City Fortress, followed by a short drive to Sucevita, our ‘headquarter’ for the next two days. Overnight: Popasul Bucovinean, Sucevita (2 nights) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 10: Painted Monasteries Tour (drive)
Today we’ll have a memorable visit to the world-famous painted monasteries, Sucevita, Voronet, Humor, Putna and Moldovita, most of these being listed as World Heritage Sites. Among the most picturesque treasures of Romania are the painted churches located in Bucovina.
These richly decorated houses of worship are "albums" of fresco-art that have survived the time & natural elements since the 15th century. We visit the Voronet Monastery & Church, founded in 1488 by Stephen the Great, which is widely known throughout Europe as "the Sistine Chapel of the East," because of its interior and exterior wall paintings. The walls offer an abundance of blue-chromatic frescoes, featuring a color that has come to be known as the Voronet Blue.
The frescoes of this church and many other painted churches in the Bucovina region illustrate biblical scenes, prayers, episodes of sacred hymns and themes such as The Last Judgment and The Ladder of St. John, all variously featuring the colorful and detail-rich imagery of apostles, evangelists, philosophers, martyrs, angels and demons.
Besides their vivid frescoes, the painted monasteries are famous for their original way of depicting beliefs or events; Sucevita Monastery with its unique ‘Ladder of Virtue’; Humor Monastery, featuring the devil amusingly depicted as a woman, and Moldovita Monastery, where a monumental scene of the Siege of Constantinople is displayed. After completing our tour, we return to Sucevita for dinner and overnight. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 11: Suceava / Brasov (drive)
Early morning we leave by car for Brasov. Our long drive will get us through the beautiful countryside of the Carpathian Mountains, ‘spiced’ with lakes, snowy peaks and friendly local people. We arrive late in the afternoon to Brasov, also called the ‘fairytale town’. Overnight: Hotel Aro Palace (1 night) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 12: Brasov / Bucharest (drive)
After breakfast we leave for Bucharest. On your way we’ll stop and visit the Bran Castle – made famous by Bram Stoker's Novel as the residence of the Vampire Count, Dracula. From here we continue on to Sinaia and visit the Peles Castle, an exquisite piece of architecture, which has served as the summer residence for King Carl I the first king of Romania.
Then drive to Bucharest through the picturesque Prahova River Valley. In the afternoon arrive to Bucharest and enjoy a panoramic tour of the “Paris of the East”. We will start our tour with the visit of 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. In the evening enjoy a dinner at local Restaurant. Overnight: Hotel Lido, Bucharest (1 night) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 13: Bucharest / Veliko Tarnovo (drive)
After breakfast, and before departing to Bulgaria, we will first visit the Parliament Palace, the second largest building in the World after the Pentagon. Afterwards we drive south and cross the boarder at Giurgiu, over the Danube by bridge and enter the Bulgarian port town of Ruse.
From here, we will continue drive on to the famous ‘Valley of the Roses” and to the medieval town of Veliko Tarnovo, the former capital of the Bulgarian Empire. Overnight: Hotel Yantra, Veliko Tarnovo (2 nights) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 14: Veliko Turnovo / Arbanassi / Veliko Tarnovo (drive)
We start our day sightseeing Turnovo. See the medieval quarter of the town and the historical “Tsarevets” hill, where remains from the former capital’s glory can still be seen. We then proceed to Arbanassi – a small Bulgarian village, interesting and renowned for its architecture, where we see the Konstancaliev house and the Church of Nativity, whose wall paintings are considered a rare masterpiece. We return to our hotel by evening. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 15: Veliko Turnovo / Etara / Plovdiv (drive)
After breakfast we depart for the township of Plovdiv. En route we will stop for a short visit of Etara, an open-air museum showing the architecture, the life style and the economic past of Gabrovo region during the Revival Period. Different crafts are demonstrated in numerous live workshops. We then cross the Balkan Mountains through the Shipka Pass, famous for it’s historical significance, and arrive in Plovdiv - the second largest city in Bulgaria.
Upon our arrival, we’ll have a tour in the old town with its cobbled streets and typical national Revival architecture. See the Ethnographic Museum, an inhabited rich merchant’s house from 19th century, the Roman Amphitheatre, the Church of St. Konstantine and Elena and Jumaya Mosque. Overnight: Trimontium Hotel (1 night) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 16: Plovdiv / Borovets / Rila Monastery / Sofia (drive)
Today will continue our exploration with Borovets – Bulgaria’s most famous mountain resort, followed by the 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 it played a key role in preserving Bulgarian culture and language during the centuries. It is included in UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list. See the monastery church with its amazing frescos painted by the most famous Bulgarian artists from 19th century, and the monastery museum.
Having survived the times with the self-confidence of the most zealous guard of the Bulgarian spirit and language, it still fascinates present-day visitors with the pure and harmonious line of the buildings' exquisite colonnades, arches and vaults, spacious rooms richly decorated with murals and fretwork. The monastery's most treasured historic and artistic monuments include the 14th century Hrelyo Tower, the five-domed Birth of the Blessed Virgin Church and the original monastery kitchen from the 19th century.
The monastery also houses a rich museum collection of valuable old manuscripts and documents, charters and icons, an ethnographic exhibition of fabrics, jewelry, carpets and wrought iron objects, and a library containing more than 16,000 books. We then proceed to Sofia. Overnight: Hilton Hotel (2 nights) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 17: Sofia
After breakfast, we start our morning sightseeing of Sofia. First, we’ll visit the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The magnificent St. Alexander Nevsky Memorial Church, built to the designs of architect Pomerantsev from 1904 to 1912, is one of the finest pieces of 20th century architecture in Sofia.
The interior is just as splendid in materials and craftsmanship: Italian marble, Brazilian onyx, African alabaster, frescoes and woodcarvings by the best Bulgarian and Russian artists. The underground crypt has an impressive collection of icons. The exposition was opened in 1964 and features icons from across Bulgaria that are among the 9th to 18th centuries masterpieces in the Balkans.
We continue our tour with the Church of St. Sophia, the Round Church of St. George, the Russian Church of St. Nicolas and the Synagogue. If time permitting we’ll also visit the buildings of the National Theatre - the Largo, the mineral Baths of Sofia, and the National Palace of Culture. Later in the afternoon we’ll have some free time for souvenir shopping and then a farewell dinner with folklore show. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 18: Sofia / Homebound
Today we say farewell to our journey through the eastern-most European countries, formerly ‘behind the Iron Curtain’, where we have met interesting and friendly people and have experienced exciting and valuable cultural treasures. We are taken to the airport for our flight back home. (Breakfast)
Tour highlights & World Heritage Sites (WHS)
- Romanian Athenaeum, Bucharest
- The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina
- Tiraspol, Trans-Nistria
- The city tour of Lvov
- St. Sophia Cathedral, Kiev
- The Village of Arbanassi, Bulgaria
- The Rila Monastery (WHS)
- Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Prices for 2008
USD / CAD: 5,680.00 - per person in double occupancy.
Single supplement is USD / CAD: 1,200.00
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
- Regional and Domestic train tickets
- Services of local English-speaking guides and drivers
- Entrance fees to museums, parks and sites mentioned in the itinerary
- Necessary visa support (i.e. letter of invitation for Ukraine)
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
Ukraine
Moldova
Romania
Cultural Journey
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