ROMANIA PANORAMA 7 DAYS | FEBRUARY – MARCH

Flight to Bucharest, the stately capital of Romania, the "Paris of the Balkans", a center of Hellenism during the Ottoman rule. Arrival and direct tour of the most beautiful sights of the city that has been called the Paris of the Balkans for its architecture, parks and wide avenues. On our tour, among other things, we will see Victory Avenue, the Stavroupolis Church, the Old Palaces, the Arch of Triumph and the last "acquisition", before the fall of the dictatorship, the pharaonic-sized presidential palace, with the oxymoronic title "House of the People". Transfer to the hotel and free time for an afternoon stroll in the old city. Dinner and overnight stay.

Departure for Pretzmer to visit the homonymous Castle-Church, a World Heritage Site protected by UNESCO. The construction of the Church and the Castle that protects it began in 1212 and was completed in 1225 by the Teutonic Knights. Next stop is the picturesque village of Biertan, whose fortified Saxon church, built during the 15th century and one of the oldest in Transylvania, is included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list. We continue with our destination in the geographical region of Moldova and the city of Piatra Neamt. Arrival in the picturesque Piatra Neamt, built in a privileged position at the foot of the Eastern Carpathians. Dinner and overnight stay.

Today is dedicated entirely to the “Land of Wonders”, Bukovina and its painted monasteries, which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We will start with the Voronet Monastery, “The Sistine Chapel of the East” as it is called because of the magnificent painted icons that adorn it. The unique blue color used here is included in the color lists as “Voronet blue”. Next stop is the Moldovita Monastery, characterized by the truly monumental fresco on the theme of the Siege of Constantinople by the Persians. Then we will visit a local museum where we will get to know an old Romanian tradition, painted eggs. Our last visit will be the Sucevita Monastery, the largest of all the monasteries in the region. Its frescoes depict Greek philosophers, among whom Sophocles and Plato have a central place. Return to Piatra Neamț. Dinner and overnight stay.

Morning departure for Brasov. On our way we will see the impressive Bicas Gorge and the Red Lake formed by the collapse of the mountain on the Bicas River in 1836. We continue to the best-preserved medieval city in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sighisoara, crossing the Carpathians through a wonderful route. Picturesque villages, forested slopes, gorges, rushing rivers are some of the impressive images we will encounter. Arrival in Sighisoara, where we will find that the entire city is an open-air museum, a real gem with nine towers, paved streets and ornate churches. The Acropolis built in the 12th century that we will visit remains almost intact and we will walk through the cobblestone streets of the old town. Our final destination is the capital of Transylvania, Brasov, which we will get to know on our tour tomorrow. Check-in at the hotel, dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, we will visit Peles Castle, the summer palace of the last kings and until recently a forbidden place for any visitor since the dictator Ceausescu had converted it into a family villa. Next stop is Sinaia, the Pearl of the Carpathians as they call it. We continue to Bran to visit the most famous tourist attraction in the country, the Tower of Vlad Tepes, known as Count Dracula, and then return to Brasov. Upon arrival, we will be guided through one of the most beautiful cities in modern Romania, the capital of Transylvania, Brasov. We will see the main square where the Old Town Hall bears the city's emblems, the crown and the tree on its facade. Hungarians, Romanians, Slavs and Germans had settled in Brasov over the centuries, making it the most cosmopolitan city in the Balkans. Dinner and overnight stay.

Morning departure for our return to Bucharest with very important visits during our route. First stop is the city of Sibiu, the architectural jewel of Romania. A city with a rich history of nine centuries, it was once known as Hermannsdorf and then – when it became an independent community in 1366 – as Hermannstadt. Walking through the old cobblestone streets of the historic center we will feel the medieval atmosphere of the city and travel to the past. In Grivita Square, which is the core of the old medieval city, we will be impressed by the Gothic buildings that have been erected on the foundations of the old fortresses. We will also have the opportunity to visit the Cozia Monastery, a wonderful example of medieval art and Romanian architecture. Then we will depart for one of the oldest cities in Wallachia, Curtea de Arges, where we will visit the Episcopal Church where the tombs of the Romanian Kings are located, the only Byzantine church in the country. Arrival in the familiar Bucharest to walk, if you wish, in the historic center and admire the magnificent buildings that adorn it. Dinner and overnight stay.

Our last morning in the city we will take advantage of by visiting the famous People's Palace/Parliament, one of the largest buildings on the planet! We continue to the Village Museum, a special park where one can admire the customs and traditions of different villages of the country. Next stop for coffee in the lush green park of Cherastrau with the lake of the same name. In the afternoon, full of rich impressions from this special country, we are transferred to the airport for the return flight.