Transylvania walking tour
| country: | Romania |
| location: | Transylvania |
| trip type: | Introductory walking holidays |
| departures: | Departs every Friday, Jun - Oct. This trip can also be booked on a tailor made basis for private groups (min 2 people) |
| price: | From €1429 (7 days) excluding flights. Price based on two people sharing, includes professionally trained English speaking guide, accommodation, breakfasts, land transfers and entry fees |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A 7 day guided walking tour ideal for families with children, seniors and even passionate hikers. Located in the beautiful scenery of Piatra Craiului National Park and Bucegi Mountains, on the Rucar - Bran corridor, the itinerary is designed so that you can decide for yourself the level of difficulty of the hiking routes each day. You can choose relaxing walks or to push your limits and hike up to 1740 meters.
Major highlights include:
Bran Castle – also known as Dracula’s Castle, a legendary Transylvanian fortress dating back to 1377 Peles Castle – one of the most beautiful royal residences in Europe, home to most of Romania’s monarchs Dambovicioarei Gorges – one of the largest gorges in Romania, stretching 2 kilometres, charming the eyes of the visitors with its steep walls, the peaks reaching 200 meters. Dambovicioarei Cave – an impressive gallery stretching 250 meters dating back prior to 1579. Brasov City tour – explore the Medieval Saxon city of Brasov with its outstanding medieval atmosphere, one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe Bucharest city tour – to find out why the Romanian capital was once called “little Paris”
Major highlights include:
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Bucharest – Sinaia – Brasov - Predelut. Transfer from Bucharest to the beautiful village of Predelut. The village is located on the Rucar – Moeciu – Bran corridor famous for the breathtaking landscapes and homemade cheese. The route to Predelut crosses Sinaia, the pearl of mountain resorts in Romania and the Medieval Saxon City of Brasov, a city with an outstanding medieval atmosphere. The most famous landmark of Brasov is the Black Church, the largest gothic edifice built in Southern Europe. Accommodation in Predelut in a 4* country-inn |
| Day 2: | Predelut. After breakfast we start the hiking programme, the guide will recommend the best routes depending on how you feel and the weather and you choose what best suits you, a challenging route or a relaxing walk. Hiking route will include Predelut – Magura – Zarnesti Precipices and if you feel up to it you can hike up to Curmatura – 1740 meters. |
| Day 3: | Predelut – Moeciu de Jos. After breakfast drive to Moeciu de Jos village. On the way to Moeciu de Jos stop in Bran to visit Bran Castle, Transylvania’s living legend, unrightfully called Dracula’s Castle. The castle owes its fame both to its unique charm and to the myth Bram Stoker created around Dracula. Today the castle is an impressive medieval museum. In Moeciu de Jos accommodation in a welcoming guest house. |
| Day 4: | Moeciu de Jos. Today explore the beautiful landscape of Moeciu de Jos, hike in the area of Zbarcioarei Valley, the cave, Sirnea, enjoy the beautiful Carpathian landscape. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the hiking route. In the evening return to the accommodation. |
| Day 5: | Moeciu de Jos – Bucharest. Say goodbye to the beautiful scenery of Carpathians Mountains and drive to Bucharest. On the way to Bucharest stop to visit Dambovicioarei Gorges and Dambovicioarei Cave. Dambovicioarei Gorges are amongst the largest gorges in Romania, stretching on 2 kilometres. Due to the calcareous structure many caves were formed. The most impressive, the largest and most visited is Dambovicioara Cave. Stretching on 250 meters, this cave looks like a gallery and it dates back prior to 1579, when it was used as a refugee place. Recent studies led to the discovery of a new gallery inside the cave, which was not yet opened to public access. In Bucharest accommodation in a centrally located 3* hotel. |
| Day 6: | Bucharest. Explore the capital city of Bucharest with a city tour. Major highlights include: Romanian Athenaeum; Romanian Opera; the Triumph Arch, a little smaller than the one in Paris, but also located at the intersection of six boulevards; the Parliament Palace the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon; Stavropoleos Church an architectural jewel. To have a complete picture of the Romanian capital you could enjoy a delicious traditional dinner with folk show in one of Bucharest's top restaurants. Accommodation in a charming 3* hotel, central location. |
| Day 7: | Bucharest. Transfer to the airport for the flight back home. |
how this holiday makes a difference
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In order to protect the environment, we operate with small groups, with a maximum of 14 people. To minimise the negative impact on the environment, we always make sure that our tourists have a recyclable garbage bag and that the waste will be disposed only on the special arranged areas. Our guide, a nature enthusiast, has intricate knowledge of the routes involved and provides our guests with the best suggestions: keep to tracks, not disturb the wildlife, use bio-degradable hygiene products and of course, enjoy themselves.
The car transfers are kept to a minimum, besides the transfer from the capital city of Bucharest (starting point) to the walking area and return, there’s only one other 20 minute drive involved. Besides the economic aspect – we’re using only local suppliers - your visit is of great importance for the small rural communities as you’ll be able to purchase local goods starting with food and ending with souvenirs & handicrafts. Most of the accommodations are placed in rural areas, guesthouses and country-inns, small local businesses, some of which are family run. Massive depopulation of rural areas occurred in Romania after 1989 so choosing to stay in accommodations in rural areas truly is of great importance and visibly makes a difference in this respect. This is also an ideal opportunity to spend more time with the locals but also ensure that the financial benefits of your visit reach the people of the area and not some large companies based outside the region. The Romanian guide will also advise you on local customs as well as help you to break down language barriers. The entry fees will help maintain and even restore the precious tourist attractions visited throughout the tour: Peles Castle, Bran Castle, Dambovicioarei Gorges and Cave. We’re also making financial contributions of £1 for every person who books one of our tours, to support Saint Daniel’s Foundation programme entitled 'A grandfather for a nephew – A nephew for a grandfather', helping the elderly and orphans, people most in need. We encourage our guests do a little reading before coming to find out more about their host communities and the environment so that they can connect better with the locals. We provide suggestions on how best to support the local economies and communities, as well as the surrounding environment. Guests will receive a pre-trip information pack via e-mail, to minimise the use of paper, which will inform them about issues relating to the place they will travel, some language tips and general advice. Furthermore, our tour guides are well-educated multilingual people who can offer guests their skills as an interpreter and offer up-to-date details on current national and regional issues. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |