GLIMPSE
ON ROMANIA
10 days cultural tour
Danube
Delta - Europe's Most Spectacular Wetland
Medieval Towns of Transylvania
Europe's
richest and most beautiful wetland ecosystem is located
near Romania's Black Sea coast. After flowing 2,860
km across Europe, the river Danube spreads out into
a spectacular delta. The variety of its unspoiled landscapes,
the richness of its fauna - birds in particular - and
its sand dunes have long attracted visitors. This unique
natural habitat formed out of channels and lakes, floating
islets ("plauri"), reed marshes, lianas, and
forests of willow and poplar, shelters over 300 species
of birds, some sufficiently rare to enjoy legal protection.
The waters are home to over 100 different species of
fish.
Transylvania is the land "beyond the forests"
(from the Latin "Trans silve"), a land of
beauty and wonders. Its very name conjures up visions
of thickly forested peaks, sweet waved valleys and sparkling
streams, visions of high-roofed wooden churches, medieval
towns, mysterious castles and a troubled history.
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HIGHLIGHTS
* Danube Delta Biosphere
Reserve
* ASTRA open air museum
* Medieval town of Sibiu
* City of Brasov and the
Bran Castle
* Peles Castle in Sinaia
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OUR
EVALUATION
Culture*****
Nature****
Comfort***
Human contacts****
Climbing and walking skills*
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 Day
1
Bucharest - Tulcea (275 km)
Meet
and greet at Bucharest Henri Coanda (Otopeni) airport.
Departure for the Danube Delta. Welcome dinner in a restaurant
and overnight in a 3* hotel in Tulcea.
 Day
2
Tulcea – Crisan (3 hrs cruise)
Breakfast.
Visit the Danube Delta Museum in Tulcea. The museum contains
several collections including rare or extinct plants,
fossils of plants, fish, insects, birds and an exhibition
of living exotic fish.
Lunch in a restaurant in Tulcea.
 Transfer
from Tulcea by ship, cruising on the Sulina channel, to
Crisan, a magnificent fishermen village in the heart of
the Delta.
On the way you will see that human life and all activities
are completely dependant on the waters of the great river:
fish, small animals, fruit and even building materials
are transported by rowing boats. Often, boats are also
used as “local cabs”, transporting people from
shore to shore. On the surrounding lakes, masses of swans
are getting ready for a snap. Spend the afternoon enjoying
the gorgeous view of the sunset over the willow forests
and the purple reflections in the Danube.
Dinner and overnight in a rural guesthouse in Crisan.
 Day
3
Danube Delta in place
Breakfast.
Spend the day exploring the secrets of the Danube Delta
by motor or rowing boat, accompanied by the local specialized
guide; eventually serve a gorgeous picnic lunch in the
middle of the wild nature. The boat will take you to narrow
channels, where you will discover what the birdwatchers
simply call "the paradise of birds". Depending
on the season, you can expect to see Dalmatian and White
Pelicans, Pigmy Cormorants, Purple, Squacco and Night
Herons, Little and Great White Egrets, Spoon Bill, Glossy
Ibis, Swans, Ferruginous Duck etc.
Raptors
include the Black Kite, Osprey, White-tailed Eagle, Marsh
Harrier, Hobby and Red-footed Falcon. Terns include the
Gull-billed, Sandwich, Black, White-winged Black, and
Whiskered. Crakes and Warblers are present too. The very
discreet human intervention allowed more than 1000 plant
species to survive in the Delta.
White and yellow water lilies decorate the lakes. Forests
of oaks stand covered by lianas, giving them the aspect
of a tropical forest. You will also discover villages
where fishermen continue living in a centuries-old way
of life.
Dinner and overnight in the same guesthouse in Crisan.
Day
4
Crisan – Tulcea – Braila
– Buzau – Brasov – Bran (370 km + 3 hrs
cruise)
Breakfast.
Cruise back on the Sulina channel to Tulcea. From Tulcea,
traveling West, we enter an area of hills famous for the
vineyards. Picnic lunch on the way and continue to Brasov
region, crossing the Southern Carpathians.
 Dinner
and overnight in a rural guesthouse in Bran.
 Day
5
Bran – Predeal – Sinaia
– Brasov – Bran (80 km)
Breakfast.
Visit Bran Castle, often wrongfully attributed to prince
Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler). Perched over a rock, the
castle dominates the valley connecting Wallachia to Transylvania,
a valley that, in the 13th century, had the status of
vital trade route.
Departure for Sinaia, surnamed “the Pearl of the
Carpathians”. Visit the impressive Peles Castle.
The castle was built under the supervision of the First
King of Romania, Carol I of Hohenzollern, at the end of
the 19th century.
Lunch in a restaurant in Sinaia.
 Return
to Brasov, the "Crown City" of Transylvania,
named "Kronstadt" by the Saxon colonists. Enjoy
a tour of the old medieval city: visit the Council Square
and the Black Church - one of the finest examples of Gothic
architecture in Romania and the biggest church between
Wien and Istanbul.
Back for dinner and overnight in the same rural guesthouse
in Bran.
 Day
6
Bran – Rasnov – Prejmer
– Harman – Fagaras – Sibiu – Marginimea
Sibiului (200 km)
Breakfast.
Visit the fortress of Rasnov (Rosenau), located on a 150m
high hill, dominating the whole plane. The fortress, built
in the 13th century by the Saxon colonists, has recently
been restored.
Continue for Prejmer (Tartlau) and Harman (Honigberg)
to visit the two 13th century fortified churches, both
present in the UNESCO heritage list. Lunch in a restaurant
on the way.
Time permitting, stop in Sambata de Sus and visit the
Brancoveanu Monastery. The monastery was built during
the second decade of the 17th century by Constantin Brancoveanu,
Prince of Wallachia, on the ruins of an older wooden monastery
erected at the beginning of the century by his grandfather.
In 1785, on the order of the House of Habsburg, the monastery
was partially destroyed, being restored only in the beginning
of the 20th century. Nowadays the monastery governs the
most important school of religious painting.
Dinner and overnight in a rural guesthouse in Marginimea
Sibiului.
 Day
7
Sibiu
tour (40 km)
Breakfast.
Discover Sibiu, one of Romania's oldest cities, founded
by the Saxons in 1191 and called Hermanstadt. Sibiu was
the 2007 European Capital of Culture. In the morning,
visit the open-air section of the ASTRA ethnographic museum,
located in the middle of a magnificent landscape, with
cool forests and sunny glades surrounding a beautiful
lake. The museum offers in its 6 sections an elaborate
demonstration of pre-industrial folk technology and development
in Romania. Lunch in a rustic restaurant in the museum`s
park.
 In
the afternoon visit the old center: in the Large Square,
the city center since the 16th century, is located the
Council Tower, one of the main symbols of the city, a
14th century fortification tower that has been successively
rebuilt over the years. The building nearby used to be
the City Council's meeting place. Continue with the Small
Square and the Huet Square, the Bridge of Liars and finally
the Evanghelical Church, two other city symbols.
On the way back, visit the glass painted icons museum
in Sibiel.
Dinner and overnight in the same location.
Day
8
Sibiu – Cozia – Ramnicu
Valcea – Curtea de Arges – Pitesti – Bucharest
(290 km)
Breakfast.
Departure for the capital city along the Olt River. Stop
on the way to visit Cozia Monastery. Built in the 14th
century, on the will of Mircea the Old, Prince of Wallachia,
this monastery is one of the most imposing ever built
on his order. With its architecture, the monastery marks
the period when the original Byzantine architecture was
adapted to Romanian culture.
Continue to Curtea de Arges and visit the monastery Curtea
de Arges, resting place of several Romanian kings.
 Built
by Neagoe Basarab, the monastery is related to the legend
of Manole, according to which the wife of the master stonemason
Manole was embedded alive in the stonewalls of the church,
sacrifice meant to ensure the success of his work. The
prince who ordered to build the church decided the scaffolding
to be removed, which left Manole stranded on the roof,
so that he could never build a church as beautiful as
this one again. In an attempt to escape, Manole made himself
a pair of wings out of wooden shingles, but they were
of no avail, and he would crash to the ground like Icarus
and die. Upon his crash, on that very spot, a spring would
gush forth, which is now called “Manole's well”.
Today people would throw coins in its basin, to make their
wishes come true.
Lunch in a restaurant in Curtea de Arges. Continue to
Bucharest.
Dinner in a restaurant and overnight in a 3* hotel in
Bucharest.
 Day
9
Bucharest tour (30 km)
Breakfast.
Tour of the capital city. Surnamed “the Little Paris”
of the 30's, the city will amaze you with its architecture,
but also with the multitude of shops and narrow streets,
still preserving the charm of the days gone by. Visit
the Stavropoleus Church, Lipscani Street - the old commercial
street, the University Square. Stroll on the Union Avenue
and continue with a visit to the Palace of the Parliament,
one of the largest buildings in the world and definitely
the largest building in Europe. With a surface of 350
000 square meters, the “Palace of the People”
(as it used to be called during the communist regime)
is on the second place in the world, after the Pentagon
from Washington DC, being also 10% larger in volume than
the Gizeh pyramids.
 Lunch
in a restaurant. In the afternoon visit the open-air section
of the Village Museum, in the Herastrau Park, to admire
village architecture and crafts from all over Romania.
Farewell dinner in a restaurant and overnight in the same
3* hotel in Bucharest.
 Day
10
Bucharest (20 km)
Breakfast. Free time for city sightseeing and shopping.
Transfer to the international airport for departure.
| Duration
|
10
days / 9 nights |
| Lodging
|
rural
guesthouses (ocasionally, bathrooms shared between
tourists) and hotels |
| Notes |
1.
Rates do not apply in holiday period (Easter).
2. According to the opening hours for some visited
sites (e.g. museums), this programme can be applied
as it is if Day 1 is Monday, Friday or Saturday.
If Day 1 differs, some visits or activities will
be replaced consequently.
3. Price does not include: extra taxes for cameras
and filming (requested in some places - e.g. the
monasteries), personal drinks off the boarding,
tips (optional).
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2012
RATES
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NUMBER
OF PARTICIPANTS
|
PERIOD
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PRICE/
PERS
|
SGLE
SUPPL
|
PRICE
INCLUDES
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2
(private tour)
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April
-
October
|
1535
EUR
|
187
EUR
|
-
lodging: 6 nights in rural guesthouses and 3
nights in hotels (on a double room basis occupancy)
- boarding: full board (as specified in the
programme)
- entry tickets for the visits included in the
programme
- transport and transfers in Romania by car,
minibus or coach
- all road and parking taxes
- boat and ship cruise in Danube Delta (specialised
local guide included)
- transport of luggage
- English speaking attested tour guide
- all taxes
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8
(constitued
groups)
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April
-
October
|
960
EUR
|
187
EUR
|
|
|
1020
EUR
|
187
EUR
|
| Quotation
on request for other group sizes or discounts
for children under 12 |
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