Key details
• Private tour: only for you and your partner/family/group
• In English: with a guide or driver (other languages upon request)
• Dates: you decide the dates
• Services: you choose the type of services and options
• Location: it starts in Cluj-Napoca and ends in Bucharest
• Duration: 7 days in total
• No flights included
Short description
The north of Romania and much more, starting in the capital of Transylvania: Cluj Napoca. The tour focuses on the Maramures region, with its Wooden Churches, the "Merry" Cemetery, and the "Mocanita" steam train. You also reach Bucovina and its famous Painted Monasteries, ending the itinerary in Bucharest.
What you will do
• Discover Maramures, the most authentic Romanian region, with its wooden churches and the famous "Merry Cemetery" of Sapanta
• Take a trip on "Mocanita" steam train, through virgin forests
• Admire the Painted Monasteries of Bucovina, jewels of Byzantine art surrounded by fir trees and pastures
• Get to know Cluj-Napoca ("the capital" of Transylvania); optional extension of the program to the Black Sea Coast and Bulgaria.
Advantages
Why Santiago Tour?
1. Local experts and excellent guides
2. Local prices and selected services
Why a Private Tour?
1. It's flexible - you decide when to travel and how
2. It's personal - a trip for you and according to your preferences
Price
This is a private tour, adaptable to your travel dates and preferences, organized only for you and your partner / family / group.
| Number of participants |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 or more |
Price* / person |
€1274 |
€939 |
€919 |
€814 |
€724 |
* Discount: up to - €170/person, in case of choosing English-speaking driver-guide instead of proficient tour guide (see below in options)
Services
What is Included:
• Accommodation: 6 overnights according to the program, in double room with breakfast included, 3* Smart type (see below).
• Transportation by modern vehicle according to the program, with related expenses and 2 airport-hotel and return transfers included
• Assistance: English speaking proficient tour guide, as per program
• Guided visits mentioned in the program; 1 attraction with free entrance: Barsana Monastery (Maramures); 8 attractions with entrance fee included; 1 excursion.
The 7 planned attractions: Turda Salt Mine; Merry Cemetery of Sapanta and the Wooden Churches of Surdesti and Bogdan-Voda/similar (Maramures); Painted Monasteries of Moldovita and Voronet, and the Painted Eggs Museum (Bucovina).
The planned excursion: "Mocanita" steam train (duration: approx. 6h; lunch included: 1 mixed grill plate, 1 water / soft drink, 1 pastry / doughnut dessert, 1 hot drink).
3* Smart Type Accommodation: mainly 3* superior hotels with quality services
or similar, depending on availability.
• Single room supplement: + €120.
What is Not included:
• flights and travel insurance
• personal expenses, such as: mini bar, phone calls, porterage etc.
• photo / video fees during the visits (if applicable)
• in general, all services not specified in "what is included"
• tips for the guide and/or driver.
Options
1. Accommodation
• 4* Comfort type - mainly 4* hotels with quality services: Cluj-Napoca - Beyfin 4* Hotel (center 0); Baia Mare - Magus 4* Hotel / Castel Transilvania 4* Hotel (surroundings/city); Viseu de Sus - Mirage 4* Hotel (center -); Bistrita - Coroana de Aur 4* Hotel (center 1); Piatra Neamt - Central Plaza 4* Hotel (center 1); Bucarest- K+K 4* Hotel (centro 0). Or similar, depending on availability. Total extra charge: approx. + €40/person in double room and the single supplement changing to: €155.
• 3* Economy type - mainly 3* standard hotels and pensions, with quality services. Total discount: approx. - €30/person in double room and single supplement changing to: €115.
Notes on accommodation
• Confirmed hotels can be communicated only after making the reservations on specific dates
• center 0 / center 1 / center 2 means: 0-5 / 5-15 / 15-25 minutes walking distance from the center (the important tourist area of the city)
• Some 3* boutique hotels and pensions don't have an elevator or air conditioning (because it is not usually required). If these are essential requirements, please let us know or choose the 4* Comfort option.
2. Assistance
A. With a proficient tour guide. Option included in the price.
• English-speaking tour guide, offering detailed explanation, presentations, and guided tours. The tour guide also makes all necessary arrangements, as well as restaurant and meal recommendations.
• a tour guide for the entire program, no local tour guides being used in general. Some attractions only allow guided tours (their own staff); if the included tour is not available in English, our tour guide will join you and translate or even make the tour by himself (if allowed).
• depending on availability: a tour guide who also drives (1 person), or a tour guide plus a driver (2 people), with fee, meal allowance, and accommodation included.
• only with a tour guide and starting from 4 participants, you can also choose meal options: lunches and/or dinners.
B. With a driver-guide. Discount: up to - €170/person.
• English-speaking driver-guide, facilitating the visits, the entrances to attractions, the check-ins and other details. The driver-guide is also able to make restaurant and meal recommendations.
• offers basic information about the main attractions and the country but not detailed explanation or presentations. Some attractions only allow guided tours (their own staff); if the included tour is not available in English, our driver-guide will join you and translate or even make the tour by himself (if allowed).
• his fee, meal allowance, and accommodation are included.
3. Meals
• Half board (lunches): + €55/person, 5 lunches, days 2-6. Half board (dinners): + €90/person, 5 dinners, days 2-6. Full board: + €145/person (both previous options).
Meal notes:
• meal options are only possible for a minimum of 4 participants and accompanied by a tour guide
• meals are organized in local restaurants and hotel restaurants
• Lunches and / or dinners are provided on full days of the program and they are tourist-menu type (standard): 3 dishes (starter, main, dessert), bread, and mineral water. They do not include drinks such as coffee, wine, beer, soft drinks etc.
• breakfasts are already included with the accommodation
• meal options are more suitable for groups.
Read the General Conditions for a Private tour by clicking here
How it is organized
• 6 Overnights: Cluj Napoca - Baia Mare - Vișeu de sus - Bistrița - Piatra Neamț - Bucharest
• Itinerary: Cluj-Napoca ("the capital of Transylvania") - Baia Mare (important regional town) - Maramures (the Merry Cemetery of Sapanta, the Wooden Churches, excursion by steam train) - Bucovina (the Painted Monasteries) - Piatra Neamț (Moldavian style downtown) - Bucharest (the capital).
• The tour involves 6 nights and 7 days: 2 days of arrival & return and 5 days of program with activities such as city tours, free time, visits en route, and excursion.
Short description
Concept:
• 7 days in total and planned to take place from Saturday to Friday. It can be adapted to your flights and preferred dates while taking into account the visiting hours of the attractions included in the program.
• It is the ideal program for a second trip to Romania, with a focus on the north, if on your previous trip you have visited Bucharest and southern Transylvania: the castles, Sibiu, Sighișoara, Brasov.
• The program can be slightly customized to match your preferences and ideas, or it can be the draft for a tailor-made trip made from scratch. To calculate travel times, take into account an average speed of approx. 50 km / hour (except highways).
Custom-made:
• Extend: with 1 more day, the Danube Delta can also be included. That opens up the possibility of adding 1 or 2 extra days on the Romanian coast, visiting Constanta, enjoying the beach and even taking a trip to the Bulgarian coast discovering the Balchik Palace and some other attractions.
• Adapt: the program can be adjusted to include desired or unknown attractions, for example: we can replace the Painted Monasteries of Bucovina with Iasi, a charming university town and the capital of the Moldavian region.
Program
Day 1 of 7. Arrival in Romania
Cluj Napoca ☾
Program: transfer and free time (if possible)
Arrival at Cluj Napoca Airport and meeting with Santiago Tour’s guide or driver.
Transfer to the accommodation.
Depending on the arrival hour, free time in the city (without driver or guide). You can stroll around the main attractions of Cluj Napoca, the second largest city in the country and the capital of Transylvania, an important bicultural economic and university town (Romanian and Hungarian), which still maintains a certain aristocratic air.
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Day 2 of 7. The capital of Transylvania, an underground world and reach Maramures
Cluj Napoca - Turda Salt Mine - Baia Mare ☾. 215 km
Program: visit Cluj-Napoca and Turda Salt Mine; free time in Baia Mare
Breakfast. City tour, discovering: Union Square - around Saint Michael Catholic Church, the tallest gothic building in Romania (80 m); the birthplace of the famous Hungarian king Matías - located in the old town, near Museum Square; the monumental Romanian Orthodox Cathedral and the Theater built by Helmer & Fellner. Afterwards, we start the route arriving at Turda Salt Mine, a former salt exploitation and the most important tourist attraction of its kind, after an investment of € 6 million - European funds. Visit and time to have lunch. In the afternoon, we head north and arrive in Baia Mare, the departure point to explore Maramures the next day and the most important city in this region. Overnight accommodation and free time.
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Day 3 of 7. Maramures, a fairytale region
Baia Mare - Surdesti - Sapanta - Barsana - Viseu de Sus ☾. 175 km
Program: visit Surdesti Church, the Merry Cemetery of Sapanta, Barsana Monastery, and Bogdan Voda Church
Breakfast. Full day in Maramures. We begin to explore a region almost isolated by mountains, where the life of some people still continues according to ancestral rhythms. We visit the Merry Cemetery of Sapanta, among the famous of the world for its attitude towards death and its aesthetics. A multitude of modeled crosses with traditional decoration and bright colors on a blue background, followed down by a naive and representative painting of the deceased - his daily activity, circumstances of death, his passion - and a comic epitaph. Time for lunch and we continue along the Iza Valley, discovering slender Wooden Churches in a pure Maramures style, recognized by UNESCO. We visit Barsana, a new orthodox monastic complex that has renewed the tradition of carving wood, and Bogdan Voda Church, old but well preserved, with remarkable mural paintings (or similar: Rozavlea Church or Poienile Izei Church, with a small detour). During this day, we also visit the Museum of the Peasant Woman from Maramures and we get to know better the features of a typical village in this region. Overnight accommodation in the tourist town of Viseu de Sus.
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Day 4 of 7. Special excursion by steam train
Viseu de Sus - Bistrita ☾. 95 km
Program: Excursion by “Mocanita” steam train, along the Vaser Valley
Breakfast. Arrive in the morning at Viseu de Sus train station and start a unique excursion in “Mocanita” steam train through an old logging route that reaches areas of wild, unspoiled nature. Lunch included during the stop in a meadow, on the banks of the Vaser River (mixed grill, water / soft drink, pastry and coffee). In the afternoon, follow the route to Bistrita, an old city in Transylvania famous for its appearance in the novel "Dracula". Overnight accommodation and free time.
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Day 5 of 7. Bucovina and the Painted Monasteries
Bistrita – Moldovita – Voronet – Piatra Neamț ☾. 295 km
Program: visit Moldovita and Voronet monasteries, and the Painted Eggs Museum
Breakfast. We leave for Bucovina, a splendid mountainous region dominated by the green of its firs and pastures, famous for the Monasteries painted on the outside - unique jewels of Byzantine religious art. Brief stop on the way, at the “Borgo Pass” and its mysterious "Dracula's Castle" hotel, and then we arrive to visit Moldovita monastery. The convent church stands out for its impressive exterior scenes such as the Tree of Jesse and the Siege of Constantinople, all on a red and ocher color background. We continue with the program and discover the popular art of Bucovina and its character through a visit to the Painted Eggs Museum, understanding the technique and admiring the artist's collection. Time to have lunch en route and arrive at Voronet Monastery. Visit of the church, called "The Sistine Chapel of the East'' for the monumental composition of the “Last Judgment” and the value of its “Voronet blue”, recognized in international art catalogs. Then, in the afternoon, we finish this day’s itinerary in Piatra Neamt, a city with an original historical center in Moldavian style. Overnight accommodation and free time.
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Day 6 of 8. Return to the Capital crossing Moldavia
Piatra Neamt - Bucharest ☾. 350 km
Program: free time in Bucharest; optional: Therme (the hot springs of Bucharest) or the Wine Route.
Breakfast. We leave Piatra Neamt for Bucharest, crossing the historical region of Moldavia to the south. Short stop in Marasesti, admiring the Mausoleum dedicated to the heroes of the First World War. The end of the conflagration made possible voting in previously occupied Romanian provinces and, subsequently, the formation of Greater Romania in the time of King Ferdinand and Queen Maria. Time for lunch en route and we arrive in the capital in the afternoon. Free time and overnight accommodation. Suggestions for spending the free time: The Old Town (Lipscani), the parks of Bucharest, the Treasury (History Museum), the Art Museum or the famous Obor Market.
Option 1: Therme (the hot springs of Bucharest), north of the city.
Before arriving in Bucharest, a stop is made at Therme. Time to enjoy this modern, extensive and much appreciated wellness center. There is the option of having lunch in one of its restaurants. Recommended time: 3-4 hours, recommended area: The Palm / Elysium, entrance fees can be checked on their website. Later, we continue to the accommodation planned in Bucharest, where the program for this day ends.
or Option 2: The Wine Route
Before arriving in Bucharest, we take a detour along the “wine route” and arrive at one of the special wineries in Dealu Mare (“The Great Hill” wine region). Visit, wine tasting and the option of having a typical lunch. Later, we continue to the planned accommodation in Bucharest, where the program for this day ends.
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Day 7 of 7. Return
Bucharest - Airport ✈
Program: free time (if possible) and airport transfer
Breakfast. Free time in the city depending on the flight and transfer to the airport. End of Santiago Tour’s services. Thank you!
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