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 and ends in Bucharest
• Duration: 8 days in total
• No flights included
Short description
All the essential attractions of Transylvania, with a special twist: Transfagarasan, “the highway of the clouds”. Two nights in each of the charming cities of Sibiu and Brasov, and a full day to explore the capital. A relaxed and attractive program at the same time, the perfect mix between vacation and tour.
What you will do
• Enjoy nature in the impressive Transylvanian Alps
• Live the experience of Transfagarasan - “the highway of the clouds” -
• Discover the rural charm of Transylvania through a snack
• Explore the Palace of the Parliament: entrance and tour in the 2nd largest building in the world, known as "Ceausescu's palace"
• See UNESCO attractions: Sighișoara, a medieval "postcard" citadel and Prejmer, the beautifully preserved fortified church; and get to know the most famous castles
• Visit Bucharest (unique capital city and new European destination), Sibiu (European Capital of Culture in 2007), and Brasov (former "Crown city")
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 |
€1264 |
€959 |
€944 |
€854 |
€774 |
* Discount: up to - €200/person, in case of choosing English-speaking driver instead of guide (see below in options)
Services
What is Included:
• Accommodation: 7 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 guide, as per program
• Guided visits mentioned in the program; a snack in the countryside (cake and coffee or tea); 1 attraction with free entrance: Cozia Monastery; 7 attractions with entrance fee included.
The 7 planned attractions: Clock Tower (Sighisoara); Prejmer fortified church; Bran Castle; Peles Castle (standard tour approx 1h) and Sinaia Monastery (Sinaia); Village Museum and the Palace of Parliament (standard tour approx 1h) (Bucharest).
3* Smart Type Accommodation: mainly 3* superior hotels with quality services
or similar, depending on availability.
• Single room supplement: + €190.
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: Bucharest - K+K 4* Hotel (center 0); Sibiu - Ramada 4* Hotel (center 0); Brasov - Armatti 3*- superior Hotel / Belfort 3*- superior Hotel (center 1). Or similar, depending on availability. Total extra charge: approx. + €60/person in double room and the single supplement changing to: €225.
• 3* Economy type - mainly 3* standard hotels and pensions, with quality services. Total discount: approx. - €35/person in double room and single supplement changing to: €165.
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 guide. Option included in the price.
• English-speaking guide, offering detailed explanation, presentations, and guided tours. The guide also makes all necessary arrangements, as well as restaurant and meal recommendations.
• a guide for the entire program, no local guides being used in general. Some attractions only allow guided tours (their own staff); if the included tour is not available in English, our guide will join you and translate or even make the tour by himself (if allowed).
• depending on availability: a driver-guide (1 person), or a guide plus a driver (2 people), with fee, meal allowance, and accommodation included.
• only with a guide and starting from 4 participants, you can also choose meal options: lunches and/or dinners.
B. With a driver. Discount: up to - €200/person.
• English-speaking driver, facilitating the visits, the entrances to attractions, the check-ins and other details. The driver 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 will join you and translate or even make the tour by himself (if allowed).
• his fee, meal allowance, and accommodation are included.
C. With a tablet. Discount: to be communicated on request.
• tablet with Internet access that serves for navigation purposes and to facilitate the trip, with apps and useful information; a travel guide in English; a road map (all to be returned at the end of the trip).
• implies transportation by rental car and 2 transfers, airport-hotel and return, included.
• accommodation is optional (can be added or not) and visits will be done freely, without asisstance.
3. Meals
• Half board (lunches): + €80/person, 6 lunches, days 2-7. Half board (dinners): + €105/person, 6 dinners, days 2-7. Full board: + €185/person (both previous options).
Meal notes:
• meal options are only possible for a minimum of 4 participants and accompanied by a 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
• 7 Overnights: Bucharest (1) - Sibiu (2) - Brașov (2) - Bucharest (2)
• Itinerary: Bucharest (the capital) - Cozia Monastery - Sibiu (European Capital of Culture 2007) - Balea Lac Cabin (Transfagarasan) - Sibiu - Sighișoara (UNESCO medieval town) - Brasov (“Crown city”) - Prejmer (UNESCO fortified church) - Bran (Dracula's Castle) - Brașov - Sinaia (Peles Castle) - Bucharest (the capital)
• The tour has 7 overnights and 8 days: 2 days for arrival & return and 6 days of program with activities such as: city tours, visits along the route, snack, trekking, hot springs (optional), and free time.
Short description
Concept:
• 8 days in total and planned to take place from Sunday to Sunday. It can be adapted to your flights and preferred dates while taking into account the visiting hours of the attractions included in the program.
• 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: you can add 1 night in Cluj Napoca, visiting "the capital" of Transylvania and also gaining two visits en route: the citadel of Alba Iulia and Turda Salt Mine
• Adapt: there is 1 alternative day that allows modifying the program to include different attractions, and involves a slight price change
• Adapt: on the second-to-last day there are 2 options to customize, if you wish, your program: Therme (Bucharest hot springs) or a detour along the Wine Route.
Program
Day 1 of 8. Arrival in Romania
Bucharest ☾
Program: transfer and free time (if possible)
Arrival at Bucharest 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 old town where the capital is recovering its "belle époque" charm: the Central Bank, CEC Palace, Macca-Vilacrosse Covered Passage, and its medieval identity: the Prince Court of Vlad Tepes "the Impaler", the Old Court Church or Stavropoleos Monastery.
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Day 2 of 8. A Byzantine monastery and arrive in Transylvania
Bucharest – Cozia – Sibiu ☾. 280 km
Program: visit Cozia Monastery; tour and free time in Sibiu
Breakfast. We leave Bucharest for Sibiu. En route, we visit Cozia Monastery on the banks of the river Olt, with a splendid old church in Byzantine style. We cross the Southern Carpathians and arrive in Sibiu, the European Capital of Culture in 2007. Time for lunch and check-in at the accommodation. In the afternoon, a walking tour of the city, whose eye-shaped dormers give charm to a beautiful Central European architecture. While strolling, we encounter: the fortifications, the Large Square, the Small Square, the Evangelical Cathedral and the Orthodox Cathedral. Free time in the city.
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Day 3 of 8. The Highway of the Clouds and the Transylvanian Alps *
Sibiu - Balea Lac - Sibiu ☾. 130 km
Program: tour Transfagarasan; free time in Sibiu
We leave Sibiu towards the east, on a road parallel to the southern Carpathians and their highest massif: Fagaras. They are known as the Transylvanian Alps for their beauty and height, with 8 peaks that exceed 2500 m. We turn south and start touring Transfagarasan, a truly spectacular experience that offers unique views and sensations. The "highway of the clouds" reaches impressive heights and wriggles until reaching a glacial area. From Balea Cascada, where we park the car, we continue by cable car or trekking of approx. 1 hour to Balea Lac - the glacial lake at an altitude of 2040 meters. Time to enjoy nature, go on a hiking trail and have lunch. In winter it is possible to arrive only by cable car (depending on the weather conditions), being able to visit the peculiar Ice Hotel and enjoy the Snow Park. We return to Sibiu in the afternoon. Free time and overnight accommodation.
If for some reason the Transfagarasan road is closed, attractions such as: the Brukenthal Summer Palace in Avrig, the Cistercian Abbey of Carta or the Clay Castle in the Valley of the Fairies may be visited. Also, in Sibiu you can visit the Astra Museum. At 96 ha, it is the largest open-air ethnographic museum in Europe and is located in “Dumbrava Sibiului” Natural Park.
*Not recommended in August and on weekends, due to frequent traffic jams and the high number of tourists.
Optional: Alternative day in Sibiu.
Day 3 of 8. A star-shaped citadel and a typical Transylvanian village
Sibiu - Alba Iulia - Sibiel - Sibiu ☾. 155 km
Program: visit the Citadel of Alba Iulia and the Glass Icons Museum in Sibiel; optional lunch in a rural house; free time in Sibiu
Breakfast. We leave Sibiu heading north and we arrive in Alba Iulia, the city of the union between Transylvania and Romania. Stop and visit the impressive star-shaped citadel, named Alba Carolina, whose splendor has been recovered after a recent restoration. Free time, then return to Sibiu stopping in the picturesque village of Sibiel. Entrance to the Glass Icons Museum, the most important of its kind in Romania, with surprising naive painting styles. Optional lunch in a rural house with homemade wine and typical plum liquor (palinca) and we return in the afternoon to Sibiu. Overnight accommodation and free time to explore the city. Walk along its picturesque streets, see the inside of the Jesuit Catholic Church, or visit the Brukenthal Museum's important art collection, with famous paintings such as Jan Van Eyck's "Portrait of a Man with a Blue Chaperon".
Optional: Extra day in Cluj-Napoca.
Day 4 of 8. Sibiu - Alba Iulia - Turda Salt Mine - Cluj Napoca ☾. 180 km
Program: visit Alba Iulia and Turda Salt Mine; city tour and free time in Cluj Napoca
This extra day offers the possibility of discovering more attractions.
Breakfast. We leave Sibiu heading north and we arrive in Alba Iulia, the city of the union between Transylvania and Romania. Brief stop to admire the impressive star-shaped citadel, named Alba Carolina, whose splendor has been recovered after a recent restoration. We continue 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, time to have lunch and continue to Cluj-Napoca, the second largest city in the country, an important bicultural economic and university town (Romanian and Hungarian), which still maintains a certain aristocratic air. 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. Overnight accommodation and free time.
The next day, the tour program is the same as on the standard day (below), except that the departure is from Cluj and not from Sibiu: Day 5 of 8. Cluj - Sighisoara - Brasov ☾. 275 km.
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Day 4 of 8. The medieval “postcard” town and rural Transylvania
Sibiu - Sighisoara - Brasov ☾. 210 km
Program: visit and free time in Sighisoara; snack in a Transylvanian village; visit Brasov
Breakfast. We leave Sibiu towards Sighisoara, the “postcard” town with an unforgettable collection of medieval buildings, declared a World Heritage Site. Walking tour including the Clock Tower (history museum with a panoramic view). Free time to walk the cobbled streets and perhaps climb the 1642 Covered Staircase. It’s a passage of more than 170 wooden steps leading to the school, the Church on the Hill, whose restoration was awarded, and to the old German cemetery, with a certain Romantic atmosphere. Sighisoara still maintains much of its fortifications and here you can also find the house where Vlad Tepes "the Impaler'' is supposed to be born back in 1431. Time for lunch. During this day’s itinerary, we visit a Transylvanian village discovering the rural charm of the area and having a quick snack. In the afternoon we arrive in Brasov, a charming town located at the foot of high mountains. Walking tour admiring the Council Square and its unique buildings, the Black Church, an imposing Lutheran church, and the beautiful Catherine’s Gate. Overnight accommodation and free time.
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Day 5 of 8. Dracula's Castle, a fortified church and the Crown Town
Brasov – Prejmer – Bran – Brasov ☾. 90 km
Program: visit Bran Castle and the fortified Church of Prejmer; free time in Brasov
Breakfast. In the morning we go to Prejmer village, where we visit the Fortified Church, the most complete and best preserved in Transylvania, part of the UNESCO heritage. It is a church initiated by the Teutonic Knights themselves and continued by the Cistercian monks and the Saxons colonized during the Middle Ages. The place of worship is surrounded by a beautiful fortification with a very original element on the inside: family rooms occupied by the villagers in case of siege, warehouses, and even a classroom. Then we continue the route to Bran and discover "Dracula's Castle", where the myth of the Count-Vampire enfolds in mystery a great historical fortress. Visit and time to have lunch. In the afternoon, return to Brasov: free time and overnight accommodation.
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Day 6 of 8. A royal castle and the capital city
Brasov – Sinaia – Bucharest ☾. 170 km
Program: visit Peles Castle and Sinaia Monastery; free time in Bucharest; optional: Therme (the hot springs of Bucharest) or the Wine Route.
Breakfast. In the morning we go to Sinaia mountain resort, visiting Peles Castle, the last royal residence in Europe built in neo-Renaissance style, and the beautiful Sinaia Monastery. Time to stroll through the center of Sinaia, have lunch and maybe a coffee on a terrace in its beautiful park, and/or return to Bucharest in the afternoon. Overnight accommodation and free time.
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 the area called “Dealu Mare” (“the Great Hill”). 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.
These options do not imply a price change but they partially reduce free time in Sinaia and Bucharest. Tickets, food, drinks, and any other spendings should be taken into account.
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Day 7 of 8. Explore the capital
Bucharest ☾. 30 km
Program: visit Bucharest and free time
Breakfast. Full day in the capital with a city tour. Duration: approx. 5 hours. We visit: the Village Museum, an open air display of the country's rural architecture; Revolution Square with the Romanian Athenaeum - one of the most iconic buildings, the Art Museum - former royal palace, and the balcony of the former Central Committee - where dictator Ceausescu delivered his last speech; Constitution Square, just in front of the Palace of the Parliament (second largest building in the world); Patriarhiei Church and the Palaces of the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch. Free time in the afternoon 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.
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Day 8 of 8. 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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