8 Days Vacation in Romania 2023: Transylvania and Transfagarasan road

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 driver or guide.
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.

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, the year when the country joined the E.U. 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.

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, we can also continue by cable car to Balea Lac - the glacial lake at an altitude of 2040 meters (extra cost). Time to enjoy nature, go on a hiking trail and have lunch. In winter it is possible to arrive here 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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!