Fairytale Castles & Railways of Transylvania by Air

Today we fly to Bucharest where we’ll meet our local guide and transfer by coach to our hotel for an overnight stay. This evening’s dinner, including wine, will be served in a local restaurant where you can enjoy traditional entertainment.

After breakfast we transfer by coach to the town of Calimanesti and board the train for the first of our rail journeys. Sit back and enjoy views of the Olt River and beautiful scenery of the Carparthian mountains as the train heads to Sibiu, one of the largest cities in Transylvania. On arrival we’ll experience some locomotive history at Sibiu’s Steam Train Museum, now home to a collection of retired standard-gauge and narrow gauge steam locomotives and engines. We travel by coach to your hotel where we will stay for two nights

Founded by German colonists at the end of the 12th-Century, Sibiu is one of the oldest cities in Transylvania. Its Old Town has many famous squares and we’ll enjoy a guided walking tour. This evening, we board our coach and travel to Sibiel where we join the locals for a traditional dinner including homemade wine and brandy.

After breakfast, we board our coach and travel to Hunyadi. Once the residence of Hungarian Kings, Hunyadi Castle is often called one the of the ‘Seven Wonders of Romania’. This fairytale castle, with towers, balconies and oriel windows, is a place where legends turn to life. After a fascinating visit, we’ll journey by coach to Alba Lulia and enjoy free time to explore this city steeped in history, with a star-shaped Citadel at its heart. Our next stop is Turda where we visit one of the world’s oldest salt mines. Tonight’s dinner is served in our hotel in Cluj-Napoca.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, Cluj-Napoca was the capital of Transylvania when it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. We travel there by coach and join our guided walking tour, taking in the two main squares. We will see the Catholic Cathedral of St. Michael, the equestrian statue of King Mathias Corvinus, the Orthodox Cathedral and National Theatre.

We continue by coach to the famous region of Maramures and enjoy a short panoramic tour of Baia Mare. In the small village of Sapanta we visit the ‘Merry Cemetery’, where the small wooden crosses are painted in bright colours with scenes from the life of the deceased.

Tonight, we'll enjoy a traditional dining experience in the village of Vadu Izei, where you’ll also sample homemade brandy. For 2024 departures, we’ll enjoy dinner in the hotel.

Today we travel by coach, board a narrow-gauge steam train and journey on the last remaining forestry railway in Europe. The Vaser Valley winds its way through a wilderness passing over bridges and through tunnels along the river. We’ll enjoy a barbecue lunch before visiting the wooden churches of Barsana and Bogdan Voda. Tonight, we stay in Bistrita.

This morning we travel by coach to visit Moldovita Monastery, one of eight painted churches included on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Its external walls, covered with frescos representing complete religious cycles, are a masterpiece inspired by 15th and 16th century Byzantine art. We then enjoy a leisurely ride through gorgeous mountain scenery on the newly restored, narrow-gauge steam train that runs alongside the Moldovita River.

After lunch with homemade blueberry brandy, we’ll visit Voronet Monastery. Built at the end of the 15th century in less than 4 months, it is also known as the ‘Sistine Chapel of the East’ for its magnificent fresco ‘The Last Judgement’. We then travel by coach to our hotel for an overnight stay.

Today we travel by coach to one of the most interesting towns in Transylvania, Targu Mures. The baroque-style Apollo Palace, 18th century Old Prefecture building, Teleki Palace and Orthodox Cathedral are just some of the city landmarks we’ll see during our guided tour. After seeing the birthplace of Count Dracula and the Church on the Hill, we’ll board a local train to Brasov. We are then transferred by coach to our hotel.

This morning we enjoy a walking tour of Brasov, known as the ‘Crown of Transylvania’. We’ll explore the beautiful centre on foot starting in Council Square. See narrow Sforii Street and the impressive Gothic-style Black Church seriously damaged by the great fire of 1689 that destroyed much of the city. We continue to Bran by coach and visit the castle widely known as the setting of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Dinner is served in Bran Castle Tea House. We then transfer by coach back to the hotel.

Today we are transferred by coach to the train station and travel by rail to the mountain resort of Sinaia, alighting at the Royal Train Station, which is also a stop for the famous Orient Express. We’ll visit this masterpiece of German new Renaissance architecture, undoubtedly one of the most stunning castles in Europe. After time at leisure in Sinaia, we continue by coach to Bucharest for a panoramic tour, showing us the Arch of Triumph and Kisseleff Boulevard. At a local restaurant in the Old Town, we’ll enjoy a farewell dinner with entertainment and a glass of wine.

After breakfast we include one final visit to Parliament Palace. We then transfer by coach to Bucharest Airport for our return flight to London.