Itinerary
- Day 1
Bucharest
You'll arrive in Bucharest and your tour leader meets you at the hotel at 6pm. If you get there early, the National Museum of Romanian History, Military Museum, or Folk Art Museum are all within reach. There's an optional dinner available if you're interested, or you can wander through Old Town on your own.
Optional Activities
- Explore Bucharest's Old Town
- Visit National Museum of Romanian History
- Visit Military Museum
- Visit Folk Art Museum
- Dinner in Bucharest (evening)
- Day 2
Sinaia - Moieciu - Bran
After meeting your tour leader in the morning, you'll head into Transylvania and stop at Pelisor Palace in Sinaia. From there, you drive to Moieciu village where you can either take an optional forest walk in Bucegi Mountain (6km, 2-3 hours, 300m elevation change) or explore at your own pace. Bran Castle comes next in the afternoon. You'll stay in a local guesthouse with a home-cooked Romanian dinner included.
- Meals
- Dinner (Home-cooked Romanian meal at guesthouse)
Included Activities
- Welcome meeting with tour leader
- Visit Pelisor Palace
- Stay at guesthouse in Moieciu
- Home-cooked dinner at guesthouse
Optional Activities
- Walk in Bucegi Mountain forests from Moieciu (graded easy, approximately 6km, 2-3 hours, 300m ascent and descent)
- Explore Moieciu village at own pace
- Visit Bran Castle
Landmarks/POIs Pelisor Palace Bucegi Mountains Bran Castle - Day 3
Brasov - Sighisoara - Bistrita
The day starts with a drive to medieval Brasov where you'll walk through the old town and see churches and medieval walls from the 14th-18th centuries, including the 15th-century Gothic cathedral. There's an optional stop at the Black Church. After about 2.5 hours of driving, you reach Sighisoara, a UNESCO site and birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, with colorful buildings and an optional church visit for town views. The final 3-hour drive takes you to Bistrita, arriving in the evening.
Included Activities
- Explore Brasov old town
Optional Activities
- Visit Black Church in Brasov
- Visit church in Sighisoara
Landmarks/POIs Brasov Old Town Black Church Sighisoara - Day 4
Sapanta - Barsana - Borsa
You'll drive about 2.5 hours to Sapanta village and visit the Merry Cemetery, a UNESCO site known for its humorous gravestones and poems. Next is the Monastery of Barsana with its distinctive tall wooden church. Lunch happens in a local villager's home where you'll try authentic hearty Romanian food. Then it's on to Borsa, a small ski resort nestled in the Rodna Mountains.
- Meals
- Lunch (Authentic hearty meal in a villager's home with traditional Romanian cuisine including pearl barley or polenta, fresh root vegetables, cabbage, stewed beef or pork, sour cream and home-baked bread)
Included Activities
- Visit Merry Cemetery
- Visit Monastery of Barsana
- Lunch in villager's home
Landmarks/POIs Merry Cemetery Monastery of Barsana - Day 5
Viseu de Sus - Novat - Moisei - Borsa
You'll take a narrow gauge railway from Viseu de Sus up through beech and spruce forests in the Vasar Valley. You have several options: a moderate ridge hike with views (5-6 hours, 16km, steep uphill that can be muddy), an easier self-guided route along the tracks (10km, 2.5 hours, mostly flat), exploring Viseu de Sus on your own, or an extended train ride to Paltin with a short walk. You'll descend through hay meadows to meet the bus at Moisei.
Included Activities
- Narrow gauge railway journey from Viseu de Sus to Novat
Optional Activities
- Ridge hike from Novat (graded moderate, approximately 5-6 hours, 16km/10 miles, max altitude 1,400m/4,593 feet, 500m/1,640 foot ascent and descent with steep uphill section along tractor track, can be muddy and rocky underfoot)
- Easier self-guided walk alongside railway tracks (approximately 10km/6.2 miles, 2.5 hours, mostly flat with slight downhill)
- Explore Viseu de Sus
- Extended train journey to Paltin with short forest walk (additional supplement required)
Landmarks/POIs Vasar Valley - Day 6
Rodna Mountains - Moldavia - Sucevita
You leave Borsa by chairlift and walk along the mountain ridge in the Rodna Mountains (easy, 2-3 hours, 5-6km, max altitude 1,416m) with an optional stop at a shepherd's hut to try fresh sheep's cheese and tuica, or you can stay on the bus. The afternoon drive takes you east across the Carpathians to the Moldavia and Bucovina region. You'll visit Moldovita Monastery, a UNESCO site with exterior frescoes showing biblical scenes. You'll finish near Sucevita for the night.
Included Activities
- Chairlift from Borsa
- Walk along ridge in Rodna Mountains
- Visit Moldovita Monastery
Optional Activities
- Sample fresh sheep's cheese and tuica at shepherd's hut (if shepherds present)
- Remain on bus instead of hiking
Landmarks/POIs Rodna Mountains Moldovita Monastery - Day 7
Putna - Bacau
You'll visit Sucevita Monastery, the largest in the Bucovina region with massive towers and stone walls, plus a small museum with 17th-century embroideries and goldwork (about 1 hour). Then you either hike through countryside to Putna village (easy with some moderate sections, 16km, 5 hours, with a short steep 20-minute section) or take the bus via Marginea with an optional pottery maker stop. At Putna Monastery Museum, founded in 1466, you'll see the oldest monastery in Moldavia and the tomb of Stephen the Great (1 hour). A 4-hour drive takes you to Bacau for the night.
Included Activities
- Visit Sucevita Monastery
- Sucevita Monastery museum
- Hike to Putna village or bus transfer
- Visit Putna Monastery Museum
Optional Activities
- Hike through countryside to Putna (graded easy with some moderate sections, approximately 16km/10 miles, 5 hours, short steep 20-minute uphill and descent mid-section)
- Bus to Putna via Marginea
- Visit pottery maker in Marginea
Landmarks/POIs Sucevita Monastery Putna Monastery - Day 8
Tulcea - Danube Delta
After a 4-hour drive to Tulcea, an ancient port and gateway to the Danube Delta, you'll board a pontoon with a sundeck and cabin accommodations. You'll explore the delta using smaller boats to navigate narrow waterways and channels filled with bird species. It's a slower pace here where you can relax and take in the peaceful wildlife reserve. Dinner is served on board.
- Meals
- Dinner (Dinner on board pontoon)
Included Activities
- Board pontoon at Tulcea
- Explore Danube Delta by pontoon and smaller boats
- Dinner on pontoon
Landmarks/POIs Danube Delta - Day 9
Danube Delta
You'll spend the full day in the Danube Delta exploring its 4,000 square kilometers of channels and wetlands. The pontoon and smaller boats take you through a maze of reed beds and ancient willow trees where you can spot White Pelicans, grebes, falcons, egrets, swans, and cormorants. You'll visit a remote delta village away from roads and relax on the sun deck. All meals happen on board the pontoon.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast on board pontoon), Lunch (Lunch on board pontoon), Dinner (Dinner on board pontoon)
Included Activities
- Cruise through Danube Delta channels
- Visit Delta village
- Wildlife viewing from pontoon
Landmarks/POIs Danube Delta - Day 10
Tulcea - Bucharest
The morning brings a cruise back to Tulcea where you'll have your last lunch on the pontoon. Then it's a 4.5-hour drive back to Bucharest, arriving in the early evening. You'll have the rest of the evening free to explore the capital at your own pace.
- Meals
- Lunch (Last lunch on board pontoon)
Included Activities
- Cruise back to Tulcea
- Last lunch on board pontoon
Optional Activities
- Free exploration of Bucharest in the evening
- Day 11
Bucharest
You'll start with a guided morning tour of Bucharest with your tour leader, seeing the 'Paris of Eastern Europe' with turn-of-the-century architecture and communist-era buildings. The Village Museum comes next, showing wooden churches, windmills, and peasant homes from different regions. The afternoon is free to explore on your own. There's an optional Palace of Parliament tour available if you ask your tour leader about booking at the start of the trip.
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Bucharest with tour leader
- Visit Village Museum
Optional Activities
- Palace of Parliament tour (afternoon)
Landmarks/POIs Village Museum Palace of Parliament - Day 12
Bucharest
The trip ends after breakfast at your hotel in Bucharest. You're free to leave at any time, and the hotel can store your luggage if your flight leaves later in the day.
- Meals
- Breakfast
