Country Tours
Tour 1
18-day Country Tour
Day 1 (300km): Leave the capital Bucharest and head northwest to Horezu, to visit the monastery and the ceramics centre. Enter in the heart of Căpăţânii Mountains and explore Polovragi Cave before heading to Târgu Jiu to admire the works of Constantin Brâncuşi.
Day 2 (230km): Follow Jiu Valley north to Haţeg and visit the European bison reserve, then head to Hunedoara for a stop at Huniad Castle. If the time allows it, go to Orăştie, the base for trips to the Dacian Fortresses, before ending the day in Deva.
Day 3 (215km): After a climb to Deva Citadel, continue your route west to Timişoara and spend the day exploring the city’s museums and parks. Go to Arad for accommodation.
Day 4 (310km): Dedicate the morning for a tour of Arad and then head straight north to Oradea. After a short stop in this Viennese city, enter Maramureş and stop for the night in Baia Mare.
Day 5 (235km): Take a tour of the city and then go to the Merry Cemetery in Săpânţa, visiting on the way the wooden churches in Şurdeşti, Plopiş and Deseşti. From Săpânţa to Vişeu de Sus, your destination for the day, you will have the chance to visit other UNESCO monasteries in Bârsana, Poienile Izei and Ieud.
Day 6 (110km): After a 5-hour mocăniţa ride, get in the car and go to Moldavia’s premier resort, Vatra Dornei.
Day 7 (180km): Following DN17 and DN17A road, you will get to the painted monasteries in Moldoviţa and Suceviţa and to the centre of black pottery in Marginea. Head south to visit Arbore Monastery and the two monasteries near Gura Humorului, Humor and Voroneţ.
Day 8 (175km): From Gura Humorului go to Suceava to visit the Princely Citadel and then directly to Moldavia’s capital, Iaşi.
Day 9 (305km): A 2-hour drive west will get you in the heart of the Eastern Carpathians. Pass along Izvorul Muntelui Lake and Bicaz Gorges and stop in the Renaissance city of Miercurea Ciuc.
Day 10 (120km): Dedicate the entire day to exploring Sighişoara, situated less than 2 hours from Miercurea Ciuc. On the way you can stop to visit the Saxon church in Saschiz.
Day 11 (100km): After a halt in Biertan, to see the fortified church, reach Sibiu, where you can spend the day visiting museums and strolling through intimate streets and squares.
Day 12 (170km): Take DN1 road to Braşov, the beating heart of Transylvania, and enjoy the city’s bastions, museums and churches.
Day 13 (265km): Leave Braşov and head to Buzău to visit the nearby muddy volcanoes. Follow DN2B east to Brăila for a lovely evening on the Danube’s shore.
Day 14 (95km): Take the ferry to Dobrogea and drive directly to Tulcea to get on another ferry, which will take you through the Danube Delta to Sulina.
Day 15 (125km): Return to Tulcea and follow DN22 road to Constanţa for a day of exploring the city.
Day 16 (270km): During the morning you can sunbathe on the beach in Mamaia and then take a 3.5-hour drive to Ploieşti, where you can visit an interesting Clock Museum.
Day 17 (125km): Follow DN1, one of the most touristic routes in the country, to get to Sinaia’s Peleş Castle and to Râşnov Citadel. Enter the Rucăr-Bran Corridor, but stop at a pension in Moieciu for traditional dinner and accommodation.
Day 18 (230km): Start the day with a visit to Bran Castle. On the way back to Bucharest, stop in Curtea de Argeş to admire the monastery where the kings and queens of Romania are buried.
Tour 2
19-day Country Tour
Day 1 (375km): Leave Bucharest and head to Craiova, where you can spend a couple of hours before continuing your route to Orşova. Here you can end the day with a cruise on the Danube.
Day 2 (195km): Less than 3 hours separate you from Timişoara. Dedicate a day to this city filled with rich museums, imposing churches and numerous parks.
Day 3 (200km): Divide your day between Arad and Oradea, two elegant must-visit cities. Spend the night in a pension in Băile Felix resort, after a relaxing bath in a pool with thermal water.
Day 4 (225km): Enter Maramureş and take a tour of Baia Mare. Optionally, on the way, you can also visit the Botanical Garden in Jibou. Take a late boat ride on Lake Bodi and accommodate in Mogoşa resort.
Day 5 (200km): Dedicate one day to exploring the region’s gems: the Merry Cemetery of Săpânţa and the wooden churches in Deseşti, Bârsana and Poienile Izei.
Day 6 (110km): Take a 5-hour mocăniţa ride and then drive to Moldavia’s premier resort, Vatra Dornei.
Day 7 (160km): A 2.5-hour drive will take you to Suceava and its impressive Princely Citadel, but don’t miss the UNESCO painted monasteries in Suceviţa, Moldoviţa, Arbore and Pătrăuţi on the way.
Day 8 (140km): Head southeast to Moldavia’s capital, Iaşi. Midway you can stop in Ruginoasa to visit the Princely Palace.
Day 9 (225km): Less than 250km south you will reach the city of Galaţi, where you can spend the day taking Danube cruises or visiting the Natural Sciences Museum Complex.
Day 10 (110km): Go to Brăila to take the ferry to Dobrogea and then drive to Tulcea and hop on the ferry leading you through the Danube Delta to Sulina, where you can have fun swimming in the Black Sea.
Day 11 (275km): Go back to Tulcea and Brăila and from there head to Buzău, to see the unique phenomenon of the muddy volcanoes. End the day 80km away, in Ploieşti.
Day 12 (120km): Spend the day visiting Haşdeu and Peleş castles and Râşnov Citadel, before enjoying a traditional dinner and accommodation in Moieciu area.
Day 13 (35km): During the morning visit Bran Castle and then spend the rest of the day exploring Braşov.
Day 14 (140km): A 2-hour drive will take you to Sibiu, where you can stroll along medieval streets and visit important museums.
Day 15 (90km): Leave Sibiu for the nearby village of Sibiel, boasting a museum of icons on glass. Drive to Câlnic to visit the Saxon fortified church and then head to Alba Iulia for a tour of the Vauban citadel.
Day 16 (100km): Follow DN1 road to Tulcea, to explore the local salt mine, and then to Cluj-Napoca.
Day 17 (190km): Plunge into the heart of Transylvania and spend one beautiful day in Sighişoara. Close to the town you can also visit the Saxon fortified church in Saschiz.
Day 18 (110km): From Sighişoara, drive south for 1.5 hours, until you reach Cârţa. After you visit the ruins of the village’s Cistercian church, start your journey on the Transfăgărăşan to Lake Bâlea.
Day 19 (240km): Continue the spectacular route through the mountains and along Lake Vidraru to Arefu, where you should stop for a climb to Poenari Castle. After a halt at the Curtea de Argeş Monastery, take the highway back to Bucharest.
Tour 3
20-day Country Tour
Day 1 (310km): The first day of the tour will take you from Bucharest to the north of Wallachia, to Horezu Monastery and Horezu village, the country’s pottery centre. Don’t miss the nearby Polovragi and Women’s Caves before ending the day in the city of Brâncuşi, Târgu Jiu.
Day 2 (200km): Start the day with a drive north through Jiu River’s Valley. Stop for a short visit to the European bison’s reserve in Haţeg and then head to Orăştie for a trip to the Dacian fortresses. Huniad Castle in Hunedoara is another must-see attraction in the area, while the nearby Deva is where we recommend you to look for accommodation.
Day 3 (160km): Hike or take the funicular up to Deva Citadel, for a great panorama over the city and surrounding mountains. Then embark on a 2-hour drive to Timişoara and spend the day in this city’s lovely squares and museums.
Day 4 (180km): Explore Arad during the morning and then continue your route north to elegant Oradea.
Day 5 (200km): Up north, Maramureş opens in front of you. Spend the day discovering its main cities, Satu Mare and Baia Mare.
Day 6 (190km): On your way to the unique Merry Cemetery of Săpânţa, halt in villages with wooden churches, such as Deseşti and Bârsana. Stop for the night in a pension in Vişeu de Sus, where you can enjoy traditional dinner and accommodation.
Day 7 (20km): Dedicate most of the day to a mocăniţa ride along Vaser River’s Valley, and then spend the rest of it in Borşa mountain resort.
Day 8 (205km): If you are a fan of SF literature, go to Bistriţa to visit Dracula Castle Hotel. If not, head directly to Cluj-Napoca and spend one day in Romania’s Treasure City.
Day 9 (220km): A 2.5-hour trip will lead you to lovely Sighişoara. Depending on your preferences and schedule, you can also take short trips to the nearby fortified churches in Biertan and Saschiz.
Day 10 (120km): Sibiu’s medieval squares, streets and museums will require a full day of visiting. For the night you can opt for accommodation in a cosy hotel or in an agro-touristic pension in one of the villages from Mărginimea Sibiului.
Day 11 (175km): Take an early visit to Brâncoveanu Monastery in Sâmbăta de Sus and to Făgăraş Citadel on your way to Braşov, where you can spend your day admiring the city’s medieval bastions, churches, squares and museums.
Day 12 (130km): The nearby fortified churches in Hărman and Prejmer are perfect stops before heading north to visit Lake Sfânta Ana and Băile Tuşnad resort. Enjoy your evening in lovely Miercurea Ciuc.
Day 13 (230km): Cross the Eastern Carpathians through the spectacular Bicaz Gorges and along Izvorul Muntelui Lake and reach Moldavia. Set your base in Târgu Neamţ and explore the surrounding monasteries from Văratec, Agapia, Secu, Sihăstria and Sihla.
Day 14 (280km): Head north for a tour of the painted monasteries in Voroneţ, Humor, Moldoviţa, Suceviţa and Arbore. Optionally, you can also take a detour to visit Putna Monastery. Accommodate in Suceava and visit the Princely Citadel and the Village Museum of Bucovina if your schedule allows it, or leave them for the next morning if not.
Day 15 (200km): Follow E85 road south to move away from the land of the monasteries and plunge into that of beautiful castles and palaces. Sturdza Castle in Miclăuşeni and Ruginoasa Palace are interesting halts on your way to Iaşi.
Day 16 (230): After a day in the region’s capital, continue your route south through the towns of Vaslui and Bârlad to reach Galaţi, Moldavia’s southernmost city.
Day 17 (110km): Drive to Brăila to take the ferry to the other side of the Danube, in Dobrogea, and then head directly to Tulcea. Take a short tour of the town’s centre and embark on the ferry that will take you to Sulina through the Danube Delta.
Day 18 (310km): After a morning swim and some sunbathing, catch the ferry back to Tulcea. Leave Dobrogea the same way you entered (via ferry in Brăila) and drive to Berca, near Buzău, to see the mud volcanoes, before looking for accommodation in Ploieşti.
Day 19 (115km): After a short stop at Haşdeu Castle in Câmpina, dedicate the first part of the day to visiting Peleş Castle in Sinaia. Head to Râşnov and explore the citadel and then find a cosy pension in one of the villages along Rucăr-Bran Corridor.
Day 20 (265km): Prepare to return to Bucharest and end your Romania tour with visits to some of the country’s most important tourist attractions, Bran Castle and Curtea de Argeş Monastery.