SAMPLE ITINERARY

Day 1: Fly to Cluj-Napoca

Afternoon flight from London for a late evening arrival in Cluj, where we will stay overnight.

Accommodation - Grand Hotel Napoca

Day 2: Mediaş and Veseud

Morning train to Mediaş arriving in time for lunch (included). We stay for 2 nights in homestay accommodation in the village of Veseud. All our homestay accommodation has been specially converted for tourist use and includes en-suite facilities. Dinner is at our accommodation tonight.

Accommodation - Veseud 11

Day 3: Saxon Villages

Today we explore Saxon villages with their fortified churches and have lunch with a village family.

Day 4: Sighişoara Medieval Fortress

We visit the fortified citadel of Sighişoara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler (better known as Count Dracula). We then continue into Eastern Transylvania, a part of Romania that has been settled by Hungarian people. We spend 2 nights at a homestay in Praid, with dinner included.

Accommodation - Pensiunea Stefania

Day 5: Sovata Narrow Gauge Steam Railway

This morning there is an optional visit to the Praid Salt Mine, before driving to Sovata.

Here we ride the narrow gauge steam line to Campu Cetatii and back, before exploring the spa town of Sovata.

Day 6: Maramureş

We drive north, pausing en route at the delightfully rural Liliac Winery for a wine tasting and picnic lunch. We then cross the Carpathian Mountains into Maramureş, a remote region where life has remained almost unchanged for centuries. We stay for 2 nights in Hoteni.

Accommodation - Popica Guesthouse

Day 7: Village Life

Exploring some of the local villages, we find old wooden churches, examples of domestic industry, machines powered by water and fields worked by hand or horses. We will also visit the famous Merry Cemetery, where the gravestones have been painted by local artists to depict the lives of those who have passed away.

Day 8: Vişeu de Sus

We visit more remote villages today, including lunch with a village family. We then continue to Vişeu de Sus, the centre of the country’s logging industry, where we stay for 1 night.

Accommodation - Mirage Resort

Day 9: The Last Forestry Railway in Europe

There is no road access to much of the Vaser Valley and so the timber is removed by train. We take a ride along the 20km route, behind steam, with a BBQ lunch provided at the upper terminus. In the afternoon we drive over the Prislop Pass into Bucovina. Our next homestay is in Moldovita where we stay for 2 nights, with dinner included.

Accommodation - Pensiunea Crizantema

Day 10: Painted Monasteries

Today we visit the famous Painted Monasteries at Sucevita and Moldovita, where we take another trip on a former forestry railway. Lunch and dinner is included at our accommodation.

Day 11: Return to Cluj

Today we visit the Voronet Monastery, before having lunch in Gura Humorului. We catch the early afternoon train across the mountains to Cluj, arriving mid-evening.

Accommodation - Grand Hotel Napoca

Day 12: Cluj to London

We transfer to the airport for our return flight to London, arriving in the early afternoon.

Note: Due to limited ‘homestay’ accommodation, this tour will have a maximum of 12 people.

PRICING

Included:

• Economy flights from London

• Rail travel as specified

• Transfers by private mini-coach

• Hotel accommodation in Cluj and Vişeu de Sus (may be subject to change)

• Other accommodation in good quality guest houses or family “homestays” with en-suite facilities

• 8 dinners, 9 lunches and all breakfasts

• Admissions to monasteries, fortified churches and Merry Cemetery

• Airport and other transfers as specified

• The services of a UK tour leader & local Romanian guide throughout

Not included:

• Meals other than those described above

• Drinks

• Gratuities and tips

We recommend packing lightly, with one manageable main piece of luggage per person.