Romania is a land of dreams, fairytales \u2013 and Dracula. Or so the legends say. Folklore runs deep here, through candlelit castles, spruce forests and the snow-capped peaks of the Piatra Craiului Mountains, among medieval Sibiu\u2019s \u201chouses with eyes\u201d, and across the wildflower meadows and dense woodlands of Transylvania \u2013 the home of Dracula.<\/p>\n
But there are new tales to be told, too. Tucked-away \u201cgarden bars\u201d, open-air lakeside terraces, ice hotels, snow-shoe hikes, torchlit wine tastings, horse-drawn carriage rides, and underground amusement parks. Throughout this mesmerising journey, you\u2019ll be welcomed by some of the warmest guides Romania has to offer.<\/p>\n
Ready to embark on your own fairytale? Let\u2019s begin.<\/p>\n
Bucharest has style \u2013 a lot of it. The city is a fascinating (and unusual) mix of Art Deco and Nouveau hotels, monolithic Communist monuments, Gothic churches, trendy \u201cgarden bars\u201d and romantic lakeside terraces. It\u2019s a city with a dark past \u2013 and a bright future.<\/p>\n
Touching down in Bucharest \u2013 Romania\u2019s eclectic and vibrant capital \u2013 you\u2019ll head straight to the heart of the city and your home for the night, the InterContinental Athenee Palace. Marbled colonnades and glittering chandeliers recall a time of old-world glamour; it even has its own ballroom, part of Romania\u2019s National Heritage collection. You\u2019ll take a seat (and a Guinness) in the legendary English Bar, where Romanian royalty, movie stars, and Securitate agents (Romania\u2019s secret police) have met, dined, and plotted over the past century. After settling in, you\u2019ll head out to explore the city on foot with one of our expert local guides.<\/p>\n
Despite its turbulent history, Bucharest is transforming \u2013 and intriguing. There are remnants of the past, where belle \u00e9poque villas blend with 18th-century Orthodox churches and Communist-era apartment blocks, but new life has been sown throughout the city. Popular \u201cgarden bars\u201d serve up covrigi (hot pretzels topped with salt or poppy seeds), shots of Tuica (Romanian plum brandy), and live jazz. The Romanian Athenaeum concert hall (just a few steps away from your hotel) puts on summer festivals and stylish lakeside restaurants like Casa di David offer gourmet cuisine along the shore of Herastrau Lake. It\u2019s here that you\u2019ll have dinner, drinking in the view.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a lot to be said about Dracula, but Transylvania is not simply a setting for spectres and ghouls. We\u2019ll take you to the familiar haunts \u2013 torchlit wine cellars and the original Casa Vlad Dracul \u2013 but we\u2019ll take you beyond; to medieval towns, wildflower meadows, and snow-capped mountains.<\/p>\n
Leaving Bucharest behind (for now), we\u2019ll take you to Sibiu, a beautifully preserved medieval town (and UNESCO World Heritage site) in the renowned region of Transylvania. Exploring the historic center with your expert guide, you\u2019ll learn about the town\u2019s Saxon heritage and thriving coffee culture, wandering between Gothic churches and pastel-coloured buildings nicknamed \u201chouses with eyes\u201d, whose roofs are believed to make them look like faces with heavy-lidded eyes. We\u2019ll then take you to the legendary Bridge of Lies (be sure to speak the truth, otherwise the iron bridge will creak, and everyone will know).<\/p>\n
Next, we\u2019ll take you deeper into the land (and legend) of Dracul (\u201cthe devil\u201d). First, you\u2019ll arrive at Bethlen Estates, a collection of beautifully restored 300-year-old residences surrounded by dense woodlands and wildflower meadows. A far cry from the haunting story of Count Dracula, here you\u2019ll step into your very own fairytale in the breathtaking Transylvanian countryside. Owned by the descendants of the original Counts of Bethlen, here you\u2019ll spend the next three nights sampling wine in the torchlit cellars of Count Janos\u2019 manor house, enjoying horse-drawn carriage rides along country lanes, and snowshoe-walking through fragrant pine forests in the Harghita mountains (depending on the season, of course).<\/p>\n
But some tales are hard to ignore. Over the next few days, we\u2019ll take you to the citadel of Sighisoara \u2013 a town of storybook turrets, gingerbread roofs, and Casa Vlad Dracul. The birthplace of bloodthirsty Vlad Tepes, you\u2019ll delve beneath the surface of the story of Prince of Wallachia; otherwise known as Dracula. Then, you\u2019ll head to the small village of Malancrav. Offering a taste of traditional Transylvania, you\u2019ll marvel at the fortified church\u2019s bright pre-Lutheran murals before meeting Maria, a local carpet weaver who collects her dyes from nature. By her side, you\u2019ll learn the methods (and secrets) of her craft.<\/p>\n
The scene is set. But your story is just beginning.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the people that matter. Accompanied by your expert local guide, you\u2019ll weave your way through forested valleys, castles and mountains; meeting local cooks, castle sommeliers, and specialist hikers. You\u2019ll hear their stories (and those they grew up with).<\/p>\n
Your next destination is Brasov, a Transylvanian city fringed by the peaks of the Southern Carpathian Mountains. It is here that the Pied Piper of Hamelin reappeared with his retinue of stolen children. Or so the legend goes. On your arrival, your local guide will take you to the city\u2019s most iconic sites \u2013 from the Strada Sforii (one of the narrowest streets in Europe) to the Biserica Neagr\u0103 (Romania\u2019s largest Gothic church). For lunch, you\u2019ll dine with Marcela \u2013 a local cook \u2013 in her Saxon home. As you dine on dishes prepared with ingredients from her garden, you\u2019ll chat all things tea-blending and embroidery (two of her favorite pastimes), gaining a unique insight into Romanian life.<\/p>\n
Waving goodbye to Marcela, we\u2019ll take you deeper into the Transylvanian countryside to the legendary Bran Castle. Positioned high above a forested valley, the castle seems torn from a storybook. And rightly so. This is \u201cDracula\u2019s Castle\u201d, after all. As you explore the castle\u2019s towers, turrets, and chambers, you\u2019ll learn about the legend of the Strigoi; troubled spirits of Romanian folklore, who, over the centuries, are believed to have haunted Transylvanian villages and their inhabitants. If you like, we\u2019ll also arrange for an exclusive evening tour of the castle followed by a five-course dinner in Queen Marie\u2019s Music Salon, with wine served by the castle\u2019s sommelier. Afterwards, we\u2019ll take you back to the Schuster Boarding House, where you\u2019ll rest your head for the next two nights. Set in a beautifully restored Art Nouveau building, this elegant hotel\u2019s crowning glory is a roof terrace with breathtaking panoramic views of the city and Brasov Fortress.<\/p>\n
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On your second day in Brasov, you\u2019ll embark on a hiking adventure in the Piatra Craiului Mountains. Whether you\u2019re an avid trekker or wish to explore the beautiful scenery at a slower pace, our specialist guide will tailor the experience entirely to you. You\u2019ll follow trails like \u201cLa Lanturi\u201d and reach new heights at Om Peak (2,238m, to be precise) before enjoying a gourmet picnic. Here, you\u2019ll breathe in the spectacular views \u2013 of deep gorges, spruce forests, and jagged peaks.<\/p>\n
Throughout the centuries, Romania has undergone many transformations; blending rural folklore with Art Nouveau architecture and memories of a brutal Communist regime and a modern-day bohemian revival. And now, we\u2019ll take you behind the scenes \u2013 from castles and mansions to museums and speakeasys.<\/p>\n
Saying farewell to Transylvania, you\u2019ll return to Bucharest. After exploring the fairytale Peles Castle along the way (the 19th-century summer residence of the Romanian royal family), you\u2019ll stop for lunch at the restaurant Canta Cuisine. Located inside Cantacuzino Castle in Busteni, you\u2019ll dine on seasonal dishes prepared with the freshest local ingredients before continuing your journey to Bucharest.<\/p>\n
When you arrive, you\u2019ll be met by your guide who will take you for a visit to the Ceausescu Mansion (once the residence of Nicolae Ceausescu, the former dictator of Romania) and the Ferestroika Museum. This \u201ctouch and feel\u201d museum, a former private residence, offers a window into the lifestyle, diet, and stories of a communist-era family during the 1980s. For your final night, we\u2019ll take you to The Marmorosch Hotel. Housed in what was once Bucharest\u2019s most powerful 19th-century bank, you\u2019ll spend the evening relaxing at its speakeasy and spa before tomorrow\u2019s flight home.<\/p>\n
Fairytales can be dark, and yet beautiful too. On your journey through Romania, you\u2019ll witness this firsthand \u2013 in darkened forests and candlelit castles, in revived belle \u00e9poque villas, old Communist haunts, and wildflower meadows. Beneath glittering chandeliers and fresh mountain skies, you\u2019ll have had a taste of the real Romania. So, we can\u2019t help but think that you\u2019ll be back. And soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Romania is a land of dreams, fairytales \u2013 and Dracula. Or so the legends say. Folklore runs deep here, through candlelit castles, spruce forests and the snow-capped peaks of the Piatra Craiului Mountains, among medieval Sibiu\u2019s \u201chouses with eyes\u201d, and across the wildflower meadows and dense woodlands of Transylvania \u2013 the home of Dracula. But […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101082,"featured_media":283594,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1456],"tags":[],"country":["Romania"],"class_list":["post-282161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized-us","country-romania","type-experience","feeling-contentment"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n