Day 1

Budapest

Arrival in Budapest; meet and greet by your professional English-speaking guide and transfer to the hotel for check-in.

Budapest is a unique city with a special character placed in the heart of Europe.

Budapest city-tour, visiting some of the most famous sights: Buda Castle District, with its historical sights and attractions: the Matthias Church, the former Royal Palace, medieval houses with leaded windows; museums, charming streets, cafes & restaurants.

Other Budapest attractions include: the best panoramic views from the lookout towers Fishermen’s Bastion; the Heroes' Square - a nice square with statues built in honour and memory of the great Hungarian kings and leaders (the subway leading the tourists to the square is one of the worlds' oldest - 1896); the House of Parliament, a unique Parliament building on the Danube riverbanks; the St Stephen's Basilica, the largest Neoclassical cathedral, dedicated to Hungary's first king; the Opera House, considered one of the most beautiful Neo-Renaissance buildings in Europe; art nouveau buildings.

In the evening, dinner and program on boat, while cruising on the Danube.

Accomodation in Budapest.

*Optional: one more day in Budapest for the famous thermal baths.

Day 2

Option 1 - Wine Tour: Budapest – Gödöllö– Tokaj area – Oradea

Visit the Gödöllö Royal Palace, the largest Baroque palace in Hungary, and the second biggest palace in the world - after Versailles. The Royal Palace building complex served as the former summer residence for Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elizabeth (Sissi). Nearby the Gödöllö Royal Palace you can have a memorable visit to Lazar Equestrian Park, where you can enjoy the regular special events - the Horse Show, performed by the driving world champions Lazar brothers, and great Hungarian cuisine. Continue to Tokaj wine region, a historical wine area, producing unique wines - for lunch and wine tasting sessions. The Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape has been declared a World Heritage Site. 

Option 2 - Cultural Tour: Visegrád, Esztergom and Szentendre

The Danube Bend, a trip into Hungary’s history is an unforgettable tour, enjoying the atmosphere along the "Blue Danube", including the towns of Szentendre, Visegrad, and Esztergom. First visit: the picturesque town of Szentendre, with its churches, museums, galleries and cafés in Baroque settings. The tour continues to Visegrad - a small castle town, famous for its historical monuments such as the Citadel, the Solomon Tower or the Royal Palace will charm you. Planned lunch stop in Visegrad. You will be fascinated by Esztergom, the former capital of Hungary in the Middle Ages, the seat of Hungary's Roman Catholic Church. Its cathedral, Esztergom Basilica is the largest church in Hungary.

En route to Romania. Accomodation in Oradea

Day 3

Oradea - Cluj-Napoca

Departure for Cluj-Napoca.

Feel the charme of Cluj-Napoca, a beautiful academic city, visit the biggest Botanical Garden in Eastern Europe (14 hectares, over 10,000 plants), the National Ethnographic Park (old traditional buildings, folk architecture monuments, folk installations, craftsmen workshops, wells, gates, wooden crosses & indoor textiles); and have a walking tour of the city centre - St Michael's Gothic church, the Benedictine Monastery, the Museum Square, the Union Square.

Transfer to Turda for a visit you shall certainly remember: the Turda Salt Mine (Salina), dating from the XVII^th century. Although being one of the oldest and most important salt mines in Transylvania, nowadays it displays for the tourists old shafts, but also modern health and recreational facilities.

Close to Cluj-Napoca, stop to see Feleacu Church, a small but charming Gothic style monument, with murals and icons dating from the XVIII^th century, painted by a local artist Nistor from Feleacu.

Dinner and accommodation in Cluj-Napoca.

Day 4

Cluj-Napoca - Alba Iulia - Sibiu

Departure for Jidvei, a wine region situated in Alba county, lying between the two Tarnava rivers.

Enjoy a visit of the beautiful Jidvei Winery Castle and have a traditional Transylvanian lunch with wine-tasting, in the middle of Jidvei vineyard. Several sorts of specific wines will be tasted and compared.

En route to Sibiu, former European Capital of Culture. Tour of the medieval centre of Sibiu, one of Romania’s most acharming cities: the Large Square with Brukenthal Palace, Haller House, the Catholic Church and the Council Tower - symbol of the city; the Small Square with Luxembourg House, the Liar's Bridge, the House of Arts; Huet Square with the Evangelical Church; and the Fortress street.

Considered in its earlier days one of the best fortified citadels in Europe, Sibiu retains and displays the testimonies of a glorious past, and offers the best mix between a medieval atmosphere and a modern outlook.

Dinner and accommodation in Sibiu.

*Optional: dinner with traditional menu and folk show in a rural pension, in Sibiel (22 km from Sibiu) - Glass Icons Museum unique in Europe, over 700 exhibits

Accomodation in Sibiu

Day 5

Sibiu - Sighisoara - Sibiu

Trip to Sighisoara, a small and charming fortified city in the heart of Transylvania, visit of the well preserved fortified site: the Stag House, the Clock Tower, the Church on the Hill, the Venetian House, the Covered Stairs.

Sighisoara (Schässburg in German) is one of the most visited cities in Transylvania and offers an outstanding testimony of the local Saxons culture. The best preserved medieval citadel in Romania, Sighisoara offers a genuine feeling of a medieval fortress, one special feature is that its houses have been permanently inhabited.

Optional lunch at Vlad Dracul’s birthplace, the old building housing a restaurant nowadays, offering traditional and tasty menus.

Dinner and accommodation in Sibiu

Day 6

Sibiu - Hunedoara - Recas - Timisoara

Todays' route will make you feel the pulse of genuine Transylvanian history.

En route to Hunedoara, a town famous for two main attractions: it once contained Romania's largest steel work factories, and the Corvin (Hunyad) Castle was nearby. 

Visit Corvin Castle (Hunyad Castle), the most important Gothic style secular building in Transylvania. Even though the castle is built in Gothic style, it has also Baroque and Renaissance influences, and was the place where Vlad Dracul (commonly known as Dracula, courtesy of Bram Stoker's novel) was held prisoner for seven years.

The Corvin Castle, a legacy of the Transylvanian Hunyadi dynasty, was included in the "10 most fascinating castles and palaces" list. [www.huffingtonpost.com]

Dinner with wine-tasting in Recas Winery, a famous Banat region vineyard, close to Timisoara, where the traditional, outstanding wines are obtained using state of the art technology combined with significant expertise.

Accommodation in Timisoara.

Day 7

Timisoara - Budapest

Transfer from Timisoara to Budapest Airport.

Come back soon for more memorable experiences !