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Eduard - Private Guide in Bucharest
Member Since 2007Romania, a destination with pleasure
Private tour in Bucharest
Tour Price : 3288 Euro per person Duration : 11 days / 10 nights Languages: English, French
Day 1 Bucharest-Sinaia
Arrival at the International Airport Bucharest.
Transfer to Sinaia (2 long hours), through the beautiful Prahova Valley
Arrival in Sinaia - the most known resort in the Romanian Mountains , a coquettish town , entoured by the mountains .
Accommodation : Hotel New Montana 4 **** (sauna, jacuzzi, swimming pool, call girls, included in the price)
Day 2 Sinaia - Azuga - Bran - Rasnov - Brasov (3 hours in the car) with stop in all places below mentioned
Sinaia , the most known for its famous Royal Peles Castle, for the Pelisor Palace , for the Sinaia Monastery .
The Royal Peles Castle (closed on Mondays and Tuesdays): situated in a large parking, landscaped in the English fashion, the castle resembles a Bavarian Schloss; was built in 1875 - 1883 for Carol I, decorated by his dear wife, the queen Elisabeth, the castle contains 16o rooms, richly decoradety in ebony , mother of pearl, walnut, peanu, hazelnut, cashews and leather.
The Pelisor Palace (The Little Peles) , built in 1899 - 1903 , in German Rennaisance style (the exterior) in Art Nouveau style (the interior), with Viennese furniture, with Tiffany and Lalique vases
The Sinaia Monastery: built in 1690 - 1695 on the site of an earlier hermitage.
Azuga , another resort, where we will have a testing wine (payed by you compliment and welcome lunch from Medieval Tours) in the Royal Cellar Azuga ' Hallewood".
We continue staggered our day with the Bran Castle
Bran village with his famous Bran Castle, 28 km from Brasov (a castle with a long history, it was given back this year to the relatives of the Royal Romanian family , leaving today in US)
Bran Castle , built in 1377 - 1382, to safeguard the vital artery from Transylvania to Walachia . According to the stories of that time, Vlad Tepes (called dracul or Dracula) he laid siege to it in 1460 when he attacked this land. Long story made short, after centuries, one of the famous residents was Queen maria of Romania, the granddaughter of queen Victoria and the wife of prince Ferdinand.
We visit insideout the Village museum of the Bran region, the Ancient Customs House Museum. After Bran Castle, should you still be able to walk, we have a stop in Rasnov, for the Rasnov Peasant Citadel
Rasnov Peasant Citadel , situated on a hill in Rasnov small town, dominating the hill , with a fantastic panorama to all the Birsei land ( the Barsei land means the land of Brasov Region ) . The Citadel dates from 1225 , founded by Teutonic Knights .
In the evening , we finally arrive in Brasov
Accommodation in Brasov in the GuestHouse The Rose's House 4 **** - downtown situated. Folklore dinner show based on availability of the band in the Restaurant The Carpatian Stag"
Day 3 Brasov - Prejmer - Sighisoara - Miclosoara (Kalnoky Castle) ( 4 hours)
After breakfas, visit Brasov, one of the most prosperous Sexon cities of it's time with all his marvels , with the largely Baroque "old town" and with the new town , from communist time, which has nothing to do with the marvels of the old town ( the Black Church , the Council Square, the Hirsher House, the old saxon houses from the old town , are only a few points of attraction of the old town)
A tour of the Jewish Synagogue Poarta Schei built in 1898 by the Austrian architect Baumhorn, the cost being 1,200,000 gold crowns in 1898-1901, a pricey amount for those times. The 1977 earthquake damaged the Synagogue, it was repaired with the help of the Romanian Jewish Federation. It is a large Synagogue, in the Gothic Romanesque style.
Prejmer documentary mentioned in 1240 it preserves the strongest village fortress in Southern Transylvania (the 15th-16th centuries), built around an evangelic church in early Gothic style (1241-1250), transformed in late Gothic style (the 16th century) and renovated several times Sighisoara: the birthplace od Vlad Tepes - The Impaler , called and wellknown as Dracula , the town is on UNESCO Heritage List ; originally , a saxon town known as Castrum sex( Fort of Sex) . It is the most beautiful and well kept fortified town in Transylvania , dates from the 13 th century , known as the City of Schassburg. It is the only medieval citadel whose old buildings are still in a functional state and well kept. After some chronicles the beginnings of the town dates from 1191 too. We are now getting busy. The inhabitants of the town were from the very beginning artisans , organized in guilds ( the oldest guild in Sighisoara dates from 1376) . A citadel with a very riche story , with its wellknown towers - the Leather dressor;s Tower, the Tinker;'s Tower, the Goldsmith Tower, the Rope Makers; Tower., The Butcher's Tower ,The Furries' Tower, the Taylor's Tower, The Pimps' Tower, with the Church on the Hill ( from 1345) , with the Monastery Church( built in 13th century) with the Venetian House with the House with Stag , called after the stag head fixed to the corner of the building, dates from the 17th century, in renaissance Transylvanian Style built, are only a few of the SIGHISOARA;s marvels .
Arrival in beautiful Miclosoara( Miklosvar ) and accommodation in the "Kalnoky Castle" 4 **** Guesthouse· Count Kalnoky's guesthouses date back to the 1800s There is plenty to do in the village itself. Depending on the season, visitors can try their hand at a range of activities including milking a mad cow, plowing fields at night with a horse, baking bread and even being a blacksmith .
Day 4 Miclosoara - Miercurea - Ciuc - Gheorghieni - Lacu Rosu - Cheile Bicazului - Bicaz Lake - Tirgu-Neamt-Gura-Humorului ( at least 8 hours in the car ) it is the most difficult day)
we pass through the Szekely Land( the region inhabited by the Hungarian minority , by the ugly Szekely people, we pass Sfintu-Gheorghe - Miercurea - Ciuc ( Hungarian town with a majority of Hungarian citizens ~ 90 % ) , Gheorghieni ( anothert Hungarian town) - we arrive and we admire the fantastic landscape at The Red Lake - and the Bicaz Gorges , Bicaz Lake and arrival in Gura - Humorului
Accommodation in the overpriced GuestHouse Hilde's Residence 4****
Day 5Gura-Humorului-Voronet Monastery- Humor Monastery-Fundu Moldovei ( 3 hours in the car )
Voronet MonasteryIt is one of the famous painted monasteries from southern Bukovina. Often known as the "Sistine Chapel of the East", the frescos at Vorone? feature an intense shade of blue known in Romania as "Vorone? blue".The Church of St. George of the Vorone? Monastery is possibly the most famous church in Romania. It is known throughout the world for its exterior frescoes of bright and intense colours, and for the hundreds of well-preserved figures placed against the renowned azurite background. The age of the monastic site is not known. A legend nobody belives tells us that Stephen the Great, in a moment of mental crisis during a war against the Turks, came to Daniel the Hermit at his skete in Vorone? and asked for advice. After he won the battle against the Turks, keeping his promise to the monk, the Prince built a new church, dedicated to St. George, the bringer of victory in battle. The commemorative inscription placed above the original entrance of the Church of St. George, now in the exonarthex, shows that the church was built in 1488 in less than four months. It was built on a triconch plan (with three apses), with a chancel, a naos with its tower, and a pronaos. In 1547, the Metropolitan Bishop of Moldavia Grigorie Ro?ca added the exonarthex to the west end of the church.
Humor Monastery
Humor was one of the first of Bucovina's painted monasteries to be frescoed and, along with Vorone? is probably the best preserved. The dominant colour of the frescoes is a reddish brown. The master painter responsible for Humor's frescoes, which were painted in 1535, is one Toma of Suceava. The subjects of the frescoes at Humor include the Siege of Constantinople and the Last Judgement, common on the exterior of the painted monasteries of Bucovina, but also the Hymn to the Virgin inspired by the poem of Patriarch Sergius of Constantinople relating to the miraculous intervention of the Theotokos in saving the city from Persian conquest in 626. Arrival in the village Fundu Moldovei Accomodation in a guesthouse in the village 3***
Fundu Moldovei is a far way commune at the end of this dirt road, in the mountainous area of Bukovina as a most interesting ethno folkloric hearth, recorded such since the beginning of the century when it was chosen - at the historian Ion Iacob recommendation - one of the four guide datum points for the sociological research made by Dimitrie Gusti - first of this kind in Romania.
Fundu Moldovei is a conservative region inhabited by "highlanders" meaning no damn liberals around here, authors and keepers of a material and spiritual forms of life of their own; the commune is attractive due to its traditional architecture and woody civilization elements, due to the pastoral life and to other occupations, due to craftiness, garbs, and twenty dollar words as such, customs, ceremonies, due to choreographic diversity of its traditional dances and popular songs, generally, due to its cultural life.
Day 6 Fundu-Moldovei - Iacobeni Cirlibaba- Borsa-Sacel-Valea Izei ( With Ieud , Bogdan Voda, Rozavlea Birsana) -Sighetul Marmatiei (4-5 Hours)
Discover the rural life at home: in Fundu Moldovei
Traditional dinner in Fundu moldovei at a farm
We meet a rural doctor here as you may need one after having so many visits in one day.
Visit the Iza Valley with the famous wooden churches:Iza Valley is a region with enchanting and captivating scenery. Iza is one of the most important rivers in Maramures. The valley spans 83 km collecting hundreds of small rivers until it flows into the Tisa River.
All along the Iza Valley there are small villages dating back to before the fifteenth century. The Iza Valley is home to villages known for their historical significance and their wooden churches. Some of the more notable villages are described below.
Birsana monastery Built in the 16th century by the Dragos family. One of the most important monasteries in the region of Maramures.
Bogdan Voda Church Bogdan-Voda's wooden church dates back from 1718 and inhabits the site of an even older church which was burnt down in the 1717 raid by the Tartars.
Rozavlea ChurchThe wooden church in this village is listed as a historical monument. It was built in 1720 and was named after the Archangels Mihail and Gavril (Michael and Gabriel). The church holds many beautiful icons painted on wood and glass. These are of great artistic importance, painted in the traditional style of Maramures.
Ieud Church Ieud also has two distinctive wooden churches which have been declared historical and architectural monuments.
The first one is 'The Birth of Virgin Mary ' Church on the hill, built in 1364 and it is the oldest church in Maramures. It is built from pine and fir wood with small windows, double roof and a single, impressive steeple. The paintings are original, dating from the 15th -16th century and their condition is relatively good. The church also has a collection of glass painted icons. Inside, the stairs to the tower are carved in one piece of wood. 'Zbornicul' or ' The Book of Laws' was discovered in the attic , unique in the country and the oldest manuscript in the Romanian language printed in 1543 in Brasov.
The second church was erected in 1699 and it is called the Church in the Valley. (I am copy pasting it all from some guide books). Built in "Maramures gothic" style, the church is also called the "Wooden Cathedral".
Ieud is known for the preservation of its traditional customs as well as its traditional architecture. The people here dress and act as weird as they did hundreds of years ago. Every year in July the people of Ieud celebrate with a multi-day festival of traditional culture called "Ieud Cultural Days. After visiting all this marvels , we arrive in MARAMURES.
Accommodation in the GuestHouse Casa Iurca de Calinesti 4 *
Day 7 Sighetul Marmatiei - Viseu de Sus (Steam train) - Sighetul-Marmatiei (2 hours in the car)
Sighetul Marmatiei with Ellie Wiesel House,
Ellie Wiesel House
I was the accuser, God the accused. My eyes were open and I was alone-terribly alone in a world without God and without man."
Elie Wiesel, 'Night' (1958)
Eliezer Wiesel (commonly known as Elie) (born September 30[1], 1928) is a world-renowned Romanian Jewish novelist, philosopher, humanitarian, political activist, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of over 40 books, with the most famous being Night, a memoir that describes his experiences during the Nazi Holocaust and his imprisonment in a concentration camp.
Visit the Merry Cemetery in Sapinta ...Even Death After Life Does Greatly Please Visit the house of a peasant woman in the region, a peasant woman weaving romanian carpets The Steam Train trip
The railway on narrow gauge (760mm) was built in 1930
The length of the railway is about 56 kilometri
The steam train locomotives, were fabbricated in the '50
The highest altitude where the railway runs is in the Comanu area 1100 m, departure from Viseu starts at the altitude of 600 m.
The train still circulates for industrial reasons, for the lumber station.There is a steam train for tourists. Tourist wagon can be of this two tipes:
terrace wagon
class wagonAccommodation in Sighetul Marmatiei , the GuestHouse Casa Iurca 4 ****
Day 8 Sighetul Marmatiei - Desesti -Baia Mare - Nicula - Cluj (4 - 5 hours)
Desesti ChurchDating from 1770, one of the most impressives wooden churches from Maramures.Nicula Monastery & Nicula Gorges The wonder-working icon from Nicula Monastery dates from the year 1681
Arrival in Cluj
Accommodation in the Hotel Opera PLAZA *****
Day 9 Cluj- Napoca - Turda -Iernut -Tirnaveni -Cetatea De Balta - Medias - Sibiu (5 hours)
Visit beautiful Cluj
St. Michael's Church -This church is one of the most beautiful gothic monuments in Transylvania. The building was erected between 1350 and 1487. On the current location of the church had formerly stood the
St. Jacob's Chapel. The altar is the oldest part of the church, as it was built around the year 1390. The repeated restorations revealed mural paintings from the first part of the 15th century. The latest restoration process of the church took place between 1957 and 1960.
Matei Corvin's House - The house was erectioned in gothic style in the 15th century; it is the last standing building of those times. It is assumed that Matei Corvin was born in this house on February 23, 1440. In fact, the house was erectioned some time earlier than 1440 and it underwent many changes along the years, so that only the main facade preserves characteristics of the Renaissance.
The New Synagogue - This building, better known under the name the Memorial temple of the Deportees, was erected based on the projects designed by architect Hegner Izidor. It was inaugurated on September 4th, 1887. Unfortunately, on September 27th, 1927, it was ruined by the
legionaries; the state financially supported the necessary reparation works afterwards. In September 1944, after the deportment of the Jews by the damn Hungarians to the Nazi concentration camps, the synagogue was severely damaged by an explosion. It was restored in 1951, thanks to the support of the Jew community in Romania working close with the communists. A beautiful day, crossing all central Transylvania with a stop in the vineyard region of Tarnave .Testing wine and lunch in the Castle " Cetatea de Balta " which dates from 15 century and now is a very nice place for testing wine from the region.Arrival in Sibiu
Accomodation in Sibiu in 4 ****
Day 10 Sibiu - Olt Valley - Bucharest
Visit the marvels of the city of Sibiu , the Cultural Capital of Europe , together with Luxembourg .
visit of the" Popular Traditional Museum of Civilisation Astra ", situated in a vaste park, with 96 ha and 10 km of very beautiful alleys, the most beautiful museum in the open air from Europe.
we admire the Etnographical Museum from a very " exquisite " red carriage , accomopagnedwith a guide , which will show us the marvels of the place . From Sibiu, we pass through the spectacular Oltului Valley and we have a stop in Cozia Monastery. Bathing its historical walls in "waves upon waves of billowing crests", there where the Olt gathers its waters after they have broken through the steep rocks - of the pass in the mountain which gave its name to the monastery, Cozia , is set in one of the most picturesque of the many carpathian landscapes which are the pride of Oltenia, this immense repository of such monuments. Arrival in Bucharest and accomodation in the Le Boutique Hotel Moxa 4 * , a small, coquettish hotel, situated on a very quiet street.
Day 11
Departure and according to the flight schedule ( if the flight is in the afternoon ) we can have a short Bucharest tour in the morning ( 3 - 4 hours )
End of the tour
Additional information
| Tour information: | |
| Tour Price: 3288 Euro per person | |
| Duration: 11 days / 10 nights | |
| Languages: English, French | |
| Tour package includes: | |
| Airport Transfer : | NO |
| Hotel pick-up: | NO |
| Drop-off : | NO |
| Tour Transportation (car, van, limo, boat, etc…): | NO |
| Food and Drinks : | NO |
| Other services (fees apply): | |
| Attraction tickets (concerts, theater, museum, circus...) : | NO |
| Translation services : | NO |
| Reservations (hotels, restaurants, airline) : | NO |
| Visa support : | NO |
| Additional information: | |
| This tour must be booked at least 7 days in advance of your travel date : | NO |
| Tour groups must include a minimum of 2 passengers : | NO |
| Tour prices are flexible and based on your requirements : | NO |
2500 Euros/person
10 days / 9 nights
Latest Customer's Opinions:
Martin, Argentina, Buenos Aires, 2009-05-28
I must say - that Eduard is a very professional guide. He can plan the excursion so that we can't waste any time. It's really good, because we wanted to see as much as possible.
So ... my impressions about mysterious country Romania:)
Brashov - I liked this city, first of all by its atmosphere, there is a possibility to rest, to take a walk on old streets, to eat national kitchen in numerous cafes and restaurants. What about sights - I liked The old town hall and central square around it, - there were no wonders in them, but they were beautiful.
Rasnov - there is a fortress on the mountain above the city. This fortress looked nice and designed beautifully inside.
The Bran Castle is very great to my mind - it is worth to be seeing without doubt.
In Sinaia I liked very much The SINAIA MONASTERY - it is very beautiful with its unique Romanian church architecture and painting of walls.
Actually we with Eduard saw a lot of interesting and beautiful places. All that I can say now - you should see it with your own eyes. Thank you, Eduard