Enjoy an experience like no other by spending Halloween in the spookiest of destinations, Romania, home to the bloodcurdling myths of Dracula, werewolves, haunted castles, and curses. Balance out the spookiness with the history of ancient Bucharest, the haunting beauty and mythology of Sighisoara, and spooky Bran Castle (aka Dracula’s castle) in Brasov. Who could resist this spine-tingling adventure?
Itinerary | |
1 | Arrive in Cluj Napoca |
---|---|
2 | Turda Salt Mines to Cluj Napoca |
3 | Sighisoara |
4 | Sighisoara to Viscri to Brasov |
5 | Bran Castle to Brasov |
6 | Bucharest |
7 | Bucharest to UK |
Arrive into Cluj Napoca, the unofficial capital of Romania’s Transylvania region and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy an evening welcome meeting then enjoy an evening at leisure to explore the 2000-year-old city. Perhaps visit the famous Piezisa Street for a drink, or get a flavour of Romania’s unique cuisine at a local restaurant.
After your included breakfast, embark on a tour of the Turda Salt Mines, an underground amusement park that was previously a salt mine. Enjoy a ride on a Ferris wheel, hire a row boat, or visit a fascinating museum to learn about the history of salt mining and why salt is used to protect against evil beings. In the afternoon, it’s time to explore the vibrant, historical city of Cluj-Napoca, the second largest city in Romania, on a walking tour with a local guide. In the evening, dress up for a spooky Halloween party with your group.
After breakfast, today you will board a train to travel through pastoral fields and untouched Saxon towns to the 12th-century town of Sighisoara. Take a trip back in time and walk through the medieval town of Sighisoara, famous for being the birthplace of Vlad Dracul III, also known as Vlad the Impaler, who ruled Walachia province from 1456 to 1462 and was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s iconic Count Dracula. Your leader will give you an orientation walk before you head out to spend the rest of your day exploring in your own time. You may wish to join some optional activities (some at on expense) including a visit to the Church on the Hill, The Clock Tower, the Church of the Dominican Monastery, and the Covered Stairway.
After breakfast and a morning at leisure in Sighisoara, you will travel less than an hour to the small Transylvanian, picture-postcard village of Viscri, a World Heritage site, virtually unchanged for 900 years. Savour a delicious home-cooked lunch with a local family then visit the town's fortified church (thought to be the oldest in Transylvania), and learn about the Sock Project, which supports the local Roma community. This afternoon, you will continue on to the 13th-century city of Brasov. Explore this former major medieval trading centre, bordered by mountains and city walls.
Today, following breakfast, you will visit the majestic Bran Castle, built by the Saxons in 1382. This impressive castle perches on a high cliff-top surrounded by pine trees, and is far from menacing and spooky with its magical, fairy-tale turrets and whitewashed walls. Later, return to Brasov to enjoy a walking tour of the town with a local guide. Discover the ornate churches, townhouses, old city walls, and squares surrounded by gingerbread-roofed merchants' houses. You may opt to visit Brasov's main attraction, the gothic Black Church (Biserica Neagra), or take a Cable Car to Mt Tampa, both at own expense.
Enjoy breakfast then travel by train to Bucharest, also known as the 'Little Paris of the Balkans'. Bucharest, Romania's capital, is famous for its Belle Epoch architecture, vibrant nightlife and communist sites. Enjoy a private tour of the city with a local guide, taking in the recently restored old town of Bucharest, and significant sites of the revolution of 1989, which ended Romania's 42-year communist rule. Stop by one of Europe's largest squares, the huge Piata Unirii, and visit the second largest building in the world ‘Ceausima’, the 12-storey Palace of Parliament which has a staggering 1,100 rooms and 4,500 chandeliers.
Today, your Halloween tour comes to an end today. After breakfast, check out of your hotel and take your transfer to the airport for your flight back to the UK.