Prague to Bucharest

This tour explores the charms and wonders of Eastern Europe; from the gothic architecture in the cities to the utterly stunning countryside. History, legend and culture are all there to be discovered. Starting in Prague, the tour moves on to Krakow and the Tatra Mountains, the hot spas and then the Hungarian plains. The tour ends in Romania with its colourful markets, historic villages, painted monasteries, Transylvania and the city of Bucharest.

Itinerary at a Glance

  • Arrive in Prague for a brief orientation tour
  • A full day touring Prague, taking in the Hradcany, St.Vitus Cathedral and Charles Bridge
  • Take a walking tour of Krakow, see the main square Rynek, the castle, cathedral and passageway to the Dragon’s Den
  • Trip to the Auschwitz/Birkenau memorial museum
  • Travel south, crossing the Tatra mountains, to take a dip in the Slovakian geothermal hot pools
  • A stop in Poprad to see the ruined synagogue and the huge castle at Spis
  • See the famous Hungarian horse shows and enjoy haggling in the colourful Debrecen flea market
  • Visit Sighetu Marmatiei, the Prison, now the Museum of Arrested Thought and the Merry Cemetery
  • Stay just outside the mountain village of Botiza in a homestay
  • Visit the ancient Romanian monasteries of Bogdan Voda and Barsana
  • Take a scenic drive to Campulung and visit the wood carving museum
  • Stay in the forest in Sucevita and visit the Voronet and Sucevita painted monasteries
  • Tour the atmospheric citadel of Sighisoara, the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler
  • In Biertan visit the huge fortified church and visit a man who uses spider webs to make pictures
  • Take a tour of the city walls and the Black Church in Brasov
  • Visit 'Dracula's Castle' in Bran
  • In Sinaia enjoy the views from the Royal Castle of Peles
  • Tour Bucharest including the Palace of the Parliament; the world’s second largest building
  • Depart from Bucharest

Day Two: Arrive in Prague

  • Meet and greet in Prague with the experienced tour manager and transfer to the hotel.
  • Take an orientation tour, on foot with the tour manager and local guide, to see the sights around Tyn Square including; the Astronomical Clock, Powder Tower and Charles Bridge.
  • Dinner in the hotel and overnight stay in Prague.

Day Three: Prague

  • A full day city tour on foot with the tour manager and local guide. Enjoy this picturesque city; take a tram up to Hradcany and the entrances in the castle complex including St.Vitus Cathedral.
  • Dinner in a local restaurant near to the hotel.

Day Four: To Krakow

  • Board the touring coach for the journey to Krakow.
  • Stop en route for lunch in Olomouc.
  • Upon arrival in Krakow take an evening walking tour to the main square Rynek, the largest medieval city square in Europe and other nearby attractions.

Day Five: Krakow

  • Take a morning walking tour of the old city of Krakow, including entrance to the castle and cathedral and passageway to the Dragon’s Den. Stop by the factory made famous in the film Schindler’s List.
  • An afternoon trip to the Auschwitz memorial museum. Stop in Birkenau, although there is little left of the original camp it is still very atmospheric.
  • Alternative trips include:
    • Nowa Hutna, the site of the steel works and the church that Pope John Paul worked hard to have built
    • The Wieliczka salt mines and the chapel, the carvings and underground works
  • Return to Krakow for dinner in a restaurant near the hotel.

Day Six: Slovakia/Hungary

  • A long journey south, crossing the Tatra Mountains, into Slovakia.
  • A fun stop off in Slovakia to take a dip in the geothermal hot pools, quite a surreal experience as the steam curls up around the views of the forests.
  • A stop in Poprad to see the ruined synagogue and the huge castle at Spis.
  • Continue to Nyiregyhaza in Hungary for dinner in the hotel.

Day Seven: To Romania

  • See the famous Hungarian horse shows. Here they do all sorts of tricks and stunts from controlling four galloping horses by standing on the horses’ backs, to mock battles.
  • Stop for some shopping and haggling in the colourful Debrecen flea market, where people from all over Eastern Europe arrive to sell everything from Soviet memorabilia to modern items like toothbrushes.
  • Overnight stay in Baia Mare in Romania.

Day Eight: Romania

  • A drive up into the mountains, very close to the border with the Ukraine, for a visit to Sighetu Marmatiei, the Prison and Museum of Arrested Thought and the Merry Cemetery with a local guide.
  • In 1935 Stan Ion Patras started to add pictures and poems to his crosses at the cemetery, detailing aspects of the deceased’s life and death; the result has to be seen to be believed.
  • Continue into the mountains to the historic village of Botiza, renowned for its colourful woven rugs. Dinner and an overnight stay in a local Agrotourism in the enchanting countryside outside the village.

Day Nine: Romania

  • Visit the monasteries of Bogdan Voda and Barsana with a local guide to explain the rich history that has been uncovered here.

Day Ten: Romania

  • Take a scenic drive to Campulung. There will be snow on the pass over the mountains unless the tour is taken in mid-summer.
  • Visit, with a local guide, to the wood carving museum.
  • An afternoon trip to the Voronet Monastery and an overnight stay with dinner in Sucevita in the forest nearby.
    The monasteries in this area are like small castles in defence of the Turks and then the Europeans trying to stop the Ottoman Empire advancing. The monasteries have some of the most amazing paintings to be seen. The Voronet monastery was built in 1488 and has a colour ‘Voronet blue’ named after the predominant colour used on the paintings there.
  • The forests in this area are home to about one third of the population of European bears and wolves.

Day Eleven: Romania

  • A tour, with a local guide, of Sucevita Monastery and then Moldovita Monastery, which is quite small compared to the others. Both have startling beautiful wall paintings with vibrant colours.
  • Then out of the mountains to Sighisoara.
  • Dinner in hotel and overnight stay.

Day Twelve: Romania

  • Sighisoara is a citadel in the true medieval sense. This fortress on the hill has the old buildings and the church, with the modern town situated below.
  • Visit the restaurant that was the birthplace of Vlad Tepes, also known as Vlad the Impaler, considered to be the inspiration for the Dracula myths.
  • Take a walking tour with a local guide around the citadel with visits to the local museums.
  • In Biertan visit the huge fortified church before an unusual visit to meet a man who uses spider webs to make pictures.
  • Dinner and overnight stay in Brasov.

Day Thirteen: Brasov

  • A short walking tour of the city walls and the Black Church in Brasov.
  • Continue to Bran and visit ‘Dracula’s Castle’. The castle was only used briefly by Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) but is a great visit all the same.
  • Take the short route past more fortified churches to Sinaia and visit the Royal Castle of Peles. This was the world’s first castle fully operated by electric power, finished in 1914 with 170 rooms, it is in a beautiful setting looking out over the mountains.
  • Continue to Bucharest.

Day Fourteen: Bucharest

  • Take a morning city coach tour. Visit the unfinished but vast Palace of the Parliament, the second largest building in the world with 1,100 rooms. The tour highlights the scale of the building; one million cubic metres of marble and 3,500 tonnes of crystal.
  • The tour will also visit the memorials and relevant sites of the 1989 revolution around the city.
  • Free time to relax in the coffee shops and do some last minute shopping before the transfer to the airport.