Tour Highlights
If you want to follow Count Dracula steps, uncover the secret of one of the least visited countries in Europe and face the truth about communism’s inheritance in East Europe – this trip is a chance to make it all at once. Romania and Moldova invite you to an adventure through past and present.
Highlights:
♦ Dracula’s castle – the best-known castle in Transylvania and one of the most popular attractions in Europe
♦ Peles Castle – an exquisite piece of architecture, served once as Romanian Royal family’s residence
♦ The Black Church – the biggest church between Istanbul and Vienna
♦ The city of Brasov – is one of the most beautiful and visited cities in Romania. It has a rich mix of history, culture, urban fun, and impressive Carpathians’ surroundings.
♦ The Prejmer fortified church – is a Lutheran fortified church, founded by the Germanic Teutonic Knights, and then was eventually taken over by the Transylvanian Saxon community.
♦The Voronet monastery – the jewel of Bucovina, also called “the Sistine Chapel of the East”, listed in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.
♦The Sucevita monastery – the largest of the monasteries in the Bucovina region, listed in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites
♦ Milestii Mici – the largest wine “underground city” in Europe, which takes place in Guinness World Records
♦ Tiraspol – the capital of Transnistria a thin strip of land wedged between Moldova and Ukraine
♦The Lenin monument in Tiraspol – located in front of Tiraspol’s main government building
♦Comrat – the national capital of Gagauzia, an autonomous territorial unit of Moldova
♦ The wine cellars of Cricova – the one of the biggest and one of the most impressive wine cellars in Europe
If you want to follow Count Dracula steps, uncover the secret of one of the least visited countries in Europe and face the truth about communism’s inheritance in East Europe – this trip is a chance to make it all at once. Romania and Moldova invite you to an adventure through past and present.
What is included
Not suitable for
Important information
Know before you go
Day 1 Bucharest to Brasov
Your guide meets you at your Bucharest hotel at 9 am, and from there you’ll drive toward the Carpathian Mountains to see Peles Castle, a royal residence with impressive architecture that once belonged to Romania’s royal family. After that, you continue to Brasov where you walk through the old town checking out the Black Church, Council Square with its baroque buildings, and the historic city gates.
| Landmarks |
|---|
| Peles Castle |
| Black Church |
| Council Square |
| Ekaterina Gate of the Old Citadel |
Day 2 Brasov to Bran
Following breakfast, you head to Bran to visit the medieval castle connected to Dracula folklore, originally built in 1377 as a defensive fortress for Brasov citizens. Later in the day you stop at Prejmer to see the fortified church, which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
| Landmarks |
|---|
| Bran Castle |
| Prejmer Fortified Church |
Day 3 Transylvania to Bucovina
You travel through villages in the Moldavian region to reach Bucovina’s painted monasteries. At Voronet, often called the Sistine Chapel of the East, you’ll spend time exploring the intricate frescoes. Then you visit the Neculai Popa Museum in Tarpesti to see its collection of colorful masks and traditional folk costumes from the area.
| Landmarks |
|---|
| Voronet Monastery |
| Neculai Popa Museum |
Day 4 Bucovina to Iasi
This day focuses on more of Bucovina’s UNESCO-listed painted monasteries with their distinctive biblical artwork. You visit Sucevita monastery, the largest in the region, which has massive stone towers and walls covered in biblical scenes. By evening you arrive in Iasi for a walking tour past Roznoveanu Palace, the National Theatre, and several important churches throughout the city.
| Landmarks |
|---|
| Sucevita Monastery |
| Roznoveanu Palace |
| Vasile Alecsandri National Theatre |
| Saint Nicholas Church |
| Metropolitan Cathedral |
| Church of the Three Hierarchs |
Day 5 Iasi to Chisinau
You drive toward the Moldova border and continue on to Chisinau. Once there, the rest of the day is free, so you can wander around the city at your own pace and see what interests you.
Day 6 Orheiul Vechi
Early in the day you travel north to Orheiul Vechi, about 60 kilometers from Chisinau, an important historical site with an open-air museum. There you’ll see the Cave Monastery carved into limestone cliffs by Orthodox monks during the 13th century, along with ancient fortresses and traditional Moldovan houses. You return to Chisinau in the afternoon with time to explore its parks and green spaces.
| Landmarks |
|---|
| Orheiul Vechi |
| Cave Monastery |
| Stefan cel Mare Central Park |
Day 7 Chisinau to Tiraspol
After breakfast you head to Tighina Fortress in Bender, a 15th-century Ottoman stronghold showing both Ottoman and European architectural influences. Next you visit Milesti Mici winery, which has the world’s largest wine cellar with over 200 kilometers of underground tunnels holding around 2 million bottles. You then travel to Tiraspol, capital of Transnistria (an unrecognized territory with its own government), where Soviet-era buildings, monuments, and symbols fill the cityscape.
| Landmarks |
|---|
| Tighina Fortress |
| Milesti Mici Winery |
Day 8 Tiraspol to Comrat
You visit villages home to different ethnic groups in the region. In Tvarditsa you learn about ethnic Bulgarians who settled there in the 19th century during Bulgaria’s independence struggles. Then you go to Beshalma to meet the Gagauz community, an ethnic group with their own Turkic language, Orthodox Christian traditions, and distinct culture. Later you arrive in Comrat, the capital of Gagauzia, an autonomous region with its own government and cultural institutions.
| Landmarks |
|---|
| Tvarditsa |
| Beshalma |
Day 9 Comrat to Chisinau
After breakfast you drive back to Chisinau and spend the morning exploring historical sites and museums around the city. In the afternoon you visit Cricova wine cellars, founded in 1952 and known worldwide for their sparkling wines, reds, whites, and dessert wines. You walk through underground tunnels stretching over 120 kilometers and check out the museum with historical winemaking equipment and artifacts.
| Landmarks |
|---|
| Cricova Winery |
Day 10 Departure
Your tour ends today. You’ll arrange your own departure.
There is no single supplement surcharge for single travellers as this is a private tour. The more travelers in your private group the bigger the discount for the private tour.
Cancellation fees – Cancellation fees may apply to any cancellations by the traveller of a service provided by Get-Locals.com. Unless otherwise specified, the cancellation policy is as follows:
Cancellations for custom itineraries (“Create Your Own”) are as follows:
In the event of bad weather forecast we will contact you the day before and offer you either a refund or an amended tour for the following day.
We always advice to wear suitable clothing for the day of the tour as not every day is guaranteed sunshine.
Our guide will meet you in your hotel lobby
