Romania: Mountains, Monasteries & Medieval Cities

Fly from London (regional connections available) to Bucharest with British Airways. Stay at the Athénée Palace Hilton (or similar) for 2 nights. Evening welcome dinner. (D)

Tour of Bucharest, a city of wide Parisian-style boulevards and Belle Epoque buildings. Visits include Cotroceni Palace, by special permission, and the exterior of Ceausescu’s palace. Evening performance at the Athenaeum. (B)

Morning drive through the Fãgãras mountains to Sibiu, the main city of the Saxons that combines gothic, Renaissance, baroque and classical architecture. Afternoon walking tour of the city, including visits to the Protestant and Orthodox cathedrals, and the Brukenthal Art Museum, the oldest and finest art gallery in Romania. Stay at the Ramada Hotel (or similar). (B, D)

Drive to Sighisoara, stopping at Biertan to visit the gothic fortified church. Afternoon tour of Sighisoara, a beautifully preserved medieval citadel set in rolling countryside. Visit the walls and defending towers that encircle cobbled streets and ancient houses, the citadel and the old clock tower. Spend 2 nights at the Hotel BinderBubi (or similar). (B, D)

This morning, a meeting has been arranged with a representative of the Mihai Eminescu Trust, an association dedicated to the conservation of the villages and the Saxon heritage in Transylvania, one of the most unspoilt regions of Europe. Travel to the atmospheric Saxon village of Viscri and see the Unesco-listed 12th-century church with its scenic views of the rolling Transylvanian countryside. Walk down the main street where the Mihai Eminescu Trust, supported by HRH The Prince of Wales, has restored many of the medieval houses. Lunch today will be in a private house in Viscri. (B, L)

In the morning, drive to the Romanian city of Târgu Mures, which has Romanian, Hungarian and Habsburg influences. See the hall of the Palace of Culture with art deco stained-glass windows illustrating traditional Hungarian themes and tales. Continue via the small market town of Bistrita to Gura Humorului. Stay 2 nights at Hotel La Conac (or similar). (B, L, D)

Morning tour of the remarkable painted monasteries, considered to be among Europe’s greatest artistic monuments. The monasteries include Sucevita, Voronet and Moldovita, which feature amazingly well-preserved frescoes that cover the walls with vivid images of saints and biblical scenes. Afternoon visit to the painted egg museum and workshop at Vama. (B)

Drive to Agapia and visit the monastery and village. Stop for lunch at Lacu Rosu, then continue to Brasov and stay 2 nights at the Aro Palace Hotel (or similar). (B, L, D)

In the morning, see Piata Sfatului, one of the finest baroque squares in the country. Visit the gothic Black Church, a focal point of the Lutheran Reformation; St Nicholas Church; and the first Romanian school. Afternoon visit to the impressive fortified church of Prejmer. With more than 270 rooms and buildings, the fortress was attacked more than 50 times by the Mongols, Turks, Tartars, Cossacks and Moldavians during the middle ages, but was only conquered once. (B, D)

Drive south through the Bucegi mountains and visit Peles castle, the former royal residence of King Carol I, built in the German Renaissance style. After a private tour of the second floor of the castle to discover the quarters of the royal family, continue to the George Enescu Memorial House, a living museum to this great musician whose folk-influenced classical style of music elevated Romania onto the international stage. Continue to Bucharest airport and fly to London (B, L).