Compare On top of Romania’s Two Highest Peaks, in Transylvanian Alps by Alpine Adventure Romania vs All about Dracula's Life by Eastern European Experience

Day 1

We depart from Bucharest at 18.00 and head, by car, towards West passing by the city of Pitesti and then Curtea de Arges. Half an hour after Curtea de Arges we will be on “the most beautiful road in the world” and soon on the most spectacular dam in Romania. We must stop to see it, the vertical drop is huge.

We head then north following the “most beautiful road in the world”. We will spend the night at one of the guesthouses on this road.

Day 2

In the morning, as early as we can but no later than 8.00, we continue on this road (opened only from June to September) getting dizzy from time to time because of the sudden steep bends of the road and passing through 1Km tunnel we end up on the North side of the mountain at Balea Glacier Lake. Now you should be cold and the only way to warm up is to start the hike.

We are now in Fagaras. This is the biggest, highest and probably most sought mountain massif in Romania in the summer months, while in winter it becomes a challenge. The range it is not called for nothing the Transylvanian Alps. And we are going to have a go for its second highest peak, Negoiu – 2535, following the ridge trail.

The first hour is tough. The second is a pleasure following the ridge. The end of the third one will find us having a short meal just beside Caltun glacier lake. At this point Negoiu is overpowering us and you must wonder which is the way through these vertical walls. But some chimneys, one of them called the Devil Chimney, solve the problem for us. In five hours since we started we should be breathless both because of the effort and of the view from the peak of Negoiu, the last one being simply spectacular in all directions.

We return to Balea on slightly different route which follows a trail underneath the ridgeline.

We will stay at the same guesthouse, as in the previous evening.

Day 3

8.30 AM is our departing hour. We return a little bit to the South and then enter a mountain road which we follow about 18 km.

At the junction of two rivers we leave the car(s) and start hiking. The path is steep and heads directly towards Romania’s highest peak – Moldoveanu (2544m). We stand on top of it after 4 tough hours.

All of Transylvania will be at our feet with its low plain of Fagaras and its rolling hills. The ridge of Fagaras itself seems never to finish and only Negoiu, far in the distance, the second peak of Romania that you climbed the day before, blocks the view.

We take advantage of the good hour and we return to our car(s) by other route. This time we will follow a little the spectacular ridge of the Transylvanian Alps up to Podul Giurgiului Glacier Lake.

We estimate to arrive in Bucharest by 22.00, depending on the traffic.

1st day- From Bucharest to Sinaia

Our guide will be waiting for you, ready to take you for a trip on Dracula`s footsteps. Drive north towards Sinaia, one of the best mountain resort from Romania and enjoy the magic what a small place can offer you. Sinaia has been considered to be the unofficial capital of Romania in the end of 19th century.

Afternoon at leisure and overnight in Sinaia.

2nd day-About royalty and legends

After a sumptuous breakfast at your hotel, discover the beauty of the one and only Peles Castle, used as a summer residence by the kings of Romania. It was built at the wish of the first Romanian king, Carol I, after the plans of architects Johannes Schultz and Karel Liman and decorated by JD Heymann from Hamburg, August Bembe from Mainz and Berhard Ludwig from Vienna, hence the similarity to German castles. Peles Castle is a unique construction, one of the most important monuments of its kind in 19th century Europe. Departure from Sinaia and arrival in Bran, discover Bran Castle, commonly known as Dracula`s Castle and source of inspiration for Bram Stocker. First built in 1377 for safeguarding the trading route between Transylvania and the Ottoman Empire. It was restored later to finally become a gorgeous summer royal residence in 1920. For many years now, it has been an interesting medieval art museum. Fringed by the peaks of the Southern Carpathian Mountains, Brasov is one of the most visited places in Romania. Founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1211 on an ancient Dacian site and settled by the Saxons as one of the seven citadels, it has been used as a backdrop in many recent period films. The city is surrounded by legends of vampires and medieval stories. We will have a walking tour so you can discover the old town center, the Black Church, the Council Square and the Hirsche House.

Afternoon at leisure in Brasov and overnight in one of the hotels from the Old Town Square.

3rd day- From Sighisoara to Borgo Pass

After breakfast, get ready for a special lecture from your guide regarding Vlad Dracula. Later on, on a walking tour of Sighisoara, visit the Clock Tower where is the town`s museum. Your guide will tell you stories about the punishments with stakes and you can even view them on the displays. After this, is the Medieval Weapon Museum and the Torture Chamber. Prepare for the road towards Bistrita and Borgo Pass, where you will have dinner “in Dracula`s style” at a local restaurant. Overnight at Dracula`s Castle Hotel.

4th day-Home Hosted Dinner and Sibiu

Departure towards Sibiu, through picturesque Transylvanian countryside. Sibiu is one of the oldest town in Transylvania. In 2007 was awarded with the title of European Capital of Culture. The main attractions are the Evangelical Church, the Orthodox Cathedral, the Roman Catholic Church, the Stairs tower and the Council Tower. Short drive to Sibiel for a visit to the Museum of Glass Icons and a home hosted dinner.

Accommodation in Sibiu.

5th day-From Sibiu to Targoviste

After breakfast, we visit the place where Mihnea the Bad, the son of Vlad Dracula was stabbed to death, the Lutheran Cathedral. Departure to Poienari Fortress, the real Castle of Vlad Dracula, an incredible landscape, a piece of history and a bloody legend. The construction of this castle began in the 13th century, under the rule of the Black King. In the decades that followed, the name and the residents changed a few times but eventually the castle was abandoned and left in ruins. It was Vlad the Impaler that brought it back to life in the 15th century. The legend says that the first wife of Vlad the Impaler committed suicide from this fortress walls. Being afraid that she will be taken hostage by the Turks on one of their attack on the fortress, Vlad’s wife threw herself from one of the citadel’s walls. She died smashed on the rocks. Legend says that when she died a river that passed nearby got all red from the lady’s blood. Since then, the river is called The Lady’s River. Legend or truth, the Poienari Fortress has inspired great stories and played its part in Romania`s history. On our way back to Bucharest we will have a stop at the Cozia monastery, built by Vlad Dracula`s grandfather,Mircea the Old.

Overnight in Bucharest at your hotel.