East European Discovery Northbound - Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus

15 days
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4.6/5 Excellent
10 reviews  
90%
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Group Tour
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.
26%
$1,607
From$1,190
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Overview

Trip type
Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Very Easy
Trip pace
Full schedule

What's this trip about?

    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.

Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeIntimate group - 12 max
Age rangeNo age restrictions
Flights and transportRound trip airfare and all internal transport included
Start CityBucharest
End CityMinsk

Travel Themes

  • Cultural
  • High Adventure

Destinations

  • Europe
  • Romania
  • Ukraine

Attractions

  • Brasov
  • Bucharest
  • Chisinau
  • Minsk

Trip includes

    • Flight tickets are not included

Itinerary

1 Bucharest-Sinaia-Brasov

Meeting our guide in the lobby of our hotel in Bucharest at 09.00 am and drive to Sinaia. We cross the Carpathians toward Sinaia where we visit the fabulous Peles Castle, an exquisite piece of architecture and one of the most spectacular castles in Europe, with its ar...

2 Brasov-Bran-Lacu Rosu

Lunch in a local restaurant in Bran and visit to the famous medieval castle (the "Dracula's" Castle) built as a fortress for the citizens of Brasov in 1377, as a defence to the city. Prince Vlad used the Castle as a general headquarters during his incursions in Transy...

3 Lacu Rosu-Voronet

We visit the jewels of Bucovina: Voronet also called “the Sistine Chapel of the East” Drive through the Moldavian villages, visiting Tarpesti – the home of the delightful “Neculai Popa” Museum, unique in the world, where colourful masks and folk costumes are displayed.

4 Voronet-Suceava-Iasi

Drive to Bucovina –the “upper land” with the unique painted monasteries, belonging to the UNESCO World Heritage. We include a visit to Sucevita monastery, the largest of the monasteries in the Bucovina region, with massive towers and stone walls protecting the inner b...

5 Crossing Moldova border to Chisinau (Moldova)

Drive to the border with Moldova, and continue to Chisinau. If time permits you can enjoy a walking tour of the city's main sights including the Orthodox Cathedral of Christ's Nativity, Presidential Palace, Parliament building and the Holy Gates, which are known as Mo...

6 Chisinau-Tiraspol (Transnistria)

Drive to Transnistrian “capital” – Tiraspol. Stop at Bender Fortress on the way. Continue to Tiraspol where you will have the opportunity to travel back in time to USSR. Transnistria is a thin strip of land wedged between Moldova and Ukraine. It is home to more than 5...

7 Tiraspol - Odessa (Ukraine)

Today we head Northeast to Odessa which is just 105 km away from Tiraspol. Odessa is a port city in Ukraine, which is the fifth largest in the country. It is situated on the Black Sea coast. Its population is 1 012 500 people. Officially the city was founded in 1794 a...

8 Odessa

Free time to explore the city. Optionall tour to Odessa Catacombs. Abandoned mines have been expanded by local smugglers and used by them as hiding places and warehouses. Today's so-called "catacombs" are a very popular tourist attraction.

9 Odessa - Kiev

Early departure from Odessa as we have a long day driving in front of us - 470 km to Kiev. Stop near the city of Pervomaysk, where we will visit the Strategic Missile Force Museum, which in the past was an actual nuclear weapon launch site. We will see the most powerful Cold War Soviet missile - the R-36M2 'governor' bomb, which was nicknamed 'Satan' by the Americans. Arrive Kiev in the evening.

10 Kiev

Free day or optional tour to Chernobyl. The large restricted area where the tragic event of the Chernobil nuclear disaster took place in 1986 is enigmatic and indeed one of a kind place to explorer. This excursion will give you a glipse towards abandoned city of Pripy...

11 Kiev - Lviv

Sightseeing tour of Kiev in the morning before we continue to Lviv. Some of the most famous Kiev attractions include: the Kiev-Pecherska Lavra Monastery, the Monastery of St. Michael with his gold domes, the churches of St. Sofia and St. Andrew and many others. In add...

12 Lviv

We will start the day with a walking tour in the city of Lviv (Lemberg - German, Lwów - Polish) Lviv - the city known as the most beautiful in Ukraine. it's architectural layout is a collection of numerous styles and epochs. East of the modern part of the city is the ...

13 Lviv - Minsk (Belarus)

Free time in Lviv in the morning, before we continue our journey to Minsk. Flight to Minsk.

14 Minsk. Nesvizh and Mir Castles

Short sightseeing tour of Minsk in the morning before we continue to Nesvizh and Mir Castles. First we visit the impressive UNESCO World Heritage Site of Nesvizh Castle, which has been home to the Radswill Family for over 400 years. The fortresses construction began i...

15 Departure

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Dates & Availability

Price From $1,190
Price per day$79
Last Updated: 12/17/2021

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Penguin Travel.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

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Penguin Travel Reviews & Ratings

4.6/5  Excellent
Excellent
9
Great
0
Average
0
Disappointing
0
Terrible
1
A

António

Sep 2019

Written on

Amazing experience

Excellent price/quality ratio. See almost everything to see in visited countries.

N

Norhayati

Sep 2019

Written on

Well organised

It was a good trip. Well organised. Great company. Luben was a wonderful guide. Always going the extra mile and is very patient handling and attending to this bunch ...

S

Sandra

Aug 2019

Written on

Absolutely brilliant tour

Absolutely brilliant tour. There were so many highlights like Transnistria, visit to missile museum in Ukraine, visit to Chernobyl as well as lots of interesting cit...

J

Julian

Jun 2019

Written on

The people on the tour were great.

I have been on a lot of Eastern European tours and this one was the best. Our guide was excellent. The people on the tour were great. I would recommend this tour to ...

M

Morley

Jun 2019

Written on

The tour was excellent

The tour was excellent except for a few hiccups - problems with a couple of hotels, a local tour guide, a local restaurant, etc. As the tour leader, Vera did an extr...

Write a Review

Other Penguin Travel Reviews

H

Helen

Oct 2019

Provided byPenguin Travel

Would love to finish the trip

Started the Balkans Kaleidoscope Tour in September and loved every minute of the time that I had with the group before leaving for a family emergency. Would love to ...

A

António

Sep 2019

Written on

Amazing experience

Excellent price/quality ratio. See almost everything to see in visited countries.

V

Vaughn

Apr 2020

Provided byPenguin Travel

not a good sign a trust for a travel agency

You've cancelled my Bulgaria bike tour that is supposed to occur in April, as the country has banned all group tours. I would very much appreciate a reply to my emai...

Write a Review

Tour Operator

Penguin Travel

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Penguin Travel International is a tour operator founded in Denmark in 1989, and a current member of the Danish Travel Guarantee Fund (Rejsegarantifonden), nr. 888, signifying that you can easily trust us in organizing your journey.

During the last 27 years the company has established itself as a leader on the Scandinavian as well as the Bulgarian adventure travel markets.

Through its offices in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Bulgaria and Russia, the company is currently offering cultural, trekking, cycling, equestrian, fishing and photo tours in more than 50 countries, spanning across Europe and some of the world’s remotest locations.

Penguin Travel is mostly focused on professionally organizing trips for individual travelers and small groups, as the main priority is the offering of the most flexible itineraries possible.

The head offices of the company are in Sofia and Plovdiv. You can contact us through the live chat on our site in real time, as well as through the mail, where you will receive a reply within 24 hours.

Our Tours

Since its foundation Penguin Travel has been guided by its restless exploration drive, which is why the main focus of the company has always been on remote and unexplored destinations. We believe that the encounters with distant and completely different cultures and landscapes, have an extraordinary enriching influence on every traveler, which is why our main goal is to offer our clients exciting and unforgettable experiences.

Entering the Bulgarian market, our goal has been to reveal some of the most exotic destinations to the Bulgarian travelers on an affordable price. The destinations offered by Penguin Travel range from Peru/Costa Rica to Thailand/Burma/ Laos/the Philippines/Myanmar, as well as Madagascar and the Siberian Taiga.

As we believe that what makes a journey truly unforgettable is not only the destination but the overall experience, we always try to organize our trips in a way that includes maximum interaction with the local communities, as well as with the surrounding landscapes that we encounter during our travels. This is also why our bestsellers include trips across the Trans Siberian Railway and safaris in South and East Asia.

Accommodation

During our tours we look for accommodation in small and middle-sized hotels, providing all the necessary sanitary conditions and comfort for a multi-day stay. Accommodation is important for us and we carefully chose and test our overnight locations, however it is not the main goal of our trips, which is why you should not expect to be housed in luxury hotels and spa retreats during our trips.

Tour leaders and local guides

We believe in the key role of the guide for every trip, which is why we prioritize on sending guides who can also work at the company, knowing the routes and the logistics of each of our trips.

Being adventurous and highly experienced in the tours we offer, our guides are the factor that unites each group and ensures the smooth conduct of our trips.

Most of our distant destination tours include local guides with profound knowledge on their corresponding areas, whose quality we track through the constant feedback of our customers, which we strongly adhere to for each aspect of our trips.

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Logistics

Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
Visa requirements
Visa requirements vary depending on your country of origin and your country of destination. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the relevant requirements. For a handy tool that can help you quickly find the requirements, please visit this link .
Age Requirements
No age restrictions
Additional Information
Trip ID
penguintravel-SKU_2038

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