On a day trip to Bucharest, you can visit one of the most controversial administrative buildings in the world. With this private tour at The Palace of Parliament or People’s House, you will learn how dangerous and damaging it can be for a nation to let a totalitarian regime like communism take over. In front of one of the biggest constructions in the world, you will feel small seeing what pointless opulence and megalomania “the sleep of reason” can create. Taking a selfie up-close will prove difficult, because you will be trying to capture the second-largest administrative building on the planet, after the Pentagon, and that it will be an experience you will be able to share with your grandchildren.

In this private tour, you can visit The Bucharest National Village Museum and in one place you will see an embodiment of Romanian traditions and you will learn what it meant for Romanian villagers to have built an ecological and sustainable environment in their backyard. You will also get a glimpse of their simple and modest lifestyle, in social and spiritual harmony with their surroundings.

Next, your private tour will be at the Romanian Athenaeum. Here you will find yourself in front of the most representative symbol of Romanian culture, often considered a symbol of Bucharest as well.

If you are planning a city break in Bucharest, you must visit The Revolution Square, a place with great historical significance. Here you can be transported back in time to the moment where the dictator Ceausescu was ousted, leaving behind the secrets of a great fortune and controversies about the state security service and his offshore accounts. As we mentioned earlier, when we reach the Senate Palace, you will see the building which used to house the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party and the place where the Revolution of December 1989 started, a major historical event whereby, through human force and sacrifice, Ceausescu was removed from power for good.

In a Bucharest day trip, you have the chance to relive the olden days through a blend of mystery and contrasts on the streets of the Historical City Centre, starting with Hanul lui Manuc, an immense fortified inn which served as a cultural and economic center back in the day. It was built around 1806 by Manuc Bei, one of the wealthiest landowners in the Balkans, and it was where merchants passing through Bucharest would get together, as just a part of the colorful crowd that populated the historical inn. In this historical and cosmopolitan area, with the help of your private guide from Nicolas Experience Tours you will also find, in addition to the most popular restaurants in Bucharest, museums, old and spectacular churches, and an experiential library, where you can purchase books, music and other souvenirs that will make for an unforgettable experience for you and your loved ones.

Did you know that Curtea de Arges is unique for the important royal tombs it hides? Everyone knows that truly good, beautiful and durable things come only through sacrifice, which will become apparent when you reach the old town of Curtea de Arges. With a rich and eventful history, this is where you get to see the ruins of the Wallachian princely court, the 13th century Royal Church, as well the famous Arges Monastery, an important historical monument with an interesting, yet sad story.

The ruins of Poienari Fortress stand high on a cliff overlooking the Arges River, at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Built at the beginning of the 13th century by the first Walachian rulers, the castle changed names and residents a few times over the decades; eventually, it was abandoned and left in ruins. recognized the potential of the location and upon taking over the throne, he ordered that the structure be repaired and consolidated, turning it into one of his main fortresses. When the Turks attacked and captured the castle in 1462, Vlad escaped via a secret passageway leading north through the mountains.

More than 150 kilometres in length the Transfagarasan Highway is Romania’s most spectacular and best known road and, thanks to an appearance on BBC Top Gear in 2009, now one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. Fully open only from June to October, the road’s highest point is at 2042 metres: the tunnel which links the northern and southern sides at Lake Balea (Balea Lac).

If you are in Transylvania, Sibiu is a must visit travel destination with a history of 900 year. A city tour to help you understand why Sibiu was elected as the European Capital of Culture, it includes the Evangelical Cathedral, the Sibiu Old City Center and the town itself, which are among the most visited tourist attractions in Romania, because they cater to every taste and provide a wonderful travelling experience for even the pickiest of tourists. If you love authentic cultural experiences, whether you are more romantic or more adventurous, here you will find everything you need to relax and enjoy yourself, leave the stress of your everyday life behind, and have a fun and memorable trip. The beauty of this old citadel, having received record-breaking recognition, stems from its architecture, the arrangement of the streets, its cultural and artistic heritage, and its beautiful natural scenery, as the town is flanked on two sides by the mountains Fagaras and Lotru.

Corvin Castle, also known as Hunyadi Castle or Hunedoara Castle (Romanian: Castelul Huniazilor or Castelul Corvinilor; Hungarian: Vajdahunyadi vár), is a Gothic-Renaissance castle in Hunedoara, Romania. It is one of the largest castles in Europe and is featured as one of the Seven Wonders of Romania.

The Densuș Church (also known as St Nicholas' Church) in the village of Densuș, Hunedoara County is the oldest stone church in Romania. It was built in its present form in the 13th century on the site of a 2nd-century Roman temple, with some materials from the Dacian Sarmizegetusa fortress. It has a stone tower above the naos. Inside the church there are 15th century mural paintings that show Jesus wearing Romanian traditional clothes. These paintings were made by artist Ștefan. In the 18th century more paintings were added by Simion de Pitești.

Sarmizegetusa Regia, also Sarmisegetusa, Sarmisegethusa, Sarmisegethuza, Ζαρμιζεγεθούσα (Zarmizegethoúsa) or Ζερμιζεγεθούση (Zermizegethoúsē), was the capital and the most important military, religious and political centre of the Dacians before the wars with the Roman Empire. Erected on top of a 1200 m high mountain, the fortress, comprising six citadels, was the core of a strategic defensive system in the Orăștie Mountains.

The Biertan Fortified Church, a historical monument of breathtaking beauty, was one of the first Transylvanian Saxon settlements in Ardeal, and today it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Hundreds of tourists come here every year, and coming here you too will find out what makes this place special. Located in a small town that dates back to 1224, the church impresses through its stunning scenery and particular construction – built on a hillock in the center of town, surrounded by three defensive walls and 7 bastions.

Cheile Turzii, as it’s known in Romanian, is a natural reserve roughly 40 kilometres south of Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania’s capital city. When compared to the dramatic mountains elsewhere in Romania, the terrain around Cluj is rather uneventful. Long expanses of soft, rolling hills make up the countryside. Unlike some of the more intense, multi-day hikes found in Romania, hiking Turda Gorge is relatively easy for the average person. There are several routes to choose from, ranging in distance and difficulty. The easiest of all is to simply walk through the bottom of the gorge itself. Follow the cool path that follows a tranquil stream, flanked by precipitous stone walls. Several small bridges and steel cables in certain spots make any sketchy areas passable by almost any able-bodied person. The hike from one end to the other takes roughly 1 1/2 hours; more or less depending on how much you take in the scenery.

The Alba Carolina Citadel (Romanian: Cetatea Alba Carolina, Hungarian: Gyulafehérvári vár) is a star-shaped fortress located in Alba Iulia. Its construction commenced on November 4, 1715 during the Habsburg rule in Transylvania, and was completed in 1738. 20,000 serfs were involved in its construction, which is estimated to have cost around 3 million guldens. The citadel was built on the site of two other fortifications: the legionary fortress of Legio XIII Gemina (known as Apulum), as well as the medieval Balgrad citadel.[9] The shape of the citadel, an iconic element of Vauban architecture, influenced the design of Alba Iulia's city logo when the city adopted city branding in 2014.The city received 47.5 million lei in 2009 for the restoration and conservation of the citadel. The citadel is named after Charles VI, known as Carol VI in Romanian, who was the Holy Roman Emperor at the time of the citadel's construction.

Turda Salt Mine it’s probably one of the most interesting places to see in Transylvania. If you have the chance to take spend your vacation in Romania, it would be a shame to not venture into one of its most beautiful places, the Turda Salt Mine. This place is a feast for the eyes and the body, as your lungs will be very grateful for the purifying saline air, beneficial especially for those with respiratory problems, such as allergies or asthma.

If you pass through Transylvania during your trip to Romania, a Cluj Napoca City Tour should definitely be on your itinerary. Get your camera ready, because the Old City Center features a number of unique historical and architectural monuments, Baroque, Renaissance and Gothic-style buildings, the oldest of which date back to the 17th century, as well as friendly and welcoming people. Not to mention the restaurants and the delicious local cuisine, which are so popular that you might have to wait in line before you can get a table and enjoy your meal.

Nothing compares to the characteristic warmth that wooden constructions exude, but the Surdesti church has a lot more going for it. People who see it are so awe-stricken they tip their hats off – not exactly a joke, considering the church’s towers measures an impressive 54 meters. Imagine the kind of artwork and craftsmanship that must have gone into this 72-meter high wooden gem, a difficult task even with modern day technology, and when you think it was built in 1721, you can understand why it is considered an architectural masterpiece.

We have mentioned history, culture and adventure, but this trip to Romania is also guaranteed to include some fun. Dacians, our brave and wise ancestors who worshiped the god Zalmoxis, would laugh at funerals and cry when babies were born. Here in Maramures you can still find traces of historical continuity, most notably in Sapanta, home of the one and only Merry Cemetery. The crosses and tombstones, each a skillful and colorful work of art, bear humorous poems about the deceased that will have you in stitches.

If you want to know why the Romanian people fought so hard to escape the communist oppression, pay a visit to the Memorial Museum for the Victims of Communism and you will only begin to understand how damaging the totalitarian regime was and how much pain and suffering it brought in such a short time.

One of the tallest wooden church in Romania (57m height) In the same way you feel the eternal, primordial connection with the earth when you walk barefoot through the grass, you will experience a spiritual connection with the sky and God as you step into the courtyard of the most beautiful wooden monastery in Romania, the Barsana Monastery. If you think you have seen astonishing places before, of such divine beauty that you felt they were a piece of heaven on earth, this trip to Maramures might have you reconsider. With its fairytale scenery and timeless history, this magical place has fascinated both tourists and locals for hundreds of years.

Tihuța Pass (Romanian: Pasul Tihuța, also called Pasul Bârgău; Hungarian: Borgói-hágó or Burgó) is a high mountain pass in the Romanian Bârgău Mountains (Eastern Carpathian Mountains) connecting Bistrița (Transylvania) with Vatra Dornei (Bukovina, Moldavia). The pass was made famous by Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, where, termed as "the Borgo Pass", it was the gateway to the realm of Count Dracula. Stoker most likely found the name on a contemporary map; he never actually visited the area. Today the pass is home to Hotel "Castel Dracula"; located at an elevation of 1,116 m (3,661 ft), the hotel was built in 1976 and adopted its current name after 1989. The hotel has become quite an attraction due to its architectural style of a medieval villa, as well as the connection to the novel. In 2018 the property was put up for sale

Ciocănești village located in the southwestern part of Suceava county (Bukovina, northern Romania) is renowned for its merry painted houses, adorned with traditional motifs. A real touristic village now, Ciocănești is lying on both sides of the Golden Bistrița River and is surrounded by scenic pine spruce forests and fertile meadows. It is close to the Vatra Dornei resort, only 22 km away, and 100 km away from Suceava city, on Iacobeni-Borșa road.

The Voroneț Monastery is a medieval monastery in the Romanian village of Voroneț, now a part of the town Gura Humorului. It is one of the famous painted monasteries from southern Bukovina, in Suceava County.[1] The monastery was constructed by Stephen the Great in 1488 over a period of 3 months and 3 weeks to commemorate the victory at Battle of Vaslui. Often known as the "Sistine Chapel of the East", the frescoes at Voroneț feature an intense shade of blue known in Romania as "Voroneț blue."[1] Did you know that Voronet Monastery was founded by Stephen the Great? Dubbed as the “Sistine Chapel of the East”, it attracts tens of thousands of tourists from around the world every year, having at least three unique elements that make it one of the highlights of your trip through Moldavia and Bucovina. The most impressive aspect of the church’s artwork, both on the inside and on the outside, is the exceptional background color – the famous Voronet blue!

In order to understand how important religion has been for our people, you have to take a tour of Romania and see the sheer number of houses of worship that have been built, but also destroyed by enemies over the course of history. Striving to protect their spiritual treasures, people erected churches away from the eyes of the world, some of them hidden in the depths of the woods, others nestled within rock caves at high altitudes. Humor Monastery, which was built approximately 500 years ago, is an example of a fortified monastery that has managed to endure over the centuries. After the first church that stood here, built around 1400, was destroyed, the second one, built in 1530 with thick river rock walls, was meant to be a place of worship that would withstand the test of time.

Sucevita and Voronet are two of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ROMANIAN MONASTERIES, part of the international cultural and spiritual patrimony, which is why they should be included in any trip to Romania and northern Moldavia. Even if you have not read the Bible, or the Book of Books, the biblical scenes and icons painted on the walls of the Sucevita Monastery will give you a stunning and vivid visual support in understanding the history of Christianity. The fortified church is like an open book for anyone who enters its doors, and only once you see it in person will you truly understand why it was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list of cultural landmarks.

If you want to take a spiritual journey to a place that still echoes with the fervent prayers of the hundreds of thousands of people that have found solace here over the course of history, take your adventure through the Carpathians and Balkans to one of the oldest monastic settlements in Romania, built in 1532, home of the Moldovita Monastery. The fortified church combines elements of Byzantine, Gothic and Moldavian style, but what truly impresses visitors is its unique mural artwork, on both the inside and the outside of this beautiful house of worship.

Starting with the sommer of 1993 the artist Lucia Condrea opened in Moldovita (Bukovina, Suceava- Romania) a museum that bears her name, unique in Romania and maybe in the world, having in mind the artistical value of the exhibits. The museum contains over 5500 exhibits, artistically disposed on the area of the two levels of the building in 56 display cases.

12 kilometers away from Targu Neamt, in Tarpesti, Neamt County, you can visit an interesting and notable sight, Nicolae Popa Museum. The museum was founded in the ‘70s by the local sculptor Nicolae Popa, in his own house. After being wounded in the Second World War, imprisoned by the communists for fighting against the regime and left without any personal possessions besides his house, Nicolae Popa decided to stand out for the Romanian values. With hard work and commitment, driven by a strong native inclination for art, he becomes one of the most valued and appreciated naive sculptors in Romania and a true creator of folklore.

What can be more beautiful than a walk along the banks of a river that has dug its way through the mountains and virgin forests of Romania?

We start the tour of Sighisoara Old Town and we’ll have the chance to visit Clock Tower, and Arms museum. If you want to go back in time and catch a glimpse of what life was like in the Middle Ages, you absolutely have to visit Sighisoara, Romania’s medieval town, and Count Dracula’s (actually, Vlad the Impaler) place of birth. Built in 1280, the Sighisoara Citadel is not just one of the most visited tourist attractions in Romania, it is a living, breathing medieval fortress, since it has remained inhabited for over 700 years – which is quite rare.

Viscri is best-known for its white fortified church, first mentioned in 1400 as Alba Ecclesia. Like most monuments of the time, the church went through different construction phases. The local Szekler population was the first to build a small church on the site in the early 12th century. Decades later, the German colonists took over control of the land and started a new chapter in its history. During the 13th century, they built the main tower on the west side and enlarged the nave of the church towards the east. Its fortification started later, during the 15th century, and is partially preserved until today. Parts of its fortification elements were demolished after the Ottoman threat disappeared or were used for more peaceful purposes like storage rooms and kindergarten space.

Rupea Fortress (Romanian: Cetatea Rupea, German: Burg Reps, Hungarian: Kőhalmi vár) is a medieval fortress built by Transylvanian Saxons and first mentioned by a 1324 document. It is situated on a 120 m high basalt cliff, to the west of the Transylvanian town of Rupea in Romania.The fortress is located on DN13, 70 km from Brașov, on the road to Sighișoara. It was restored in 2010–2013 and as of 2014, it was visited each month by more than 10,000 tourists.

Next, journey to the beautifully-preserved medieval town of Brasov, in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Your guide will lead you on a walking tour of the Old Town, where you’ll discover the Black Church, the Old Town square, and city walls built in the Middle Ages. You’ll have free time to absorb the unparalleled atmosphere in one of Brasov’s many charming cafés.

Bran Castle, between myth and history.. Because his fictional portrayal of Dracula’s castle matches Bran so closely, it is widely believed that Bram Stoker must have used descriptions of it to create the fictitious home of Count Dracula. Outside the castle, you’ll have the chance to try an array of traditional foods: handmade cheeses, pálinka (plum and pear brandy), and traditionally-produced ham and sausages.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful castle… If have decided to write your memoirs or you want to brag about having seen the most beautiful castles in Europe, the Romanian royal family’s summer residence is, by far, one of the most important tourist attractions in Romania and in Europe, and you will soon understand why. Every year, thousands of important figures and hundreds of thousands of tourists book tours of Romania for this attraction alone, to admire its beauty and at least for a few hours, feel like royalty.

The Prejmer fortified church (Romanian: Biserica fortificată din Prejmer; German: Kirchenburg von Tartlau) is a Lutheran fortified church in Prejmer (Tartlau), Brașov County, in the Transylvania region of Romania and the ethnographic area of the Burzenland. The church was founded by the Germanic Teutonic Knights, and then was eventually taken over by the Transylvanian Saxon community. Initially Roman Catholic, it became Lutheran following the Reformation. Together with the surrounding village, the church forms part of the villages with fortified churches in Transylvania UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Berca Mud Volcanoes (Romanian: Noroioși de la Pâclele Mici) is a geological and botanical reservation located in Scorțoasa commune close to Berca in Buzău County in Romania. Its most spectacular feature is the mud volcanoes, small volcano-shaped structures typically a few metres high caused by the eruption of mud and natural gases. As the gases erupt from 3000 metres deep towards the surface, through the underground layers of clay and water, they push up underground salty water and mud, so that they overflow through the mouths of the volcanoes, while the gas emerges as bubbles. The mud dries off at the surface, creating a relatively solid conical structure resembling a real volcano. The mud expelled by them is cold, as it comes from inside the Earth's continental crust layers, and not from the mantle.

We Romanians have often amused that a work of fiction made The Tomb of Dracula/Vlad Tepes (the Impaler) and Bran Castle two of the most visited tourist attractions in Romania. To this day, the myth lives on to fascinate any tourist taking a trip to Romania, even those who are not particularly fascinated by vampires… Everyone knows the legend of Dracula, which has traveled the world through its many portrayals in literature and cinema. Imagine how many likes a picture of you in front of Dracula’s tomb would get. We guarantee it will make all your friends, if not jealous, at least terribly curious. Taking this trip will not only leave you with beautiful memories from Romania, it will also give you the satisfaction of having uncovered the mysteries of Dracula.