Things to do in

Bucharest

Immerse yourself in the legend of Vlad the Impaler, inspiration for Count Dracula, on this full-day tour of Transylvania. Discover some of the historic castles of the region, and visit the city of Brasov. Start your tour with pickup from certain pickup points in Bucharest and drive towards the region of Valahia. Discover Peles Castle situated in picturesque Sinaia, and known as the Pearl of the Carpathians. Travel through the mountain scenery to Bran, where you will visit Bran Castle, commonly known as Dracula’s Castle. Learn the legend of the terrifying fictional Count. Move on to Brasov, located in the heart of Transylvania. Embark on a walking tour through the historical center. Encounter sights such as the Gothic church of Biserica Neagră, and the Medieval Catherine's Gate, the last remaining of the city’s defensive walls.

Discover some of Romania's most famous castles on a guided tour from Bucharest. See Peles Castle and Bran Castle, and take some free time to stroll through the Old Town of Brasov. Following pickup from Bucharest by bus, leave the city for Sinaia. Visit Peles Castle, the former residence of the kings of Romania. Here, admire furniture, ornamental objects, carpets, tapestries, sculptures, paintings and collections of weapons from the 15th to 19th centuries. Continue to Bran with its famous Bran Castle, also known as Dracula's Castle. Learn about the castle's history and how it had a strategic mission being the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. Enjoy free time in Brasov and admire the town's houses built in the Renaissance, Baroque, Provincial and neo-Classic style. Explore the medieval fortress of Brasov, formerly one of Europe's most secure fortresses. See the preserved old wall, the Black and White Towers and the Weaver's Bastion. Also, learn about Catherine's Gate, situated near the Schei Gate in the western part of the fortress and its 4 little towers symbolizing the medieval right of life and death over the vassal's lives. Later, return to Bucharest with drop-off at your accommodation.

Enjoy a comfortable ride in an air-conditioned vehicle from Bucharest to Bran Castle, the inspiration for Dracula’s Castle. On the journey, your local guide will tell you tales of Transylvania’s history and mythology as you journey through the majestic countryside. You'll also get to go far beyond the standard tours of Transylvania’s legendary castle by going 30 metres underground the castle to the Time Tunnel. The unique Romanian construction was designed to describe the history and culture of the Bran Castle with a state-of-the-art multimedia exhibition. To reach the tunnel, you will get into a 'stone' elevator, located right in the courtyard of the castle and which is considered to be the one of the greatest current innovation among the European museums. After the tour of the castle, you will have two hours to have lunch in Brasov, a picturesque city in the heart of the Carpathian Mountains. Follow your local guide on a tour of this impressive city. Visit Brasov’s Council Square, the incredible Black Church, and the city’s old defensive walls.

Escape the bustle of Bucharest and spend a day immersing yourself in the landscapes and landmarks of Transylvania. Encounter the historic castles, rich scenery, and evocative atmosphere of this unique region. Enjoy a pickup from your hotel, and guided tours of these fascinating monuments. Start your day trip with a visit to Peles Castle, set in the scenic mountain resort of Sinaia, known as the Pearl of the Carpathians. Tour the Romanian royal family’s former summer residence, which showcases a magnificent palace in the German Renaissance style. Next, enjoy a walking tour of the town of Brasov. Start from its main square, and stroll around its well-kept historical center as you see sights like the Gothic Black Church, old City Hall, and the narrowest street in Europe. Encounter Bran Castle for your final tour stop, also commonly known as Dracula’s Castle. Take a walk inside its grandiose towers and down its winding narrow staircases and passages, and learn about the infamous Vlad the Impaler.

Experience one of the top attractions during your visit to Bucharest, with a planned visit to the Parliament Palace. The Palace was ordered by Nicolae Ceaușescu, the dictator of Communist Romania and it was constructed between 1984-1997. Started during the darkest period of communism, Ceausescu's mad dream became the largest building in Europe and the 2nd largest building in the world. Start the tour by skipping the line with your fast-access ticket. Meet the Bucharest Parliament Official Guide, and begin your exploration of the building's interiors. Immerse yourself in the history and contemporary realities of this unique building during a captivating tour which covers 3 levels of the building. Begin on the ground floor where the entrance is located. Learn an array of mesmerizing facts including how the Palace has a height of 84 meters (276 ft), a floor area of 365,000 square meters (3,930,000 sq ft) and how it is the heaviest building in the world. Then, head up to the 1st level where the main meeting rooms are located together with the Ballroom. As you admire the interiors and architecture, find out about how the building contains almost 500 chandeliers, over 1400 mirrors and ceiling lights, 35 million cubic feet of marble, and 32 million cubic feet of wood together with carpets and other decorations make this building a place like no other. Listen to other mind-boggling facts including how the building has 8 underground levels, the last one being a nuclear bunker, linked to the main state institutions by 20 km of catacombs. End the tour on the 2nd level where the balcony will offer you great views over the Fountains Avenue.

Discover the sights and notable cities of Transylvania on this guided tour from Bucharest. Visit historic castles and a medieval town as you immerse yourself in this atmospheric region. Benefit from pickup from your accommodation, then set off to explore the historic castles of Transylvania, and the medieval city of Brașov. Stop in the small town of Sinaia and visit Peleș Castle to explore the former summer palace of the Romanian royals. Continue to Bran, famous for the imposing fortress connected to the legend of Count Dracula. Hear tales about the real-life Vlad the Impaler, said to have inspired Bram Stoker. Get panoramic views of the surrounding mountains from the remains of the citadel. Enjoy some free time to find keepsakes in the souvenir market, and before taking a walking tour of Brașov's medieval Old Town with a local guide. Benefit from some time at leisure before traveling back to Bucharest, and drop-off at your accommodation.

Home to one of the most famous counts in literary history, Transylvania is a must-see destination on any visit to Romania. On this full-day tour from Bucharest you will visit the historic region exploring the influence of different cultures, including Romanian, Saxon, Turkish and Hungarian. After meeting your tour guide in your hotel, head to the historic region, bounded to the east and south by the dramatic Carpathian Mountains. Drive into the Transylvanian Alps to Sinaia and Brasov. Sinaia was named after the Biblical Mount Sinai and is known for its beautiful late 17th-Century Byzantine monastery. You will visit the neo-classical Peles Castle, built on a medieval route that linked Transylvania to Wallachia. A highlight of your cultural excursion will be the afternoon visit to the medieval Bran Castle. Better known as Dracula’s Castle, it is associated with the real Vlad the Impaler who became the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s famous vampire Count Dracula. The afternoon section of the tour also includes a short walk in Brasov, where you will get to sightsee the medieval town, one of the largest in Romania. Tour the historic streets and take in sights such as the Council Square, Black Tower and Black Church to get an idea what a typical old Transylvanian city looked like. At the end of the day, take in the gorgeous mountain scenery as you drive back to Bucharest and are dropped off at your hotel.

Learn the dark history of Bucharest, starting with a visit to the monumental Memorial of the Victims of Communism and of the Resistance, built as a reminder of the cruel events that unfolded between 1950 to 1977. Hear about the torture methods used at the deportation camps during the days of communism. Travel back to the beginning of the 20th century, when Bucharest was known as "Little Paris" for its sexy and sophisticated atmosphere. Stop for a drink inside a former brothel, and hear the story of the serial killer nicknamed the "Vampire of Bucharest" when he terrorized the city between 1970 and 1971. Visit one of the oldest churches in the city to explore the bloody feuds between the Muslim world and the Christian rules of Romania. End at Bellu Cemetery to look at the amazing funerary architecture and learn more about some of the site's mysteries.

Start by meeting your local guide at your hotel, then drive south from Bucharest towards the Romanian and Bulgarian border. After crossing the Danube River and the Friendship Bridge, you will enter Bulgaria. On the way towards Veliko Tarnovo, stop for an exclusive visit of the Rock Hewn Churches next to the village of Ivanovo. These are Bulgarian Medieval churches, chapels and monastic cells hewn into the craggy gorge of Roussenski Lom River. Inscriptions, portraits of saints, and other restored items are from the 13th century. After this, discover Veliko Tarnovo, which was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire and has a long tradition in the culture of Bulgaria. The city is rich in museums and historical sites, combined with a vivacious night life propelled by the students in one of the largest universities in Bulgaria. Take a walk on the Artisans Street where you have the chance to pass by workshops owned by Bulgarian families for generations, preserving the old traditions. You will have the chance to see a fully functional coppersmith workshop to see the production of copper plates and cups used for Turkish coffee. Hike up the Tsarevets Hill with the remains of the castle and church of Bulgarian kings. Visit the Fortress, the Patriarchal Church, the Royal Palace, and Emperor Balduin’s Tower. Next, journey to Arbanassi and step back in time while wandering the streets lined with houses and churches dating back as far as the 16th century. Take a peek into the life of rich merchants from the 17th century while visiting the Konstantsalieva House, showing the lavish but simple lifestyle of the nobility. Next, stop for lunch in one of the many restaurants serving local food and savor the famous Bulgarian cuisine. Take a brief walk in Ruse, Bulgaria’s first European style city. See the streets with curb stones and pavements, Viennese lanterns, and catering establishments. Bulgaria’s first lift was installed here in 1896. The list of monuments is vast here, counting sites like the Main Square, Palace of Justice, Catholic Boarding School, French College, the Pantheon, and the Neo-Gothic Church of Saint Paul. Following this, begin the journey back to Bucharest.

Pre-book your skip-the-line entry ticket and guided tour in one for an exclusive look through the Romanian Palace of Parliament in Bucharest. Discover twelve stories, over a thousand rooms, and four underground labyrinths, including a nuclear bunker. Follow your guide to see the nation's political hub and international conference center, also housed in the palace, and the extravagant rooms in traditional Romanian styles. Marvel at the carefully planned details of the interior, from the ceilings and chandeliers (one of which has over 7,000 light bulbs) to the marble and gold leaf details. The Romanian Palace of Parliament or Palatul Parlamentului is not only the seat of the Parliament of Romania but also the second-largest building in the world. Although shrouded in historical controversy, the building has become a must-see for anyone visiting Romania.