Things to do in

Târgoviște

Forget about legends and travel to see Vlad the Impaler's Royal Court and his Fortress in Poienari village, where Vlad use to hide the country's gold. Stop to see Curtea de Arges Monastery, a real beauty of the Royal Family, and where the graves of the Romanian Kings are located. See the biggest dam in Romania nearby, Vidraru Dam, and get ready to take pictures. You will travel by private car and have your own guide while visiting some of the most historical and interesting sites in the area. Travel to Targoviste Fortress, one of the most important medieval monuments in Romania with a history that goes back to the 15th century. Explore the former princely court, that was used as a residence by some of the most famous princes of Southern Romania, including Constantin Brancoveanu and the legendary Vlad the Impaler who built the emblematic Chindia Tower. Learn the history of Tragoviste, from its small beginnings as a fortress to its expansion to a princely residence by Vlad Dracul. Move on with a walk up to Chindia Tower, the symbol of the princely court of Targoviste. Admire the view from the tower’s balcony, especially the ruins of the two princely palaces, and also observe the silhouette of a church dated back to 1415. Finish walking around what remains of the palace and visit the two churches that still survive in the area, the small Holly Friday Church and the Great Princely Church, the only monument built in the 15th century in Southern Romania still conserved in its original form. Reach the old town of Curtea de Arges, with its rich and eventful history, and see the ruins of the Wallachian princely court, the 13th century Royal Church, as well the famous Arges Monastery. Learn the interesting and sad history of the sites from the guide. Enjoy visiting Poenari Castle, a perfect stop for history lovers and fans of Dracula. Experience the perfect chance to discover the wildlife in Transylvania.

Your professional guide will give you an overview of the communist period in Romania and the rise and fall of its most beloved son. Find out how Ceausescu rose to power and turned from a loved and popular leader to the totalitarian dictator who pushed the whole country into darkness. You will stop at the former HQ of Ceausescu, learn about the Romanian Revolution and then see the actual villa where he lived in Bucharest. Also, in order to get to know who he really was, you will visit Parliament Palace. Discover the second largest building in the world- formerly known as the People’s Palace. Take an in-depth tour together with a professional English-speaking guide from the Parliament in order to get a full sense of Ceausescu. After you have finished learning about his life, you will hear about his downfall and eventual death. Drive north, to the old capital of Wallachia, Targoviste. Here, you will learn about the last hours of the dictatorial couple, at the very military unit where they were prosecuted and executed.

Drive to the former capital of Wallachia, Targoviste, and visit the remains of the court of Vlad the Impaler, better known as Dracula. Next stop is in Curtea de Arges where you’ll visit one of the most beautiful churches in Romania, also the burial site of the first Romanian kings. From this holy place keep on driving to the ruins of Poenari Castle, Dracula’s fortification which overlooks the Carpathian Mountains.  Experience the Transfagarasan Road, built by Ceausescu with the help of the army. It offers a breathtaking view and takes you all the way up to the summit of the mountain where you can discover the astonishing glacial lake of Balea. From here, start your long but beautiful drive back home.

Embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey into the heart of Transylvania and uncover the truth behind the world's most famous vampire with the "Dracula Beyond the Legend" private tour. This eight-day adventure takes you to 14 eerie destinations throughout Romania, immersing you in the dark and mysterious history of the region. The journey begins and ends in Bucharest, a city shrouded in myth and legend, with a rich history dating back to the 15th century. From here, you'll be transported to some of the most haunted and mysterious landmarks in Romania, including the real Dracula's castle, where you'll learn about the twisted history of the bloodthirsty count. Throughout the tour, your expert guide will take you on a bone-chilling adventure through the most haunted and strange locations in Transylvania. Every step of the way is designed to evoke the ominous aura of the vampire that has captivated imaginations for centuries. From the frightening forest where the count is said to have roamed to the macabre town of Sighisoara where he was born, you'll experience the true terror of Dracula's legacy. The in-depth cultural experience of this tour is not for the faint of heart. You'll stay in a hotel with an eerie past, and your meals, transportation, and other amenities are all included. Throughout the journey, your senses will be overwhelmed by the spooky atmosphere that permeates every location you visit. At every destination, your guide will bring to life the dark and twisted history of Transylvania. You'll hear stories of the vampire's wickedness, his thirst for blood, and the terror that he brought upon the people of the region. You'll discover the origins of the legend of Dracula and how it has evolved over the centuries to become one of the most enduring and captivating myths in popular culture. At the real Dracula's castle, also known as Bran Castle, you'll experience the chilling atmosphere that inspired Bram Stoker's famous novel. From the castle's eerie corridors to the dark and forbidding dungeon, you'll be transported back in time to the era when Dracula ruled the land. The tour also includes visits to other landmarks that are steeped in legend and mystery, such as the fortified churches of Biertan and Viscri, the spooky Hoia Baciu Forest, and the medieval town of Brasov. You'll have the opportunity to explore these locations at your leisure, soaking up the atmosphere and discovering the hidden secrets of Transylvania. The tour plan: Day 1: Bucharest OTP Airport - Bucharest City Day 2: Bucharest – Targoviste Royal Court – Poenari Castle Day 3: Poenari citadel – Transfagarasan Highway – Sibiu Day 4: Sibiu – Corvin Castle – Sarmizegetusa Regia – Densus church – Deva Day 5: Deva – Alba Carolina – Turda Salt Mine – Cluj-Napoca Day 6: Cluj-Napoca – Hoia Baciu Forest - Biertan – Sighisoara Citadel Day 7: Sighisoara – Bran Castle – Brasov Day 8: Brasov - Snagov Monastery - Bucharest city or airport

On the 22nd of December 1989, 12:07 Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife run with the helicopter from the roof of the Communist Party Headquarter Palace escaping the fury of 100.000 persons who surrounded the building asking for his resignation. Having in mind to regroup and fight back to keep his supreme power over Romania that he had for almost 24 years Nicolae Ceausescu runs towards Pitesti to find support from the working class and the army but he is captured in that day near Târgoviște. Feel the terror and the fear which overwhelmed Nicolae Ceausescu after losing in just one day the supreme power he had over the country for 24 year and discover his lesser known attempts to get it back. A classic car tour with a fully restored Dacia which explores both the geographical as well as the emotional roadmap covered by Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena on the 22nd of December 1989. Discover all the key moments from when they got in the helicopter to leave Bucharest until the last day of his 24 years of communist Presidency. We will explore the pivotal moments of Ceausescu’s last day as a President and cover a route of 90 km towards Târgoviște- and back to Bucharest- the place where he was captured, detained and executed on the 25th of December 1989. You will visit the private Residence of Nicolae Ceausescu- “Palatul Primăverii” at the end of the tour. Highlights • A 5.5 hours private tour with a classic car which crosses the city landmarks • We start the tour at the Revolution Square. • Leave towards Târgoviște • Stop where the Nicolae Ceaușescu abandons the helicopter and continues his run with a Dacia • Stop at The Steel Factory and The Milția station where Ceaușescu tried to organize support but he gets arrested. • Stop the building where Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu were detained, judged and executed on the 25th December 1989. The building where Ceausescu was executed is not accessible on the interior due to renovation. • Return to Bucharest • Guided visit at the Palace of Primăverii, the Presidential Palace where Ceaușescu lived with his wife Elena, from 1965 to 1989. Tickets included . You will hop on or hop of the car on the main stops of the circuit, you’ll get the best photo shots of your travel, and you will hear the most amazing life stories that portray Romania. Be ready to feel drive with a car that made the nation, a Classic Dacia car!

Spend the whole day searching for clues about Dracula's life. Actually back then, in the 15th-century, he was known as Vlad the Impaler and he was the ruler of Walachia. His seat of power was in Targoviste. This is, of course, the first stop of the day and you will visit the ruins of his court and the tower of Dracula.  Afterwards drive to Curtea de Arges and visit one of the most beautiful churches in Romania. It is here where the first two royal couples of Romania are buried. From here go to the gateway of the Carpathians, at the ruins of Poienari Castle and learn more about the myth of Dracula. You drive through the mountains to reach Dracula's Castle in Bran, the worldwide dark and mysterious place. On this full-day trip, enjoy an exclusive lecture on Dracula and Vlad the Impaler in between fact and fiction while passing through different stages of his life making it the most complete Dracula Day Trip.

Palace of Parliament: In Bucharest City Tour at the Palace of Parliament or People’s House – you will learn how dangerous and damaging a totalitarian regime like communism can be for a nation. You will feel small seeing what pointless opulence and megalomania “the sleep of reason” can create. Imagine you have the chance to see 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. Ceausescu Mansion: The “Ceauşescu Mansion” was for a quarter of a century (1965-1989) the private residence of Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu and of their children, Nicu, Zoia, and Valentin. Built in the mid-1960s and known at the time as the “Spring Palace”, the mansion was enlarged between 1970 and 1972. The preferred choice for the design of the Ceauşescu family’s residence was Aron Grimberg-Solari (born 1928). The architecture of the palace is complemented by landscaping conceived by the architect Robert Woll (who was also the main furniture designer for the house) and the landscape engineer Teodosiu. Museum of Communism (ferestroika): This is the building, now museum, where Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife were tried and executed. It is now old, dilapidated, and not maintained very well or used except for the area of the trial. Entry cost was 8 ron and there is an addition charge to take photos. The rooms are very small and you can tell by the furniture it was a very poor country in 1989. It appears they do not want to glamorize the event or persons as there were limited photos. There is a room where they checked President Ceausescu and his wife medically before the trial. There is room with the tables and chairs that the trial was in. There are two chairs in a corner where they sat. The other tables were used for the defense, prosecutors and guards. There is a room with the beds where they ate and slept. You can go outside and see the area where they stood them up and used automatic weapons to kill them. There were no trees there at that time as now. Revolution Square: One of the most important place when we talk about Romanian Revolution, December 1989!