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Flydrive holidays in Romania

Fly-drive holidays are ideal for the independent traveler as it gives you the flexibility to stay exactly where and for how long you choose, and the freedom to explore at your own pace. You decide how much driving you wish to do each day and plan your own route. Enjoy the open road with a road trip through Romania and take your time to explore historical cities, beautiful towns full of local ambience and culture, breathtaking sights and stunning scenery. Romania has to be explored by self-drive car because each region is very different and has so much to show. 

Sample holidays

Transylvania - The medieval towns and Saxon villages

There are three principal towns in the southern part of Transylvania : Brasov, which acts as a gateway to the Saxon villages, the hilltop fortress of Sighisoara and Sibiu, which is in the throes of redevelopment. Sibiu is also basking in the limelight as European Capital of Culture for 2007.

Sibiu, its medieval heart of three interlocking squares, with freshly dolled-up houses in pastel shades, is certainly very attractive. And there is a fascinating open-air museum (the Astra Museum) of vernacular buildings transplanted from all over Romania, and set amid beautiful parkland.

Brasov, the medieval city, founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1211, is one of the best preserved in Europe. The town has excellent hotels in the old town (Casa Wagner and Bella Muzica) and numerous good restaurants (Casa Hirscher, Keller Steakhouse), as well as a spectacular setting in a heavily forested valley.

Sighisoara, high on a hill,  Sighisoara is one of the most beautiful and best preserved medieval towns in Europe. Still, there are two good hotels (Casa cu Cerb, where Prince Charles has stayed, and Casa Wagner) and cobbled streets, and it makes an excellent base for exploring the surrounding Saxon villages: Biertan, Calnic, Darju, Prejmer, Saschiz, Viscri and Valea Viilor, all listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Maramures – The land that time forgot

Perhaps the best-kept secret in Europe today, the Maramures region provides he ultimate stress-free break: traditional rural life, folklore and customs amidst idyllic surroundings and unspoilt nature. You will be welcomed to this beautiful land with open arms by people fiercely proud of their history and traditions. In the shadows of the majestic Rodnei, Tibles and Maramures mountains you will find an enchanting landscape of rolling hills with clumps of beech and oak where villages, nestled in the valleys, retain a forgotten lifestyle, almost preserved in medieval isolation. Traditional costumes, blankets and carpets are woven by hand, waterwheels still power flour and fulling mills, and threshing machines, and shepherds tend their flocks in the high pastures. Above all, this is the realm of the woodcraftsman - everywhere there is wooden architecture of the highest quality imaginable, from intricately carved gateways bearing symbols of aspiration and continuity, eaves and verandas, to the famous churches constructed entirely of wood. Although many date from the last Tatar raids in the 18th century this is not a forgotten craft - the new monastery complex at Bârsana is and excellent example of a recent construction. Don't miss other, historic wooden churches such as Rozavlea, Ieud and Bogdan Voda in the Iza valley, or those at Plopis and Surdesti with slender spires (Surdesti being the tallest wooden structure in Europe), the traditional villages of Budesti, Sirbi and Calinesti in the Cosau valley, and Desesti, Harnicesti and Sat-Sugatag in the Mara valley, all noted for their wooden architecture. Other attractions include the famous "Merry Cemetery" at Sapinta.

 

Bucovina – The painted monasteries

Among the most picturesque treasures of Romania are the painted monasteries located in Bucovina, many of which are protected by UNESCO as part of humankind's world heritage. These richly decorated houses of worship are "albums" of fresco art that have survived the elements since the 15th century. The Voronet Monastery, founded in 1488 by Stephen the Great, is widely known throughout Europe as "the Sistine Chapel of the East," because of its interior and exterior wall paintings, which offer an abundance of blue-chromatic frescoes featuring a color that has come to be known as Voronet blue. The frescoes of this church and many other painted churches in the Bucovina region illustrate biblical scenes, prayers, episodes of sacred hymns and themes such as The Last Judgment and The Ladder of St. John, all variously featuring the colorful and detail-rich imagery of apostles, evangelists, philosophers, martyrs, angels and demons. Beside their vivid frescoes the painted monasteries are famous for the original way of depicting beliefs or events: Sucevita with its unique “Ladder of Virtue”, Humor, featuring the devil amusingly depicted as a woman, and Moldovita, where a monumental scene of the Siege of Constantinopole is displayed. Easily accessible from the cities of Suceava or Campulung Moldovenesc, the painted monasteries area is also known for its unspoiled villages, its dramatic scenery and for the nearby vineyards of Cotnari.

Car to be collected/returned in Bucharest.
Prices are based on 2 sharing a twin room.
Price include : 7 nights accommodation on BB basis, car hire, maps and brochures.