SHORT BREAKS – DAY TRIPS FROM BUCHAREST
Weekend in Bucharest
Friday, arrival in Bucharest, meet the local guide and driver who will transfer you to your hotel in the city centre. Evening at leisure and time to discover the night life in Bucharest.
Saturday, morning you will take a sightseeing tour of the city. You will discover the eclectic French architecture of central Bucharest. Accompanied by your guide, you will stroll across the narrow commercial streets of Lipscani district down to the ruins of the Princely Court and its Church of the Annunciation, the oldest edifice in Bucharest. In the same street, the historic Manuc Inn is the place where tradesmen and merchants used to lodge and do business. You will thus get to know the ever-changing history of the Romanian capital, along with its diverse art and architecture.
The Revolution Square with its Royal Palace, Romanian Athenaeum, Bucharest University Library and Senate Palace will provide you with the setting for the contemporary history of Romania. The visit to the Palace of Parliament will show you the second largest building in the world with its luxury interior displaying crystal chandeliers, mosaics, oak paneling, marble, gold leaf, stained-glass windows and floors covered in rich carpets.
You may end the day with a musical performance at the Opera house or attend a concert in the beautiful Romanian Athenaeum, built in the late 19th century by public subscription, representing both a temple to music and the arts and a favourite symbolic building of the city.
Sunday morning, before departure, you may like to do some shopping in one of the new malls of Bucharest.
Sinaia monastery & Peles Castle in Sinaia -120 km
In Sinaia, the mountain resort, known as „The pearl of the Carpathian mountains”, visit Sinaia Monastery (1695) and the fabulous Peles Castle, the summer residence of the former royal family.
Bran Castle & Ethnographic Museum in Bran – 200 km
See this beautiful fortified medieval castle, often referred to as Dracula's Castle, built in 1377.
On the grounds below there is an open-air ethnographic museum of old village buildings with exhibits of furniture, household objects and costumes.
Medieval town of Brasov – 170 km
Fringed by the peaks of the Southern Carpathian Mountains and resplendent with gothic, baroque and renaissance architecture, as well as a wealth of historical attractions, Brasov is one of the most visited places in Romania.
Targoviste – Curtea de Arges – 220 km
In Targoviste, former capital of Romania, tour the 14th century Princely Court (Curtea Domneasca) and Chindiei Watchtower. From Targoviste, continue to Curtea de Arges and visit the 14th-century Princely Court and the Princely Church, with its lovely interior frescoes and the 16th century Curtea de Arges Monastery.
Horezu Monastery & Horezu Pottery Center - 210 km
Founded in 1690 by Prince Constantine Brancovan, the monastery of Horezu (UNESCO site), in Walachia, is a masterpiece of the 'Brancovan' style. It is known for its architectural purity and balance, the richness of its sculptural detail, the treatment of its religious compositions, its votive portraits and its painted decorative works.
The nearby village of Horezu is home to one of the biggest pottery centers in Romania. Nearly a century ago, local nuns taught the villagers how to make and paint pottery, and ever since, people have come from far and wide to get their hands on Horezu’s ceramics.