Seven days self-drive trips from Bucharest

Day 1: Arrival in Bucharest. Welcome to Romania and Bucharest! You will be picked up from the airport by our driver and transferred to your hotel in Bucharest. Hotel check-in is available from 2 PM. For earlier arrivals, we recommend storing your luggage at the front desk. At 6 PM meet your tour expert at the lobby of your hotel. Get a short briefing of the tour and take delivery of your car and touring pack. Overnight in Bucharest

Day 2: Bucharest – Curtea de Arges monastery – Transfagarasan Highway* - Sibiu. You will leave for the beautiful region of Transylvania, and your first stop is at Curtea de Arges Monastery. Built in the 1500s, the edifice is the thumb of the Romanian Royal Family. Only a few kilometers further is Transfagarasan Highway, the most beautiful road in the world, some say. It took 20 tons of dynamite to forge the path of the Transfagarasan, and now it sits between Curtea de Arges and Transylvania as the most majestic piece of road in the world. The day ends in Sibiu, Europe’s ‘Gastronomic capital’ and one of the seven medieval fortifications in Transylvania. Overnight in Sibiu

Day 3: Sibiu – Transalpina Highway – Corvin Castle – Alba Carolina Fortress. The third day starts with a drive to Transalpina Highway, the highest road in Romania that sits at 2228m above sea level. The history of the road is unclear, some people say that it was first built by the Roman Legions in the second century AD. After the road trip to Transalpina, you will head to Corvin Castle, one of the most beautiful in Transylvania. Built in a Renaissance-Gothic style and constructed over the site of an older fortification on a rock above the smaller Zlasi river, the castle is a large and imposing structure with tall towers, bastions, and myriads of windows and balconies. The last destination of the day is Alba Iulia, with Alba Carolina Fortress. You will have the evening free to explore the fortress built in the 1700s and surrounded by 12 km of walls and built in the shape of a star. Overnight in Alba Iulia

Day 4: Alba Carolina – Turda Salt Mine – Biertan Fortified church - Sighisoara. Your next destination is Turda Salt Mine, a huge subterranean salt mine, where you will take that amazing photo that will amaze everyone! The sights inside the mine are otherworldly, attracting artists in search of spectacular views. You will reach Biertan, the largest fortified church in Transylvania, built by the Saxons in the sixteenth century and nowadays listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. An important highlight of the tour is Sighișoara, the only inhabited medieval fortress included in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. This is the place where you can find out more about Dracula’s legends, and about the life of the real-life ruler, Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Tepes). Overnight in Sighisoara

Day 5: Sighisoara – Viscri village – Rupea fortress - Brasov. From Sighisoara, you will drive to Viscri, the village that charmed the heart of Prince Charles through its simplicity and how the locals preserve their traditions. The Fortified Church is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and it is a sight that should not be missed. Your next stop cannot be missed since it sits upon a hill on the way to Brasov. It is Rupea Fortress, one of the oldest settlements in Romania. The first clues show that the first settlements date back to 5000 BC. In the afternoon you will reach Brasov, a city founded by the Teutonic Knights, located at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Overnight in Brasov

Day 6: Brasov – Bran Castle – Peles Castle - Bucharest. Now it's time to visit the famous Bran Castle. Here, you will complete the stories, in Dracula’s castle. Your next stop will be the Orthodox Monastery in Sinaia, continuing with Peles Castle, the splendid Gothic-style castle built by the first king of Romania, Carol I of Hohenzollern Sigmaringen. Here, you will take a castle tour and discover some of the life of the Romanian royal family. In the evening you will reach Bucharest. Overnight in Bucharest. *For later flights, you can drive straight to the airport where our travel expert will pick up the car from you.

Day 7: Bucharest – Departure. After breakfast, you can choose between taking a tour of Bucharest with one of our guides or exploring it on your own. You will be transferred to the airport according to your flight schedule.