Day 1 Arrive in Sibiu Arrive at Sibiu airport, meet with your guide and transfer to the city. Depending on the arrival hours, the program can start right away, or on the next day. The first thing we will do is to discover by foot the historical center of Sibiu, during a comprehensive walking tour. It will be a good opportunity to learn more about the history and different aspects of Transylvanian and Romanian culture.
Then, we will head to the Astra Museum of the Traditional Folk Civilization. Is an open-air museum, located just a few kilometers from Sibiu, in a beautiful natural setting, made by Dumbrava forest and the lakes fed by the water of a small stream. The Museum is the largest of its kind in Romania, covering more than 100 hectares. The exhibition is a collection of rural architecture and traditional installations from all over Romania. We can discover the museum on foot, but if it will be enough snow, we can rent a horse-drawn sleigh for an authentic winter experience.
Day 2 Snowshoeing in the mountains near Sibiu Today we are going to the mountain resort of Paltinis, located in the Cindrel mountains, at 1450 meters altitude. Normally, there is plenty of snow up there, perfect for our first snowshoeing experience. At the highest point, at around 2000 meters, we will be able to enjoy a splendid panorama of the mountains nearby, towards the south, and the Transylvanian plateau, to the north. Hiking distance: 10 km, altitude gain: 500 m
Day 3 Corvin Castle and Alba Lulia After an intense day in the mountains, on this day we will visit some of Transylvania’s main touristic attractions. First, we will drive to Hunedoara, a former industrial town 130 kilometers from Sibiu. There we will visit the mighty Corvin Castle, one of the best examples of lay gothic architecture, the former residence of the king of Hungary, Mathias Corvin. Then, we will head to Alba Iulia, to visit the 18th-century fortress, built in the time when Transylvania was a province belonging to the Austrian Empire. The fortress has a rich history behind it, starting from antiquity when the Romans have raised there a castrum to accommodate an entire legion. During our walk in the citadel, we will learn more about the distant and close history of the city. Did you know that, for example, Romania's national day is linked to an event that took place in Alba Iulia in 1918?
Day 4 Hiking through the shepherd's huts Leave our hotel in Sibiu and head to a shepherd village near Sibiu. Start the hike on one of the trails used by the shepherds to reach the mountain pastures where they are grazing the sheep. Pass through the shepherd huts, small wooden shelters where they spent the summer month, looking after their sheep or working on the hay. If possible, we will stop for a traditional lunch at the sheepfold, made of cheese and polenta.
Hiking distance: 10 km, altitude gain: 900 m.
Day 5 Transfagarasan road, the ice hotel and Brasov Leave Sibiu and head to Brasov. On the way, we will make a detour, to Transfagarasan road. We will drive on the famous mountain road as far as 1200 meters altitude, and from there, we will take the cable car to 2000 meters altitude. The cable car ride will be just above the road, probably hidden under a thick layer of snow. Arrived at 2000 meters, at Balea Lake, we will have a short walk around the area, to admire the fabulous winter landscape, and if possible, we will visit the Ice Hotel, a construction made every year entirely from ice. It acts like a real hotel; people can spend the night there if they can resist the temperatures around 0 degrees Celsius.
Then, we will head to Brasov, where we will discover the historical part of the city during a guided walk of about 1.5 hours.
Day 6 Bear Sanctuary and hiking in the mountain villages near Bran or Bran Castle visit Today we will visit a bear reservation, located at 30 minutes drive from Brasov. Created in 2005, the Libearty Sanctuary is now the home of 100 brown bears, rescued from miserable living conditions, being abused in captivity. Recognized by many specialists as the most ethical sanctuary in the world, its territory lays on 69 hectares of coniferous forests located near Brasov. After leaving the reservation, we will head to the mountain villages near Bran, to enjoy the winter landscape in the Transylvanian countryside. We will walk about 5-8 kilometers, and during the hike, we will admire the magnificence of the Romanian villages in winter and our eyes will be delighted by the fantastic views of the Carpathian Mountains.
Another option on this day is to visit Bran Castle. In winter, the days are shorter, so if we want to see the famous castle, often associated with Dracula, we will need to shorten our walk through the villages, in order to be at the castle before closing time.
Hiking distance: 5 km, altitude gain: 400 m.
Day 7 Husky sledging and chimney cake course Today we will leave Brasov and head to the Harghita, to meet the friendly winter dogs and have an introductory course of husky sledding. Then we will start the husky sleigh ride. The length of the ride is usually 30 minutes, but depending on your experience, we can have a longer ride, of about 4-5 hours.
In the afternoon, we will head to the guesthouse where we will spend the night, where we will have a hands-on course in the traditional Szeclers desert and snack: the chimney cake. Although is a popular sweet treat all over Central Europe, it is said that the origin of the cake is in Szecklersland. We will learn the recipe for the dough and then learn to roll it on the cylinder. And of course, in the end, we can taste it!
Day 8 Return to Sibiu Transfer to the airport in Sibiu. For an extra fee, a transfer to any other airport in Romania is possible.
Romania.8 days €820.00
