Explore Romania - P3A Walking Group

Arrival on Bucharest International Airport, in the morning. Meet our tour guide.
Transfer to Brasov - Transylvania (aprox 3hrs driving).
Check-in the hotel. Afternoon at your leisure.
Overnight in Brasov at Hotel Bella Muzica***, located in the heart of the Old Town.

The Bella Muzica hotel is located in the heart of Brasov's historic centre, few metres away from Council Square and Black Church, the city’s landmarks. The most important tourist attractions and the restaurants, shopping and leisure areas are very easily accessible from the hotel.
The hotel’s building has 400 years of history and it was recently restored in the shape of the architecture it had in 19th century in the neoclassical style. It is what we call a boutique hotel with character.
The hotel will be used for all your 6 nights stay in Brasov.

Brasov city lies in the center of Romania at the foot of the Carpathians mountains. It has an old history dating back from 1235. It was one of the biggest and most fortified cities from Transylvania and it became an important and prosperous trade centres, known for the quality products made by the local craftsmen. The city’s landmarks are the Black Church – the biggest gothic cathedral, the Council House, Hircher’s house, Ecaterina’s Gate, White tower, St Nicholas Cathedral and the Museum of the First Romanian School and Printing Workshop. 
The historic centre still preserves the old architecture. Many of the houses are hundreds of years old, some of them preserving the original Renaissance style, others having the facades refurbished in the 18 / 19 century in the Neoclassical style.
The famous Vlad Dracula spent a few years in the city so there are some sights related to him too.
It is a pleasure to spend the afternoons in the old town, Most of the area is pedestrian only so you can enjoy a nice walk to see the most important sights but also to “get lost” on small streets. There are many restaurants and shops in the area for all the tastes. 
Romanian cuisine is very tasty and diverse being a cocktail of Romanian, German and Hungarian influences (the main nationalities which lived in the city for centuries. Don’t miss the “sarmale” (cabbage rolls with meat), “mititei” (minced meat rolls) or the “papanasi” (dumplings) for dessert. All goes well with a palinka “plum brandy”, a good Romanian beer or a glass of Transylvanian wines.

Breakfast. Morning at your leisure.
At 10.00 AM we’ll start an easy hike on a route to Poiana Brasov, a beautiful mountain resort.
From the hotel we’ll walk about 30 min through the old neighbourhood – Schei until we'll arrive at Solomon’s Rock Canyon which is the start to our hiking trail. 
We’ll start the hike through the Solomon’s Canyon, a place of a local legend and traditions and we’ll hike along the until Poiana Brasov. 
Difficulty easy: Duration 3 hrs. distance approx 5km; Total ascent” 300 m,. Max altitude 1020m.
Then you can have a walk through the resort or enjoy a meal or drink in one of restaurants.
Return to Brașov walking on “the old route - drumul vechi”, a very popular place for walkers.
Difficulty very easy: Duration 2 hrs. distance approx 4 km; Total descent 300 m,. 
Overnight in the same hotel.
Meals included: breakfast

Breakfast. We’ll drive you to Predeal (30 km - 45 min driving).
Today we’ll have two mountain guides and we can split the group into two groups according to the difficulty level.
Please note: Every day the guides may choose or change a different route according to the weather conditions or with the hiking experience and physical shape of the group members.
Difficulty easy-medium  We’ll start a beautiful hiking trail from Predeal -Trei Brazi – Szekeles chalet – Cheile Rasnoavei Gorges
Duration 4 hrs. distance approx 14km; Total  ascent 100m. Total descent 400m. Max altitude 1200 m
Difficulty: medium - hard. We’ll start a beautiful hiking trail from Trei Brazi – Szekeles chalet – Postavarul chalet – Poiana Brasov.
Duration 6 hrs. distance approx. 14km; Total ascent” 600 m, Total descent 700m. Max altitude 1704m. 
Return to Brasov. Overnight in the same hotel.
Meals included: breakfast

Breakfast. We’ll drive you to Dambu Morii (11 km - 20 min driving).
Today we’ll have two mountain guides and we can split the group on two groups according with the difficulty level.
Dificulty: medium. We’ll start on the route Dambu Morii – 7 Ladders Canyon – Dambu Morii
Duration 4 hrs. distance approx 5 km; Total ascent” 400 m, Total descent 400m 
The ones which want may continue the route until Paitra Mare chalet (approx. 2 hrs, 400 m ascent.
Return to Dambu Morii, then by minibus / coach – back to Brasov.
The 7 Ladders Canyon is a gorge carved into the Jurassic limestone on the western side of the Piatra Mare Mountains. Their length is 160 meters with a level difference of 58 meters, at an altitude of 948 meters. The gorge consists of 7 steps with heights between 2.5 and 15 meters. The 7 Ladders Canyon is crossed on metal ladders and platforms installed in 2013. Specialized equipment is not required but visitors must be equipped with boots/semi-boots and waterproof clothing.
Return to Brasov. Overnight in the same hotel.
Meals included: breakfast

Breakfast. Spend the day at your leisure to discover the city of Brasov, Or you can choose one of our optional packages:
1. Brasov and Bran castle. Duration aprox 5-6 hrs. 
Start at 9.00 AM
In the morning we’ll have a guided walking tour of the Brasov’s Old Town which will include the best attractions. Highlights: Council Square, Black Church (interior visit), Ecaterina’s gate, Weavers Bastion (interior visit), Towers and fortifications, St Nicholas Cathedral and the Museum of the First Romanian School (interior visit), White Tower belvedere point.
Next we’ll drive to the famous Bran castle, built in 14th century is one of the landmarks of Transylvania and one of the most known castles in the World.
Return to Brasov arrpund 3,00 PM
Price: 65 euros/person. Included (Tour guide, private transportation, entrance fees)
The tour runs for minimum 6 people

2. Truffle hunting and lunch. Duration: 5-6 hours
We’ll be going to the surrounding villages outside of Brasov (approx. 60 km, 1hr driving) to participate to a private truffle hunt using specialized dogs. It is a special experience and a wonderful time spent in nature.
The results of our hunting will be used in a lunch which will be served in a local guesthouse together with other traditional local courses.
We’ll also visit a local buffalo farm.
Price: 75 Euro/person. Included (transportation, private truffle hunting program, organized just for your group, lunch with 3 courses, farm visit)
The tour runs for minimum 6 people

3. Brown Bear Watching Tour. Duration aprox 3 hrs. Start at 4.30 PM
Just before sunset we’ll go in the forest assisted by a ranger and we’ll wait in a special watch tower to see the brown bears in their natural habitat. The program is about 3 hours long, but depends a lot of the bears activity. These bears are truly wild and we have a 90 – 95% chance of seeing them at the hides.
However we cannot guarantee the success.
Price 50 euros/person. Include: transport by car to the forest (aprox 30 min one way), local ranger assistance, entrance in the natural park and use of the watch tower.
The tour runs for minimum 4 people and a maximum of 15 people

Option 3 can be combined with one of the options 1 or 2.

Breakfast. Transfer to Bran village (30 km - 45 min. driving)
Today we’ll have an easy/medium hike to explore the landscapes of a mountain village in Transylvania, to learn and understand more about their way of life. It will be a 3-4 hrs walk through the village and its surrounding mountains. It is an opportunity to see old houses" architecture, barn, sheep farms and sheds. Your tour guide will tell you more about the locals way of life, their customs and traditions.
Return to Brasov in the early afternoon. Overnight in the same hotel.
Meals included: breakfast

Breakfast. 9.00 AM, Check-out the hotel.  We’ll go on the route to Viscri village.
It is time to discover the beautiful Transylvanian rolling green hills which offer scenic views over the countryside, farming areas and charming old villages spread on the valleys. We’ll drive you to Viscri village, 60 km (1hr driving time) out of Brasov), near Sighisoara - the birthplace of the famous Vlad Dracula. We’ll have a short walk on the scenic old village which preserves the old architecture. Optional visit to the fortified church  UNESCO (30 min). The Transylvanian fortified churches are unique in the World due the combo between a religious and a defensive structure and for the role they had to protect the local community. They can be seen in Transylvania only.
Viscri village became known for preservation efforts made by Prince Charles the Walles foundation.
Difficulty easy-medium: we’ll have a walk in the surrounding area of Viscri village, walking on the hills with great views over the village and its beautiful church. We can see the farming land and your guide will explain the characteristics of the local agriculture. 
Duration: 4 hrs. distance approx 10 km; Total ascent 100m. Total descent 100 m
Difficulty medium-hard: We’ll have a walking route passing beautiful hills and valleys and we’ll pass by some very charming old villages. The route starts in Viscri village and we’ll continue over the walking routes to Meschendorf village and will end in Crit village. Then you’ll be transported by coach back to Viscri. The difficulty consists in the walking distance and not on the ascents or descents. We are in a hilly area not in the mountains. There will be many opportunities to have breaks to admire the views, to drink water or to have a picnic lunch (water and food we have to carry with us).
Duration 6 hrs. distance approx 20 km; Total ascent 410m. Total descent 450 m
 
At the end of the hike we can have some time to relax in the village or in the guest house just before to invite you a Special dinner with Transylvanian home made food. Dinner will be served in a local guesthouse.
Accommodation in a local guesthouse, in traditional Saxon Transylvanian style. Many houses from the village were recently refurbished and transformed into local guest houses which are offering very comfortable accommodation but with the old architecture and designs. Each room has private bathrooms, heating, and wifi. The former barns were transformed into lobby areas or in places to serve meals. In general the guesthouses are small, having 5-6 rooms, therefore we'll divide the group between 2-3 guesthouses, located not far from each other. The dinner will be served in the same place for the whole group.
Meals included: breakfast, dinner

Early morning breakfast and departure. Transfer to Bucharest International Airport according with your flight time.
Drop-off at the airport or at a hotel in downtown Bucharest.

At the end of the hiking tour we are inviting you to see more of Romania to add some cultural and historic sight to your experience and to find more about our history and our traditions.
These are private guided tours which run for a minimum of 4 people.

Option 1. Transylvania and Wallachia Tour – 5 days
Discover the charming Transylvania with its medieval towns, castles and fortresses, scenic old villages, traditions, crafts, the great landscapes of the Carpathian mountains and the southern region of Romania – Wallachia. We’ll visit the best tourist attractions in the area, we’ll find more about the local history, traditions and way of life. Highlights: Old towns of Sighisoara, Sibiu and Cluj-Napoca, Corvin’s castle, Turda Salt Mine, Roman ruins and the town of Alba Iulia, Transalpina road, Horezu monastery.

Option 2. Bucovina Painted monasteries – 5 days
Visit the most beautiful and unique painted monasteries from Bucovina part of the UNESCO Heritages list. We’ll cross the Eastern Carpathians mountains through amazing passes with views and fall colours. We’ll see Bicaz Gorges, Red lake and Bicaz lake.
Please see the details…