Transylvania Food Tour & Sightseeing
We are inviting you on a culinary / food tour in Transylvania to try the local gastronomy, local drinks but everything blended with visiting the historic sights, Transylvanian nature and countryside / rural areas. You’ll be delighted about the old villages, the local’s life, traditions and activities which are reflected in the local recipes. Transylvania was and still is a multicultural and multi-ethnic region. From the old times different communities developed their one recipe, they borrowed and blended and influenced one to each other sometime creating unique products. Discover the taste of Transylvania: “mititei” (minced meat rolls), “sarmale” (cabbage rolls with meat), shepherd's meal, “papanasi” (dumplings with sour cream and jam), smoked meat, sausages, excellent cheeses and many more. And let’s not forget about local brandies, fruit liqueurs and wine. Along our culinary tour in Transylvania we’ll also visit some of the most important historic sights like the medieval towns (Brasov, Sighisoara and Sibiu), the unique fortified churches, Bran castle, Rupea Fortress, etc. The beauty of nature and the scenic roads, the impressive Carpathians mountains and the Transylvania “green rolling” hills will complete your experience. This is a private guided tour and it may be customized according to your requests.
HighlightsLocal food recipes from Transylvania, cooking class , homemade cookies tasting, cheese tasting, wine tasting in Azuga, Jam & chutney tasting . Sightseeings: Medieval towns - Brasov , Sighisoara, Sibiu; Fortified Churches (UNESCO), medieval castles and fortresses - Bran, Rupea; old villages; mountain and countryside sceneries
Route map - Transylvania food tour & sightseeing
Starting point: Bucharest
Ending Point: Bucharest
Total distance: approx. 900 km (560 miles)
Total driving time: approx. 15hrs.
Average daily driving time: approx. 3 hrs
Overnights in: Brasov, Viscri Village, Sibiel village, In the villages we'll stay in local guesthouses (pensions) with private rooms, ensuite bathrooms, wi-fi
Optional nights in Bucharest before / after the tour
Day 1. Bucharest – Sinaia – Bran – Brasov
Optional we can provide hotel accommodation and airport transfers before and after the tour.
9.00 AM Meet your tour guide at your hotel / address in Bucharest.
We’ll travel on the route to Transylvania. The road will cross the Carpathians mountains and passes scenic mountain towns.
In the morning we’ll visit the Peles Castle, a former summer royal residence of the Romanian kings and one of the finest castles in Europe.
Lunch (2 courses) will be served in the local restaurant.
In the afternoon we’ll visit the famous Bran castle, built in the 14th century in gothic style for defensive purposes, later known as Dracula’s castle.
After the visit, have some time to look over the souvenir's market and we’ll tempt you with a local dessert called „kurtos”.
End the day in Brasov. Time and dinner at your leisure.
Accommodation in a 3 / 4 stars hotel, located in the center of Brasov.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Day 2. Brasov – Prejmer – Szekely County – Viscri
Breakfast in the hotel. Check-out.
In the morning we’ll have a walking tour of the medieval center of Brasov. The city of Brasov is one of the oldest in Europe, dating from 1235. During the Middle Ages, Brasov was known as a powerful fortress surrounded by high stone walls and defended by bulwarks, towers and other small fortresses. The buildings and the streets in the historical centre still preserve a medieval note. Council Square, Black Church, White and Black Towers, Weaver’s Bastion and Ecaterina’s Gate are the tour highlights.
We will like to surprise you with a sweet gift, a sample of couple cookies made in Grandma's style.
There are homemade cookies following old recipes which are hard if not impossible to find in any standard cake shop. Enjoy them along the route.
Our Transylvania food tour will continue with the visit to Prejmer Fortified Church (UNESCO site), a unique sample of defensive and religious structure.
We’ll drive north to Szekely Counties, a region with a high Hungarian influence.
Lunch (2 courses) will be served in a restaurant along the route with Transylvanian Hungarian specialities. The famous palinka before eating and a local beer after will complete the taste.
Next stop will be at a local cheese small producer which makes artisanal cheese. Find more about the cheese production and have a quick taste of the local cheeses.
We’ll end the day in one of the most famous and charming old villages from Transylvania – Viscri village, a place where the old architecture and the old way of life is still preserved.
Check-in to a local guest house. Enjoy some time at your leisure before dinner.It is a nice way to explore the Transylvanian villages and rural life, staying in a local guest house but with all comfort of the modern life (ensuite bathrooms, wi-fi, etc)
A Typical Transylvanian Saxon Dinner (3 courses) will be served at the guest house. Water, plum brandy and wine are included.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner, cheese tasting, cookies Grandma’s style
Day 3. Viscri area
Breakfast. We’ll spend the morning in the Viscri village, walking on the cobblestone streets between the colourful houses where people are trying to preserve their traditions and way of life. The village looks almost the same as it was 100 years ago.
We’ll visit the family and workshop of a local blacksmith where we can see him working in the traditional way and find more about his family life. Next his wife will do a demonstration on how to produce felted shoes. Anytime you can be part of the activity and try your skills. The family is a member of the Roma (Gypsy) community, so it is a good moment for our guide to tell you more about them, their traditions and history.
After this we will go to one of the houses to see how it is made and taste a local delicious sweet cheese pie and to hear more about the Saxons civilization and traditions and how they were organized in Transylvania.
We’ll visit Viscri fortified church (UNESCO) , which is the oldest and most important building. The local ethnographic museum will reveal more about the locals' life.
Lunch (2 courses) will be served in Viscri, local food and traditional receipes.
After lunch we’ll visit Rupea Fortress, built in 14th century , it is another sample of a Transylvanian fortress, called “the peasent citadel”
Next, in the village of Saschiz we’ll visit a local jam producer and we can taste its jam and chutneys, all of them using local ingredients.
Optionals:
Horse ride on the hills and green area (2-3 hours). It works for people with ridding experience in the nature.
Mountain bike ride. There are several routes you can take between Viscri and surrounding villages.
Truffle hunting. Available between Sep-Nov. We can organize a program with a local specialist and special trained dog to hike and find the truffles. The success of your work hunt will be rewarded with a special dinner using the truffles as ingredients.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner, jam & chutney tasting
Day 4. Viscri – Sighisoara – Sibiel
Breakfast. We’ll start the day with a walking tour of the Sighisoara fortified medieval town (UNESCO). Points of interest: The Clock Tower. Vlad Dracula House, The Cover Staircase, The Church of the Monastery, The Church from the Hill, and the fortification system.
Our food tour in Transylvania will continue towards the surroundings of Sibiu city, a pastoral rural area inhabited for centuries by the Romanian shepherds.
Feel like a local farmer and have a horse driven wagon ride through the village and its surroundings! It is a great way to see the village architecture and way of life. We will visit a local household to see how a regular family organizes its domestic activities, domestic animals, vegetable garden, etc.
Participate to a short cooking class to learn how to cook a traditional Romanian dish. The ones which don’t want to cook may just enjoy an afternoon in the garden or having a local drink.
In the evening you’ll be delighted by a Shepherd’s Dinner style (3 courses). The menu is based on polenta, cheese, mutton meat + desert, water, plum brandy, local beer / wine.
Accommodation in Sibiel village into a local guest house.
Meals included: breakfast, dinner, cooking class
Day 5. Sibiel – Sibiu – Bucharest.
Breakfast. We’ll leave our host and we’ll visit the Old Town of Sibiu, the oldest and largest medieval town from Transylvania. Highlights: Big Square, Little Square, Evangelical Cathedral, Orthodox Cathedral, Liar’s bridge, towers and fortifications.
Continue towards Bucharest. On the route we’ll stop for a 2 courses lunch to try “mititei”, a very popular Romanian meal, which is very popular for picnics or just a quick stop on the long drives. They are minced meat rolls with a recipe dating since 19th century, We’ll stop in one of the most famous places to have this meal – Dealul Negru.
Around 6.00 PM we’ll arrive in Bucharest. Panoramic tour of the city and drop-off at your hotel.
Optional we can provide hotel accommodation and aripat transfers before and after the tour.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
End of Food Tour in Transylvania services
Optional services in Bucharest before / after the Food tour in Transylvania
Accommodation in Bucharest in a 4 stars hotel, central located – from 70 euros/night/room
Airport transfers – from 10 euros/person
Bucharest – half day guided tour – from 40 euros/person
Bucharest – full day tour – from 50 euros/person
Please contact us for supplementary details!
Payment and Cancellations Policy
Payments
To secure your booking a deposit of 100 euro/person is required.
The final payment has to be made with minimum 15 days prior the tour start.
The payments can be made online by credit card or by banking transfer
In certain circumstances can be made cash or card on arrivalCancellations
Special conditions. If an emergency situation occurs (pandemic, disasters, revolution, war, etc) and the Romanian authorities or the authorities from the traveler’s country impose restrictions to travel, to enter or leave the country, the cancellation can be made anytime without any penalty.Standard conditions. If none of the above mentioned situations occur the cancellation policy is:
No penalty apply if the cancellation is made with minimum 15 days prior the tour. Any deposit paid will be refunded in maximum 10 days.
50 % penalty fee apply if the cancellation is made with 5-14 days prior the our departure.
100% penalty fee apply if the cancellation is made with less than 5 days prior the tour start or in case of NO SHOW.
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