Traditional Easter in Transylvania 4D/3N

Meeting with the whole group and the agency’s representative at approximately 07:00 in the morning from the Union-Metropolitan Area. We leave on the Olt valley to Sibiu, on the route above.
Leaving from the hotel to Sibiu.
We will first stop at the oldest and most complex historical and art monuments from Romania, Cozia Monastery, that is situated on the right bank of the river Olt. It was built between 1386-1388, being one of the most important foundations of the ruler Mircea cel Batran (Mircea the Ancient). Initially, it was known under the name of Nucet Monastery, because it was built in an area proper for walnut trees to grow. The name of “Cozia” was given to it later, after the name of the mountain in its vicinity.
Later we will continue our tour to Sibiu where we will attend to walking tour. We will discover: Piata Mare, Piata Mica, Podul Minciunilor. Sibiu has grown outward since it’s 12-century beginnings, and luckily, its charm and appeal has only increased, as well. The heart of the city is its medieval center complete with open squares, stone wall defenses, towers, and centuries-old buildings and churches.
In 2007, sibiu was selected as European Capital of Culture together with Luxembourg and in the following years it had been voted the 8th most idyllic place to live in Europe in 2008 by Forbes. Sibiu was known in the past as the most important center of the population of German origin in Transylvania; here coexisted in perfect harmony three major cultures: Romanian, Hungarian and German but also a number of minorities. Due to its position near Wallachia and Moldova, but also to Germanic influences, the entire culture and monuments of the city have taken on a Western, Byzantine and Orthodox imprint. During the Habsburg occupation, Sibiu was the second city of the Empire after Vienna, and this was due to its location, located at the “gates of the Orient.
Although Sibiu’s Orthodox cathedral was built in just two years from 1902 to 1904, fundraising had begun 45 years before, when the Transylvanian Bishop Andrei Șaguna first wrote to Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I. It’s a stirring sight, with neo-Byzantine alternating bands of yellow and red brick and a humungous copper-covered dome.
Free time for small shopping at the Easter Fair in Piata Mare in Sibiu, where those interested will find traditional products.
Dinner and accommodation in Sibiu, hotel/pension 3*

Breakfast. We are leaving to discover the surroundings.

Astra Museum – In the Dumbrava Forest four kilometres south of Sibiu is a terrific outdoor museum in the Swedish “Skansen” tradition. The proportions are awesome, at 96 hectares and with a ten-kilometre trail taking you past reconstructed dwellings, windmills, animal paddocks, workshops, churches, water mills and farms from all parts of Romania. There are more than 300 buildings, showing off the diversity of styles and ingenuity and resourcefulness of rural folk in Romania. Many of the houses and workshops are much more than just static exhibits, with staff bringing to life centuries-old traditions and skills from weaving to cooking. The museum also has a lake where you can hire a rowboat in summer, and there’s a constant cycle of folk celebrations with bright traditional costumes and dance.
Entrance: 30 lei (6 €)
In the place where Baia Populară Sibiu (the Sibiu Public Bath) now stands there used to be the first stearin candle factory in Transylvania, which opened in 1840. After the factory was relocated on today’s Turnului street, Franz Frühbeck Sr. funded the city’s first steam baths in the 1840s. Baia Populară is now born anew – expanded spaces, technical modernisation, the entire historical building repaired and renovated – to reveal the beauty of a tradition that goes back over 100 years and bring it into the present through new services and facilities aimed at every local or tourist in Sibiu. The ground floor area hosts the following facilities: swimming pool, dry sauna, steam sauna, salt room, two cold-water and one warm-water pools, large changing rooms, a waiting room for parents / next of kin of children attending swimming courses. The 1st floor is dedicated to spa therapies: relaxation, rehabilitation, stress-relief, hot-stone therapies (massages), automatic jade-stone bed massage, water-bed hydromassage, a recreation and relaxation area.
The prices depend of the chosen services. E.g swimming pool access (1h30 min) 20 lei (4 €)/ Sauna or salt room (3 h) – 30 lei (6 €)
Or you can opt for the Spa-Aria center ARIA CENTER, ARCHITECT OF GOODNESS! The Aria Center develops a unique concept of recovery and relaxation. The complex, set to the highest standards, has gradually developed an innovative range of services for physical and mental maintenance.
Dinner and accommodation in Sibiu, hotel/pension 3*

After the Easter Brunch, we will visit Alba Iulia.
Alba Iulia or ‘the other capital’ is one of the most interesting travel destinations in Romania. Its wonderful citadel has enough attractions to keep you occupied for a full day, and the entire Alba County is a labyrinth of ancient and medieval monuments, caves and mountains, beautiful villages, and plenty of options for having fun.
We will start a walking tour that covers its most famous landmarks: the Baroque gates, the Catholic Cathedral, the Orthodox Cathedral, the Union Museum, and the Union Hall, plus the ancient ruins and medieval fortifications. Of course, we won’t miss the change of guards that takes place every day at 12 pm in front of the third gate.
Dinner and accommodation in Sibiu, hotel/pension 3*

Breakfast. We will leave to Bucharest
Transylvania is a home not only to a vampire hotel, but also to the Valley of the Fairies. Located in a village Porumbacu de Sus, Romania, Clay Castle of the Valley of Fairies is a newly built hotel.
The Clay Castle hotel consists of ten rooms and each has its own entrance. The hotel is built with Eco-friendly materials only: clay, sand, straw and wood were used to build the place. Soon, it will also have a restaurant, which will serve an organic food. There is no doubt, that soon this place will be on top of the list of places to visit in Romania. Even now, when construction is still going on, visitors come to enjoy picturesque spot.
Entrance: 10 lei (2 €)
We leave for home and stop in Călimanești, located in the central-southern part of Romania, on the right bank of the Olt, in the Subcarpathian depression Jiblea-Calimanesti, at an altitude of 260-280 m, 18 km away from Ramnicu Valcea. The natural healing factors are represented by the protective climate and the springs (discovered in 1827) of sulfurous, chlorinated, brominated, with sodium, calcium, magnesium mineral waters, mainly hypotonic, with variable concentration, chemical composition and temperature.

Arriving in Bucharest during the evening.