Cosmos Treasures of the Balkans & Transylvania

• Budapest Guided sightseeing
• Novi Sad Visit
• Belgrade Guided sightseeing
• Sofia Guided sightseeing, visit Bojana Church
• Rila Visit the Monastery
• Plovdiv Old Town and visit Roman Amphitheater
• Veliko Târnovo Visit Arbanassi Village and the Church of the Nativity
• Bucharest Guided sightseeing, visit the open-air Village Museum
• Sinaia Visit the Monastery and Peles Castle
• Bran Visit the legendary Castle of Dracula
• Brasov Orientation of the Old Town, visit Black Church
• Sighisoara & Cluj-Napoca Visit

• Private home pick-up service
• Flights
• Transfers
• Services of a tour director
• Accommodation
• 12 breakfasts, 4 dinners
• Free Wi-Fi on coach
• Porterage
• Individual audio system
• All airport taxes

Day 1 – Budapest, Hungary

Check into your hotel. In the early evening, meet your Tour Director and fellow travellers.

Day 2 – Budapest

Budapest is a treasure trove of architectural wonders, from Gothic to Baroque, Neoclassical and Art Nouveau, but also full of history, a food capital and surprisingly rich in thermal waters. Discover all of this and more during the guided city tour.

Day 3 -Budapest – Novi Sad – Serbia – Belgrade

Travel to Serbia. Stop in Novi Sad, capital of the province, situated on the Danube River and famous for its Petrovaradin Citadel, the fortress known in the west as the “Gibraltar of the Danube.” Continue to Belgrade, where you will discover the capital of Serbia on a guided city sightseeing tour.

Day 4 – Belgrade – Sofia, Bulgaria

Cross the border into Bulgaria to arrive in the capital city of Sofia. Join a Local Guide for a city tour that includes the Parliament building, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Boyana church, a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the National Theater, and St. Sofia Church.

Day 5 – Sofia – Excursion to Rila Monastery

This morning, discover Rila Monastery with its colourful frescoes, located inside a nature park. Its checkered history goes back to Ivan Rilski, a hermit who founded it in 927. During the long Turkish rule over the country, the monastery became a beacon of Bulgarian culture. Return to Sofia.

Day 6 -Sofia – Plovdiv – Veliko Tarnovo

Head eastwards to Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city, located along the banks of the Maritsa River. Stop here to visit the charming Old Town and the Roman Amphitheatre. Journey northwards through fine scenery over the Stara Planina Mountains to Veliko Târnovo.

Day 7 – Veliko Tarnovo – Bucharest, Romania

Today, time to see some of the highlights of Veliko Tarnovo, located on the Yantra River. During the Middle Ages, it was Bulgaria’s capital and it still retains some of its most attractive medieval features. Visit nearby Arbanassi, world famous for its house design, a cross between a dwelling and a fortress. The village is known as an architectural and historic reserve and was at one time the summer residence of Bulgarian kings.

Day 8 – Bucharest

Flower-festooned parks, gardens, and wide boulevards shaded by century-old trees contribute to Bucharest’s beauty. The highlight of your sightseeing tour is a visit to the open-air Village Museum, a unique collection of traditional farmhouses, cottages, windmills, watermills, and artisans’ workshops from all parts of the country. Your Local Guide will show you other places of interest, including the Government Victoria Palace, the Royal Palace, and the Savings Palace.

Day 9 – Bucharest – Sinaia – Brasov

Travel to Sinaia in the Prahova Valley. This is a lovely ski resort, almost 3,300 feet above sea level. While in Sinaia, there will be time to visit the Sinaia Monastery and Peles Castle, considered among the most romantic castles in the world. Only a few more miles and you reach Brasov, a lovely medieval town famous for its town square filled with baroque architecture and outdoor cafés. This evening, enjoy an optional folklore dinner in a traditional Transylvanian restaurant.

Day 10 – Brasov

This morning, leave for Bran and visit its legendary castle, built in 1377 and inhabited by Vlad the Impaler—better known as Dracula. In the afternoon, a walking orientation of the Old Town of Brasov includes a visit to the BLACK CHURCH, followed by leisure time.

Day 11 – Brasov – Sighisoara – Cluj-Napoca

Stop in Sighisoara, a medieval town with 11 towers within the city walls that surround cobblestone streets, ancient houses, and churches—one of Romania’s prettiest towns. Legend has it that it is also the birthplace of the notorious Vlad (Dracula). Continue to Cluj-Napoca, the film capital of Romania.

Day 12 – Cluj-Napoca – Budapest, Hungary

Cross the border at Oradea into Hungary and return to Budapest.

Day 13 – Budapest

Your holiday ends with breakfast this morning.

Opt to share a twin room with a fellow traveller, and if there’s no one to share with you’ll get a room to yourself at no added cost!

Our single share option will match you with a fellow solo traveller of the same gender in a twin room, so you don’t have to pay a single supplement. If there’s no one available to share with, you don’t pay any additional single supplement. Please call us to book a single-share holiday.

Please note, prices listed are guide prices only and are based on 2 people sharing and don’t include any additional supplements. Holiday prices are fluid and dynamic and may be changed at a moment’s notice, prior to booking, at which point they are confirmed. Please call the team free on 0800 707 6229 for more departure dates available and a quote.