Halloween in Transylvania
with Vlad the Impaler
The Full Dracula Tour
Highlights:
Ritual Killing of the
Living Dead - Help a haunted spirit
to gain his peace - attend the ritual of killing a vampire
in this Dracula tour.
Wine Tasting in
Tokaj - It was the Tokaj wine that
Dracula used to serve his guests with. Also a favourite
tipple of the Dumas’s musketeers.
The Magic World of Romanian Folklore - A live presentation offered by a
famous Romanian ethnographer, your travel to Transylvania
will enrich you’re universe with more fantastic creatures
than you could ever have imagine.
Introducing Unique Characters - Meet the Vampire Wooden Stake Specialist, the
famous woodcraftsman Grigore Tulean from Maramures, a VIP
of your Dracula tour. Be aware that the ancient ritual of
preparing the dead with a stake or needle through the
heart is still practiced in some remote regions.
Halloween Dinner Party in Bistrita - in the 'Jonathan Harker' saloon of the 'Golden Crown' Restaurant Halloween Party in
Sighisoara Citadel - Dracula’s birth
place; lunch in the house where Vlad the Impaler was born
and enjoy the best Halloween party ever.
Halloween
Party at Bran Castle - also known as Dracula’s Castle, a
legendary Transylvanian fortress dating back to 1377
Day
by day itinerary:
DAY 1, Budapest - Tokaj - Satu Mare (326 km, 3h 38 min
driving)
Welcome to your Dracula Tour, a Halloween in
Transylvania with Vlad the Impaler! Our English speaking
guide picks you up from Budapest Airport and prepares you
for your travel to Transylvania.
Stop for a glass of excellent wine in Tokaj, Hungary. It
was the Tokaj wine that Dracula used to serve hisguests
with! For a little Dutch-courage and, for sure, with
higher spirits you’ll reach Romania and stop in Satu Mare
for accommodation in a 3* hotel.
Along with a welcome dinner, you’ll receive your talisman:
a cross carved by a famous popular craftsman to keep your
body safe and your spirit alive, as well as a survival
certificate (which you’ll have stamped as you progress
through the itinerary) to recognize your courage!
DAY
2, Satu Mare - Sapinta - Sighetul Marmatiei - Ieud
(154 km, 3h 2 min driving)
Your first morning in Romania! Drive to Sapanta,
close to the Ukrainian border, home of the merriest
cemetery in the world! Unique in the world: the Merry
Cemetery owes its name to the wood-carved memorial
crosses, not only decorated in vivid colors depicting the
deceased in a cartoon like manner, the epitaphs candidly
recite biographies of the deceased using limerick-style
poetry.
Next stop is Sighetul Marmatiei where a famous
ethnographer, will take you into the magical world of
Romanian folklore on your visit to the Village Museum.
You’ll spend the evening in a country-inn in Ieud, a
welcoming ‘peasant house’ where you can enjoy a
Maramuresean home cooked meal.
Try on the traditional Maramuresean clothing and enjoy a
carriage ride by torch light up to the village church;
delight yourself with stories of the haunted houses of
that area to better catch the spirit of this Halloween
tour!
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DAY
3, Ieud - Rozavlea - Sacel - Bistrita (156 km, 3h
driving)
In Sacel you’ll make a truly necessary friend: Grigore
Tulean, a famous woodcraftsman. He’ll teach us how
to make the perfect wooden stake which,
in Sighisoara, will be used in order to kill a vampire!
Travel to Bistrita next and step into Jonathan Harker’s
shoes.
TIP: Dare to step back in time! Enjoy your
lunch in the Jonathan Harker Saloon, a reference point
for the Halloween tour, and feast yourself with the same
menu as he did before meeting the Bloody Count Dracula
of Transylvania.
Drive next to Bistrita Citadel. We’ll stay in
Dracula’s Castle, a 3* hotel which was
built in accordance to Bram Stokers imagination. After
visiting Dracula’s coffin we’ll run out the castle, not
admitting we’re afraid and saying, “we’re going shopping
for souvenirs.”
DAY 4, Bistrita
- Cluj Napoca - Turda (191 km, 3h 12 min driving)
Aren’t you
happy to see the light of the day again? Morning ride to
Cluj, admire here the impressive Saint Michael’s
Cathedral. Optional: How about a
genuine Dracula tattoo? It’s hard to believe, but here
in the heart of Transylvania you can find the best
Turkish kebab, that we strongly recommend for your
lunch, in spite of the irony – a Turkish specialty in
Vlad Dracul’s country, given the fact that he was the
worst enemy the Turks could have had. From Cluj we
drive to Turda, the place where you’ll put your existence
to the test! Here you’ll descend into the heart of one of
the biggest salt mines in the country – Turda
Salt Mines. The Mine ends in a narrow
tunnel at the end of which a mirror is placed. Should you
see your reflection in the mirror, you will know you still
have a soul to worry about! Delight yourself with a
vampire menu for dinner, a delicious reason to travel to
Transylvania!
DAY 5, Turda -
Medias - Biertan - Sighisoara
(120 km, 2 h driving)
The
culminating point of your adventure in Transylvania! In
Medias, become acquainted with a unique artist,
the only one in the world who uses spider webs for
his paintings. As you probably know, spiders
are creatures happily tolerated by the count, so you’ll
have further proof of how they are not merely reminiscent
of delights' past. The next stop of your Romania travel is
Biertan, visit the impressive fortified
church and shop at Madam Monica Cosma’s
for souvenirs which offer a superlative selection of
Romanian handicrafts. Drive to Sighisoara, the best
preserved and still inhabited medieval citadel in Europe
and a UNESCO heritage site, but probably most important
for you it is Vlad Dracula's birth place!
TIP: For your lunch we recommend
‘Vlad Dracul’s House’, the very place where Dracula was
born, turned today into an exquisite restaurant wherein
you can find frescoes dating back to the 14th century.
It’s time for your Halloween party, put
on your costume and get into the mood, this is the reason
for your travel to Transylvania. Plenty of opportunities
for you tonight: attend Vampiresa Hunting, enjoy
Witchery Moments, performed by two famous
magicians, witness the Ritual
of Killing of the Living Dead, performed
according to old Transylvanian folklore and listen to your
guide’s good advice, and you might just escape without
being impaled! The best Halloween party idea, don’t you
think? If you survive, you’ll find refuge in a 3* hotel.
DAY 6, Sighisoara
- Bran (139 km, 2h 13 min driving)
Getting up in the morning after a party is always a hard
thing to do! But the program for your travel in Romania
today is worth the effort. Drive to the medieval Saxon
city of Brasov to visit the historic town centre and its
famous gothic Black Church, the best-known monument in the
city.The edifice holds the largest organ in Europe, which
was partially destroyed during the great fire of 1689. It
was here, in the city of Brasov where Vlad led raids
against the Saxon merchants.
Drive to Bran and attend the ultimate
Halloween Party at Bran Castle - also known as Dracula's
Castle! Enjoy an unforgettable night tour of Bran Castle,
meet the Wicked Fairies and get lost in their euphoric
dance along with a glass of local red wine. Watch a horror
movie projection and feel amazing being part of a great
and dynamic Halloween Afterparty in the courtyard of Bran
Castle until 4:00 am.
DAY
7, Bran - Sibiu (92 km, 1h 41 min driving)
For a walk on the famous Bridge of Liars you’ll
travel to Sibiu, a city with a wonderful medieval charm,
excellent views of the surrounding landscape and great
food. Accommodate in a 3* hotel. Enjoy a traditional
dinner in one of the oldest restaurants in Sibiu.
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DAY
8, Sibiu - Deva - Hunedoara - Arad (339 km, 4h driving)
Today you’re invited to pay a visit to another
legendary castle in Transylvania, Corvinesti Castle. In
the morning visit Sibiu - if you have some courage to
spare you’ll cross the Bridge of liars and make a
confession. Shall you utter any lie, the bridge will
collapse! Drive to Hunedoara where the legendary
Corvinesti Castle is waiting for your visit. The greatese
t Gothic style castle in Romania, Corvinesti was
built in the 14th Century, and it was here that Vlad the
Impaler, Dracula was brought up. TIP: For
your lunch we recommend you choose Corviniana restaurant
in Hunedoara, with a house specialty: absolutely
delicious grilled “Corviniana schnitzel” with cheessauce.
Spend the evening in Arad, accommodation in a 4* hotel.
DAY 9, Arad -
Szeged - Budapest
The
last day of your Halloween tour. Please allow your self an
extra 5 minutes in bed to think about your adventure in
Dracula’s kingdom, wasn’t it soul captivating? Travel to
Budapest, Hungary’s capital. On the way stop to Szeged
also called Sun City, enjoy a city tour. For lunch we
recommend an excellent restaurant “Halaszcsarda”
(Fisherman’s Tavern) for the fine fish specialties you can
try here. Accommodate in 3* hotel in Budapest, central
located. During your farewell dinner your survivors’
certificate will be handed over, as well as the
certificate proving that Transylvania does exist and it’s
not quite the Utopia people imagine.
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DAY 10
It’s time to take your soul back home ... hopefully.
Testimonials
"It is obvious that Transylvania Live
goes to extraordinary lengths to make sure its
clients are satisfied. We are very
thankful to our guide for being not only a
well-informed guide but also for being courteous,
dependable, friendly, and always doing his best make
sure that the trip was a pleasant experience for us,
which it was".
Steve and Karen from Beverly Hills (referred to
us by Let’s Travel agency from Santa Monica,
California, www.letstravel-sm.com)
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Sorin, group leader says:
It’s a great satisfaction for me to guide this
tour and share all my knowledge on Transylvania’s
history and legends, and also create a special
fairytale, funny atmosphere.
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Price
& Departure
Special
notes & info
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