9 Days Small Group Tour From Budapest to Sofia
Arad, HU
100% of travellers recommend this
Non-refundable - Your booking can not be cancelled, modified or refunded.
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Highlights
- Explore the enchanting medieval city of Sibiu
- Experience the breathtaking beauty of Bicaz Gorges
- Visit the iconic Dracula's Castle in Bran
- Discover the rich history of Tsarevets Fortress
- Marvel at the stunning frescoes of Voronet Monastery
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Duration: 9 days
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Includes 8 nights accommodation
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Breakfast included daily
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Professional tour director
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Air-conditioned minivan transport
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Pickup and drop-off included
Embark on an unforgettable 9-day journey through the enchanting landscapes and rich history from Budapest to Sofia. Travelers will marvel at the stunning medieval towns of Romania, including the charming Sibiu and the picturesque Sighisoara, the birthplace of Dracula. They will explore majestic castles like Peles and Bran, and admire the breathtaking painted monasteries of Bucovina, recognized by UNESCO. As they delve into Bulgaria, they will discover the unique architecture of Arbanassi and the historic treasures of Veliko Tarnovo, the ‘City of Tsars.’ With expert guides leading the way and comfortable accommodations in 3- and 4-star hotels, this small group tour promises an immersive cultural experience, delectable breakfasts, and breathtaking scenery. Each day offers new adventures in two of Eastern Europe's most captivating countries, making it the perfect getaway for those seeking both relaxation and discovery.
At a Glance
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9 days
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Instant Confirmation
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Available in English
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Mobile voucher
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Private Tour
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Guided
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Family friendly
Featured Reviews
Explore the rich cultures of Romania and Bulgaria on this 9-day small group tour from Budapest, visiting iconic castles, monasteries, and historic cities.
Included
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OtherTransport for the entire tour with modern air-conditioned minivan -
OtherDriver/guide
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OtherLocal guide for the entire tour in Romania
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Breakfast
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Other8 nights accommodation in 3/4* hotels (1 night in 3* hotel and 7 nights in 4* hotels)
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OtherHotel/port pickup and drop-off
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OtherProfessional tour director that will be also the driver
Excluded
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OtherTips for the tour guide / driver -
OtherFood and drinks
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OtherPhoto/Video fees at the museums
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OtherEntrance fees at museums
Pickup
Check if pick-up is available from your location, you will select during checkout (providers may allow other pickup locations)
What to expect
City Hall
After crossing the border in Romania you will enjoy a walking tour of Arad, during wich we will see the impressive Neo-Gothic Palace of Culture, the City Hall Palace and the Red Church built in secessionist style, the great Catholic Cathedral and the State Theater in neoclassical style.
120 minutes
Timisoara Historical Center
Timisoara, a very charming city for its architectural features for many Turkish, Serbian, Austrian and German elements, which will become the European Capital of Culture in 2021
180 minutes
Castelul Corvinilor
In the morning we will visit the most fascinating gothic castle in Eastern Europe and one of the most beautiful and greatest of our continent, the famous Corvin Castle
120 minutes
Admission Not Included
Visit Alba Iulia, an important city from a historical point of view, because the Great United Romania was made here on December 1st, 1918, so immediately after the First World War
120 minutes
Medieval City of Sibiu
Visit Sibiu, a beautiful medieval city where Romanians and Saxons have been living peacefully for centuries and where the various religious monuments (Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants) demonstrate this peaceful coexistence. Sibiu was named European Capital of Culture in 2007 and hosts an extraordinary theater festival every year. The city fascinates thanks to its three squares (Big Square, Small and Huet Square ) that transport tourists in a real medieval atmosphere. Its towers and its 15th century bastions, but also its beautiful museums and the famous “houses with the eyes” give the visitor lovely moments. Also in Sibiu you will see one of the largest gothic evangelical churches in Transylvania.
180 minutes
Centrul Istoric Sighisoara
Visit Sighisoara, with its imposing Clock Tower. This citadel is the best preserved in Europe and, extraordinary, it is still inhabited. Since 1999 the historic center of Sighisoara is a UNESCO heritage site. Here we will admire the church on the hill, reachable after a wooden staircase called the schoolchildren’s ladder. We will also see the statue of the famous Hungarian national poet Petofi Sandor, testifying to the fact that in Sighisoara the Magyar community was in the past numerically important. Next to the statue is the beautiful Catholic church, reserved for the Hungarian community, and the tower of the shoemakers. You can have lunch at the house where Vlad the Impaler was born (not included)
120 minutes
Admission Not Included
Teatrul National
Visit Targu Mures, a city in which the baroque style predominates. Targu Mures is dominated by the beautiful Palace of Culture, symbol of the locality, an extraordinary baroque palace. In this transylvanian city, the Hungarian community is still numerous and the architects who have worked on the design of historic buildings are all Hungarians
60 minutes
Admission Not Included
Walking tour in Bistrita, whose main monument is the Lutheran church, built in the fourteenth century in Gothic style but remodeled with Renaissance elements in the second half of the sixteenth century.
30 minutes
Admission Not Included
Manastirea Voronet
Visit the monastery of Voronet, nicknamed the Sistine Chapel of the Carpathians, founded by the great prince Stephen the Great and characterized by a beautiful blue color, inimitable and unique in the world
120 minutes
Admission Not Included
Visit to the Moldovita monastery, another famous religious monument, founded by Pietro Rares in the 16th century and whose interior and exterior frescoes enchant the visitor.
60 minutes
Admission Not Included
The last of the painted monasteries that you will have the pleasure of admiring is the Sucevita monastery, founded by the Movila brothers in the seventeenth century. Like the previous two, too, it presents Gothic and Byzantine elements, which merge to form the fascinating Moldovan architectural style. The frescoes on the northern façade of this monastery have remained visible thanks to the protective walls that have never been demolished here.
60 minutes
Admission Not Included
Ceramica neagra Marginea
We continue with a visit to the local artisans of Marginea, who perform excellent work with the famous black ceramic, here you will have the opportunity to enter the workshop to closely observe the various working phases of ceramic pots, but you can also buy items typical of Bucovina. At Marginea you can buy not only ceramic vases, but also beautiful painted eggs and decorated with the traditional Romanian technique.
30 minutes
Overnight at Gerald’s 4 * hotel in Radauti or Best Western Bucovina 4 * in Gura Humorului.
30 minutes
Cucuteni Neolithic Art Museum
Short stop in Piatra Neamt, a famous ski resort that preserves a beautiful citadel founded at the time of Stephen the Great, in the fifteenth century and an 18th century synagogue. The city has a wonderful geographical position being surrounded by mountains that guard beautiful lush vegetation
30 minutes
Admission Not Included
Bicaz Gorges
We will head towards the Bicaz Gorges and then admire a breathtaking landscape. The Bicaz gorges are crossed by a road flanked by a stream and constitute a landscape of strong emotional impact with thrilling cliffs. Along the gorges there is a market with typical handicrafts and souvenirs that make the attraction even more lively.
30 minutes
Red Lake
Visit of the Red Lake, a natural barrier lake, which was formed following the landslide of a part of a mountain, in fact the trunks of the trees are still present in the lake and this gives a particularly evocative atmosphere. The place is interesting especially for the legends that were born and have spread in reference to the name of the lake. During the visit you will become aware of these legends.
60 minutes
You then continue through a scenic road that offers a spectacular view of the Carpathian chain to get to Miercurea Ciuc. This area is also called the Siberia of Romania for the low temperatures and the landscape that characterize this area
30 minutes
Brasov Historical Center
Visit Brasov, a wonderful Transylvanian town, once entirely fortified, an important cultural, tourist and commercial center. Brasov impresses with its typically German architecture, where the Gothic, the Baroque and the Renaissance intersect to give life to an interesting and culturally very lively city. Visit of the First Romanian School, which is located in the oldest district of the city, and which was inhabited exclusively by Romanians, the Schei district, interesting for the entrances into the city that were carried out in medieval times through the Caatherine’s and Schei Gate, quest last of the nineteenth century. In Brasov we will also visit the impressive Black Church, the largest evangelical Gothic church in Eastern Europe, with a 65 meter high bell tower and a length of 90 meters, the church houses the most beautiful nineteenth-century mechanical organ of Romania. We will then admire the palaces and houses of the historic center, recently restored, with the Council Square which now houses a beautiful museum, and the pedestrian Avenue of the Republic.
180 minutes
Admission Not Included
Later we proceed to Bran where we will visit the famous Bran Castle, better known as Dracula’s Castle. In the Middle Ages, Bran was exactly on the border between Wallachia and Transylvania, so it was essential for the inhabitants of Brasov to build and preserve a defensive stronghold
120 minutes
Admission Not Included
Visit to the fabulous Peles Castle, the summer residence of the first king of Romania, the King Charles 1 of Hohenzollern, of German origins. The castle was beautifully designed by a Czech architect, and is famous for being one of the most modern castles in Europe at the time of its construction, between the 19th and 20th centuries. Each room is characterized by a unique style, different from the styles of the other rooms. We will also admire the Florentine room, where we will breathe a typically Italian and Renaissance atmosphere.
120 minutes
Admission Not Included
Visit the Village Museum, founded by a Romanian sociologist and built in 1936 with the collaboration of construction experts, anthropologists, ethnographers and sociologists from all over Romania. This wonderful open-air museum offers the opportunity to learn about the lifestyle of the romanian farmers of the 19th century, their houses, their water mills and their churches entirely made of wood. Here everything is authentic. We will also admire a wooden Maramures church, which was dismantled and then taken to the museum. In this regard, remember that many wooden churches of Maramures are UNESCO heritage
120 minutes
Admission Not Included
Visit the Parliament Building, a majestic monument, second only in size to the Pentagon, built at the behest of the dictator in the 80s of the 900 and for whose creation an entire neighborhood was razed
120 minutes
Admission Not Included
Enjoy a walking tour of the hystorical Center of Bucharest, a completely pedestrian area, with the remains of the princely fortress of Vlad the Impaler, the 16th century palatine church in Byzantine style, and the Stavropoleos church, an architectural jewel of the 18th century, in typical Wallachian style, with important oriental influences in external decoration. Dinner in the most famous restaurant in the capital, Caru cu Bere, which means the beer wagon, where you will have a great time thanks to the folklore show that will take place during dinner and where you will taste excellent traditional Romanian food. The beer produced here is original and the recipe is secret. Caru cu Bere has a fabulous neogothic facade and the restaurant was born as a brewery. The building is magnificently decorated inside in Art Deco style and with paintings representing scenes of bucolic and German life. In each painting you will see represented mugs of beer. As soon as you enter Caru cu Bere, you feel like you’re in a beautiful Bavarian brewery.
60 minutes
Admission Included
Хотел Арбанаси
Continue with the picturesque Arbanasi village . In the walking tour of the village , we will discover houses that preserves an unique medieval bulgarian architecture and a hidden 16th century Church of Nativity with beautiful and richly inside painted fresco
60 minutes
Admission Not Included
Tsarevets
Early evening arrival in Veliko Tarnovo , “City of Tsars” , the former capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. Tsarevets Fortress , Monument of the Asenevtsi kings , Samovodska charshia are the main attractions of the city.
180 minutes
Admission Not Included
Sofia
In the evening we will arrive in Sofia . The walking tour of city center will include the gold-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Saint (Sveta) Sofia Church , Banya Bashi Mosque, the Sofia Synagogue and the main shopping street Vitosha .
180 minutes
Sofia
Free time in Sofia. No overnight offered for this day.
480 minutes
The experience can be subject to change due to bad weather or unforseen circumstances. We always endeavour to give you the best possible experience.
Additional Information
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A dress code is required to enter places of worship and selected museums. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women. You may risk refused entry if you fail to comply with these dress requirements -
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
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Public transportation options are available nearby
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Specialized infant seats are available
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Suitable for all physical fitness levels
What our experts say
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Try the local food in Timisoara. -
Visit Bran Castle early to avoid crowds.
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Don't miss the painted monasteries of Bucovina.
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Explore Bucharest's Old Town after dinner.
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Bring a light jacket for cooler evenings.
More About this Experience
Introduction
Embark on a mesmerizing adventure with the 9 Days Small Group Tour From Budapest to Sofia, a journey that intertwines the rich histories and vibrant cultures of Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. Over the span of nine unforgettable days, travelers will explore charming towns and breathtaking landscapes, from the bustling streets of Budapest to the serene beauty of Sofia. This tour is designed for small groups, ensuring a more intimate and personalized experience. Participants will enjoy comfortable, air-conditioned transport, and stay in carefully selected hotels that reflect the local charm while providing modern amenities. With a professional tour director guiding the way, travelers can immerse themselves in the stories behind each destination, including legendary sites like Dracula's Castle and the stunning painted monasteries of Bucovina. Whether it’s the allure of medieval architecture or the tantalizing local cuisine, this tour offers an all-encompassing experience that captures the essence of each country visited.What to expect?
Travelers can expect a rich tapestry of experiences woven into this nine-day odyssey, where each day reveals a new destination filled with awe-inspiring sights and cultural treasures. From the moment you cross the border into Romania, the adventure begins with walking tours through historic cities like Timisoara and Sibiu, where stunning architecture and vibrant street life await. Guests will explore the atmospheric streets of Sighisoara, the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, before traversing the picturesque landscapes of the Carpathians. Each stop on this journey offers unique highlights, including the breathtaking Bicaz Gorges, the majestic Peles Castle, and the UNESCO-listed painted monasteries that showcase Romania's deep-rooted artistic heritage. In Bulgaria, the charming village of Arbanassi and the historic Tsarevets Fortress in Veliko Tarnovo add to the tour’s allure. With ample opportunities for local dining, sightseeing, and cultural immersion, travelers will leave with unforgettable memories and a deeper understanding of these diverse regions.Who is this for?
The 9 Days Small Group Tour From Budapest to Sofia is perfect for a diverse range of travelers seeking adventure, culture, and connection. Whether you’re a solo explorer eager to meet like-minded individuals, a couple looking for a romantic getaway steeped in history, or a family wanting to create lifelong memories together, this tour caters to all. It’s also ideal for history buffs and cultural enthusiasts, as the itinerary is rich with visits to UNESCO World Heritage sites and iconic landmarks. Those who appreciate breathtaking landscapes and picturesque towns will find themselves in paradise, while food lovers will relish the opportunity to indulge in local cuisine. The tour is designed to be accessible for all ages and fitness levels, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the beauty and culture of Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. Regardless of your background or interests, this journey is an invitation to explore and connect with the heart of Eastern Europe.Why book this?
Booking the 9 Days Small Group Tour From Budapest to Sofia means investing in an enriching experience that goes beyond the ordinary. This tour offers a unique opportunity to discover the intricate layers of history, culture, and natural beauty that define this part of Europe. With a dedicated tour guide and driver, participants can relax and immerse themselves in the experience without the stress of logistics. This small group setting fosters camaraderie and shared discovery, making every moment more meaningful. The carefully curated itinerary is packed with iconic sights and hidden gems, ensuring that travelers not only check off their bucket lists but also gain a deeper appreciation for the places they visit. Plus, the blend of modern comfort and local charm in accommodations enhances the journey, allowing travelers to unwind after enriching days of exploration. Each aspect of this tour is designed to create a seamless and unforgettable experience, making it a compelling choice for anyone looking to explore Eastern Europe with authenticity and depth.Good to know
Before embarking on the 9 Days Small Group Tour From Budapest to Sofia, there are a few helpful bits of information to ensure a smooth experience. Travelers should be prepared for a range of weather conditions, as temperatures can vary greatly between destinations; layering clothing is recommended. Since the tour includes visits to various churches and historical sites, a dress code is enforced, requiring knees and shoulders to be covered to respect local customs. While breakfast is included daily, participants should budget for additional meals and entrance fees at museums. It's also wise to bring comfortable walking shoes, as the tour involves plenty of exploration on foot. For those traveling with infants or small children, specialized seating is available, making this tour family-friendly. Lastly, it's advisable to have a camera ready to capture the stunning landscapes and unforgettable moments throughout the journey, as well as to engage with local artisans and communities along the way.Reviews
Feedback from travelers who have experienced the 9 Days Small Group Tour From Budapest to Sofia has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the tour's well-planned itinerary and knowledgeable guides. Many participants rave about the breathtaking scenery and the chance to explore lesser-known sites that they would have missed on larger tours. Travelers appreciate the small group dynamic, which fosters a friendly atmosphere and makes it easier to connect with fellow adventurers. Reviews often emphasize the cultural richness of the tour, with guests expressing delight in the local cuisine and the opportunity to engage with the history of each place visited. The accommodations have also received commendations for their comfort and location. Overall, the tour has left a lasting impression on many, with participants returning home not only with incredible memories but also a deeper understanding and appreciation of this captivating region of Europe.
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