2008 TOURS
A Unique Opportunity
We offer the unique opportunity of touring one of the least explored regions of Europe from the comfort and security of your private train. Transylvania has some of the richest history in Europe. The Ottoman Turks, Austro-Hungarians and Wallachians have all left surviving examples of their culture here. Many castles and fortified villages have barely changed since medieval times. These provide an opportunity for you to gain a genuine sense of history, while simultaneously enjoying first-class accommodation, haute cuisine, fine wines, and service by our professional team of on-train stewards and dining-car staff.
The Romanian Royal TrainOn this page you will find eleven different tours for 2008. They offer a broad range of destinations, durations and prices. Each day will be spent at a new location where you will participate in an extensive program of all-inclusive off-train excusions. Depending on your choice of tour, these involve visits to many outstanding World Heritage sites, and encompass breath-taking performances of folk music, a banquet hosted by a Hungarian Count, wine-tasting in Royal cellars, bird-watching and fishing in Europe's largest nature reserve, a ride on a narrow-gauge steam railway, vivacious gypsy dancing, traditional village life including horse-cart rides, an organ recital, a fun evening at a Vampire Ball, caviar tasting, tours of various Royal residences, pottery and folk-art demonstrations, a trip on a historic paddle-steamer, and a private concert by a world-class Philharmonic Orchestra.
Some of the tours will use the luxurious Royal Hungarian Express and the Romanian Royal Train, which was built in Italy in 1926. Our special Royal Tours provide an opportunity to visit the various locations in Romania where the Romanian Royal Family made their home, and where much of 20th Century Romanian history was created. These locations include Bran Castle, the residence of Queen Marie the grand-daughter of Queen Victoria of England, and Curtea de Arges - the resting place of of most of the Romanian Royal family. Each trip ends with a Royal banquet. No expense will be spared to make these tours a truly Royal experiences. We aim to create an unforgettable adventure for those involved.
The Royal Train Dining SalonOn other tours your private train will consist of regular first-class passenger rolling-stock. There will be steam-haulage on some trips. Occasionally tours involve nights off the train in carefully selected hotel accommodation. Many tours include two nights in Budapest or Bucharest with stimulating guided tours of both these vibrant cites.
Flights are not included in the tour prices, because there are several ways of connecting with our trains in Transylvania, depending on your personal interest. The main gateways are Bucharest, the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca, and Budapest. We can arrange your ticketing to Bucharest via various scheduled airlines, including Romanian Tarom, Malev Hungarian Airlines, Air-France, Alitalia, British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, and Delta Airlines from the USA. Many European cities are also linked to Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca by low-cost airlines such as Blue Air, EasyJet, MyAir, and Wizzair.
Finally, there are also regular international trains that link Western European cities with Bucharest - for example, the ISTER overnight sleeper-train from Budapest.
Please contact Rick Spurway for full details of all current 2008 Tours.
Tours by 1st Class Private Trains
Situated at the heart of Transylvania, the cities of Cluj-Napoca and Targu Mures are the perfect starting-points for tours of the region - in particular, our 5-Day Highlights of Transylvania Tour from Targu Mures provides first-hand experience of the various cultural groups that exist here. Our 4-day action-packed Dracula Weekend train from Cluj-Napoca offers a fun-oriented introduction to the local history. You can also spend a more leisurely 4-days exploring the hidden depths of the region by taking our Traditional Maramures Tour. These trains use 1st-class accommodation with shared or single cabins, and we occasionally operate with steam locomotives.
For something completely different you can take our private train to the vast Danube Delta on the Black Sea Coast. We will transport you by boat amongst the water channels and floating islands to view the wildlife and flora. Your train then journeys to the largest vineyard region of Romania, where there will be plenty of opportunity to taste the wines.
Tour Code: PTDW5
Danube Delta Wildlife,
Black Sea & Wine Tour
5 Days / 4 Nights
On arrival in Bucharest you will transfer to your hotel, and take evening dinner in a city restaurant with a folk entertainment show. On Day 2 the morning and afternoon will be spent touring Bucharest, before boarding your private train for the town of Braila on the River Danube. Here you will receive a buffet dinner on a historic paddle-steamer built in 1853 - the only one still functioning in Europe, and recently restored. After the trip on the River Danube, you will return to your train for some late night entertainment and to sleep.
Day 3 begins with a short bus-ride to the 5-star Delta Nature Resort & Club near Tulcea. Here you can relax over morning coffee or have a quick dip in the pool, before taking the Hydrofoil deep into the Delta to the edge of the Black Sea. A picnic lunch will be provided by the Delta Nature Resort. Here is a wild wetland that's unique in Europe. It's the largest and best preserved of Europe's deltas, and hosts over 300 species of birds as well as 45 species of freshwater fish in its numerous lakes and marshes.
Danube Delta pelicansAt Sulina, at the mouth of the Danube, there's a choice of activity - either taking a boat to view the wildlife, including Europe's only pelican colony, visiting a traditional village on a floating island, or to do some supervised fishing. Here lives the Beluga Sturgeon, which provides a high quality caviar. After dinner at the Delta Nature Resort, and a chance to taste the caviar and Delta fried fish, we rejoin the train at Braila.
Delta fried fishOn Day 4 we travel to the vineyards of Odobesti and Panciu - with its historic winecellar created in the reign of King Stephen the Great - over 500 years ago, at the end of the 15th Century. Here you will taste a variety of wines and take lunch at the vineyard, which will be accompanied by traditional entertainment. The train arrives back in Bucharest in the evening. Next morning, Day 5, you will transfer to the airport for the flight home.
This is a circular tour of the historic heartland of Transylvania where you will visit four major medieval cities and experience the history and culture of the Romanians, the Szekeler-Hungarians, the Saxon-Germans, and the Gypsies who all live here.
Tour Code: TETE5
Highlights of Transylvania
5 Days / 4 Nights
After your arrival in Targu Mures you will overnight in a city hotel. On Day 2 you will transfer by air-conditioned bus to the medieval citadel of Sighisoara - the birthplace of Vlad "The Impaler" - the historical basis for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Here you will board your private train for Augustin, where you will transfer to a traditional lunch in a Szekeler-Hungarian village. This will be accompanied by lively folk music and dance. In the evening we will arrive in Brasov and tour the historic centre before dinner in a city restaurant. You will sleep on the train tonight.
After breakfast on your train, Day 3 begins with a tour of spectacular Bran Castle - the former home of Queen Marie of Romania - the grand-daughter of Queen Victoria. Vlad "The Impaler" was imprisoned here. The train then departs for Fagaras, where we will take lunch in the castle restaurant. We continue to the Saxon-German city of Sibiu - the cultural capital of Europe in 2007. You will tour the delightful squares of the citadel and then take dinner in a restaurant accompanied by a musical ensemble. Overnight on the train again.
Sibiu CitadelOn Day 4, after free time in Sibiu the train departs for Sighisoara with a gypsy band on board. Lunch will be taken in a medieval-style restaurant in the World Heritage village of Biertan. Then everyone transfers by air-conditioned bus to Targu Mures. Tonight there will be a fun farewell Vampire Ball - followed by an overnight in a city hotel. The departure home will be next morning.
You are certain to have plenty of goulish fun on this tour, which follows the footsteps of Jonathan Harker in the Dracula novel, and takes you to the Borgo Pass near Bistrita.
Tour Code: TEDW4
Dracula Mythology Weekend Tour
4 Days / 3 Nights
On your first night you will dine, as did Jonathan Harker, in the city of Cluj-Napoca. Throughout the tour your food will be specially prepared to faithfully reproduce Harker's meals in the Dracula story. On Day 2 you will you will follow in the footsteps of Harker as he travelled by train in search of Dracula.
On arrival in Bistrita you will take refreshment at the Golden Krone Restaurant. Assuming you are brave enough, you will be spending a night in the Castle Dracula Hotel at Bistrita Bargaului, where you will be encouraged to visit the crypt and open the coffin. There will be many late-night surprises.
Vlad The ImpalerNext morning, Day 3, there will be a trip by horse-drawn waggon to the dreaded Borgo Pass. On the way back to Targu Mures, your private train will make a lunch stop at a Gypsy camp, where you will be entertained by traditional music and dance around the camp-fire while your palm is read. Your final night will be spent as the personal guest of Count Dracula at a Vampire Ball - where you will meet his bloodthirsty Draculettes. Tonight you will sleep on the train. Your flight home will depart next morning.
If you ever wondered what country life was like over 100 years ago, then this is the place to find out. Everything is still very traditional, yet the locals take every opportunity to enjoy themselves with lively music and dance. There's also a forest steam railway which runs to the border with Ukraine.
Tour Code: TETM4
Traditional Maramures Tour
4 Days / 3 Nights
After arriving in Cluj-Napoca on Day 1, you will board your private sleeper-train for Maramures, a unique region which has barely changed in centuries, where people still wear traditional costume, and everything is done by hand. Next morning, Day 2, you will wake to find yourself travelling up a picturesque forested Bistrita valley towards Viseu de Jos.
Your first day in Maramures will be spent gaining first hand experience of the history and traditional culture. Life here is much like Western Europe before the industrial revolution. People live on the land are still use traditional crafts every day. Almost everything is made from wood - houses, churches, waggons, and tools. There will be opportunity to travel in a traditional horse-drawn cart, and sample the delicious locally-produced plum brandy.
A Maramures farming sceneAfter your second night on the train, Day 3 brings the option of travelling into the mountains close to Ukraine on a narrow-gauge steam railway which recently featured in a tv documentary presented by Michael Palin. The railway takes you deep into the mountains, where bears and wolves are sometimes seen from the train.
The Vasser Valley RailwayAlternatively, you can explore the local traditional culture in more depth - including carving and weaving, and a visit to the Merry Cemetary near Sighetu Marmatiei with its uniqely painted "tombstones". On the way back to Targu Mures, you will enjoy a gala dinner with entertainment on the train, before catching your flight home next morning.
Tours by Royal Train
We use the Romanian Royal Train from Bucharest, and the Royal Hungarian Express from Budapest for our Royal Tours in Romania. Both Royal Trains offers shared and single bunk-style cabins, and also unique double-bedded Suites. On the Romanian Royal Train these include an en-suite bath-tub with shower. Breakfast and other meals are taken in exquisite dining-salons, where you can enjoy haute-cuisine and fine wines. For more details of these trains see here. All Royal train tours commence with a red-carpet and brass-band champagne welcome ceremony.
You will join the Romanian Royal Train in Bucharest for the most in-depth tour of Transylvania we offer. There are daily off-train tours by air-conditioned bus which include traditional music and dance shows, visits to medieval fortified villages, and an evening banquet in a Knight's Hall hosted by a Hungarian Count. You will also visit the medieval citadel of Sighisoara where Vlad "The Impaler" was born, and the Palaces of Royal Sinaia where you will sample the sparkling wines.
Tour Code: RTGT10
Grand Tour of Transylvania
10 Days / 9 Nights
After 2 nights in Bucharest with tours of the city, including "Ceausescu's Palace" which is second only to the Pentagon in size, you will join the Romanian Royal Train on Day 3 for the journey to the Carpathian Mountains, and Transylvania. There will be a gala dinner in the Royal dining-salon followed by musical entertainment as the train heads northwards. You will sleep on the train in regal comfort.
After breakfast on the train, Day 4 begins with a tour of the Royal Palace of Peles at Sinaia, followed by a short train-ride to Brasov city, and its historic citadel. In the afternoon there's an organ recital in the famous Black Church. Evening Dinner will be taken in a city restaurant and accompanied by musical entertainment.
Transylvanian LandscapeOn Day 5 we arive in Baile Tusnad, a major spa town, where we will have a lunchtime picnic by a magical lake in an extinct volcanic crater. In Lazarea you will be the honoured guest of Count Kalnoky at a banquet in the Knight's Hall, complete with medieval-style entertainments.
After breakfast on Day 6 we will be travelling along the spectacular Mures River valley. We stop for morning coffee by the river, and are joined by a gypsy band who entertain us during lunch as we continue our train journey. On arrival in Targu Mures we tour the sights and take dinner in a city restaurant
Sighisoara CitadelWe awake on Day 7 to see we have arrived in Sighisoara - the birthplace of Vlad "The Impaler" who was the real-life basis for Bram Stoker's fictitious Dracula character. After exploring the medieval citadel we take lunch at a nearby village where we are transported by traditional horse and cart. Evening dinner will be taken in a medieval-style restaurant in the World Heritage village of Biertan.
On Day 8 we arrive at the wonderful fortified village of Viscri - which has remained almost untouched since the 16th Century. Lunch is taken on the train as we head for Bran Castle - the former home of Queen Marie of Romania, who was Queen Victoria's grand-daughter. In the evening we are guests in a nearby village, where we enjoy a farewell banquet with folk entertainment before returning to our waiting train.
Bran CastleOur final day on the train, Day 9, is spent a second time at Sinaia, but this time we visit Pelisor Castle and the Azuga Royal wine-cellars where we also take lunch and sample the excellent sparkling wines. We arrive back at our hotel in Bucharest in the evening, and depart for home the following morning, on Day 10.
On this tour the Romanian Royal Train will provide access to the various ethnic groups that co-exist in Transylvania, and you will experience their deep cultural history. In addition you will visit well-preserved 16th Century Saxon-German fortified villages, many of which are World Heritage sites. There is also a private concert by a world-class Philharmonic Orchestra.
Tour Code: RTTE7
Highlights of Transylvania
7 Days / 6 Nights
After arriving in Bucharest you will transfer to your hotel and take evening dinner with a traditional folk show in the city. The next morning, Day 2, there will be sightseeing in Bucharest before joining the Romanian Royal Train for the journey to Brasov, where you will transfer to the medieval fortified church at Harman. Here will be a medieval-style banquet with entertainment. You will sleep overnight on the comfortable Royal Train.
Next morning, Day 3, the Royal Train heads for the Saxon-German city of Sibiu - the cultural capital of Europe in 2007. Here there will be a visit to the Brukenthal Museum & Art Gallery, and the Astra Folk Museum with its collection of traditional Romanian architecture. Evening dinner will be in a traditional Saxon-German village, with a gypsy band and other folk presentations.
SibiuOn Day 4 the Royal Train starts early for medieval Sighisoara, where there will be a tour of the citadel. This was the birthplace of Vlad "The Impaler" - the real-life basis for Bram Stoker's fictitious Dracula character. This will be followed by a short visit to the nearby village of St George in the Forest. Here we will visit the tomb of the Hungarian Countess, Claudine Rhedey - who is the great-great-grandmother of HRH Prince Charles. After a ceramics demonstration, we will visit the Hungarian-Szekeler regional town of Odorheiu Secuiesc and take lunch in a traditional Hungarian restaurant. In the evening there will be a banquet hosted by Hungarian Count Kalnoky - together with traditional Szekeler music and dance. You will rejoin the Royal Train in Augustin.
SighisoaraAfter breakfast on Day 5 the Royal Train arrives in the city of Brasov, where there will be a tour of the historic citadel. Lunch will be taken in a tavern in the village of Bran called "The Queen's Rest" - which refers to Queen Marie who lived in nearby Bran Castle. She was the grand-daughter of British Queen Victoria, and she married King Ferdinand of Romania. In the afternoon we will visit Bran Castle - where Vlad "The Impaler" was breifly imprisoned. In the evening there will be a private concert performed by the world-class Targu Mures Philharmonic Orchestra.
Targu Mures PhilharmonicThe morning of Day 6 is spent visiting Royal Sinaia and Peles Castle. Then there will be a tour to the Royal wine-cellars at Azuga, with wine-tasting. After a buffet lunch on the Royal Train, we arrive back in Bucharest and check into the hotel. There will be a farewell dinner and entertainment in a city restaurant. The following morning, Day 7 you will travel home.
We take the Royal Hungarian Express from Budapest to Transylvania - which is known worldwide for its connections with the Dracula story, published in 1897 by Bram Stoker. Although a work of fiction, there are strong parallels with the real-life Transylvanian ruler Vlad Dracul who impaled his victims on stakes. Apart from exploring the Dracula legend, there will be tours of many other historic citadels, castles and palaces, and we will include wine-tasting at the Royal Champagne Cellars in Azuga.
Tour Code: RHEDM5
Halloween & Transylvania History Tour
5 Days / 4 Nights (30 Oct to 3 Nov 2008)
This is a special tour for those who are seeking a superior Halloween experience. For the entire trip the Royal Hungarian Express will become your home, since it provides comfortable 1st Class sleeping accommodation. Each day will be spent exploring Transylvania before rejoining the train for an overnight ride to the next location.
The first evening Day 1 will be spent in Budapest at a restaurant dinner with accompanying entertainment. You will then join your private train, the Royal Hungarian Express, for the night-time trip to Transylvania. As part of the train there's a historic piano-bar for daytime, evening and late-night entertainment.
Vampire winesAfter breakfast on Day 2 the Royal Hungarian Express arrives at the Saxon-German citadel of Sighisoara - the childhood home of Vlad "The Impaler". Following a tour of the citadel and a vist to Vlad's birthplace, you will take lunch at a medieval-style restaurant in the World-Heritage village of Biertan with its 16th Century fortifications. In the evening, after a short bus-ride there will be special Halloween Vampire Ball in Targu Mures - which will be hosted by "Count Dracula" and his "bloodthirsty" Draculettes. After midnight your train departs from Sighisoara for the city of Brasov. The piano-bar will be open late, offering musical entertainment, dancing, and "night-caps".
Bran CastleIn the morning of Day 3 there will be a short bus-ride to the Royal Palace of Sinaia, followed by a visit to the Royal Wine Cellars to taste the sparkling wines and also have lunch. In the afternoon, we will travel to historic Bran Castle, where Vlad Dracul was imprisoned, and which became the home of Queen Marie of Romania. Back in Brasov you will have free time to explore the citadel before enjoying a traditional evening dinner event in the historic city. Everyone will rejoin the train for the overnight trip to Sibiu. As before, the piano-bar will be open late.
On Day 4 you will explore the medieval Saxon city of Sibiu - which was the 2007 Cultural Capital of Europe. There will be tours to the Astra folk museum and the fascinating Brukenthal Museum of History, Art and Natural History. You will also have lunch in a nearby traditional village with musical accompaniment by a local gypsy band. In the evening there will be a farewell gala dinner with special entertainment before your departure back to Budapest. There will be time to continue the party in the train's piano-bar.
Finally, on Day 5, after an early breakfast, everyone will transfer to Budapest airport for the flight home.
Special Romanian Royal Family Tours
Our Royal Romania Tours are unique and very special. The prices reflect the large distance travelled and the high level of comfort and service provided. We use the Romanian Royal Train to underline the colourful history of the Romanian Royals. In-depth lectures will be provided by traveller and writer Alan Ogden.
This longer Grand Royal Tour covers the entire history of the Romanian Royal Family in-depth. The tour also includes a trip on the Bulgarian Royal Train to Balcic on the Black Sea Coast, where Queen Marie created her "serene nest". This tour is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Tour Code: RTRT14
Grand Royal Romania Tour
14 Days / 13 Nights
On arrival in Bucharest you will transfer to the Athenée Palace 5-star hotel where you will take dinner. This same hotel was often frequented by the Romanian Royal Family. The next morning, Day 2, there will be a presentation about the origins of the Hohenzollern Dynasty, followed by lunch in the elegant Capsa Restaurant, another favourite haunt of the Romanian Royals. We will visit the Cotroceni Palace which was the home of King Carol I and now the Romanian Presidential Palace. Then there is free time to explore the city, before dinner in another stylish restaurant with interesting historical connections.
Cotroceni PalaceDay 3 begins with some free time before we arrrive late morning at the Gara de Nord. There will be a brass band welcome before you board the Royal Train by red carpet, to a waiting glass of champagne, which will be presented by your personal steward who will take care of all your needs on the trip. Your private train departs for Royal Sinaia in the Carpathian Mountains, and during the journey we take a buffet lunch in the Royal dining-salon. We disembark at the special Royal Station in Sinaia which is adorned with frescoes of hunting scenes. In the afternoon, we will tour Peles Castle, created by King Carol I as a summer home away from the heat of the city. In the evening we visit the Royal wine cellars at Azuga to taste the sparkling-wines and relax over dinner with more tasting of fine Romanian wines.
Overnight the train heads for the Royal Palace of Savarsin in Western Romania. This estate was owned by King Michael of Romania, but in 1948 the Royal Family were forced to leave Romania by the communist regime, and Savarsin estate was confiscated and passed into state ownership. However, in 2001, the estate was returned to King Michael, and since then a program of restoration has been arranged by Princess Margarita - the eldest daughter of King Michael. We will take lunch in the Royal Palace before visiting the nearby medieval castle of Hunedoara - one of the most spectacular in Romania.
Hunedoara CastleOn Day 5 we arrive in Alba Iulia, the location of the Coronation of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie in 1922. Marie was the grand-daughter of British Queen Victoria. In Alba Iulia Ferdinand was crowned "King of Great Romania" - a title which emphasized the recently increased size of Romanian territory. Four years earlier in 1918, Alba Iulia was the site of the proclamation of Transylvania's union with Romania. We will visit the "National Museum of the Unification" in Alba Iulia. We take lunch on the Royal Train as it travels to the Saxon-German citadel of Sighisoara. After a tour of the ancient citadel we make a visit to the tomb of Hungarian Countess Claudine Rhedey - the great-great grandmother of the present HRH Prince Charles. In the evening we dine on the terrace of the Sighisoara Hotel Restaurant before retiring to bed on the Royal Train.
We awake on Day 6 in Brasov and take a tour of the citadel after breakfast. In the afternoon we visit the imposing Bran Castle - the former home of Queen Marie. In the evening we have a private dinner in the Royal apartments of the Castle, with a musical ensemble for entertainment.
Bran CastleAfter breakfast on Day 7 we arrive once again in Sinaia, and this time visit Pelisor Castle (Little Peles) - the home of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie. We will also visit nearby Foisor Castle where King Michael was born, and the Sinaia Casino. After lunch on the return trip to Bucharest, we have a presentation about the history of our Romanian Royal Train, which was built for King Ferdinand by an Italian company in 1926. Dinner will be in the Athenée Palace Hotel.
Day 8 begins with a tour to Mogosoaia Palace where Princess Marte lived with her husband - the pioneering airman George Bibescu, who became close friends with King Ferdinand and Queen Marie. After lunch at Mogosoaia we will visit the home of Prince Stirbey at Buftea. Two of Queen Marie's children are assumed to have been fathered by Stirbey. Dinner will be in the Athenée Palace Hotel again.
Mogosoaia PalaceThe following morning, Day 9, we depart southwards for Giurgiu and the bridge across the River Danube to neighbouring Bulgaria. Once in Bulgaria, we board the Bulgarian Royal Train for the Black Sea port of Varna. This part of Bulgaria belonged to Romania until World War II, and it was here that Queen Marie created a Palace on the Black Sea Coast. She called it her "serene nest". On her death, according to her wishes, her heart was buried here, but it was later removed to Bran when Balcic became part of Bulgaria. In Varna we overnight in a local 5-star hotel.
On Day 10 we visit Queen Marie's Palace at Balcic in the morning, and the Bulgarian Royal Palace of Evksinograd in the afternoon. Here we explore the extensive vineyards and taste the wines. We stay once again in our Varna Hotel.
Balcic PalaceAfter breakfast Day 11 we depart on the return trip to Romania, and the Athenée Palace Hotel in Bucharest.
Then, on Day 12 we listen to a lecture in our hotel about King Carol II, known as "The Playboy King". As a result of a scandal involving his mistress, Elena "Magda" Lupescu, Carol II abdicated the throne. He had originally met Magda at the Casino in Sinaia. They departed Romania together on the Royal Train and went to live in Estoril, Portugal. Carol was succeeded by his son Michael as King. In the afternoon, after free time to relax in the city, we visit the former Royal Palace home of King Carol II, and later King Michael, which is now the city's Art Gallery. Dinner is in the Athenée Palace Hotel.
Day 13 is the final full day, and we will take one more tour on the Royal Train, this time time to the picturesque Monastery of Curtea de Arges, where most of the Romanian Royal Family are buried - including Carol II and Magda. Then there will be a farewell celebratory dinner in an upper room of the Horezu Monastery - a favourite of Queen Marie. We overnight on the Royal Train again.
Monastery of Curtea de ArgesAfter breakfast on Day 14 we depart on the return trip to Bucharest. On the way, we hear about the various VIP passengers who travelled on the Royal Train during the Romanian Communist era - for example, Leonid Brezhnev. On arrival in Bucharest, everyone transfers to the airport for the trip home.
Our shorter Royal Romania Tour is no less special. The tour leader is writer and lecturer Alan Ogden. The tour will give you access to the remarkable story of the Romanian Royal family, their struggle to survive against the rise of Communism in Romania, and their subsequent exile.
Tour Code: RTRT7
Royal Romania Tour
7 Days / 6 Nights
On arrival in Bucharest you will transfer to your hotel for dinner. The next morning, Day 2, there will be a presentation about the origins of the Hohenzollern Dynasty, followed by lunch in the elegant Capsa Restaurant, a favourite haunt of the Romanian Royals. We will then visit the Cotroceni Palace which was the home of King Carol I and now the Romanian Presidential Palace. This is followed by free time to explore the city before dinner.
Day 3 begins with a brass band welcome at the Gara de Nord, before boarding the Royal Train by red carpet, to a waiting glass of champagne, which will be presented by your personal steward who will take care of all your needs on the trip. Your private train departs for Royal Sinaia in the Carpathian Mountains, where we disembark at the special Royal Station which is adorned with frescoes of hunting scenes. We tour Peles Castle, created by King Carol I as a summer home away from the heat of the city. Then we visit the Royal wine cellars at Azuga to taste the sparkling-wines and relax over lunch with more tasting of fine Romanian wines. After lunch we visit Pelisor Castle (Little Peles) - the home of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie. We will also visit nearby Foisor Castle where King Michael was born, and the Sinaia Casino. Tonight you will dine in a Brasov hotel where you will spend the night.
Peles Royal PalaceAfter breakfast on Day 4 there will be a tour of Brasov citadel followed by lunch in a city restaurant offering traditional Saxon-German food. Then you will board the Royal Train for the short ride to Zarnesti and neighbouring Bran Castle - the former home of Queen Marie. In the evening we have a private dinner in the Royal apartments of the Castle, with a musical ensemble for entertainment.
Then, on Day 5, the train departs early for the Palace of Mogosoaia where Princess Marte lived with her husband - the pioneering airman George Bibescu, who became close friends with King Ferdinand and Queen Marie. After lunch at Mogosoaia we will visit the home of Prince Stirbey at Buftea. Two of Queen Marie's children are assumed to have been fathered by Stirbey. Dinner will be in a Bucharest restaurant. You will overnight in the same city hotel again.
Monastery of Curtea de ArgesDay 6 is the final full day, and we will take another tour on the Royal Train to the picturesque Monastery of Curtea de Arges, where most of the Romanian Royal Family are buried. Then there will be a farewell celebratory dinner in an upper room of the Horezu Monastery - a favourite of Queen Marie. We overnight on the Royal Train again.
After breakfast on Day 7 we depart on the return trip to Bucharest. On the way, we hear about the various VIP passengers who travelled on the Royal Train during the Romanian Communist era - for example, Leonid Brezhnev. On arrival in Bucharest, everyone transfers to the airport for the trip home.
