Escorted Tours 2022-23 Brochure - Mercury Holidays

Europe Day 1: UK to Poiana Brașov D Depart the UK on your scheduled flight to Bucharest. On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel in the ski resort of Poiana Brașov. Relax and enjoy a welcome dinner. Day 2: Poiana Brașov B After breakfast head for the nearby city of Brașov for a morning walking tour around the wonderfully well-preserved medieval and baroque old town. Start at its heart, in the venerable main square (Piata Sfatului) – also known as German Square – where modern café life buzzes against a background of red-roofed houses and ornately trimmed Saxon architecture. You can’t miss Romania’s leading Gothic church and Brașov’s most prominent landmark, the ‘Black Church’, so- called after being charred in a great fire in 1689. Travel back in time at the First Romanian School Museum, which houses a range of Romanian ‘firsts’ including the oldest Romanian Bible, then marvel at the adjacent Gothic spires of the 16th century St Nicholas Cathedral. In the afternoon enjoy an excursion to the mystical, 14th century Bran Castle, built as a clifftop defensive fortress and cloaked in Dracula legend. Under the direction of Queen Marie in the 1920s, it was transformed into a modern summer residence fit for royalty. Day 3: Sighisoara and Biertan B This morning it’s off to UNESCO-listed city of Sighisoara for a walk around the charming, cobbled streets of one of Europe’s oldest citadels. The first thing to hit you is the riot of colour, with buildings painted in bright oranges, yellows, blues and pinks creating a dazzling and spellbinding canvas. It has a colourful history too, being the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, the notoriously cruel ruler of the province of Walachia. The striking 14th century Clock Tower offers a spectacular panorama from the top and a covered stairway leads to the iconic “Church on the Hill”, a fine example of Gothic architecture. Once completely covered with paintings, the fragments that remain are considered to be some of the most valuable in Transylvania. Move on to the Saxon village of Biertan. Located in a long valley surrounded by lush hills and vineyards, it is home to the finest and largest fortified church in Transylvania. Tour highlights ✔ Enjoy a guided walk around the medieval and baroque Old Town of Brașov ✔ Visit Bran Castle, a Dracula legend perched on a clifftop ✔ Meander through the colourful streets of Sighisoara and marvel at the ancient citadel and birthplace of Vlad the Impaler ✔ Explore Biertan and the finest fortified church in Transylvania ✔ See Sinaia and the Neo- Renaissance opulence of Peles Castle ✔ Witness the impressive UNESCO-listed Saxon citadel of Prejmer ✔ Enjoy a tour around the old heart of Bucharest Transylvania and Bucharest P R I V A T E T O U R U P G R A D E S F R O M £199 Discover the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, delve into the legend of Dracula at Bran Castle, and delight in the fairy-tale landscape of dark forests surrounding colourful towns and fortified church steeples poking through the treetops. Conclude with a visit to the Romanian capital of Bucharest, taking in the historic yet dynamic Old Town. Sighisoara Prejmer Bierton Brașov Poiana Brașov Sinaia Bucharest < <  • • • • •      Coach Air Bran Castle, Brașov 34 Visit our website or call 0800 954 9329 for further details