Nokia (Spain) – Dracula Incentive Tour 2006
Day 1 – Friday: Arrival – Sinaia
This is first day of a beautiful journey that will help you get to know part of the Romanian territory, the part that has to do with one of the most famous legends worldwide, the legend of Dracula, but also many other interesting details from Romania’s history and culture.
Once you arrive at the airport, you will be welcomed by the guide and then you will immediately depart towards SINAIA. This trip will take you along PRAHOVA VALLEY,through the most beautiful mountain resorts of the country, perfect for summer holidays, as well as for winter sports.
Sinaia is one of them, maybe the most famous, also known as “ The Pearl of the Carpathians”. It is a beautiful small town famous first of all for the presence of PELES CASTEL, the castle of the Romanian Monarchy, but also a 17th centry monastery – The Sinaia Monastery.
Here, you will be accommodated in a beautiful small hotel, situated very close to the forest, where a welcome dinner will be prepared for you, with a barbecue and music.After dinner, if you wish you can enjoy the rest of the night in the hotel’s club, with music, dancing, pool.
Day 2 – Saturday : Sinaia – Brasov
The day starts with a visit of PELES CASTLE that you will reach by walking for a few minutes. This Castle was built by King Carol I , after the model of other castles belonging to his German family, and it is said to be the most beautiful Castle in South – Eastern Europe. Inside, you will see beautiful rooms with very different arhitectual styles and decoration, rich wood carvings, marble. It is an architectural jewel and was a very modern castle in its time. It is very well preserved and taken care of.
The next visit is of BRAN CASTLE, about 30 KM from Brasov, the famous DRACULA CASTLE, as everyone knows it. It is a 14 century castle, situated high on a rock that has always been connected with the famous legend. After this visit you will find out its real connection with Romania’s kings, its place in Dracula’s legend and its current administrative situation.
Lunch today will be in a small village, about 30 minutes away from Bran, in a very scenic location. During lunch, you will see a local mountain custom taking place – “sezatoare” that involves the women and children, and takes place in winter time, when the weather is bad.
After lunch you will experiment for a few minutes a ride with a local vehicle – the horse carriage. After that you will continue in bus to BRASOV, the most important town in Transylvania, a beautiful town, where you will visit the FIRST ROMANIAN SCHOOL, learn about the printing tradition of the place, the oldest books of the country , then visit a beautiful church St. Nicolas and then the famous Black Church, owing its name to a devastating fire, an impressive Gothic monument, with the heaviest church bell in the country and the largest collection of Anatolian carpets from the 16th century. Accommodation will be in a very central hotel. In the evening you will have a beautiful special dinner with classic music and dances.
Day 3 – Sunday: Brasov – Sighisoara
Departure from Brasov to BIERTAN, a small village that houses a 12 century Saxon fortified church. Here you will visit this church that used to be the Saxon Bishop’s headquarters. Here you will see a very special metal door with a unique lock from the 15th century that has been awarded a prize in 1901 at the exhibition in Paris. Here you will also see a room that was used as an ingenious method of making couples change their mind about divorce.
After the visit of the church you will have lunch in a medieval restaurant very close. After lunch you will head for SIGHISOARA, the best preserved Saxon citadel of our country. The ancient citadel, almost unchanged is situated higher on a hill and displays a labyrinth of narrow streets, guilds towers, a CHURCH on the HILL, a main tall Clock Tower, a Dominican CHURCH, the house that was said to be the brith house of Dracula, and many other surprises that the medieval citadel has to offer. Here you will see a show called “the witch trial” that will help you better understand how witches were treated in medieval times.
Free time until dinner, to enjoy the pleasure of a walk in the beautiful citadel. Accommodation in the citadel, and dinner in the birth house of Dracula. During dinner, maybe you can have your hand read by a genuine witch!
Day 4 – Monday: Sighisoara – Bucharest
The last day of your trip will take you back to BUCHAREST. You will leave Sighisoara in the morning and have lunch in a beautiful traditional restaurant outside Bucharest. After that you will visit Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, and also its most important, biggest and most modern city, with a population of about 2 milion and a half inhabitants that used to be known at the beginning of the 20th centure as “The Little Paris”. A bus – tour will offer you a view of its most important boulevards, buildings.
The visit will include the Palace of Parliament – the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon, a communist legacy, a huge building made only of Romania materials (crystal, marble, wood) that lead to the demolishing of an entire neighbourhood, hundreds of houses and a very old monastery. Accommodation in a beautiful central hotel and free time until dinner.
The farewell dinner toninght will be a very special one in a very fancy restaurant decorated according to the model of the restaurant from the period of the years 30 – 40 in Bucharest. Here you will also enjoy an exquisite show with music and dance.
