Beyond myths and legends, Dracula and blood sucking vampires, Transylvania is without doubt one of Europe’s best hidden secrets. Today’s journey is going to take us to visit some of the Transylvanian trademarks, the Carpathian brown bears.
Just outside of the old city of Râşnov, at the foot of the Piatra Craiului Mountains, we will visit one of the most interesting wildlife conservation projects: Almost one hundred brown bears have been brought from old Zoos and illegal animal parks and have found a much better life here. On an almost 100 hectare premises, they live in similar conditions as they do in the wild. We will get there just in time to see how these majestic animals eat their breakfast and take a tour of this unique reserve.
Departing from Râşnov, we will drive just for a couple of kilometers to Bran. The famous castle was built by the Teutonic Knights as a protective border to the neighbouring country and became of great value both for economical and military reasons. Due to its position and architecture, it received an important role in Bram Stokers bestseller “Dracula”, as the residence of the great vampire. How much of that is true and how much is a legend, you can only find out if you visit the castle.
At noon we will travel to Braşov. Built by German colonists in the 13th century, it became one of Europe’s richest cities, due to the vast economic activities. We will take a walking tour through the city center and visit the Black Church, one of Europe’s largest Gothic buildings, the old town square, with its guild houses and old shops and take a hike to the Tâmpa Peak, for a great panorama of the whole city. We will also have the opportunity to enjoy and sample the city s vast offer of pubs and restaurants.
In the evening we will return to Sibiu.
