Haunted Romania

Upon your arrival at our hotel “Venezia by Zeus International, Bucharest” we will get you checked in and settled into your room before we meet up as a group for the first time tonight. We choose to hold our welcome meetings in a relaxed environment over some delicious local food, it’s a great way to break the ice and for you to get to know us and your fellow travellers.

Hotel Venezia by Zeus International 3* – Breakfast

From Bucharest we head North to Snagov Monastery the final resting place Vlad Tepes aka Vlad the Impaler who’s headless body is said to be Entombed within the Monastery. Encircled by Snagov lake the Monastery is only accessible via a Bridge and truly is a beautiful and peaceful place.

Leaving Snagov we head into rural Romania and some stunning scenery from vast farmlands, sprawling forests and snow capped mountains. Our next stop along the way is a beautiful little town called Sinaia known as “The Pearl of the Carpathians”, here we will pay a visit to Sinaia monastery which is one of the oldest monasteries in Romania dating back to the 17th century.

Next we take a short 5 minute drive to what is said by many to be one of the most stunning castle’s ever built, Peles Castle where you will be able to wonder round the grounds and admire this jaw dropping castle.

Hotel Gradistea 3* – Breakfast

Today we visit what is without doubt one of the most famous castles in the world, Bran Castle. Situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia the Castle is commonly referred to as Dracula’s castle as it is said author Bram Stoker used the castle as inspiration for his 1897 novel “Dracula”. Bran Castle is now a museum showcasing relics from the past along with an extensive collection of personal belongings from Queen Marie of Romania.

Bran Castle was first mentioned in documented history in 1377 by Louis I of Hungary when he granted the Saxons from Kronstada (modern day Brasov) the privilege to build the magnificent stone castle, at their own expense. Bran Castle would go on to play a key role in the defence of modern day Romania against the mighty Ottoman Empire.

Next we visit Rasnov Fortress, perched high in the hills this impressive fortress, constructed between 1211 to 1225 was built as a defensive structure to help protect Transylvania from invading armies and also acted refuge to local inhabitants during war. Rasnov fortress is one of the biggest and best preserved fortresses in Romania.

Hotel Gradistea 3* – Breakfast

This morning we make our way to see Viscri, a small Saxon village with a population of approximately 500. Viscri is one of the best preserved and most beautiful Saxon villages in Transylvania. An area of significant historical interest in the village is UNESCO World Heritage Site Viscri fortified church. The original structure of the church was built in the 1100s by the Szekely and was very modest in size compared to today’s church. The Saxons would go on to take over the area and build their own church on the foundations of the original. Over the years the church would be destroyed, rebuilt and fortifications added to protect the village.

Sighisoara is our next stop of the day and our home for the night. Sighisoara is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and its easy to see why walking the streets is almost like being taken back in time with the city’s brightly coloured buildings, old winding cobbled roads and Ancient fortifications.

Asides from being absolutely beautiful Sighisoara’s claim to fame is that its the birth place of one of Romania most famous sons, Vlad III AKA Vlad Dracula, Vlad Tepes or Vlad the Impaler. The house of Vlads birth still stands today and is now a museum and restaurant.

Other things to see in Sighisoara are “The Church on the Hill” climb 175 steps to reach the church in a unique and enclosed wooden structure. The cities many towers, out of the original 14 towers nine remain with the most famous being the cities iconic “Clock Tower”. The city has many museums with the most well known being the cities weapons museum and torture museum.

From Sighisoara we have a two and a half hour journey to Cluj Napoca.

Hotel Onix 3* – Breakfast

This morning we will explore Cluj-Napoca, Romanias second largest city with a population of 324,576 and the unofficial capital of the Transylvania region. Cluj-Napoca cultural mix is evident with landmarks dating back to the time of both Saxon and Hungarian rule.

The city’s architecture is epic, home to Romanias second-largest gothic church St. Michael’s Church. Construction of this magnificent church began in 1303 and wouldn’t be completed till 1487. Just outside of the church stands the impressive Matthias Corvinus monument, king of Hungary from 1458 to 1490. Highlights include the National History Museum, Taylor’s Bastion and Banffy Palace.

Today is another huge paranormal day as we visit what is claimed to be the most haunted forest in the world, Hoia Baciu Forest which got its name after a local shepherd and his flock of 200 sheep mysteriously vanished without trace in the forest.

Over the years many unexplained sightings have been reported in the forest, notably in 1968 a military technician named Emil Barnea photographed a UFO hovering above a clearing in the forest.

The forest has been known to effect people whom enter with symptoms of nausea, anxiety, along with the terror of feeling that your being constantly watched, shadow spirits are often reported to terrorise those who dare to enter. Electrical equipment is said to malfunction, locals and visitors have reported seeing strange ectoplasm like manifestations. With stories of witches, werewolves and vampires the forest is truly an intimidating place.

Today we will explore the forest during daylight hours for photos, history and to get our bearings for our ghost hunt tonight.

Hotel Onix 3* – Breakfast

Trip ends in Cluj Napoca. Hotel checkout is around 11am. The Really Haunted team will be driving back down to Bucharest to hand the minibuses back, if anyone would like to be taken back to Bucharest for a return flight we will happily take you.

Hotel Onix 3* – Breakfast

– Price promise: We have some of the most competitive pricing in the industry, however, if you find a like for like trip cheaper we will match the price. The price advertised is the price you will pay, we will never increase the price once you are booked on and if we reduce the price of your trip we will refund you the difference.

– Small group travel: “Small groups, Big adventure” is our company motto. Travel is all about discovery and unique experiences, sometimes too many people can spoil individual experiences, that’s why we limit most of our trips to just 18 travellers.

– Accommodation: The accommodation used on this trip is classed as “Standard”. The hotels are usually rated between 3* to 4*. We always aim to be within walking distance of the city centre however we can’t always guarantee it.

– Trip pace: Our “Full On” trip pace category is for travellers who like their trips full of daily activities, visiting as many amazing locations as possible. Often these trips involve early morning starts and some long days.