Legends of Romania

Upon your arrival at our hotel “Hotel Rin, Sibiu” 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 Rin 3* – Breakfast

The adventure begins with a visit to what is arguably the most beautiful castle in the world, Corvin Castle. The castle was also the filming location for the the blockbuster movie “The Nun” in place of the real Carța Monastery. Construction of the castle began in 1446 over the former keep of Charles I of Hungary on the order of Voivode of Transylvania John Hunyadi. Corvin Castle was built in a Renaissance-Gothic style, its large and imposing yet beautiful with its tall towers, bastions, courtyards, coloured roofs and stunning stone carvings.

The castle was well fortified for the time with a double wall construction for enhanced fortification, with its circular and rectangle towers the castle was well defended and considered an architectural innovation for the period. According to legends Corvin Castle is the place Vlad the Impaler, the Prince of Wallachia was imprisoned by John Hunyadi Hungary’s regent and military leader. During Vlad’s imprisonment his second cousin Vladislav II was installed as the ruler of Wallachia. Vlad is believed to have been held in the castle’s underground dungeons, its said Vlad went insane during the time he was help captive. Records are unable to find anything on Vlads whereabouts in that time which all suggests that he really was imprisoned in Corvin Castle.

Next up we make our way to Carța Monastery, the monastery which “The Nun” movie is based on, well kind of. Carța Monastery constructed in the early 1200s is actually the oldest gothic fortified church in Eastern Europe. Unfortunately much of Carța Monastery is in ruins due to bombings during WWII, however it doesn’t take much imagination to visualise just how beautiful of a place it was. It will come as little surprise that Carța Monastery is said to be one of the most haunted places in Romania.

Carța Monastery’s story and that of “The Nun” are different, it’s Monks who haunt this monastery. The Monks have literally never left the monastery, in its courtyard lay the remains of dozens on Monks who died within the walls. One of the most common reported paranormal activity is seeing these Monks walking around the monastery. Two unmarked graves were also discovered, the bodies were over 6.5 feet tall which was unheard of at the time in the region. Many people suggest that the bodies may well have been vampires and buried at the monastery to hide their existence.

There is quite a lot of driving involved on day 2 but it is broken up into smaller parts.

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.

Lastly we visit Brasov’s old town famed for its cobbled streets, towering medieval walls, baroque, gothic and renaissance architecture, the imposing Black Church which dates back over 600 years and is one of the most iconic historical landmarks in the area.

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.

Hotel Gradistea 3* – Breakfast

This morning we travel to 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. Constitution of its 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 Sibiu 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.

– Detailed trip notes: Are you wondering if this is the right trip for you? For a more in-depth look at the trip please view our Detailed trip notes.