Halloween in Transylvania (Southbound)
Experience Overview
Even without its bloodcurdling myths of Dracula, werewolves, haunted castles and curses, Romania is the perfect atmospheric place to spend an eight-day trip in October. You’ll be introduced to the beauty of ancient Bucharest, the haunting mythology of Sighisoara and the nostalgic atmosphere of Bran Castle (aka Dracula’s castle) in Brasov. Take a daytrip to the Hoia Forest, steeped in legend and ghost stories and dress up for a party after sundown with your fellow travellers. For a spine-tingling adventure this spooky season, don’t look past Transylvania... mwahahaha.
Highlights
- Visit the 12th-century town of Sighisoara – the birthplace of Count Dracula (allegedly). Things are about to get medi-evil.
- Break out your scariest costumes for a spooky Halloween party, where haunted tunes will echo through cobweb-covered corridors and lanterns will light up the foggy night.
- Protect yourself against devils and demons with a visit to the Turda Salt Mines – a fascinating museum and underground amusement park showcasing the history of salt in the region.
- Take a daytrip to the spooky Hoia Forest, known for ghost stories, UFO sightings, strange trees and questionable photos showing things unseen to the naked eye. You’ll meet with a local guide for a 4-hour hike packed with legends.
- See the traditional Saxon village of Viscri for some traditional Romanian hospitality and some finger-licking home-cooked food.
Trip Details
Product Code: 2971
Tour Type: Small Group
Accommodation: Moderate
Transport: Train,Private vehicle,Taxi
Guide Language: English
Tour Operator:
Intrepid Travel
Supplier Code: WMSH
Starts: Cluj Napoca, Romania
Finishes: Bucharest, Romania
Duration: 8 days
Departures: Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Light
Includes
Meals: Breakfasts (7), Lunch (1),Accommodation: Hotel ( 7 nights)
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $2,485 ($311 /day)
Itinerary
Buna Ziua! Welcome to Cluj Napoca – the unofficial capital of Romania’s Transylvania region. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight to meet your trip leader and fellow travellers. If you arrive early, you might like to explore this 2000-year-old city on foot or hit up the famous Piezisa Street for a drink.
Included Activities:
- Transylvania - Halloween Party
Accommodation:
- Hotel (Number of Nights: 1)
This morning, visit the Turda Salt Mines – a former salt mine converted into an underground amusement park. Maybe hire a rowboat, go bowling or visit the museum showcasing salt mining in the region – the options are endless! Salt is thought to be a protective tool against all sorts of evil beings and legend has it that if you pour an unbroken line of salt across the entranceway to your house, vampires and demons won’t be able to get in. After your salt mine visit, return to Cluj for a city tour with a local guide. The remainder of the day is yours to explore at your own pace.
Included Activities:
- Turda - Salt Mines Tour
- Cluj Napoca - Walking Tour with Local Guide
Optional Activities:
- Cluj Napoca - Museum of Transylvanian History (10 RON)
- Cluj Napoca - Botanical Garden (15 RON)
Accommodation:
- Hotel (Number of Nights: 1)
Today, you’ll head out for a daytrip to the Hoia Forest – a famous haunted forest with reports of ghost stories, apparitions, faces identified in photos and UFO sightings. Over the years, locals and tourists report anxiety and the feeling of being watched in this forest and the local vegetation features strangely shaped trees and charring on tree stumps and branches. The forest became famous in the late 1960s when a military technician took photos of a UFO above Poiana Rotunda (Round Meadow). If you’re lucky, the forest may even be covered in mist! After a short transfer from your hotel, you’ll meet with a local guide for a 4-hour hike within the forest, along gentle hills and valleys. Listen to the legends and visit the Round Meadow where the first UFO was sighted. After, head back to your hotel for a free afternoon.
Included Activities:
- Cluj Napoca - Hoia Forest Guided Trek
Accommodation:
- Hotel (Number of Nights: 1)
Travel by train through pastoral fields and untouched Saxon towns to the 12th-century town of Sighisoara. Medieval Sighisoara is likely to seduce visitors more than any other place in Romania. The town is famed as the birthplace of Vlad Dracul III, better known as Vlad the Impaler, the ruler of Walachia province from 1456 to 1462 and whose name was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s iconic Count Dracula. Walking through the town is like taking a trip back in time to the medieval age, and it’s easy to image streets crowded with vampires, evil counts, wolves, peasants riding through the untamed countryside on horse-drawn carts and crooked old men doddering along the narrow streets. Head out with your leader for a quick orientation walk, then spend the rest of your day exploring in your own time.
Optional Activities:
- Sighisoara - Church on the Hill (5 RON)
- Sighisoara - The Clock Tower (16 RON)
- Sighisoara - Church of the Dominican Monastery (10 RON)
- Sighisoara - Covered Stairway - Free
Accommodation:
- Hotel (Number of Nights: 1)
After a free morning in Sighisoara, you’ll travel to Viscri – this small Transylvanian village was originally inhabited by Saxons from the Luxembourg area, and the whole scene is picture-postcard rural. This idyllic village of red tiled roofs is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, virtually unchanged for 900 years. After a home cooked lunch at the house of a local family, you’ll visit the town's fortified church (thought to be the oldest in Transylvania). Continue to the 13th-century city of Brasov in the afternoon. Also known by its German name of Kronstadt, this town flanked by mountains and city walls was once a major medieval trading centre.
Included Activities:
- Viscri - Fortified Church
- Viscri - Local Home Cooked Lunch
Accommodation:
- Hotel (Number of Nights: 1)
No trip to Romania would be complete without a visit to the famous Bran Castle. The castle was built by the Saxons in 1382 to defend the Bran pass against the invading Turks. With its fairy-tale turrets and whitewashed walls, it's far from menacing and spooky, but is undeniably impressive, sitting on a high cliff top and surrounded by pine trees. After, return to Brasov for a guided walk around town, checking out the ornate churches, townhouses, old city walls and squares surrounded by gingerbread-roofed merchants' houses. Visit Brasov's main attraction – the gothic Black Church (Biserica Neagra), which took its name from its blackened appearance after a fire in 1689.
Included Activities:
- Bran Castle - Tour
- Brasov - Walking Tour with Local Guide
Optional Activities:
- Brasov - The Black Church (20 RON)
- Brasov - Cable Car to Mt Tampa (50 RON)
Accommodation:
- Hotel (Number of Nights: 1)
This morning, travel by train to Bucharest. Often called the 'Little Paris of the Balkans', Romania's capital is known for its Belle Epoch architecture, thumping nightlife and communist sites. Meet your local guide for a private tour of the city, starting with the recently restored Old Town of Bucharest, then some of the more significant sites of the revolution of 1989, which culminated in the ousting and execution of communist leader Ceausescu. Visit the huge Piata Unirii – one of Europe's largest squares – and the Ceausima – Bucharest's 12-storey Palace of Parliament. The palace is the second largest building in the world, after the Pentagon. The former dictator ordered the construction of this monster, a building of staggering scale and opulence that includes 1100 rooms and 4500 chandeliers.
Included Activities:
- Bucharest - Walking Tour with Local Guide
Accommodation:
- Hotel (Number of Nights: 1)
With no further activities planned, your trip ends today and you can depart your accommodation at any time. If you want to stay longer in Bucharest, just speak to your booking agent ahead of time to organise additional accommodation. If you have some extra time, why not take one of the daytrips offered by Urban Adventures. Check out urbanadventures.com for more information.
Optional Activities:
- Bucharest - Bike Tour (25 EUR)
- Bucharest - Palace of Parliament Tour (60 RON)
- Bucharest - Romanian Athenaeum (10 RON)
- Bucharest - Former Ceausescu Residence (65 RON)
- Bucharest - Village Museum (30 RON)
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Tour Operator
Intrepid Travel
Intrepid Travel is a global adventure travel company, dedicated to providing sustainable, experience-rich travel opportunities. They’ve been the leader in ethical, small-group travel since 1989 - taking people around the world for more than 30 years. They’re the world’s largest travel B Corporation - dedicated to being the best travel company for the world. In 2002, they established The Intrepid Foundation so their travellers could make a lasting impact on the communities they had visited. Although Intrepid Travel absorbs all administrative costs of The Intrepid Foundation, they are separate legal entities, allowing The Intrepid Foundation to grow independently. Intrepid Travel is made up of a collection of tour operator brands and 28 destination management companies all united by one vision: To change the way we all see the world.
In Business Since 1989
Reviews
Martha - Traveled, October 2023
This trip could have really been cheesy and focused on only the Dracula legend but instead i was immersed into the culture like a local. Having lunch in a home cellar in Viscri was the cherry and could not have gotten that if i would have booked an independent trip. The tour leader went above and beyond to make sure we had options to try on our free time and inside tips to make the most of our time.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/08/2023
Holly - Traveled, October 2022
The "Halloween in Transylvania" trip ( 7 days in Romania) was amazing! Our group leader, Anastasiia was excellent- fun, responsible, creative and relaxed at the same time. I had a great time and will remember the places I visited (Cluj, Sighasoara, Viscri, Brasov, and Bucharest) for many years ahead!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/07/2022
Lauren - Traveled, October 2022
Excellent seasonal tour, especially for those who have not previously visited Romania. My highlights were the Halloween party, Bran Castle and the home-cooked meal in Viscri.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/07/2022
Bethany - Traveled, October 2022
This trip was so much fun! You really get to see some beautiful parts of Romania. My favourite place was definitely brasov there was so much to see!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/05/2022
Melissa - Traveled, October 2022
My sister and I loved our Transylvania tour! So much history and so much included in the itinerary. I loved the variety of the cities/towns we visited. Great guide Anastasiia, fun group, and a wonderful week!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/12/2022
Christie - Traveled, October 2023
A fantastic and beautiful taste of Transylvania myths, legends, and history.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/06/2023
Dena - Traveled, October 2022
This is my first solo trip. It exceeded my expectations. I will definitely travel with Intrepid again. Our guide Anastasia was superb.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/07/2022
Brigid - Traveled, October 2024
This is not a trip for anyone with mobility issues. Lots of walking and steps. Some hotels don't have lifts, all have lots of steps. Cluj Napoca is aovely place, shame there was no snow. The trip to the Turda salt mines is very interesting, as is the trip to the small village, Viscri, where we had a Romanian lunch. The citadel of Sighisoara is beautiful and interesting. Brasov is interesting, the guide told us that if our phones buzzed it was either a bear alert or an earth tremor, we had neither. Apparently brown bears are known to visit the outskirts in search of food. Lots of restaurants, coffee shops and amazing cakes. Never seen so many pharmacies... We didn't like Bucharest, just another city. The old architecture in all places was impressive. The Halloween party was held in Cluj, just round the corner from the hotel, it could have more Halloween atmosphere. A trip worth doing, shame it wasn't longer to see more of this lovely country.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/08/2022
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