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Curtea de ArgeşCastle & palace tours

Our most recommended Curtea de Argeş Castle & palace tours

From Bucharest: Full-Day Transfagarasan Road Tour

1. From Bucharest: Full-Day Transfagarasan Road Tour

In the morning you will start your journey towards the Fagaras Mountains, some of the most massive and beautiful mountains in Romania, also named the Transylvanian Alps. Your first stop will be in the town named Curtea de Arges, at the bottom of the Fagaras Mountains, where you will visit one of the most remarkable monasteries in Romania. Next you will make a stop at the foot of the Poenari Citadel, a stronghold that became famous thanks to Dracula's Legend. From here you will be taken to Romania's most beautiful road, named by Top Gear "the best road in the world", the Transfagarasan, the second-highest road in Romania. The road reaches its highest point of 2034m at the Balea Lake. Here you will have an hour and a half break to enjoy the beauty of this place. You have numerous possibilities: a cable car trip between Balea Lake and Balea Waterfall; lunch in one of the chalets; or picnic or hike around this beautiful area. With your batteries fully charged, you will now drive back to Bucharest arriving at around 20:00.

From Bucharest: Vlad the Impaler Royal Court Private Tour

2. From Bucharest: Vlad the Impaler Royal Court Private Tour

Forget about legends and travel to see Vlad the Impaler's Royal Court and his Fortress in Poienari village, where Vlad use to hide the country's gold. Stop to see Curtea de Arges Monastery, a real beauty of the Royal Family, and where the graves of the Romanian Kings are located. See the biggest dam in Romania nearby, Vidraru Dam, and get ready to take pictures. You will travel by private car and have your own guide while visiting some of the most historical and interesting sites in the area. Travel to Targoviste Fortress, one of the most important medieval monuments in Romania with a history that goes back to the 15th century. Explore the former princely court, that was used as a residence by some of the most famous princes of Southern Romania, including Constantin Brancoveanu and the legendary Vlad the Impaler who built the emblematic Chindia Tower. Learn the history of Tragoviste, from its small beginnings as a fortress to its expansion to a princely residence by Vlad Dracul. Move on with a walk up to Chindia Tower, the symbol of the princely court of Targoviste. Admire the view from the tower’s balcony, especially the ruins of the two princely palaces, and also observe the silhouette of a church dated back to 1415. Finish walking around what remains of the palace and visit the two churches that still survive in the area, the small Holly Friday Church and the Great Princely Church, the only monument built in the 15th century in Southern Romania still conserved in its original form. Reach the old town of Curtea de Arges, with its rich and eventful history, and see the ruins of the Wallachian princely court, the 13th century Royal Church, as well the famous Arges Monastery. Learn the interesting and sad history of the sites from the guide. Enjoy visiting Poenari Castle, a perfect stop for history lovers and fans of Dracula. Experience the perfect chance to discover the wildlife in Transylvania.

Transfagarasan Road Trip with Curtea de Arges

3. Transfagarasan Road Trip with Curtea de Arges

Visit the Curtea de Arges Monastery on this 12-hour trip. Completed in 1517, it serves as the necropolis of the Romanian royal family. Continue the drive on a highway that crosses the Carpathian Mountains. Next on the itinerary is cliff-top Poenari Castle, dating from the 13th and 14th centuries. Vlad the Impaler forced many of his enemies and political opponents to work on expanding the castle. Near the castle make another stop to see Vidraru Dam: at 525 feet, it is one of the tallest dams in Europe. A highlight of the tour is a drive on the Transfagarasan Highway. At the northernmost point of the tour, enjoy a short hike near Balea Lake.

Day Trip to Transfagarasan

4. Day Trip to Transfagarasan

Drive to the former capital of Wallachia, Targoviste, and visit the remains of the court of Vlad the Impaler, better known as Dracula. Next stop is in Curtea de Arges where you’ll visit one of the most beautiful churches in Romania, also the burial site of the first Romanian kings. From this holy place keep on driving to the ruins of Poenari Castle, Dracula’s fortification which overlooks the Carpathian Mountains.  Experience the Transfagarasan Road, built by Ceausescu with the help of the army. It offers a breathtaking view and takes you all the way up to the summit of the mountain where you can discover the astonishing glacial lake of Balea. From here, start your long but beautiful drive back home.

From Bucharest: Transfagarasan Private Day Trip with a Guide

5. From Bucharest: Transfagarasan Private Day Trip with a Guide

This is a relaxing tour from Bucharest to the Argeș area. We pick you up in the morning and drive one and a half hours to the former capital of Wallachia, city of Curtea de Argeș. Here we stop for lunch and visit the Monastery which is one of the most beautiful architectural monument în România. Then we go to the real castle of Dracula - Vlad the Impaler, Poienari Fortress which stand high at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Our professional guide will tell you why prince Vlad the Impaler is associated with the fictional character Dracula. . Our next piece of road is also our destination. The Transfagarasan road, build by Ceausescu, with the help of the army is breathtaking and takes us all the way up to the summit of the mountain where we discover the astonishing glacial lake of Balea. From here we start our long but beautiful drive back home.

Bucharest: Wild Brown Bears and Dracula's Fortress Tour

6. Bucharest: Wild Brown Bears and Dracula's Fortress Tour

Discover the top attractions in Romania on this guided tour. You’ll see the resting place of kings, Curtea de Arges Monastery, visit the true home of Dracula, Poienari fortress, see wild brown bears waiting by the road, and more. The tour will start with a visit to Curtea de Arges Monastery, found in the former capital of Romania, Arges. You’ll see the ruins of the Wallachian princely court, the 13th century Royal Church, as well as the famous Arges Monastery. Learn all about this important historical monument and its interesting, but sad story, from your guide. Next up is one of Romania’s top attractions, Poenari Castle. This was the original castle of Vlad the Impaler, who inspired the story of Dracula. As you climb up the 1480 stairs that lead up to the castle, you’ll be walking in the steps of Dracula! From there, it’s on to Vidraru Dam, which forms Lake Vidraru. Completed in 1966 on the Argeș River, the arch dam was primarily built to produce hydroelectricity. The dam's height is 166 meters, the arch length 305 meters, and it can store an incredible 465 million cubic meters of water. Near Vidraru Dam is the final sight of the day: wild brown bears! You’ll be amazed by these great animals, calmly relaxing by the road. Finally, you’ll be driven back to your accommodation, your mind filled with all the incredible sights from the day.

From Bucharest: Transfagarasan Highway Private Day Trip

7. From Bucharest: Transfagarasan Highway Private Day Trip

Discover the most scenic high-altitude road in Romania named by Top Gear "the best road in the world" with this Transfagarasan Day Trip from Bucharest. Visit the Curtea de Arges Monastery and see the mighty Poenari Citadel. Your first stop will be in the town named Curtea de Arges, at the bottom of the Fagaras Mountains to see the remarkable ruins of the Wallachian princely court, the 13th century Royal Church, as well the famous Arges Monastery. Next, head to the foot of the Poenari Citadel, a stronghold that became famous thanks to Dracula's Legend. Climb the 1480 stairs that lead up to the castle. Continue to the spectacular Transfagarasan Highway and experience the incredible views and stunning scenery that this paved mountain road offers.

From Bucharest: Day Trip to Transfagarasan

8. From Bucharest: Day Trip to Transfagarasan

Head out towards Transfagarasan, a stunning mountain pass said to be one of the world's most beautiful drives. On the way, stop at Curtea de Arges monastery and the Poenari fortress. Once you're on the road, ride its tight curves and take in sights of the Fagaras Mountains. Get picked up from your hotel in Bucharest and embark on an adventure full of legend, lore, and amazing sights. Make a stop at the Curtea de Arges monastery, famous for its dark legends and burial ground of Romanian kings passed. Next, find yourself at the Poenari fortress, the ruins of Blad the Impaler's castle that stands atop a mountain. Discover why it is considered the real Dracula's castle and admire it from the outside. Now, set out on the Transfagarasan and take on its tight curves and fairytale-like landscapes. Stop for a moment on the Vidararu dam to snap a picture and continue on the drive of one of the most beautiful roads in the world. Once you have passed Poenari fortress you are on Transfagarasan road. Before seeing its tight curves and enjoying the amazing landscape, stop for a moment on the Vidraru dam. At the top of the road, stop for an optional lunch at Balea Lac Chalet, which sits next to Balea glacier lake. Look down at Transylvania at your feet before heading back to Bucharest.

Dracula's Life Journey from Bucharest

9. Dracula's Life Journey from Bucharest

Spend the whole day searching for clues about Dracula's life. Actually back then, in the 15th-century, he was known as Vlad the Impaler and he was the ruler of Walachia. His seat of power was in Targoviste. This is, of course, the first stop of the day and you will visit the ruins of his court and the tower of Dracula.  Afterwards drive to Curtea de Arges and visit one of the most beautiful churches in Romania. It is here where the first two royal couples of Romania are buried. From here go to the gateway of the Carpathians, at the ruins of Poienari Castle and learn more about the myth of Dracula. You drive through the mountains to reach Dracula's Castle in Bran, the worldwide dark and mysterious place. On this full-day trip, enjoy an exclusive lecture on Dracula and Vlad the Impaler in between fact and fiction while passing through different stages of his life making it the most complete Dracula Day Trip.

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What people are saying about Curtea de Argeş

Overall rating

5.0 / 5

based on 1 reviews

Florin is great. He tells you ahead of time what’s going to happen segment by segment, ensures you’re getting the right depth of historical details, never rushes you along. He is amenable to changes and even knows a great place for hamburgers in Sibiu, which likely means he knows great eating places everywhere he tours. He is a great conversationalist for those boring parts on the highway, so talk away with him. I highly recommend him!

It was a pretty awesome day with my very so knowledgeable and professional guide Alex. Alex was great explaining the history and culture of the visited places and the most memorable thing was spotting brown bears 11 times and enjoying a Romanian lunch after reaching the summit

Adrian was a great host and had lots of knowledge to share. Made sure I was comfortable and enjoying the experience the whole day. Would recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see more of this beautiful country.

Romanian nature is just magnificent! Our guide Coca told us many different interesting stories about local history, traditions, food and others. It was a very cool trip.

Very nice day, great scenery, beautiful monastery. My guide, Marcel, was very kind and knowledgeable.