“Little Vienna” for its Art Nouveau homes, Austro-Hungarian architecture and lively cafés. A choice of afternoon excursions includes a guided walking tour or a beautiful hike to the Rock Churches of Ivanovo featuring stunning medieval frescoes inside stony chambers carved into steep, cliffside caves. The path up to the churches is rough and irregular but the views – and frescoes – at the top of the valley are very rewarding. Meals BLD
TREASURES OF ROMANIA Hidden behind the Iron Curtain for decades, Romania’s
must-see gems range from seaside resorts on the Black Sea coast – where you’ll view Greek and Roman antiquities – to the rock-faced ancient Dacian King Decebalus, standing watch over the Danube near the Romanian-Serbian border.
9. ROMANIA’S BLACK SEA COAST Walk off the ship in Cernavoda, Romania, for a day trip to the Black Sea coast. Take a guided tour of Constanta, home to Greek and Roman antiquities and Communist-era architecture; sights include an Art-Nouveau casino and a monument to the Roman poet Ovid, exiled here by the Emperor Augustus. Then it’s on to Mamaia, the largest seaside resort on the Black Sea, for lunch and time at leisure to enjoy the beach before returning to the riverboat. This evening join us for the captain’s farewell reception followed by dinner. Meals BLD
10. DISEMBARK & ON TO BUCHAREST, ROMANIA Disembark in Cernavoda and travel to Bucharest, capital of Romania. Lunch in the Old Town, a trendy district of cobblestone streets, antique shops, galleries, and cafés. You’ll see the village museum. A sightseeing tour of city landmarks includes Revolution Square and the Triumphal Arch, a small copy of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Settle in at the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel in the heart of the city, then pay a visit to the massive Palace of Parliament (a.k.a. the People’s Palace), built by dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The Soviet-style white marble complex, with over a thousand rooms and four underground levels, is the world’s largest building after the Pentagon, and some parts of it are still unfinished! Your visit concludes with a special farewell dinner at the ubiquitous palace, complete with musical entertainment. Meals BLD
11. HAUNTS OF THE ORIGINAL “DRACULA” You have three excursion choices today. One takes you to the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania to visit Peles Castle. Your other choices trace the legacy of 15th-century Romanian prince Vlad Tepes (a.k.a. “Vlad the Impaler”), thought to be the historical model for Bram Stoker’s Dracula: visit Transylvania’s Bran Castle, which Tepes once used as a base for military campaigns, or head to Targoviste to see the ruins of Tepes’ palace and its restored watchtower; you’ll also visit the army barracks where Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was tried and executed in 1989. Lunch at a local restaurant and then return to Bucharest for free time and dinner at leisure. Meals BL
12. JOURNEY HOME Tour ends: Bucharest, Romania. Fly home anytime. A transfer from the JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel to Bucharest Airport or Bucuresti Gara de Nord train station is included. Allow up to 3 hours for flight check-in. Meals B
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