We would be happy to suggest activities depending on your interests and curate a full seven day itinerary which would include walks, visits to nearby Saxon villages, medieval cities, and other local attractions. We can also put you in contact with a local transport company.

Exploring the Rich Local Area (Noul Roman; Carta; Cincsor; Sambata de Jos; Sambata de Sus)

Sample itinerary

Today's itinerary covers a visit to an Ethnographic museum; two Saxon village; a famous stud farm and a Romanian orthodox monastery.

1. Noul Roman Dr. Teleaga Ethnographic Museum

We start the day in the morning after breakfast with a visit to an ethnographic museum in a traditional old house in Noul Roman village (about 10 km away from Arpasu de Sus). The Dr. Teleaga museum offers a fascinating insight into local arts and crafts and an old way of life. Dr. Teleaga's grandfather was .a priest in Arpasu de Sus and even though Dr. Teleaga worked all his life in Siibiu he came back to the countryside and spent time in Noul Roman village. He was an avid collector of icons on glass (a speciality of Transylvania) and of painted eggs. The collection that you see on display in the house in Noul Roman is unique.

2. Carta (Kerz)

After Noul Roman - we move on to the Saxon village of Carta only 2 km away. The village has a functioning Lutheran Church adjacent to the remains of a XIII century Cistercian Abbey. Tickets can be bought from the next door brasserie (run by the owners of Albota trout farm) and also include a small museum on the premises. Many of the Saxon houses in Carta have been restored and the village is a picture postcard Transylvanian site.

3. Cincsor (Kleinschenk)

We leave Carta and join the National road to Bucharest and continue on to Cincsor another Saxon Village where we visit a Saxon fortified church - whose towers have been beautifully restored. Next to the fortified church, a local guest house offers lunches for Euro 13.

4. Sambata de Jos

After lunch we visit one of the most famous stud farms in Romania, "Herghelia de la Sambata de Jos" . The stud farm is housed in the old Austro-Hungarian stables adjacent to a former summer palace of Samuel von Brukenthal - Habsburg governor of Transylvania. You can visit the stud farm and learn about Lipitan horses (originally from Slovenia) . Horse-riding is also available. The summer palace next to the stud farm, is sadly closed and in bad need of renovation.

5. Sambata de Sus

We finish the day with a drive to Sambata de Sus where we visit a Romanian orthodox Monastery, a fine example of Brancoveanu style architecture. The monastery has a beautiful church with interior frescoes (including a fine portrait of the last king of Romania, King Michael as a young man )in the antechamber; well-manicured gardens and a few museums and a library.

Return to Arpasu de Sus to watch the cows come home, have a drink in the garden and a well-earned dinner!

Want to find out more about villages with fortified churches in Transylvania and the Saxon heritage? You may want to check out the following link: www.romaniaourism.com/saxon-heritage.html