Full-Day Mythical and Religious Private Tour to Curtea de Arges Monastery from Bucharest

Your day trip begins with an 8am pickup from your centrally located Bucharest hotel. Greet your local guide, board the comfortable vehicle, and relax on the drive to Curtea de Arges, about two hours northwest of Bucharest.

Curtea de Arges was founded in the first decades of the 14th century by Wallachian Prince Radu Negru. Its highlight is the architectural gem that is the 14th century Curtea de Arges Monastery, with its two towers spiraling in opposite directions. Accompanied by your knowledgeable guide, explore the monastery, which is the resting place of two Romanian Kings — King Carol I and King Ferdinand.

Next, head to the ruins of the Poienari Fortress, which overlooks the Arges River from a high cliff at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Built at the beginning of the 13th century, by the first Wallachian rulers, the castle changed its name and residents several times over the years until finally it was abandoned and left in ruins.

After taking over the throne of Wallachia, Prince Vlad Tepes (or Count Dracula as he is know in Western Europe) saw the potential of Poienari Fortress and commanded that the structure be repaired and consolidated in order to turn it in one of his main fortresses. In 1462, when the Ottomans attacked and captured the castle, Vlad Tepes escaped through a secret passage leading north, through the mountains. Although the castle was used for many years after Tepes’ death in 1476, it was abandoned in the first half of 16th century and turned into ruins. In 1888 a part of the castle crashed into the river far below, as consequence of a major landslide. Nowadays, visitors can admire the remains of its walls and towers.

Your tour concludes with a drop-off back at the original departure point.