Romania Tour: Poenari Fortress & Balea Lake

Experience the thrill of bear watching and explore the scenic beauty of Transylvania on this small group tour. Discover the real castle of Vlad the Impaler, visit a stunning dam and waterfall, and enjoy free time for hiking and adventure activities at Bâlea glacial lake.

Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Transfăgărășan - Start your journey with a visit to Poenari Fortress, constructed by Vlad the Impaler (Dracula) in 1456. Although entry to the fortress is not possible, it can be admired from the outside.
    Following this, explore the impressive Vidraru Dam, a feat of engineering standing 166 meters high. Take in the breathtaking views of Vidraru…
What's Included
  • Small group tour with up to 7 passengers
  • Pick-up from ‘Piața 21 Decembrie 1989’
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Professional English-speaking tour guide
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Embark on an adventure to Poenari Fortress, once the stronghold of Vlad the Impaler, also known as Dracula. While the tour does not include entry into the fortress, visitors can admire its exterior.
The journey continues to the impressive Vidraru Dam, an engineering marvel, where breathtaking views of the reservoir and surrounding peaks await.
Next,…

Location
Piața 21 Decembrie 1989
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(46 Ratings)
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412fionaf
Jun 30, 2025
An amazing experience! - This was an absolutely amazing experience and really a highlight of my trip. Matei was a very safe driver and great guide. The stops were well spaced and interesting, so the 12 hours didn’t seem too long. We were so fortunate, we saw 13-14 bears, and 4 of them had cubs. Absolutely recommended, and I’ll definitely do it again if I get back to Romania
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Flyer817694
Jun 26, 2025
Great trip - best of our time in Romania - Sebastian is an amazing guide - safe driver, knowledgeable, great with questions, good sense of humor. I feel lucky that we got him as our guide. We saw 27 bears on this trip!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Departure25006095605
May 7, 2025
There are no words to describe this incredible day - I would like to start the review by thanking Pavel (our guide) for the magnificent experience that he gave us. The first stop of the tour was at the dam, it had some beautiful views. After that, we started the ride along the road, through astonishing and lush forests. We were able to spot 12 bears! The last stop of the top gear road was near a waterfall with breathtaking views, it was cold but the silence and the landscape were magical. We ate in a restaurant, build like a wooden house/treehouse, with very good dishes, specially the meat. To sum up, thank you again for the experience and the explanations of the different places.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicola
May 6, 2025
Stunning scenery with bears! - We had this tour with Pavel today....what a great trip! I highly recommend it. We saw 12 bears en route and the scenery is breathtaking. I could have stayed there for hours and hours. We visited a Monastery, which was a stunning building. We had a very tasty lunch in a beautiful woodland/treehouse setting. We also stopped at the dam. Nothing was rushed, plenty of stops and nothing was too much trouble. Pavel was full of local knowledge & very happy to competently answer all questions. And a fabulous soundtrack the whole way and back too! (That may be personal taste of course, I thoroughly enjoyed it😆) Thanks again Pavel
Review provided by Tripadvisor
George_s
May 4, 2025
Go see the Carpathians with Matt and the Bears - It’s a long day but the “Top Gear” road and seeing the bears make it all worth while. We had a spectacular day and our guide Matt kept us well informed of all relevant facts, as well as leading some interesting discussions about world travel. Have paid twice as much for a tour half as good several times before. Can recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Harryhn4998qy
Jan 14, 2025
A great day out! - We had a lovely day seeing lots of interesting different sites, tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, the mountains are beautiful in the winter time
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Emily_h
Jan 4, 2025
Amazing day trip! Would definitely recommend! - Our experience was absolutely amazing! Since we were the only ones booked for the day, we were greeted with a car and received exceptional treatment throughout the entire trip. Our guide, Sebastian, was incredibly knowledgeable about Romanian history and the landmarks we visited, making every stop even more fascinating. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Bucharest who wants to escape the city for a day—it was easily the highlight of our trip. The places we visited were stunning, and we had so much fun sledding on the mountain. Plus, we appreciated having free time at each stop to explore on our own.
Review provided by Viator
Yifei_l
Dec 2, 2024
Nice trip - Best part of my trip in Romania. A little pricey but We have a group of 2. I like small group. Mr Sebastian is very knowledgeable. I usually don’t like to listen to guides talking but I enjoyed listening to him. Was hoping to see bears but they are hibernating. And the description on the website is not accurate. I was nervous about the temperature on the mountain as the website says it is 20 degrees lower than Bucharest so I thought -20c.But later when I asked he said that is for summer. Right now it is just a few degree lower than Bucharest. It was a lot of driving but it was a fun day. We didn’t waste time on stops and food(maybe because of small group too)Thank you for the trip Mr Sebastian I wish you good business.
Review provided by Viator
Elaine_f
Nov 1, 2024
A must do trip whilst in Romania - This was an all day trip, but was so worth it to see the amazing scenery in the mountains of Romania. Our guide Sebastian was very knowledgeable about everything we saw throughout the day and the general history of Romania. We were never rushed at any of the stops and had plenty of time to take lots of pictures. The highlight was seeing a brown bear and her cubs rights at the end of the tour.
Review provided by Viator
June_j
Jan 30, 2025
The 4 star rating does... - The 4 star rating does not apply to our guide Victor, who would deserve a 10. He was so knowledgeable and attentive he really made the tour interesting. The reason for not giving a 5 star rating is because we were not able to go sledding as the snow had started to melt, then froze solid into sheet ice which made it impossible to sled. We were meant to take a ski mobile trip that day but the guide cancelled so we took this trip instead. It was for my husband’s birthday and whilst Victor made the day as enjoyable as possible we were very disappointed with the outcome. Maybe checking the conditions before accepting bookings would be the way forward.
Review provided by Viator
From $102
up to 7 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).