Transylvania Tour: Bears, Castles, and Cuisine

Embark on a private tour from Bucharest to the Libearty Bear Sanctuary and Dracula’s Castle. Discover the largest brown bear sanctuary in Europe and explore the legendary castle of Vlad the Impaler. Immerse yourself in Romania’s history, culture, and wildlife on this unforgettable journey.

Duration: 11 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Libearty Bear Sanctuary Zarnesti - Located in Zarnesti, Romania, the Libearty Bear Sanctuary serves as a haven for bears rescued from captivity. This sanctuary offers a natural habitat where bears can freely roam, forage, and socialize. As one of Europe’s largest bear sanctuaries, it is dedicated to promoting bear conservation and encouraging…
What's Included
  • Hotel pick-up
  • Private transportation
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Professional English-speaking guide
What's Not Included
  • Entrance fees
  • Entrance fees
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Embark on a serene private tour from Bucharest to Transylvania, blending nature, history, and local allure.
Begin your journey with a stop at the Libearty Bear Sanctuary in Zărnești, where over 100 rescued brown bears roam freely in a natural forest environment.
Then, take your time exploring the iconic Bran Castle — often associated with Dracula —…

Location
Libearty Bear Sanctuary Zarnesti
F, DN 73A km 6 - near the entrance in Zarnesti from Rasnov
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(12 Ratings)
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Anaargeseanu
Aug 23, 2025
Very good - This private tour was the highlight of our trip to Romania! The Bear Sanctuary in Zărnești was truly heartwarming — seeing the rescued bears in such a peaceful, natural environment was both emotional and inspiring. Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the whole experience feel personal and relaxed. Bran Castle was amazing — and visiting without a big crowd made it even better. We had plenty of time to explore and enjoy the atmosphere without feeling rushed. Afterward, we had a lovely lunch in Bran, with great local food and stunning mountain views. Everything was well-organized, comfortable, and tailored to our pace. If you're looking for a calm, authentic day outside the city, this tour is perfect. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joselitojohn_b
Jun 29, 2025
Better than most tours. Worth more than price. - We’re in the middle of this tour with Laura. Lunch now after seeing bears and the castle. Laura is fun and smart. Mix of history, trivia and rumor. Safe driver as places are quite far. For the price we paid, this is a wonderful tour with a wonderful guide. Worth more than what we paid for a family of 5.
Review provided by Viator
Minichri
Oct 6, 2024
You mustn't miss it - Q In the morning we took the tour to the bear sanctuary.... What about... Wonderful, wonderful..... Congratulations!!!!! The tour can be done either in Romanian or in English. Check the timetable before you leave. Today the last lap was at 10:45. It is excellently managed, it is an experience you should not miss. Suitable for everyone. C and a bit of walking but no big deal in the end. There are pauses between explanations. C is an area where there are also horses and donkeys and another where there are wolves. Logically you visit only a small part of the sanctuary. One of the most beautiful things you can see.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kay_w
Sep 7, 2024
Awesome trip - We were picked up by Octavian, lovely friendly young man. Made us instantly at ease. His historical knowledge was amazing. He stopped whenever we needed a break, no problem. First stop the bear sanctuary. Many sad stories but the guides were lovely and would recommend the sanctuary. You see the bears having a new life. Octavian then took us for a lovely spot for lunch, no time pressure, all relaxed. Onto the Castle and Octavian obliged in taking many pictures of us in the gardens and at the castle. He knew all the answers to our questions no matter what we asked. During the journeys Octavian chatted and laughed with us. You could not do better with a guide. Would highly recommend Octavian and the trip. Kay and Stewart from Scotland.
Review provided by Viator
Kmc8955312
Sep 7, 2024
Fabulous day trip - We were picked up by Octavian, lovely friendly young man. Made us instantly at ease. His historical knowledge was amazing. He stopped whenever we needed a break, no problem. First stop the bear sanctuary. Many sad stories but the guides were lovely and would recommend the sanctuary. You see the bears having a new life. Octavian then took us for a lovely spot for lunch, no time pressure, all relaxed. Onto the Castle and Octavian obliged in taking many pictures of us in the gardens and at the castle. He knew all the answers to our questions no matter what we asked. During the journeys Octavian chatted and laughed with us. You could not do better with a guide. Would highly recommend Octavian and the trip. Kay and Stewart from Scotland.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
848nidala
Jun 18, 2024
Strongly recommend - We went with Roxana. First thing I would like to express my gratitude for her, for her kindness, education and for the valuable information she gave us about the places and the country. I strongly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meganbm7542fv
Mar 2, 2024
Would highly recommend - Booked this tour while I was away with my boyfriend it was our first time booking a tour like this and it was well worth it. Mircea was a great tour guide he was so full of knowledge, really friendly and accommodating even sharing his traditional Romanian food with us, the Bear sanctuary was brilliant and Dranculas castle was so interesting I loved the history behind it and learned so much about the country of Romania
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Donna
Feb 12, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyed Bear Sanctuary & Bran Castle with teen son & hubby - Had an excellent experience, picked up at 7ish. The bear Sanctuary location was a bit remote, set within 69 hectares of forest. We'd booked the tour at 10.45 but arrived much earlier (no traffic) & was able to swap to 9.30 instead. Loads of opportunities for photos of multitudes of bears, initially watched video explaining origin & ethos of sanctuary. Bran castle a short drive away, our driver gave good information regarding its history as well as offering to take family photos. Had opportunity to visit market stalls surrounding the castle. Our return journey endured much traffic, taking 3/4hrs, arriving home at 5pm
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dreamer06489078854
Jan 4, 2024
A perfect day! - First of all, my children and I would like to thank our guide and driver Catalin! It was simply perfect. Full of attention (among other things, he helped us get our tickets to enter the castle), always an anecdote to tell and interesting discussions, immense knowledge on the history of Romania, of Bran Castle and its occupants , Catalin really impressed us both with his knowledge and his kindness. Plus, we were lucky enough not to have to queue to enter the castle. When we come back to visit Pelès Castle, he is the one we would want as our guide. Concerning the bear (and now wolf) sanctuary, it is a great educational experience and it is also a moving experience. Thank you Anna for your kindness, for moving us by telling the history of the sanctuary and for teaching us lots of things about bears. If I had to find an improvement to make, I would say that it would be good to have a small bottle of water per person for the journey which is still a few hours (especially the return) even if, as far as we are concerned , we planned to bring some.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
James_b
Apr 26, 2022
Great day in Romania. - Our tour guide Serban was fantastic, great knowledge, very friendly, so very enthusiastic and most helpful. Would thoroughly recommend him.' It was a terrific tour, we loved the Bear sanctuary even adopted a Bear.
Review provided by Viator
From $87
up to 7 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).