THE   JEWISH  HERITAGE of ROMANIA  &  BULGARIA

Day 1: BUCHAREST – Arrival

Arrival at OTOPENI / HENRI COANDA International Airport in Bucharest,
Meeting the guide at the airport by the tour-guide.
Transfer to your centrally located  3* or 4* or 5* hotel
Arrival at the hotel, check-in.

In the evening – short walking tour of the Old Town where the tour-guide will present you three Jewish Sites. Dinner with folklore show at Caru cu Bere (Beer Cart) Restaurant

DAY 2:  BUCHAREST  – Jewish Heritage & Classic City Tour

In the morning you will have a  Jewish Heritage tour of Bucharest including :

  • The Great Synagogue hosting the Holocaust Museum
  • The Holy Union Temple ( Tailors synagogue ) hosting The Museum of Jewish Communities
  • The Choral Temple
  • The Bucharest Jewish State Theatre
  • The Holocaust Memorial
  • The most representative streets of the former most important Jewish Quarter
  • The Yeshua Tova Synagogue

and  Jewish Community Center of Bucharest where you will have a short meeting with some of the members

Your tour includes afterwards additional sights making your tour UNIQUE !

  • One synagogue that is not in use anymore
  • A unique transformed synagogue
  • The location of the former largest synagogue in Bucharest
  • The building which one hosted the Jewish home for Elderly ( nursing house )
  • The building which one hosted the Jewish elementary school
  • The building which one hosted the Jewish high school
  • The building which one hosted the Jewish inn and its interior courtyard
  • The most representative streets of the second most important Jewish Quarter
  • The former palace of the most important financial entrepreneurs

and  a brief architectural tour including the most impressive building from Bucharest , designed by Jewish Architects with Traditionalst,Art Deco,Modernist and even Gothic style

In the afternoon  you will have a classic panoramic tour of Bucharest including the visit of the Parliament Palace  – the largest building in the world open to the public and the second largest building in the world after the US Pentagon

The classic panoramic tour will give you the opportunity to see the following sites :

  • Opera House Bucharest – The Romanian National Opera is one of the 4 national operas in Romania and the most prestigeous one. – no stop, explanations passing by, from the minibus
  • Military Academy Bucharest. The Military Academy is a public university founded in 1949. –short stop, explanations.
  • Unirii Square, Univeristy Square, Romana Square. Magheru Blv.
  • Victoriei Square Bucharest – Victory Square is an important area of the city. The Natural History – – no stop, explanations passing by, from the minibus
  • Government Palace – Or Victoria Palace, was built in 1937 and it is the headquarters of the Prime Minister of Romania and his cabinet. – – no stop, explanations passing by, from the minibus
  • Victoriei Avenue Bucharest – (Calea Victoriei) is an emblematic and one of the oldest streets in Bucharest. – no stop, explanations passing by, from the minibus
  • George Enescu Museum Bucharest – The museum is located in Cantacuzino Palace(built in 1903), now displaying George Enescu’s life and work. – no stop, explanations passing by, from the minibus
  • Romanian Athenaeum Bucharest – The Romanian Athenaeum is the most famous concert hall in Bucharest and a landmark of the Romanian capital city. –short stop, explanations.
  • Central University Library Bucharest – The library was built in 1895 on King Carol I request. –short stop, explanations.                                                                                   
  • The Royal Palace Bucharest – The palace was the royal residence untill 1947, a year after it was transformed into a museum. –short stop, explanations.                                              
  • Arch of Triumph Bucharest – Arcul de Triumf was built in 1922 to honor the victory of the Romanian army during the first World War. – no stop, explanations passing by, from the minibus
  • House of Press Bucharest – During the communist regime, it was the headquarters of the only newspaper and the tallest building in the city untill 2007. – no stop, explanations passing by, from the minibus

DAY 3:  A  TOUCH OF BULGARIAN JEWISH HERITAGE ( SILISTRA and ROUSSE)

  After breakfast departure from hotel to Călăraşi. After the ferry crossing the Danube (from Chiciu to Ostrov ) you will arrive in  Silistra a Bulgarian port town lying on the banks of Danube River. In Silistra you will have your first stop in order to  homage at the grave (the grave was discovered on the banks of the Danube River, built as a place for memorial-religious complex in his honor ) of Rabbi Eliezer Papo. Eliezer Papo was a Jewish rabbi from the late 18th and early 19th century, one of the 12 most honored rabbis. Eliezer Papo was born in Sarajevo, but lived and worked in Bucharest as chief rabbi, physician and philosopher. During the Russian-Turkish War in 1829 arrived in Silistra, where he rescues the local population from the exploded in the camp of the Russian army cholera epidemic, creating quarantine “belts” and infirmaries on their fellow citizens. Because of its proximity to patients, however, becomes infected and dies. A mikveh (ritual bath) was also recently built there for the use of pilgrims.

 Then you will Silistra for in Rousse. Upon arrival in Rousse you will walk through the distinct Ashkenazic and Sephardic neighbourhoods. Note Nobel Prize Winner Elias Canetti’s birthplace. Visit to the Jewish Community Centre, a former Ashkenazic synagogue, and the former Sephardic synagogue.

 In the evening you will cross the Friendship Bridge over the danube in order to get to Bucharest.

DAY 4 :   BUCHAREST – Departure

             After breakfast the tour-guide will wait for you in the lobby in order to transfer you to the airport.                                            

                                                 PRICES / PERSON in EUROS  

Number of persons 3 * Hotel  4 * Hotel  5 * Hotel 
     6                
     7 –    9          
     10 – 14         
     15 – 19         
     20 – 25         
     26 – 30         
     > 30      on request on request on request

Included in the price:

 ► all transport according itinerary

► airport transfers on arrival and departure days as set by the itinerary (Day 1 and Day 4)

► English speaking guide and guide assistance throughout

► 3 overnights in 3*  or 4* or 5* hotels – all overnights are based on double (single) rooms with private WC/shower

► breakfast (3 days)

► Dinner at the Beer Cart Restaurant  in Bucharest

► all entrance fees

Not included:

► meals other than breakfast

► airport transfers outside the tour itinerary

► flight tickets

►tips, insurances

► alcoholic drinks and other personal expenses