Suceava – Brasov day tour is a very long and fascinating day trip. We start from Brasov (or Suceava), an important Saxon medieval city, we will head north but first, we visit the fortified medieval church of Prejmer, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built by the Teutonic knights 800 years ago, it was the first obstacle encountered by the Tartar, Ottoman, and many other invaders during their attacks on Transylvania. The church and its very strong walls have been perfectly preserved and still today it is an active church of the Saxon Lutheran community, descendants of the first Saxons who arrived in Transylvania at the end of the 12th century.
After Prejmer we move towards the Eastern Carpathians, crossing the area of the “Hungarian Szeklers” a tribe of warriors who arrived in Transylvania 1000 years ago, to defend the eastern border of Transylvania. We continue climbing the Eastern Carpathians, and after the top of the pass that forms the natural border between Transylvania and Moldavia we arrive at the “Red Lake”. Although not as red as many expect it, it has many stories and legends behind it.
Leaving the Red Lake behind, the road begins to cut the Bicaz Gorges, very narrow gorges of limestone rocks that tower along the road, 400 meters (1312 ft) high, creating one of the most spectacular landscapes in Romania.
After the Bicaz Gorges, we officially enter Moldavia and the first visit will be to the Agapia monastery. A historic monastery that houses nearly 300 nuns and has beautiful workshops of hand-made carpets, weaving, and icon painting on wood.
The final destination will be in Suceava, the former capital of Moldova and nowadays the “capital of Bucovina”. Once there you will have a brief introduction of the city and its most important historical buildings: the Citadel of Suceava, the history museum, the open-air village museum, and some of the most significant historical churches.
All this in just one day!