9 Fortress and Citadel Tours in Bucharest Worth Booking

1.Visit Bulgaria – Veliko Tarnovo Medieval Fortress – Private tour from Bucharest

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 51 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $177Our pick

Spend about 12 hours traveling from Bucharest into Bulgaria with a private English-speaking guide and hotel pickup. Visit Basarbovo Monastery, Tsarevets Fortress, Arbanasi Village, and Veliko Tarnovo’s craft street. Guides such as Alin, Octavian, and Viktor are known for flexible pacing and strong history commentary.

“Our hero for today's trip was Alin, his attitude and services exceeded our expectations at all levels from timing to knowing the area or being patient with us. The fortress deserves the effort to go up for the view.”

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2.Hike to Poenari Fortress, Vidraru Dam, Argeș Monastery – Private

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 26 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $167

Travel from Bucharest into the Carpathians with an English-speaking guide and private door-to-door transport. Visit Curtea de Argeș Monastery, climb 1,480 steps to Poenari Fortress, and stop at Vidraru Dam. Guides such as Bogdan and Victor also adjust the day when conditions change.

“I really enjoyed this trip to the mountains. We saw seventeen, I repeat, seventeen European brown bears in one day!”

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3.5h Abandoned Fort, Dracula’s Grave and Mogoșoaia Palace, Private

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 20 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $142Best value

Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle from Bucharest to Snagov Monastery, Mogoșoaia Palace, and the abandoned Fort Chitila. Your English-speaking guide brings Romanian history to life, with bottled water and Wi-Fi on board. Expect extra fees for the palace and monastery.

“Bogdan was punctual, polite, knowledgeable and a good driver. He picked us and we had a short drive to Mogosoaia Palace. Not too much to see, but Bogdan provided a fair back story on the building and its history. A later good to know was that the exterior of the building and some other portions were used in the movie “The Nun”. Once we walked the gardens, we were off to Snagov Monastery. While we were crossing the bridge, Bogdan pointed out the Ceausescu palace that he flew to during the revolution. Before we entered, Bogdan shared some information with us and answered some of our questions and in we…”

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4.2-Day Small-Group Tour to Dracula’s Castle, Rasnov Fortress, Peles Castle, Sighisoara and Libearty Brown Bear Sanctuary with Overnight in Brasov

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 9 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $583

Travel from Bucharest in a small group of up to 15, with a guide such as Mihai or Rasem, to castles, Saxon villages, medieval towns and the Libearty Bear Sanctuary. You’ll sleep in Brasov, enjoy breakfast, and cover far more ground than a day trip allows.

“We loved loved loved our tour with Mihai. He gave us a fascinating insight into all of the places we visited included the Libearty sanctuary, Bran castle, Sigishoare, Peles Castle and lots more as well as sharing his fascinating experiences of growing up and living in Romania. We stayed overnight in a comfortable hotel in Brasov arranged by Mihai and explored the beautiful city in the evening. Mihal was always there to help with luggage, suggest places to eat, provide water and lead us to some lovely lunch spots. He even kept his calm demeanour and sense of humour through a fairly awful traffic jam. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend…”

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5.Buzludzha Monument and Tsarevets Fortress in Bulgaria Private

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $227

Leave Bucharest at 7:00 am with an English-speaking guide such as Bogdan, Octavian, or Sebastian. Visit Tsarevets Fortress in Veliko Tarnovo, then continue into the Balkan Mountains for the abandoned Buzludzha Monument. Expect a long but flexible day in a private, air-conditioned vehicle.

“From the start, my tour guide and driver Octavian made the day just perfect and it’s a long but action packed day! He communicates well and was perfectly on time at the hotel in a clean and air conditioned car, important as it was 40 degrees Celsius yesterday! We crossed the Danube and went to Tsaravets Fortress in Veliko Tarnovo which was very interesting. We had a fantastic lunch in Arbanassi which was perfect and even had time to visit a 13th C coaching inn! We continued our journey into the beautiful Balkan Mountains and then went to the jaw dropping Buzludzha Monument to the Bulgarian Communist Party. It’s closed…”

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6.Hiking to the Poenari Fortress and Princely Court of Târgoviște

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 11 hours (approx.) · from $177

Travel from Bucharest with an English-speaking guide, possibly Bogdan, to Poenari Fortress, Curtea de Argeș Monastery, and Târgoviște’s Princely Court. Expect private transport, hotel pickup, 1,480 concrete steps with railings, and entrance fees paid separately.

“Nice places, the best guide Bogdan, all was all right on our tour. We was satisfacted and rrcomend it.”

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7.Bear Sanctuary & Rasnov Fortress – Private day tour from Bucharest

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $184

Leave Bucharest at 7:30 am with a private English-speaking guide and driver for Libearty Bear Sanctuary and Rasnov Fortress. The 10-hour trip includes hotel pickup, transport, entrance fees, and time for questions. Claudiu and Christian are praised guides, though traffic can affect the route.

“Thoroughly enjoyed my visits to the bear sanctuary and the fortress. The bear sanctuary , in particular, was of interest. The best part of the tour was the guide, Claudiu. It was a bit of a drive to the region from Bucharest and during that time he answered questions, pointed out different towns and structures and shared information. He was also an excellent driver. One of the 3 best private tour guides I have had. Thank you for a great experience.”

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8.Day Trip to Sibiu and Fagaras Fortress from Bucharest

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 4 reviews · from $178

Leave Bucharest early for moat-ringed Fagaras Fortress, then explore Sibiu’s Upper and Lower Towns, Brukenthal National Museum, bridges, churches, and historic squares with a driver-guide such as Mihai. Hotel pickup, bottled water, parking, and air-conditioned transport are included.

“This is a very long day out, but glad we did it to see more of Romania. It was private tour and glad we went for that option. We could do what we wanted to. Was great to see these places.”

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9.Hike Bulgaria Love Swing, Veliko Tarnovo and Tarevet Fortress

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 9 to 11 hours (approx.) · from $145

Travel from Bucharest into Bulgaria with a private guide, visiting Tsarevets Fortress, Veliko Tarnovo, and Arbanasi’s cliffside Love Swing. Expect a long but comfortable day, a short muddy hike after rain, free time in town, and guides such as Victor or Andrei.

“Beware it is a long day! But it is well worth it. Lots of riding in the car but I enjoyed looking at the country side. You will do a bit of hiking but there will be beautiful views. And the little towns ( villages) are very quaint and the people are very nice. We went in November so I guess it’s like a shoulder month so not so much people. And our tour guide ( Andrei) was great.”

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