Bicaz Gorge – Red Lake – Piatra Neamț from Bălți

With joy, we invite you to join a fascinating and enlightening journey that will take you through the heart of Romania and Moldova. From the stunning beauty of the Hășmaș Mountains and the Bicaz Gorges to the imposing monasteries and medieval fortresses, each day of this journey is filled with promises and opportunities for exploration and learning.

Starting from Chișinău, we head towards the captivating destinations of our itinerary, ready to discover the cultural and natural richness of the region. At each stop, you'll have the opportunity to delve into history and local traditions, explore breathtaking landscapes, and enjoy authentic and unforgettable experiences.

Tour Details

The Bicaz Gorges, due to their impressive size, represent a true tourist attraction with spectacular landscapes. The road that crosses the Bicaz Gorges resembles a gorge carved in stone, full of rare beauty serpentine curves, and the immense limestone walls of the rocks hide caves and ravines.

Starting & Return Point

• Bălți, Str Alexandru cel Bun 5/1 (Slavena parking lot)

Departure Time

22:30

Price Includes:

• Round trip transportation
• 1-night accommodation at a guesthouse
• Licensed guide
• Medical insurance
• Excursions as indicated in the program

Price Does Not Include:

• Entrance fees to tourist attractions
• Meals
• Personal expenses

Additional Services:

• Single room (30 euros)
• Seat in the first 5 rows in the bus (10 euros)
• Additional seat in the bus (45 euros)

Notes:

In the case where the client is alone and has not paid for a single room, but for sharing (the client agrees to stay in a room with another tourist or tourists), but until the departure date the travel company does not have similar clients who are also alone but have paid the standard price for sharing, the client is obliged in this case to pay the single room supplement.

Program

Day 1. Bălți - Iași – Bicaz Gorges (approx. 450 km)

Meeting with the tour guide at 22:00, Supermarket Slavena parking lot for boarding the bus. Departure at 22:30 on the route: Balti – Iasi - Bicaz Gorges

Day 2. Piatra Neamț – Bistrița Monastery – Stephen the Great Complex – Red Lake – Bicaz Gorges – Dam (Bicaz Lake) – Boat ride

The city of Piatra Neamț, the capital of Neamț County, is located in the northeastern part of Romania, in one of the most beautiful intramontane depressions at the edge of the Eastern Carpathians. Located at the confluence of two rivers, Cuejdiu and Bistrița, at an average altitude of 301 m, the city is surrounded by mountains – Pietricica (528 m), Cozla (650m), Cernegura (850 m), and Cârloman (617 m) and enjoys all the advantages of a unique nature, with a temperate-continental climate.

Due to its position, on the route of important trade routes, the city experienced strong development, in the modern period, Piatra-Neamț becoming the most important urban center in the Neamț region and the county seat. Industry, banking services, and public works experienced strong development, concurrently with the flourishing of cultural life.

Bistrița Monastery in Neamț County is located in the village of Bistrița, Alexandru cel Bun commune and was built before 1407 (the first documentary attestation) by Prince Alexandru cel Bun of Moldova (1400-1432), who endowed it with villages, estates, and precious treasures. In 1498, Stephen the Great built a bell tower, with a chapel, dedicated to St. John the New Martyr from Suceava, with a fresco painting of great artistic and iconographic value, which is preserved to this day. In 1546, Petru Rareș renovated the monastery and built a wall around it. He also gave the village of Mojeștii with all its revenue. In 1554, Alexandru Lăpușneanu completely renovated the monastery.

Red Lake (locally known as Gyilkostó / Ghilcoș Lake) is a natural dam lake formed after the collapse of a slope due to the earthquake on January 23, 1838, at 18:45. Magnitude 6.9, intensity VIII, at the foot of Mount Hășmașul Mare, near the Bicaz Gorges, 26 km from Gheorgheni, in Harghita County. According to the latest measurements, carried out in 1987, its dimensions are as follows: the lake stretches over a perimeter of 2,830 m, the area is 114,676 m² and the volume of accumulated water is 587,503 m³. The lake was formed at an altitude of 983 m, in a depression with a predominantly subalpine climate.

The lake, with an elongated shape, in the northwest - southeast direction, has an area of ​​32.6 km² and was formed after the construction between 1950 and 1960 of a dam that supplies a hydroelectric power plant of 210 MW built during the communist regime, including with the contribution of forced labor by political prisoners. For the construction of the dam and the arrangement of the lake, 22 villages were relocated from the area, and the natural landscape was drastically changed, it being declared a water natural reserve in 2000.

The Bicaz Gorges are gorges located in the central part of the Hășmaș Mountains, in northeastern Romania in Neamț and Harghita counties, developed in Jurassic limestones. They are located in the central part of the eastern ridge Tulgheș-Valea Rece of the Hășmaș Massif. Their main axis is represented by the Bicaz River.

A natural monument, they include protected areas of national interest, the Bicaz Gorges from Neamț County and the Bicaz Gorges and Red Lake from Harghita County, being located in the integral protection area of ​​the Cheile Bicazului - Hășmaș National Park.

Accommodation.

Day 3. Agapia Monastery - Văratec Monastery – Zimbrăria – Neamț Monastery – Ion Creangă House Museum – Neamț Citadel – Bălți (approx. 370 km).

Agapia Monastery (also known as Agapia Nouă Monastery to differentiate it from Agapia Veche Skete) is an Orthodox nunnery in Romania, located on the valley of Agapia stream, 9 km away from the city of Târgu Neamț. It is located in the middle of a forest, 3 km away from the village of Agapia (Neamț County). It is one of the largest nunneries in Romania, with 300-400 nuns, and ranks second in population after Văratec Monastery.

Văratec Monastery is an Orthodox nunnery in Romania, located in a glade at the foot of the mountains, in the village of Văratec in the commune of Agapia (Neamț County), 12 km away from the city of Târgu Neamț and 40 km away from the city of Piatra-Neamț. It is the largest nunnery in Romania, with over 400 nuns living here.

The monastery was founded in 1785 by the nun Olympiada, together with the priest Iosif. In this work, Mother Olympiada was advised and guided by Paisie Velicicovschi, the abbot of Neamț Monastery. Transferred under the administration of the nearby Agapia Monastery, Văratec Monastery became an independent monastery in 1839.

Massive stone walls enclose an enclosure where the Church of the "Dormition of the Virgin Mary" (the main church), the abbey, and administrative buildings are located (in the buildings on the north side of the enclosure) and the monastery museum, where the "Regina Maria" Atelier was previously located (located in the building on the south side). The monastic enclosure is surrounded by the monastery village, consisting of traditional peasant houses where the nuns live and which line narrow streets.

Neamț Monastery is an Orthodox monastery in Romania, located in the commune of Vânători-Neamț, the village of Mănăstirea Neamț, Neamț County. It is the largest and oldest monastic settlement in Moldova, being declared a historical monument. The monastery is documented from 1407, but its roots in monastic activity extend back to the 12th century. The founding of the monastery is attributed to Voivode Petru I Mușat (1375-1391), who built the first stone church here, now disappeared. On the site of the monastery, there was an older, wooden church, called the White Church, built by monks a century earlier. The current church in the monastery complex was founded by Voivode Stephen the Great at the end of the 15th century and is dedicated to the Ascension of the Lord.

Neamț Citadel (improperly known as Neamțului Citadel) is a medieval citadel in Moldova, located at the north-western edge of the city of Târgu Neamț (in northeastern Romania). It is located on the Timuș rock on the Pleșu Ridge (also called Citadel Hill), at an altitude of 480 m and a height of 80 m above the level of the Neamț River. From here, it guarded the valleys of Moldova and Siret, as well as the road that passed over the mountain into Transylvania.

The Neamț Citadel was part of the fortification system built in Moldova at the end of the 14th century, at the appearance of the Ottoman danger. The medieval fortification system included fortified settlements (princely courts, monasteries with high walls, as well as strategically important citadels) for defense, reinforced with stone walls, earthworks, or deep ditches.

The citadel was built at the end of the 14th century by Peter I, fortified in the 15th century by Stephen the Great, and destroyed in the 18th century (1718) by order of Prince Mihai Racoviță.

The bison reserve in Silvuț forest was established in 1958 when two bison were brought here from Poland. Now there are 6 bison in the reserve. Departure for home.

Departure for home.

Day 4

Arrival in Bălți between 01:00-05:00.