In the morning, you will be picked up from your accommodation in Brasov and taken to the beautiful town of Rasnov, with its medieval and pre-modern citadel that dates from the 14th century.
The fortress was built as part of a defence system for the Transylvanian villages exposed to outside invasions. The fortress’s location is on the route of the invading armies, which were coming via the Bran pass, through Rasnov, then onward to Brasov. Taking refuge in the citadel was a great place for the locals to survive any invasion, and this resulted in many people staying in the fortification for decades.The citadel is under renovation and you will be able to visit only the garden.
You will continue your journey with Fortress Valley Cave which is also called Dugout Cave because its entrance was clogged by cave sediments. It was discovered after the entrance was opened by a flood from inside. It was still too narrow and so the explorers had to dug first to make it passable. The cave is now the youngest show cave of Romania, and was developed after the newest concepts for cave conservation. The trails are elevated and made of a special sort of fibreglass, which is strong, light, and does not emit any substances.
In the first year of its opening a concert in the cave was performed by the Brasov Philharmonic in the hall called the Cathedral because of its impressive height and exceptional acoustics. The entrance is called Poienita Dracului (Devil's Glade) due to frequent extreme weather phenomena. A passage leads to the Sala Mare (Great Hall), which has a height of 30 m and is the highlight of the tour.
After hearing all the exciting stories about the cave, you will enjoy a well deserved traditional lunch … so the palinca won't get you too dizzy :)
Yes, you've heard it right! You will visit Rasnov's distillery, where the owner will show you the basics of palinca distilling. See the multitude of flavours produced here and if you think you can handle it, go ahead and taste the spirits. They go better on a cold rainy day!
