The Snagov Area - enjoy the green jewel of Bucharest (as Budapest has the Balaton Lake and Paris has Bois de Boulogne).

The Snagov Lake is the most important leisure lake around the capital city and the most picturesque tourist attraction in the area, its beauty being completed by the surrounding forests.

Distance: 40 km from Bucharest

The present touring route emphasizes the beauty of the Snagov Lake which can be now admired from the kayaks. Such a day offers the opportunity of discovering the beauty of the surroundings of Snagov Lake, with stopovers in order to admire the lake's flora and fauna in a silent charm, whereas the guide will present short stories about the most important reference points on the lake. On our water tour we will do a stop to visit Snagov Monastery.

Snagov Monastery is located on the only island of Snagov Lake and it is a very old religious site founded in the early 15th century. The location of the monastery is well known because it is believed to be the burial place of Vlad the Impaler, better known as the inspiration for Irish author Bram Stoker's character Dracula in his 1897 novel. The monastery once housed the coin minting facility of the medieval principality Wallachia and in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, one of the most important printing houses in South-Eastern Europe was located on the island.

After the tour we will relax and to enjoy the countryside’s life in the Garden of the Vlachs (Gradina Vlasiei).

Conceived as an oasis of peace and humanity close to Bucharest, in Snagov village, Vlahiia Garden, literally “the Garden of the Vlachs”, is a place of stories, an authentic Romanian village in miniature, a place for resting.

It is perfect for recharging your batteries. In Vlahiia Garden they rebuilt authentic village houses, along with their entire universe, created according to time-honored customs and traditions, with authentic homemade clothing, icons, decorative wall hangings, blankets and tools.

We will continue to see the Icon Musem, the church of Vlahiia Garden, the Peasant Museum and the farm.

The church itself is a precise copy of the famous “Monastery cut from a single tree” in Valcea county, reproducing the wonderful details of the original, while the collection of icons counts over 100 pieces, from Greece, Russia and Romania, dating from the 17th century. With interior painting realized directly on the wood, this space is surely unique.

The Peasant Museum portrays the world of the Romanian peasant, charged with customs and traditions inherited from our ancestors, transmitted from generation to generation. The construction, the dovetailed intersections entirely of wood, the loom, the tools for carding wool, the traditional slippers, rolls of handwoven fabrics, winter outerwear and ladies decorative blouses – all emanate authenticity and tradition.

The farm - The daily routine of the animals – their feeding and watering, grooming their coats, shoeing the horses and ponies, milking the cows, collecting the eggs from the roost, preparing the cheese, butter and sour cream and tending the garden – all are the fruits of the creative passion which keeps alive Romanian traditions.

Lunch in Garden of Vlachs.

The tour includes: guide / instructor, bus transport Bucharest - Snagov - Bucharest, kayaks rentals, entrance ticket to the Snagov Monastery.