On this tour, you will visit regions of Europe that are incredibly diverse in terms of ethnicity, politics, and religion. Experience a blend of peoples and cultures—including Slovaks, Poles, Hungarians, Austrians, Russians, Germans, Romanians, Roma, Turks, and Jews, as well as Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant communities. All of them have left their mark on the regions surrounding the Carpathians.

But rest assured, this is not intended to be a heavy-duty cultural tour. If you prefer enjoying beautiful landscapes, forests, and mountains, you certainly won't be disappointed. With mostly short travel stages, this trip offers plenty of free time—especially for hikers, cyclists, and photographers.

The winter sports resorts of the High Tatras are fantastic destinations in summer, too. For that season, we swap the Ukrainian Carpathians for the flat plains of Hungary. Provided the current security situation allows, we will take a day trip across the Tisza River into the Ukrainian Carpathian Biosphere Reserve.

Romania is a diverse country. The Southern Carpathians run through it, creating sweeping hilly landscapes and some impressive mountains. We will visit the three most important regions: Wallachia, Bukovina, and Transylvania.

Highlights of this part of the tour include Maramure?—with a ride on the forest railway—Bukovina and its picturesque Moldavian monasteries, and the 100-meter-deep Bicaz Gorge. The capital, Bucharest, offers a potpourri of modern capitalism, socialist grandeur, "wedding-cake" style architecture, and French influences, alongside a few gems from the Ottoman and medieval eras. Then there are the cities of Bra?ov and Sibiu—important trading hubs since the Middle Ages thanks to settlement by Transylvanian Saxons. We can still marvel at the historic town centers, picturesque villages, and impressive fortified castles today.

You can also choose to do just half of the tour—either the "Western Carpathians" or the "Romania" section—or even include a trip to the "Giant Mountains" beforehand.