Meet your guide at your centrally located Brașov hotel and hop inside your air-conditioned car or minivan. Then, journey to the town of Sinaia, home to Peleș Castle. As you travel, discover how the castle was built for King Carol I of Romania in 1875 as a summer residence, and how it’s widely considered among the most beautiful in Europe. After roughly an hour, arrive at Peleș and having admired the fairy tale exterior, go inside with a castle guide. Explore some of the rooms and hear how they were fashioned to reflect decorative styles from places such as France, Venice and Arabia. View the medieval armour in the Armoury Hall, visit the king’s chamber with its Rembrandt paintings, and drink in the ornate mirrors, statues, murals and secret doors in some rooms — it’s like exploring a fantasy land. Next, continue to the Rhein Azuga wine cellar, the official sparkling wine supplier to Romania’s royal court before Communism took hold. Take a tour to learn the secrets of the 19th-century production processes used here, and sample three of the delicious sparkling wines. After lunch (own expense) at the cosy cellar restaurant, head to the Seven Ladders Canyon (Canionul Sapte Scari) in the Piatra Mare range, part of the Southern Carpathian Mountains. This stunning gorge is famed for its steep ladders that take you up the rock walls past a series of rushing waterfalls. On arrival, set off along meadow and forest paths, reaching the canyon after a 45-minute hike. Then, opt to rest here or enter the rock chasm with your experienced guide. Head inside, and spend the next 15 minutes or so crossing the bridges and climbing each of the near-vertical metal ladders that make up the gorge. As you go, enjoy thrilling close-up views of the tumbling waters and the towering rock walls around you. After your trek, rejoin your group and choose between a 1.5-hour return route or a harder 2- to 3-hour trail, walking back through forests and glades to your vehicle. After your hike, your tour ends back at your Brașov hotel.