Two vineyards. One great wine day. This Bucharest day trip is built for tasting your way through Romanian winemaking, first with LacertA Winery in Buzău County and then Budureasca in Prahova, with English-speaking guidance and a proper stop for multiple wine styles.

What I like most is how the tastings are paired with real context—at LacertA you’ll tour production and sample wines including white, red, rosé, and table styles chosen to match your preferences. The second thing I like is the setting: sub-Carpathian countryside air, rolling hills, and that calm, non-urban pace that makes a wine trip feel more like a day out than a rushed checklist.

The main thing to consider: lunch isn’t included, and the whole schedule is tight (8 hours total). If you’re the type who likes long meals, plan for snacks and a solid breakfast before you go.

Key Highlights at a Glance

• Two vineyard tastings across Buzău and Prahova, with 10+ wines total
• English-speaking sommelier guidance at both stops so you’re not just swallowing and hoping
• LacertA’s 82-hectare vineyard and its named wine collections, including award-winning selections
• Budureasca’s modern facility in a 300-hectare vineyard, plus wine evaluation practice
• Small-group vibe for a calmer, more interactive day
• Central pickup by air-conditioned van with onboard Wi‑Fi for the ride

Morning Pickup and the Ride to Buzău County

This starts as a classic Bucharest-to-country escape. You’ll meet at one of three central pickup points: Romana Square (Gray Line meeting point), University Square (Gray Line), or InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest. From there, you head out by modern air-conditioned van.

You’re looking at about 1.5 hours in the car for the first winery. During that ride, onboard Wi‑Fi is available, which helps if you want to check maps or read up on what you’ll be tasting later. The driver and English-speaking guide keep things organized, including skip-the-line entry at the wineries.

The upside of an organized van day is simple: you don’t need to figure out transport between two different wine areas. The tradeoff is also simple: you’ll be on a schedule, so if you’re prone to wandering off, keep your expectations aligned with a timed tasting day.

LacertA Winery: 82 Hectares, Production Tour, and Wines You Can Steer

LacertA Winery is the first tasting stop, and the setting already hints at why it’s a go-to: an 82-hectare vineyard grown in soil considered optimal for wine production. When you arrive, you’re not just tasting and leaving. You get a guided tour of the wine production process, which matters because Romanian wine culture is tightly connected to how grapes are handled from vine to bottle.

After the tour comes the tasting, where you’ll sample a selection that can include white, red, rosé, or table wines—and the guide’s approach is described as tailored to your taste. That’s a small detail, but it’s a big deal for value. If you only like reds, you shouldn’t feel forced into tasting ten types of something you don’t care about.

LacertA also offers named collections you’ll hear about during the experience, such as:

• Vintage Collection
• Grand Prix
• Lacerta Dolce
• Gift Collection

Some of these selections have earned gold awards and international recognition. Even if you’re not chasing awards, this gives you useful context. It’s one thing to taste wine. It’s another to learn what a winery thinks is worth preserving, aging, or presenting as special bottlings.

Timing reality at LacertA

One reviewer flagged that at least once, the tasting time felt shorter than expected compared with the sommelier history. That can happen on a day tour if the group is drawn into the storytelling pace. If you’re counting on a big tasting window, try to stay open and relaxed—this is still a tasting-focused day, but the balance of story vs. wine can vary.

Budureasca Winery: 300 Hectares, Modern Winemaking, and Wine Evaluation

After LacertA, the day shifts gears. You’ll transfer for about 20 minutes to the second stop: Budureasca Winery in Prahova County. Budureasca is described as a modern winemaking operation inside a 300-hectare vineyard, and the atmosphere tends to feel more contemporary and expansive than a traditional “small courtyard” wine stop.

At this second vineyard, you’ll get another tasting session—plus local snacks and welcome refreshments. The tasting here is paired with instruction aimed at improving how you evaluate wine. Translation: this isn’t only about what you like, it’s also about learning how to notice what’s happening in the glass.

If you’re brand new to wine, this kind of “how to taste” guidance can be the difference between a confusing experience and one where you start connecting flavors to choices. If you already love wine, you’ll still appreciate the structure: you get language and method for what to look for, not just a list of what to drink.

Why Budureasca’s wine-evaluation focus is worth your time

A lot of wine tours give you a pouring marathon but skip the skills. Here, the emphasis on evaluation helps you take something home. Next time you see a Romanian bottle (or any bottle), you’re less likely to rely on hype and more likely to trust what you taste.

The Value Math: What $99 Gets You (and What It Doesn’t)

At $99 per person for an 8-hour tour, the real question is whether you’re paying for transportation and guidance—or just paying for drinks.

From what’s included, you’re getting:

• Two wine tastings
• Over ten wines across both wineries
• English-speaking sommelier
• English-speaking driver
• Central pickup and drop-off
• Air-conditioned vehicle
• Wi‑Fi onboard
• Skip the ticket line

That’s a lot of structure for one day, and it adds up fast. Two tastings is the key. Many tours include one winery and call it a day. Here, you get comparisons—how one region and one style of winemaking show up in the glass.

What’s not included is where you need to plan ahead: lunch isn’t on the menu for the tour. One person specifically recommended preparing for this, because with the strong tasting pace, the meal may not happen the way you’d hoped.

Snacks, Breakfast, and How to Avoid a Hangry Wine Day

Here’s the simple practical advice that will save your mood: eat before you go.

The tour includes local snacks at both winery stops (and welcome refreshments at Budureasca), but you should still treat this as a mostly drinking-and-tasting schedule, not a full day of meals. If you want a long sit-down lunch, you may not get it.

One reviewer advised a robust breakfast and suggested packing simple snacks and water. I’ll echo that. Bring a small snack stash in your day bag—something easy and not messy—and you’ll stay comfortable even if timings run a bit tight.

Also, since you’ll taste more than a dozen wines, water isn’t optional. Keep it handy and sip between pours. Your palate will thank you.

Small-Group Day Trips: The Quiet Advantage

This is labeled as a memorable small group experience, and you can feel the difference between a crowd-control bus and a more personal group day.

In a smaller setting, you’re more likely to:

• get direct answers in English
• ask about the kinds of wine you actually like
• have time for the sommelier to adjust pace

It’s not just comfort. It also makes your tasting results better because you’re engaging, not just following along.

One name you might hear with this operator: a reviewer praised the driver Lucien as fantastic. A good driver matters on vineyard days—quiet roads, smooth timing, and the ability to keep the day from turning chaotic.

How the Whole Day Flows (So You Don’t Get Caught Off Guard)

Even without counting minute-by-minute, you can expect a pattern:

1. Morning pickup in central Bucharest
2. Drive about 1.5 hours to LacertA in Buzău County
3. About 1.5 hours at LacertA: production tour + wine tasting (with snacks)
4. Short transfer around 20 minutes to Budureasca
5. About 1.5 hours at Budureasca: second tasting, wine evaluation, snacks, refreshments
6. Drive about 1.5 hours back to Bucharest for central drop-off

That structure is exactly why this works as a day trip: you’re not spending half the day commuting, and you get two different winery experiences instead of one.

The one risk is timing balance. If the sommelier pacing leans heavily into history at one stop, you could feel the squeeze at the other stop—especially with lunch absent. It’s not a dealbreaker, but you should plan accordingly.

Who This Wine Tour Fits Best

This works best if you want:

• a guided tasting with English explanation
• a day focused on multiple wines (not a single “starter” tasting)
• a taste of Romanian wine culture across two winery styles
• a simple, low-planning way to get from Bucharest into wine country

It’s also a solid choice for beginners. The Budureasca emphasis on wine evaluation can turn tasting from a blur into a learning experience. And if you’re already a wine fan, two wineries in one day gives you the contrast you’d normally need a longer trip to get.

Should You Book It? My Practical Take

If you want an organized day with two tastings, English guidance, central pickup, and a schedule designed to get you out of Bucharest fast, I think this is a good deal at $99—especially because you’re promised over ten wines plus structured instruction.

I would book it with one condition: come prepared for no included lunch. Eat well before you go, pack a little snack backup, and don’t expect a long meal break.

If you’re extremely schedule-sensitive (or if you hate feeling rushed), read timing as a possibility rather than a guarantee. On any group tour, the pacing between production stories and pouring can shift.

FAQ

FAQ

How long is the Romanian Wine Tasting Tour from Bucharest?

It runs for 8 hours total.

Where are the pickup locations in Bucharest?

You can be picked up from Romana Square (Gray Line meeting point), University Square (Gray Line), or InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest.

What wineries do you visit?

You visit LacertA Winery in Buzău County and Budureasca Winery in Prahova County.

How many wine tastings are included?

There are two wine tastings, with tastings that total over ten different wines.

Is lunch included?

No. Lunch is not included.

Do you get English-speaking help during the tastings?

Yes. The tour includes an English-speaking sommelier and an English-speaking driver.

Is transportation provided during the day?

Yes. You travel by a modern air-conditioned vehicle, and the tour includes pickup and drop-off from central meeting points.

Is there Wi‑Fi on the van?

Yes. Wi‑Fi is available on board.

Are there any minimum requirements to operate the tour?

Yes. A minimum of 4 participants is required to organize the tour.

What is the cancellation window?

Cancellation is free up to 12 hours in advance for a full refund.