Starting/ending in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Brașov, or Sibiu (and even in Budapest or Chișinău).
See the best of Transylvania, Bucovina, and Maramureș (including at least 6 UNESCO sites) from 7 to 21 days; discover Romania’s culture blend (Romanians, Hungarians, Jews, Saxons, Ukrainians, and Gypsies); meet the locals; and get off the beaten path.
Itinerary proposal for the 14-day tour option:
Day 1. Start in Bucharest, the capital city of Romania. See the Old Town with Stavropoleos Church, the Macca-Vilacrosse covered street, beautiful architecture, and great places to eat and drink (like Caru’ cu Bere or a rooftop location). Visit the Palace of the Parliament—the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon (optionally, see Ceaușescu House instead – the private residence of the former dictator – or the National Village Museum). Overnight in the Sinaia area.
Day 2. Visit Peleș Castle, the residence of King Charles I of Romania, one of the most beautiful and luxurious summer royal palaces of Europe. See Bran Castle (the so-called “Dracula Castle”), really impressive from outside… We can also visit, somewhere else, the virtually unknown place where Bran Castle’s original furniture and royal collections are kept today… Overnight in Brașov.
Day 3. In Brașov, see the Council Square, the narrow Rope Street, Behind the Walls Alley, and the large Gothic Black Church, featuring a collection of precious Anatolian rugs, and walk on the pedestrian Republicii Street, with its restaurants, shops, and outdoor cafes (optionally, climb Tâmpa Hill on a cable car, or visit the Libearty Bear Sanctuary, home to over 100 rescued brown bears, or discover the Prejmer village fortress – the strongest in Transylvania, inscribed on the UNESCO list -, or one of the best horse farms in Romania). Overnight in Brașov.
Day 4. See Viscri village, famous for its connections with King Charles III. Enter the white fortified church, included in UNESCO (optionally, visit somewhere else the last truly off–the-beaten-path Saxon village left in Romania, which is not Viscri!). Arrival at Sighișoara, another UNESCO site and a lovely inhabited medieval citadel, the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler (“Dracula”). The walking tour includes the Citadel Square, the Scholars’ Staircase, the Church on the Hill, and the Clock Tower, with its astronomical clock and museum. Overnight in Sighișoara.
Day 5. Cross the mountains, through the Hungarian Szeklers community area. See Red Lake, formed by an accidental mountain drift in 1838. Pass the dramatic Bicaz Gorges (where the adventurous can climb a Via Ferrata), and reach the northeastern Moldova province. Visit a little-known place, one of Europe’s largest convents, with 400 nuns (an entire monastic village with over 100 houses), with tapestry and textile workshops run by nuns. Then, discover another historical region, Bucovina, a stronghold of Romania’s traditional culture. Overnight in Gura Humorului.
Day 6. Visit the famous painted monastery, Voroneț (UNESCO), known as “the Sistine Chapel of the East” and featuring one of the best Last Judgment frescoes. Admire the unique 18000+ painted egg collection of the Vama Egg Museum, and discover how they are decorated. If it is working, visit a traditional blacksmith workshop. See Moldovița Monastery (UNESCO), for some—the most beautiful of all (optionally, take a tour with Mocănița Huțulca, a narrow-gauge train). Cross Palma Pass (where one of the most beautiful zip lines in Europe is). Visit the large Sucevița Monastery (UNESCO), looking like a mighty fortress. The “Ladder of John of Sinai” fresco is considered one of the best, rarely shown in medieval Romanian art. In the village of Marginea, enter the black pottery workshop. Overnight in Gura Humorului.
Day 7. Cross Ciocănești village, with its painted houses, then the scenic Carpathian Mountains, through the Prislop Pass into Maramureș. Very conservative, the local people have developed a unique culture with strong traditions and a distinct lifestyle, with their folk costumes, worn on holidays, the dowry tradition, the hay culture, the self-sufficient farming, or the wonderfully carved wooden gates and churches. On Iza Valley, at Săcel, visit several farmers and craftspersons, then, at Botiza, a UNESCO-recognized vegetable-dyed rug weaver. Great scenery on the way. Overnight in Breb.
Day 8. Visit a wood carving workshop, where wooden gates and furniture are created—from wooden churches. Walk around beautiful Bârsana Monastery, and discover its secrets. See Sighetu Marmației’s Memorial of the Victims of Communism (a political prison in the ancient regime, one of the main memory sites of Europe, alongside Auschwitz Museum and the Peace Memorial in Normandy), the local food market, and Elie Wiesel Memorial House (the Jewish museum). Overnight in Breb.
Day 9. Head to Săpânța, with its unique “Merry Cemetery,” where the painted wooden crosses carry stunning epitaphs about the deceased’s life. If available, meet a cross maker or a weaver. Then, on Cosău Valley, at Sârbi, visit a fruit brandy distillery and typical water mills and whirlpools, still used by the local women to wash heavy wool blankets or to press the wool felt. Walk around the village of Breb, meeting more farmers and craftspeople and a special person (alternatively, take a ride with the famous steam train Mocănița on Vaser Valley, and then a hike to the Horses Waterfall, the second tallest in Romania, found in Rodna Mountains National Park). Overnight in Breb.
Day 10. Take a class: cooking, or dance, or wood carving, at your choice. Visit Desești wooden church (UNESCO, with well-preserved paintings). See the Mara trout farm: nice wood architecture and a waterfall. Drive to Cluj-Napoca, the largest city of Transylvania. See landmarks like the Gothic St. Michael Church, Banffy Palace, and the street in the mirror (where the buildings on the right side are the reflection of the ones on the left side). Overnight in Cluj-Napoca.
Day 11. Visit Turda Salt Mine, a stunning underground complex (optionally, visit Rimetea village, inhabited by Hungarians, the place where the sun rises twice…) See Alba Iulia, another former capital of Transylvania, with its mighty Vauban citadel, Catholic Cathedral (1000 years old), and Renaissance palaces. Visit Hunedoara’s Gothic Corvin Castle, the largest medieval castle in Romania. Overnight in Sibiu.
Day 12. Free day at your leisure in Sibiu, the chief city of the Transylvanian Saxons and one of the former capital cities of Transylvania (ahead of Alba Iulia and Cluj-Napoca). There you can “get lost” in the medieval city, with its multiple squares, sinuous streets, narrow passages, and secret stairs; do some shopping; attend a concert; practice some sports; or relax in one of its many parks. Overnight in Sibiu.
Day 13. Discover Sibiu, with its: Huet, Great, Lesser and Goldsmiths Squares, the landmarks of the Old Town, as are the baroque Brukenthal Palace, the Gothic Evangelical Cathedral, the Orthodox Cathedral, the merchant houses featuring “the sleepy eye” dormers and the Liars Bridge. If you have seen already all this, visit Astra Village Museum, the largest in Romania, and/or a typical old Romanian village (like Sibiel or Rășinari), and/or a Gypsy coppersmith. Overnight in Sibiu.
Day 14. If it is open (from June to October), climb a famous road, Transfăgărășan, with its brown bears, then see Vidraru Lake and Curtea de Argeș royal necropolis. Otherwise, follow Olt Valley, with stops at Cozia Monastery, built by Prince Mircea the Elder in 1388, and/or at Horezu pottery and the UNESCO monastery, and/or at Curtea de Argeș royal necropolis. Arrive back in Bucharest, where the circuit ends.
The tour includes the accommodation, the guiding fee, the transport, and all entrance tickets.
You can choose another itinerary or tour length (from 9 to 21+ days) and decide on various accommodation and meal options.
For price, dates, and more information, please fill out the form or contact me by WhatsApp or email.
Private tours of Maramures, Bucovina, Transylvania, and beyond 