5-Day Bucovina and Maramureș Tour with UNESCO Sites and Local Life

The journey

Trip highlights

• 01 See the most important tourist attractions, including no less than 4 UNESCO sites
• 02 Meet locals in their homes and workshops, at the market, or working their farmland
• 03 Discover the cultural blend of Romanians with Ukrainians, Saxons, Hungarians, and Jews
• 04 Go off the beaten path
• 05 Walk through some of the most stunning hay fields in Europe

Tailored tour including the must-see places of Bucovina and Maramureș, accompanied by a local expert. It is a great opportunity to discover some of the most conservative regions of Europe, where a typical lifestyle has developed around painted monasteries, wooden churches and gates, folk costumes, dowry traditions, many crafts such as egg painting, hay making, and self-sufficient farming.

It is a great opportunity to discover some of the most conservative regions of Europe, where a typical lifestyle has developed around painted monasteries, wooden churches and gates, folk costumes, dowry traditions, many crafts such as egg painting, hay making, and self-sufficient farming.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 5 Days

Tour type Private

Activity level Easy

Accommodation Included · Premium

Transport Included

Wheelchair access No

Cities Bistrita, Cluj Napoca, Baia Mare, Suceava

Languages English, French

Day by day

The itinerary

1

Day 01

From Cluj-Napoca to Voroneț Monastery

• Start from Cluj-Napoca.
• Cross Bistrița, a former Saxon city, with its Main Square and the Evangelical Church, home to the tallest medieval tower in Transylvania, then climb Tihuța Pass (the Borgo Pass from the "Dracula" novel), a great viewpoint, before entering Bucovina, a stronghold of Romanian traditional culture.
• Visit Voroneț Monastery, a UNESCO monument known as "the Sistine Chapel of the East," with its famous Last Judgment fresco. Overnight in Gura Humorului.

2

Day 02

Painted Monasteries and Bucovina Crafts

• Visit the collection of more than 18,000 painted eggs at the Vama Egg Museum. If it is operating, visit a traditional blacksmith workshop. See Moldovița Monastery, a UNESCO site and one of the best-preserved and most colorful monasteries.
• Stop at the scenic Palma Pass, famous for its zip line.
• Visit Sucevița Monastery, a UNESCO site and the largest monastery in Bucovina, looking like a mighty fortress. Stop at the Marginea pottery workshop, then see Bogdana Church in Rădăuți, the oldest church in Bucovina and Moldova. Overnight in Gura Humorului.

3

Day 03

From Painted Villages to Maramureș Traditions

• Cross the village of Ciocănești, known for its painted houses, then climb Prislop Pass and enter Maramureș.
• Along the way, meet farmers and craftspeople.
• Optionally, see the Museum of the Peasant Woman in Dragomirești or the UNESCO church of Ieud-Deal.
• Walk around the beautiful Bârsana Monastery, then discover a wood carving workshop, where skilled workers create everything from gates and furniture to churches. Overnight in Breb.

4

Day 04

Sighetu Marmației and the Merry Cemetery

• Visit the food market and the Memorial of the Victims of Communism in Sighetu Marmației, a political prison during the former regime and one of the continent's main memorial sites.
• Optionally, see the Elie Wiesel Memorial House, the Jewish museum.
• Travel to Săpânța, famous for its unique "Merry Cemetery," where painted wooden crosses carry stunning epitaphs about the lives of the deceased. Discover the wood shingle makers and meet locals in Breb. Overnight in Breb.

5

Day 05

Cosău Valley Heritage and Return to Cluj-Napoca

• On the Cosău Valley, meet a loom weaver and see the Sârbi alcohol distillery, mills, and whirlpool, still used by local women to wash heavy blankets or to press wool felt.
• Visit the UNESCO church of Budești and see the optical illusion.
• Stop in Baia Mare and stroll around the medieval Old Square, including an artist's workshop, with St. Stephen's Tower, dating from the 14th century and offering quite a view from the top. Drive back to Cluj-Napoca.

The route

Where you'll travel

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

• Professional English- or French-speaking guide
• Accommodation for 4 nights in 4-star or 3-star hotels, or equivalent, including top-ranked hotels, B&Bs, or farmstays
• 4 breakfasts
• Transportation
• Entrance fees for the sights included in the itinerary

What's Not Included

• Plane tickets
• Travel insurance
• Meals other than those mentioned in the itinerary, and alcoholic beverages
• Entrance fees to monuments or sights other than those mentioned in the itinerary
• Photography fees
• Tips for the guide or driver
• Various expenses such as room service, beverages, personal calls, souvenirs, etc.

Know before you go

• Price is per person, based on 2 people sharing a double room. Travelers who wish to stay in a single room must pay the single supplement fee.
• Not suitable for children under 10.
• Not suitable for pets.
• Not recommended for people with back problems.
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers.
• Not recommended for people with heart conditions.
• We pick up from any hotel in Cluj-Napoca.

Logistics

Meeting & route

Meeting point

Cluj-Napoca, România

Tour start

Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Tour ends at the same location as the start point.