Private Tour of Rural Romania

Daily schedule:

Guided Private Tour of Rural Romania - Daily schedule

This Romania Tour's itinerary was designed based on previous travelers' experience and what they've enjoyed most, spiced up with highly appreciated activities, such as meeting local people, staying in traditional guesthouses in villages or in charming hotels in towns, as well as with home-made local food.

Our itinerary suggestion:

Day 1

You will travel from Bucharest to Sinaia where you will visit the splendid Peleș and Pelișor castles, set in a wonderful natural setting. Then you'll arrive in Brașov, a charming medieval town laid between mountains, where you will visit the defensive walls and towers, the citadel, the Council Square, the imposing Black Church, the Romanian and German quarters and even hike or take the cable car to the top of the nearby mountain for a great overview of the region.

Day 2

In the morning you will visit the bear sanctuary in Zărnești (if possible) where over 70 previously captive bears are now enjoying a natural habitat. The next attraction is the Bran Castle, usually associated with Dracula, in reality a beautiful medieval castle decorated by our queen 90 years ago. One more worthy stop in this region is the peasant fortress in Râșnov.

Day 3

Travel to Viscri, where you will visit a very old fortified church (UNESCO World Heritage site); the village is one of the favorites of HRH Prince Charles of Wales, who is paying yearly visits and who even owns a house here. In the afternoon, you will have a taste of the rural life by meeting some of the local craftsmen (brick makers, blacksmith) and exploring the countryside.

Day 4

You will travel to Sighișoara, one of the best preserved and most beautiful medieval citadels in Europe and an UNESCO World Heritage site. You will then drive to Bucovina. On the way you will enjoy the beautiful landscape and traditional architecture from this region.

Day 5

We set on exploring the land of the painted monasteries from Bucovina: Voroneț, Moldovița and Sucevița being the highlights, all UNESCO World Heritage sites. We will also learn about the craft of painting Easter eggs, specific for the Bucovina region.

Day 6

We cross the mountains once again, this time to Maramureș, where we visit the wooden churches in Bârsana and Poienile Izei and the Memorial of the Victims of Communism - one of the best museums in the country, providing a lot of information about communist times in Romania. You'll also get to visit the Merry Cemetery in Săpânța, unique worldwide for its colorful crosses and its humorous poems.

Day 7

Maramureș is said to be last truly rural region in Europe. To get a feel of it, you will meet woodworking craftsmen, women weaving and making clothes and locals who run brandy distilleries or natural whirlpool washing machines.

Day 8

In the morning we will head towards Transylvania, passing by one more wooden church, an UNESCO World Heritage site (the one in Budesti or Desesti). The next stop in your private tour of rural Romania is the Turda salt mine, an impressive, alien-looking place, followed by a walk in the villages of Rimetea and Coltesti, where you can admire the beautiful Hungarian architecture.

Day 9

On this day you will visit Alba Iulia, the most significant town for Romania’s history - in this citadel, Transylvania united with the rest of Romania in 1918. It is the largest fortified town in Transylvania, having a star-shape. You will then admire the wonderful gothic Corvin Castle and find out its numerous legends and stories. In the afternoon you will arrive in Sibiu, Europe’s Cultural Capital in 2007 and have a walking tour of its 3 historic squares, admire its architecture and enjoy its history.

Day 10

This day is dedicated to discovering the village life around Sibiu. The highlight will be the visit to a shepherd family who lives in an electricity-free hamlet, high up in the mountains

Day 11

You will travel towards Bucharest, where this Private Tour of Rural Romania ends.

Detailed tour information

About the tour guide

Via Transylvania Tours works with about 20 local guides specialized in different regions, activities and with different language skills.

For about 30% of the tours we organize the tour guide is Daniel; some other guides we work with are Cornelia, Florin, Alexandra, George, Sorin, Mircea.

Daniel Rosca is fascinated by the 4 faces of Romania: medieval, communist, rural and nature and enjoys sharing them with travelers. He likes the off the beat track experiences but is also very knowledgeable of history, main tourist sights and social and cultural issues.

Before working as a tour guide he worked on youth development at AIESEC, community affairs and corporate social responsibility at Microsoft. He lived and worked in Brussels, Warsaw, Istanbul and Cairo and travelled to another 20 countries on 4 continents. Daniel studied management and sustainable development and speaks English and bits of all the Latin languages. In 2010 he decided travel should be his way of life, returned home to Romania and founded Via Transylvania Tours, a tour operator specialized in tailor-made tours for families and groups.

He is also involved in sustainable rural development projects and promoting repsonsible travel in Romania.

His tours were recently featured in the National Geographic Traveler Romania and he was the main subject of a national TV program about tourism in Romania. Read some reviews from previous travelers.

Tailoring this tour to your preferences and interests

The above itinerary can be easily further tailored.

For example, if you want to be more independent, we can arrange it as a self-drive tour with 3 locally guided day trips in Sibiu, Bucovina and Maramures regions where a guide would be needed provide you with relevant information, help you access the places and be able to interact with locals.

Below you can find more activities and sites which you can be included in your tour.

Special interest activities:

• Danube Delta, a birds paradise is worth visiting if you are a nature lover
• Bike in the countryside
• Hike in the mountains up to 2500 meters (Bucegi, Piatra Craiului, Făgăraș, Apuseni, Gutâi, Rodna, Retezat or Rarău are all good options)
• Horse riding in nature
• Donkey rides for children, parents would walk
• See the wild brown bear in the forest
• Learn pottery and wood carving, make your own bowl and wooden fork
• Wine tasting – Romanian wine is very good though little known internationally and you can try it in many regions,  either home-made by peasants or in the vineyards cellars (Cotnari, Jidvei, Murfatlar or Miniș are some of the options)
• Drive on the Transfăgărășan or Transalpina roads up to over 2000 meters on a very scenic road

Photographers, painters and other artists can enjoy thematic trips, Romania being in many ways an exotic country for Western standards. Also people interested in Jewish, German Saxon or Gypsy heritage can have thematic trips.

To learn about the places and activities included in this tour and to learn about others please access the things to do and visit section.

If interested in having a tour with us please send us an enquiry and let us know your interests and preferences.