This tour is an opportunity to learn about Romania; to visit local places of interest and enjoy the beautiful countryside. You sample very tasty, home made and home grown produce, a variety of flavors and dishes.
       Enjoy the hospitality of local families and their rural accommodation.
       It will be opportunities to take advantage of local events as: organ concerts, festivals, weddings, Sunday church service, etc.

DAY 1:
Arriving to Bucharest
Driving about 3 hours north-west for our first overnight accommodation in a guesthouse in Curtea de Arges, a very small town today, but once upon a time the capital of Valahia (the south province of the country). The church in town, build in the 16 century is an architectural jewelry. Inside the kings of Romania are buried.
Dinner independant.

DAY 2:
After breakfast, we start our drive over the mountains: we pass TRANSFAGARASAN. The highest road in Romania, build in the communist time to conquer Romanian highest mountains. The road goes up to 2100 m altitude. Hopefully by July, the road will be open. Because of the altitude the road is open only 3 month a year (usually July, August, September). You might see bears on this road!
Possible to bye cheese from the shepherds and have a picnic to enjoy the spectacular views.
Dinner and overnight accommodation in a comfortable village house, near Sibiu.

DAY 3: Time to explore and see Sibiu, the European Capital of Culture in 2007. 80 ha of old architecture, 3 medieval squares and beautiful museums.
A nice place to relax and enjoy a leisure lunch and a cup of tea or coffee.
Lunch in Sibiu.
Same overnight accommodation as previous night.

DAY 4:
Passing beautiful Saxon villages, we head to Malancrav for our next overnight stop.
We can observe the gypsies selling cooper crafts on the road!
Malancrav is a remote village, with an impressive fortified church. The beauty of the church consist in its inside paintings.
Lunch as a picnic
In the evening watch the cow parade, the animals coming home from the pasture (cows, buffalos and goats).
Dinner and overnight accommodation in Malancrav, in a traditionally restored Saxon house.

DAY 5:
Visit in the morning Sighisoara, the medieval fortress on the hill, today Unesco heritage.
Delicious local elderflower drink often available.
Crossing the Eastern Carpathians, by Bicaz gorge, we head in the province of Moldavia.
Afternoon tea with wonderful views by the lake.
It is possible to have accommodation with the nuns, who offer hospitality and unique experience to stay in a monastery. 
Overnight accommodation in Neamt county, with village families or in a convent.

DAY 6:
Visit Moldavian monasteries and opportunity to buy home made pine and dandelion syrup and walnut jam!
Visit a private peasant museum, a unique collection of peasant tools, costumes and naïve art, hidden in a remote village.
Visit Probota, less known, but very beautiful and quieter. The old inside paintings were recently revealed when the later paintings were removed.
It is short now to arrive north of Moldavia, in Bucovina (called this way because of the beech trees).
Dinner and overnight accommodation for the next 3 nights with village families.

DAY 7 and 8:
We visit the painted monasteries: UNESCO heritage. There are 5 of them that still preserves outside paintings: Voronet, Sucevita, Moldovita, Humor and Arbore.
Time to appreciate and understand the inside and outside paintings.
Visit also work shops of local pottery in Marginea and Radauti.
There may be opportunities to visit the local weekly market (Tuesday in Gura Humor, Thursday in Marginea).
Same overnight accommodation as previous night with village families.

DAY 9:
We cross Carpathians again to head Maramures. Because of the road it is a 5-6 hours drive. In Maramures, drive along Iza Valley, with its beautiful wooden gates and pretty villages.
Overnight accommodation for the next 3 nights with village families, in a lovely rural setting.

DAY 10, 11:
We have a long week end in Maramures. It is good to have a Sunday in Maramures to see locals at their churches, dressed in their traditional costumes.

"THE MARAMURES is a land cut off by mountains to the south and, since 1945, by the border with what was the Soviet Union to the north. Still today there is something distinctly sylvan about the Maramureseni, especially when one sees them huddled together in their wooden churches prying to God to help them eke out a living, with their mostly wooden tools, from their small patches of ground encircled by the enchoing forest.

In valleys surrounded by forests and mountains, with no towns of any size nearby, remote and poorly connected to the outside world, the Maramures remained one of the most unaltered regions of Europe" (WILLIAM BLACKER, Along the Enchanted Way)

Things to see in Maramures:
• It is possible to do gentle walking in the forest or from village to village.
• The most beautiful thing in Maramures is the people. Walking along their villages or from village to village is easy to admire the day-by-day life.
• In Budesti  we visit the wooden church where hangs the coat of mail of the famous Maramures outlaw Pintea the Brave. Inside beautiful wall paintings are still preserved. In these villages, along Cosau Valley, men wear a little straw pillbox hat from a remarkable young age. We’ll stop to visit an artisan which makes these funny little straw hats.
• In the next village, Sarbi, almost every house has its own carved wooden gate. Along the riverside there are several water-powered installations (‘valtori’), all made of wood, water mills operating all day long (villages’ simple washing machines!)
• Desesti, to a walking distance to our village, has one of the UNESCO designated wooden churches. Beautiful restorations of the paintings inside.
• In Sighetu-Marmatiei we visit the Memorial Museum, a former prison for political prisoners during the communism regime, now housing a fascinating museum of this awesome past and for the memory of the famous people who where incarcerated here.
• Near Sighet, in Tisa village we’ll visit a private collection – Pipas Museum – which includes cultural artifacts, tapestries, old icons, crafts, lace, antique furniture, old books.
• Leaving Sighetu-Marmatiei, along the Tisa river, that marks the border with Ukraine, we head to Sapanta, a village famous for its Merry Cemetery, that owes its name to the carved and decorated wooden gravestones with colorful and often humorous epitaphs.
• Poienile Izei is a small remote village with a wonderful little wooden church, UNESCO heritage. The people in the village are very proud of Prince Charles visit to the church.
• An easy walk from Hoteni to Breb village, to admire the special view of the mountain, the wild flowers and lovely people. Walk in the village to see a woodcarver and to talk with the people.
• Don’t forget that every village has their own artisans and handcrafts which are more than happy to receive guests. Artisans as: woodcarvers, rugs weavers, hat makers, pottery artisans, blacksmiths, etc.

DAY 12:
In the evening take the night train to Bucharest.
Take the night train 17:21 from Sighet to Bucharest. Arrival in Bucharest on day13 at 07:25.
You are picked up by a local English speaking guide, city tour and transfer to the airport. 

Total price: 1450 EURO/person.
Starting with 2.

The price includes:
-  11 Overnight accommodation as described in the itinerary
- Meals included (except day 1, at your arrival). Few lunches are as picnic. Most dinners are with our hosts (local and home made cooking).
- Full time guide/interpreter/driver;
- Comfortable AC car all the way north: from Bucharest to Maramures; Fuel included.
- Visits included: Malancrav church, private museums near Neamt and in Tisa, 5 painted monasteries, 3 wooden churches in Maramures

The price does not include:
- first night dinner and dinner on day 12, when on train!
- photo/video permit to some monuments (painted monasteries have extra charge for photo or video)
- alcoholic drink with the meals (but usually the hosts provide free home made alcoholic drinks as plum brandy or wine);
- train ticket from Maramures to Bucharest (about 50 euro/ first class sleeping car)
- services in Bucharest: transfer to the airport and Bucharest guide fee. (60 euro)

Please do remind that the itinerary is just an example, we can adjust the tour to fit with your enquiries and interests.