Romania Day-by-Day Itinerary
May 25 - June 4, 2025
Our adventure through Romania has been planned to maximize photo opportunities around significant historical and cultural sites and experiences. Weather and the interests of the group may mean slight changes to the itinerary.
While the emphasis of the trip is on making images and memories, there will be time for informal image review and input.
Day 1, Sunday, May 25
Our adventure starts in Cluj-Napoca, the largest city in the Transylvania region of Romania. Following your arrival, you will be picked up from the airport and transferred to our hotel in the heart of the city.
This is an introductory day where you will meet your photo tour leaders, local guide and the other participating photographers.
Overnight in Cluj-Napoca at the 4* Hotel Beyfin
Day 2, Monday, May 26
From Cluj-Napoca, we will travel to the picturesque Bucovina region in northern Romania. It’s famous for the tradition of painting Easter eggs, and we will enjoy an egg painting workshop so we can learn and photograph this tradition.
We will also visit an impressive collection of over 15,000 painted eggs, done mostly by the same woman, but also a few hundred from around the world.
Late May is also the beginning of hay making season. After it is cut and dried, the hay is still piled in handmade stacks or loaded into sheds or transported by horse-drawn carts to the barns. If we are lucky with the weather, we will surely catch locals working in the fields. They are friendly and open to being photographed if we stop by.
Overnight in Bucovina region at Casa Calin rural guesthouse. Drive time 5h
Day 3, Tuesday, May 27
One of the most treasured sites in Bucovina are the painted monasteries. They were built in the 15th and 16th centuries and were painted not only on the inside, but also on the outside. These outdoor frescoes have lasted for 500, and we will be visiting two of them.
We’ll start with the monastery in Voronet because the light is better here in the morning. It was the first to be built and is famous for its distinct blue color (known as Voronet blue) and a large fresco called “The Last Judgment.”
The second monastery we will visit and photograph is located in Sucevita and is the last of the monasteries to be built. It’s also the largest. On the northern wall it has its most important fresco named “The Ladder of Virtues,” meant to guide the lives of monks.
In the afternoon, we’ll also travel through a beautiful mountain pass, an interesting place to photograph as the mountain slopes are dotted with small wooden storage buildings for hay.
Overnight in Bucovina at Casa Calin rural guesthouse. Drive time 2h30
Day 4, Wednesday, May 28
We will leave Bucovina for Maramures, the most authentic region of Romania where there will be plenty of opportunities to photograph the daily life of people, beautiful landscapes and traditions.
Special to Maramures are the wooden churches spread across the villages, some of them 300 – 400 years old. We’ll visit one of the oldest such churches, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in the village of Ieud.
We’ll also visit the wonderful monastic complex in Barsana with beautiful wooden buildings, gardens with flowers and a very serene atmosphere.
In Maramures, hay making is also done the traditional way, so we hope to catch more action in this region, as well.
Overnight in Ieud at Casa Traditiilor rural guesthouse. Drive time 3h30
Day 5, Thursday, May 29
Today starts with a sunrise shoot out in the countryside. Tall wooden churches and mountains will be our focus.
Religion plays a big part in the life of the people in Maramures, so attending the mass for the Orthodox Ascension day will e very special. We will be able to capture locals coming to church, from families with small children to the elders of the village, some of them dressed in their best traditional and Sunday clothes.
Mid-day, we’ll visit a former prison, now a very interesting museum, so we can learn more about the communist times and how they impacted the culture of Romania.
We will continue with a stop at the Merry Cemetery of Sapanta, unique in the world for having the crosses decorated in lively colors and featuring intriguing poems about the lives of the deceased.
As we drive through Maramures, there will be opportunities to stop along the way and photograph the landscape dotted with haystacks or the people working in the fields.
Overnight in Ieud at Casa Traditiilor rural guesthouse. Drive time 2h30
Day 6, Friday, May 30
Before leaving Maramures, we will stop to photograph a steam train leaving from the train station. Close by there is a also a weekly farmer’s market we can pass by and see what the locals are trading.
We will then take the scenic way to Transylvania, a place known for its rich cultural heritage, medieval towns, fortifications and beautiful architecture.
Our destination for the day is Biertan, a medieval town established 800 years ago by Transylvanian German-Saxon settlers. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and we’ll spend the next two nights here.
Overnight in Biertan at Casa Eva Wagner guesthouse. Drive time 5h
Day 7, Saturday, May 31
Early in the day, we’ll photograph in the warm light of the sunrise the majestic fortified church located on a hilltop in the middle of the village. If we get some mist, it will be wonderful. After breakfast, we will also visit the church from the inside and enjoy its magnificent gothic structure.
Later in the day, we’ll have the opportunity to gain insight into the gypsy culture as we visit a Roma family and learn about their unique crafts and traditions. The men are copper smiths, an occupation that has been passed down from generation to generation. We’ll be able to photograph them at work and together as families.
The group will also get to visit and photograph some of the most beautiful town in Transylvania, starting with Sibiu, which is over 800 years old and has charming squares, narrow streets and defensive towers.
Overnight in Biertan at Casa Eva Wagner rural guesthouse. Drive time 3h
Day 8, Sunday, June 1
We continue our adventure with Bran Castle, possibly Transylvania’s best known attraction. Famous for its association with Dracula, we will learn about its true history and how it became known as the setting for the development of Bram Stoker’s novel.
The inside visit will be followed by an outside shoot. We should be able to capture the imposing castle, perched on top of rocks and surrounded by a dense, dark green forest, the tops of the mountains looming in the distance.
We then travel to Brasov, a medieval town situated in a valley surrounded by walls, fortifications and mountains. We’ll spend the night here and in the evening try some blue-hour photography.
Overnight in Brasov at Bella Muzica Hotel. Drive time 3h
Day 9, Monday, June 2
Today, we wave goodbye to Brasov and move on to Viscri, a charming village in the heart of Transylvania. There is a tremendous effort here to preserve rural life and the original architecture of the German-Saxons. We’ll spend the day here, discovering everything it has to offer.
Viscri is a place where traditional occupations are still alive, so we’ll visit the local blacksmith, learn about his craft and photograph hi at work. Not to be missed is the fortified church, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and which houses a very interesting museum.
In the afternoon, we will travel by horse cart to a sheepfold on a nearby hill and see how shepherd live, how they milk their sheep and learn about how they make cheese.
Overnight in Viscri at Viscri 125 rural guesthouse. Drive time 1h30
Day 10, Tuesday, June 3
Morning on the streets of Viscri is very interesting, so we recommend an early morning shoot. We’ll be able to capture people as they wander the streets dragging their small milk carts or the gathered cows that are led to the pastures by a herdsman. Apart from the fascinating morning buzz, we can also photograph the traditional colorful historic buildings bathed in the warm sunlight.
After Viscri, we’ll make our way to Sighisoara, one of Europe’s best preserved medieval towns. Built in the 12th century, the atmosphere of the old times is still present and we will get immersed in at as we wander through the narrow cobbled streets and take photos of the colorful historic buildings.
In the evening, we will be back in Cluj-Napoca, having come full circle from where our adventure started.
Overnight in Cluj-Napoca at Hotel Beyfin. Drive time 3h
