ROMANIA 2027 TOUR
Date: Sat 15th – Sun 27th April 2027
(9 days)
It is said that Romania, and especially Maramures region, is the last truly rural place in Europe. Step back in time and capture the life of people in the bucolic villages of Maramures and the charm of old medieval towns of Transylvania. While wandering the country you will also get the chance to photograph beautiful countryside and landscape and to get in touch with handy craftsmen that carry on centuries old traditions.
Group size
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Small group with maximum of five guests.
Costs
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Tour price €3,900 (deposit €1,000)
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Single room supplement €400
Services include
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Accommodation for 8 nights in standard double room (with private bathroom), breakfast included:
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2 night in Cluj (first and last), at 4* Hotel Beyfin (http://www.hotelbeyfin.com ), has elevator.
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1 night in Apuseni Mountains at Villa Gherman rural guesthouse, 11 rooms, no elevator. https://www.villagherman.ro
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3 nights in Ieud village, Maramures region, at Casa Traditiilor rural guesthouse 12 rooms, no elevator. https://casatraditiilor.ro
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We chose to stay in rural guesthouses as they offer a more traditional experience than large hotels and they are closer to where the good photo opportunities are. The rooms are comfortable and clean and have en-suite bathroom. The difference between a rural guesthouse and a hotel is that at a rural guesthouse usually there is no 24h reception, meals are served as a set menu (not a a la carte), there is no bar, in some places internet works only in the dining area, towels are not changed daily or the room is not done daily, there is no AC (not needed since they are in mountainous areas), no elevators. By staying in those places you will feel like you are in Romania, not in any standard hotel in the world (except the hotels in Cluj which is quite standard. eSim’s do work in Romania.
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Meals : 5 dinners on day 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7
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Meals would normally include a main dish, a dessert, water and coffee and a drink (a glass of juice, beer, wine). For the first dinner wine is also included.
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Entrance tickets, including the additional fees for taking pictures:
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Sapanta Merry Cemetery, Surdesti wooden church, Viscri fortified church
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Visits to craftsmen, workshops and communities mentioned in the itinerary
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Private transfers from the airport to hotel on the first day and from hotel to airport as guests come in and depart, even if they are arriving or leaving at different times.
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English-speaking tour guide services throughout the program (accommodation and meals are included).
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Transfer by 8+1 minivan only for a group of up to 7 from April 18 to April 24
Services not included / extra costs
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Alcohol (apart from that mentioned above), lunches and some dinners (see above). You will also need some extra money for tips.
Weather
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In April the weather is springlike, relatively dry but with showers and temperatures ranging 14°C–19°C. Nights are cooler with temperatures often below 10°C, making a lightweight warm jacket essential.
Visas and insurance
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If you want to travel to Romania for a short period of time and you are a citizen of a country for which a visa is required, you must obtain a short-stay visa. Consult the list of states whose citizens do not need a visa to enter Romania. Consult the list of states whose citizens need a visa to enter Romania.
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Travel insurance is an imperative.
Experience & ability level
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All levels of photographic experience welcome, partners welcome to join.
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I will send out medical forms, gear lists, additional information, travel liability forms at a later stage.
Terms and Conditions
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Please see terms and conditions (a signed copy required with booking).
ITINERARY
Day 1 Saturday, 17 April 2027
You will arrive in Cluj-Napoca and you will be transferred to the hotel located in the heart of the city. Depending on the time of your arrival you can have dinner and relax or you can explore the older part of the city. You will also meet with your photo tour leader, local guide and the other photographers participating in the tour.
Accommodation in Cluj-Napoca
Day 2 Sunday, 18 April 2027
The tour starts and ends in Transylvania, the most famous region of Romania. It is a region rich in history, traditions and culturally diverse. Most of the population is Romanian but there are also significant Hungarian, Roma, and German minorities. We will start by getting to know the Hungarian minority through a photoshoot with locals dressed in traditional folk costumes. We will then continue with a beautiful area with traditional barns in the Carpathian Mountains where we will take landscape shots.
Overnight in the Apuseni mountain range of the Carpathians. Drive time 3h
Day 3 Monday, 19 April 2027
Early on, we will have a sunrise photo shoot in a location where there is often mist, then traditional barns covered with hay and deep valleys, making for very interesting compositions. Then you will have an insight into the gypsy culture as you will visit a Roma family and learn about their unique traditions. The man is a coppersmith and you will be able to photograph him and his family. We will then travel to an area with many fortifications and rolling hills, so a very different landscape and photographic opportunity. In the afternoon, we will arrive in Biertan, a colourfully painted medieval village with well-preserved centuries-old buildings.
Overnight in Biertan village in Transylvania region. Drive time: 3h 3
Day 4 Tuesday, 20 April 2027
For sunrise, we will go up to the nearby hill to look at the village from above in all its splendour as the warm morning light touches the massive fortification set in the middle of the town. With great light, this is a real postcard picture. Next we will visit Viscri, a small village where we will find a charismatic blacksmith and photograph him in his workshop. Viscri is also a favorite of King Charles III who owns a house here. The village has attractive restored centuries old houses and an 800 year old fortified church which is a UNESCO site. On the way to Viscri and back we will also stop by shepherds who graze with their sheep in the fields. An interesting stop will be in Sighisoara, a very well preserved and beautiful medieval town in the heart of the country, built by the German-Saxons in the 12th century. You will wander the narrow-cobbled streets in search of the best perspectives to photograph the colorful historic buildings.
Overnight in Biertan village in the Transylvania region. Drive time: 2h
Day 5 Wednesday, 21 April 2027
You will leave Transylvania behind and you will travel to Maramures region also known as “the last peasant culture in Europe” and the land of wooden churches. The first visit will be at a potter known for its meticulous clay artifacts. He is a very interesting character and you will have the chance to photograph him while working in his workshop. We will follow up with visiting one of the highest wooden churches in the world in Surdesti village. In Maramures we expect to still find locals traveling by horse carts and in late April already busy in the fields ploughing, clearing the fields or planting. As we find such interesting situations we will stop and approach them to observe and photograph them, they are usually very cooperative.
Overnight in a village in the Maramures region. Drive time: 5h
Day 6 Thursday, 22 April 2027
Today you will discover the traditional rural life and the people of Maramures region in the village of Sarbi. You will visit a brandy distillery so you can learn how the locals process the fruits to make the strong horinca (fruit brandy) and a natural whirlpool still functioning as they did hundreds of years ago. In the afternoon you will travel to Sapanta where you will see the Merry Cemetery. Here the crosses are lively decorated featuring poems carved on their wood that tell the story of the deceased.
Overnight in a village in Maramures region. Drive time: 3h 4
Day 7 Friday, 23 April 2027
On this day there will be religious mass for Saint George and in many villages in the region locals dress in traditional clothes to go to church. This will give us a chance to photograph them in their best clothing near and inside traditional Orthodox churches. This will be a day dedicated to people and portraits very typical of Maramures. Here most elder women wear dark clothes and wear headscarves like women used to wear all over Europe a century ago. And when have their typical hats and rough faces where you can see the signs of hard rural life. As an option, in the afternoon we can cross the border on foot to Ukraine to the border town and get a feel for this part of the world. (of course if considered safe at the time and if the group wants to).
Overnight in a village in Maramures region. Drive time: 3h
Day 8 Saturday, 24 April 2027
The day will start with a sunrise shoot in the countryside followed by a shoot of one of the last fully-functional narrow gauge steam train in Europe known as the Mocanita. It’s interesting to see the mechanics dealing with the trains, the passengers boarding the trains and as the train passes through the beautiful Vaser Valley, following the course of the river and along bright green forests. As we leave Maramures we will also stop by a local market to see farmers and locals trading products and seasonal agricultural goods. In the afternoon we will travel back to Cluj Napoca where our tour initially started. We will have one last group dinner, share our impressions of Romania.
Overnight in Cluj. Drive time 4h30
Day 9 Sunday, 25 April 2027
This will be the departure day of our tour – when you will take your flight back home, hopefully with some great memories of Romania and wonderful pictures in your camera.
