Rugged stone churches and dazzling monasteries dot a pristine landscape of rocky mountains and rolling hills. Transylvanian towns have stepped out of time, while vibrant Bucharest is all energy.
We planned to drive to Padiș – the heart of the Apuseni Mountains, a large mountain chain, a subgroup of the Carpathians, lying north of the Mureş River in northwestern Romania. The Apuseni Mountains are not high—reaching a maximum elevation of only 1849 meters. Limestone underlies most...
Bánffy Castle is considered one of the biggest castles in Transylvania. From the fourteenth century through 1944, Bánffy Castle was occupied by members of the Bánffy family, whose ranks included the first governor of Transylvania under the Habsburgs as well as a 19th-century Hungarian...
The northwestern Romanian region of Maramureş is home to many villages where century-old traditions are still part of daily life. The inhabitants of this area have preserved, to an amazing extent, the rural culture and crafts of their Dacian ancestors. Maramureş villages are distinguished...
Our last stop in the Maramureș region was Săpânţa located about 20 km west of Sighetu Marmaţiei. The village’s graveyard, known as the Merry Cemetery, became famous for its colorful tombstones decorated with witty epitaphs and naive paintings representing scenes from the lives of the...
We have visited one of the most beautiful churches in the historical region of Maramureș. The unique church of Saint Parascheva was built in 1632, it is a classic example of local architecture with its double roof, a tower with three bells (1673), and two-level windows. The church´s...
In the land of the deep forests and high mountains, on the bank of the Wasser river and just a few kilometers south of the Ukrainian border the last forestry narrow gauge steam railway in Europe operates. The Mocăniţa narrow gauge steam train is used all year long since 1932, each day the...
We spent the whole afternoon in Rodnei Mountains around Borșa. Rodnei Mountain National Park has been designated a biosphere reservation by UNESCO for its abundance of glacial features and profusion of flora and fauna species. Borșa is a small ski resort and tourist complex in the...
The Rarău Mountains create a landscape of weird-shaped rock formations and panoramic views, all in the space of a former prehistoric tropical sea. Famous for the unmistakable silhouettes known as the ‘Lady’s Stones’, Rarău offers some of the most scenic mountain views in Romania, despite...
In the morning we have arrived at the most famous and stunning of the painted monasteries – Voroneț (parking 7 ROL / hour). The monastery was founded in 1487 by Stephen the Great to celebrate a victory over the Turks. Widely known throughout Europe as “the Sistine Chapel of the...
After a day filled up with monasteries visits, we have parked next to the church in Gura Humorului (parking fee 2 ROL / hour, Mo-Sa 08:00-20:00). The city is located in the northeastern part of Romania, in southern Bukovina. Between 1774 and 1918, Gura Humorului belonged to the Habsburg...