Romania Photo Tour

Romania Photo Tour
(14 days)

Type of tour: shared, photo, cultural
Language: English (other languages on request)
Accommodation: 4-star hotels and B&Bs
Departures/Operating periods:

  • 16 September - 29 September 2017
  • 30 October 2017 - 13 October 2017

This tour can be organized at any other date your prefer as a private tour. In this case, the price will be provided on request.

Price:  Please, send us an e-mail for Romania Photo Tour tariff.

Our tours are not available on the following dates: 8-9 Apr 2018, 25-26 Dec 2018, 31 Dec 2018, 01 Jan 2019

Short Description

Romania Photo Tour tries to cover as many photo fields as possible. It will take you through famous tourist landmarks of Romania such as Peles and Bran castles, but it will also take you to remote villages where tourists are rarely seen. You’ll take pictures of people, local Gypsies and Romanians dressed in beautiful traditional costumes. You’ll admire stunning sunrises and have the chance to capture the real beauty of nature. In major cities, you’ll have fun shooting the street life. It’s going to be much easier than you think as your tour guide/photographer will ease the communications between you and the local people.

Details:

Day 1

BUCHAREST

Arrival in Bucharest – the capital of Romania. Pick-up from the airport and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is free. In the evening you meet your tour guide and the fellow travelers.

Overnight in Bucharest.

 

Day 2

FULL-DAY TOUR OF BUCHAREST

It’s time to start the “Romania Photo Tour”. Bucharest is a city of contrasts. It is a place where you can admire a stunning and beautifully restored 19th-century building located right next to a ruin or to a sleek new tower of glass. Bucharest has many beautiful and hidden little streets which are generally not seen by tourists, and also a hidden world of gypsies who live in shabby buildings located right in the very center of the city. To all these add the green parks, the old town, the vivid night life, the lights and the shadows. . . . .it’s everything you need for a good photo walk.

You’ll also visit the impressive Romanian Parliament. It was constructed at the command of the Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

The Village Museum is one of the most beautiful museums of Romania. Inaugurated in 1936, the Village Museum boasts original traditional houses from all over Romania. This living museum is like 1000 villages gathered into a single picturesque entity. Then it will be time for lunch.

We’ll meet again in the evening for a short photo tour in the center of Bucharest. It will be a good chance for some beautiful pictures at dusk and also lots of fun.

Overnight in Bucharest.

 

Day 3 – Monday

BUCHAREST – CURTEA DE ARGES – SIBIU

In the morning we’ll set off to Sibiu. On the way we’ll stop to admire the monastery at Curtea de Arges, one of the most beautiful Orthodox churches in Romania. It is here where the former kings of Romania are buried.

Before reaching Sibiu, you’ll be taken to a remote area with forgotten villages and dirt roads. You’ll be able to take pictures of a world which doesn’t exist any more in other parts of Europe. From old houses to the local farmers, everything is going to be a real joy for the photographer.

Sibiu is the final destination for today. You have the rest of the day at your leisure.

Overnight in Sibiu.

 

Day 4

SIBIU

Sibiu is perhaps the most beautiful city in Romania, and perhaps the reason it was chosen as the European Cultural Capital in 2007. Built by German colonists who had been brought to Transylvania by the Hungarian kings, Sibiu is a stunning medieval city. It boasts wonderful architecture: towers, old churches, cobblestone streets and alleys, passages, staircases and cast-iron bridges. Therefore, the morning should be a wonderful occasion for some street photography.

In the afternoon we’ll set off to the rural area around Sibiu. You’ll get to roam on dirt roads, to capture interesting rural scenes, and to admire a very different way of living.

Overnight in Sibiu

 

Day 5
SIBIU

The photo tour of Romania we’ll start very early in the morning in order to catch the sunrise up in the mountains. After the sunrise, you’ll walk in villages located up in the mountains where raising livestock is still the main occupation.

In the afternoon we’ll enjoy a photo tour in Sibiu for some early evening and night-time scenes.

Overnight in Sibiu

 

Day 6

SIBIU – ALBA IULIA – TURDA – CLUJ NAPOCA

Alba Iulia is known for its fortress built in the first part of the 18th century and is one of the best preserved Vauban fortifications in Romania. You’ll enjoy a walking tour of the citadel and you’ll visit  buildings such as the Orthodox Cathedral and the Roman Catholic Church.

The tour continues with a very different kind of tourist attraction. The salt mine of Turda is an outstanding landmark on the map of the Romanian tourism. The salt mine was renovated in 2009 and represents a great opportunity for any photographer to take very interesting pictures. Don’t forget your tripod.

In the afternoon you’ll reach the city of Cluj Napoca, one of the oldest settlements in Romania. You’ll be taken for a walk in the old center, where you’ll have the chance to capture scenes of vivid city life.

Overnight in Cluj Napoca

 

Day 7

CLUJ NAPOCA – SURDESTI – VADU IZEI

On the way to Maramures you’ll be taken to Bontida, once a place famous for the castle of the Banffy family, an important Hungarian noble family of which Miklos Bannfy was part. He was the Minister of the Internal Affairs of Hungary, and also the author of the famous novels known collectively as the   “Transylvanian Trilogy.”

After Bontida you’ll be driven to Maramures, a place where the purity of nature blends with the beauty of the old villages, a place where the locals keep their traditions untouched, and where carved wood represents a common way of building.

Further on, you’ll have your first contact with a spectacular wooden church. Built in Surdesti in 1724, this UNESCO site, made of evergreen oak beams, impresses because of its very high steeple which reaches 54 meters (177 feet).

Then you’ll continue your journey through the villages of Maramures. You will walk and take many pictures of this forgotten corner of Europe.

In the afternoon we’ll reach our destination, a traditional guest house where your hosts are warm and friendly, the meals are phenomenal,  and the local plum brandy is . . .well, “strong” doesn’t quite descriptibe it.  Just try some and you’ll see!

Overnight in Vadu Izei

 

Day 8

VADU IZEI – SIGHETU MARMATIEI – SAPANTA – VADU IZEI

There is no photo tour without an excursion to a local market and the market in Sighetu Marmatiei is one of the best. It is here that you can photograph the farmers while they sell their fresh produce, and then we’ll be going to see a cemetery which is unique in the world. The Merry Cemetery, founded in the 1930s by a local carver, is a place of mourning like any other cemetery but it is also a place of very black humor. The crosses, painted in bright colors and descriptibing the deceased in words and images (and not always complimentary), will be a great subject for your pictures.

The convent of Peri is the one of the highest wooden structures in the world. Part of a large complex, the church is a great example of the local art and architecture.

In the afternoon we’ll take a photo tour of a local village where you’ll be able to admire the old houses, the ancient crafts, and the daily life.

In the evening, once again, you’ll be stuffed full with plenty of excellent food and plum brandy.

Overnight in Bucharest.

 

Day 9

VADU IZEI – BARSANA – BISTRITA – SIGHISOARA

Today we will leave the rural area of Maramures, but on the way you’ll get to see some other amazing sights of this part of the world. You’ll meet a famous wood carver who enjoys welcoming visitors and you’ll get to understand (and photograph) his workshop and his works. And in Barsana you’ll be amazed by the beauty of the wooden convent and its local architecture.

Driving through the Carpathian Mountains, you’ll return to Transylvania. In Bistrita you’ll take a short walk in this old German city. Further on, you’ll reach the center of the Hungarian minority and in the city of Targu Mures, you’ll admire the beautiful Secession-style architecture .

In the afternoon, we will come to Sighisoara.

Overnight in Sighisoara

 

Day 10

SIGHISOARA – BIERTAN – SIGHISOARA

Sighisoara is one of the best medieval citadels of Europe, a top UNESCO heritage site. Founded by the Germans in the 12th and13th centuries, Sighisoara is a major tourist attraction.

Sighisoara is surrounded by many remote German villages, real time capsules where it is very normal of seeing cows walking freely on dirt roads, plenty of horse-drawn carts, old houses, and stunning medieval fortified churches, several of them UNESCO sites. During this tour you’ll get the chance to photograph a genuine gypsy family. Further on you’ll admire the impressive fortified church in Biertan, another UNESCO site.

In the afternoon you’ll get a short walking tour of Sighisoara, where you will  admire the cobblestone alleys, the medieval buildings, and the watch-towers. The Clock Tower itself is the perfect spot for an amazing panorama.

The day ends with some late afternoon-early evening  photos of this lovely old town.

Overnight in Sighisoara

 

Day 11

SIGHISOARA – VISCRI – BRASOV

Today the “Romania Photo Tour” is dedicated to some other remote villages. The village of Viscripti became famous after Britain’s Prince Charles purchased an old traditional house which has been transformed into a guest house. To this, add the beautiful village itself and one of the oldest fortified churches of Transylvania, another UNESCO site.

We’ll continue with another remote village. We’ll walk here for a while and we’ll photograph the people, the old houses, and the old fortified church.

In the afternoon we’ll reach the city of Brasov.

Overnight in Brasov

 

Day 12

BRASOV – BRAN – BRASOV

Brasov is surrounded by the beautiful peaks of the Carpathian Mountains. It is here where we can find some of the most picturesque villages in Romania. Early in the morning we’ll go for a photo session in this forgotten world.

Bran Castle is by far one of the most famous tourist attractions of Romania, therefore we can’t miss it. Originally built by the Teutonic nights some 800 years ago, Bran Castle became famous especially after Bram Stoker wrote his famous novel “Dracula.”

After lunch we’ll take a detour to the most impressive fortified church in Transylvania. Built 800 years ago, the fortified church of Prejmer is another UNESCO site, and also extremely well- preserved.

Overnight in Brasov

 

Day 13

BRASOV – SINAIA – BUCHAREST

On the way back to Bucharest, we’ll pass through the Carpathian Mountains for the last time. We’ll stop in Busteni and we’ll take the longest cable-car ride in Romania. Sinaia is probably the most famous mountain resort of Romania, and it is here that Prince Carol decided to build his summer residence.

The monastery of Sinaia is a fine example of Byzantine art, and is the oldest building of Sinaia.

In the afternoon we’ll reach Bucharest, and in the evening, you’ll enjoy a final dinner (and maybe some more plum brandy).

 

Day 14

BUCHAREST – OTOPENI AIRPORT

You’ll be transferred to the airport according to your flight time.

End of the tour

The price includes:

  • Airport pick-up and drop-off
  • Transport by modern car
  • Accommodation for 13 nights in 4-star hotels and B&Bs
  • Breakfast
  • Two home-made dinners
  • Licensed English-speaking tour guide/driver
  • Entrance fees to sites included in the program

The price does not include:

  • Flight ticket
  • Hotel extras (telephone, mini bar, etc)
  • Drinks (other than water)
  • Other meals except breakfast
  • Photographing or filming fees at the visited sites
  • Tips
  • Travel insurance
  • Personal expenses

Please note that the order of the visits during the trip can vary depending on the weather and traffic conditions as well as on the visiting program switch from summer to winter season.

Pictures

Important! TravelMaker, as the company which organizes the trip, is not responsible if the visited sites are closed without prior notice
and for any reason at the moment you arrive.







Our tours are reccommended by
Radisson Blu Hotel in Bucharest

















Tourism licence no. 3462 from 02.06.2016 issued by the National Tourism Authority
Registration number personal data operator: 11966
Insurance policy Series I, no. 51987 from 04.07.2018 valid from 08.07.2018 until 07.07.2019 issued by OMNIASIG VIENNA INSURANCE GROUP S.A. Amount covered: 50.000 USD
Tourism certificate no. 7666 from 11.04.2003; holder: Penciu Cristian Daniel
Capital: 200 RON | Commercial no. J40/3295/2005 | Company no. RO17262596



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