Family Tour of Romania
Family Tour of Romania
Explore nature and quaint countryside
15 Days
Discover rural Romania by  wandering through idyllic villages, hiking to a sheepfold, spending a full day at a farm, learn pottery and brick making and horse-back ride through the countryside. And here and there stop for a dip in a pool, a heliothermic lake, a river or a waterfall.

The tour offers great opportunities for family bonding as it takes you through the most interesting regions of Romania: Transylvania, Maramures and Bucovina.

Suggested Itinerary
This is a private and self-drive tour. It will be organized for you only, so you will not be part of a larger group.
Day 1  Arrival in Maramures
Day 2  Walk through the villages of Maramures
Day 3  Hike in the mountains
Day 4  Visit Barsana wooden monastic complex and a waterfall
Day 5  Get involved in farming activities
Day 6  Visit the painted monasteries of Bucovina or spend a day in the nature
Day 7  Pass by Bicaz gorge and Lacu Rosu lake, arrival in Sovata
Day 8  Go down in a salt mine and participate in a pottery workshop
Day 9  Visit the medieval town of Sighisoara
Day 10  Horse riding trip
Day 11  Visit to a bear hide
Day 12  Drive on the Transfagarasan road
Day 13  Visit to a local blacksmith, a brick-maker and to a sheepfold
Day 14  Explore Bucharest
Day 15  Departure day
VIEW DETAILED ITINERARY
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Why travel with us
  • Get a real taste of the country
  • Experience only what truly interests you
  • Contribute to the local economy

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Day 1
Our suggestion is to begin this active family tour of Romania by landing in Transylvania region, in Cluj-Napoca city, but we can easily change it if you have other preference. You will pick up the rented car from the airport and drive to the northern region of Maramures.

Accommodation at a traditional rural guesthouse in Maramures.

Drive time: 4h

Day 2
Maramures is said to be one of the last truly rural regions of Europe. Here subsistence farming prevails whereby people live of the land. Maramures is also said to be the land of wood as many of the houses used to be built out of wood, same for the gates and even the churches, 8 of them being UNESCO World Heritage sites.

You will walk on a trail between villages for 5-6 hours which will allow you to discover the region, see the traditional houses and churches and the way people live and work the land. You can start or finish the day with a visit to a pool with salty water in a nearby village where you can bathe and swim.

Accommodation at a traditional rural guesthouse in Maramures.

Day 3
Today you will go for a hike to the nearby mountains. You will start at around 500m and can go up to 1400m. The roundtrip hike to the peak and back to the village takes around 7h but if you feel that is too much you can return before reaching the peak.

Accommodation at a traditional rural guesthouse in Maramures.

Drive time: 4h

Day 4
You will travel from Maramures to Bucovina region through a road first going through villages and then up on the mountain. As you go through the villages you can stop by some of the sights, the Barsana wooden monastic complex is very beautiful and worth stopping and having a look. Then as you reach the mountains you can stop in Borsa and go for a 2h30-3h roundtrip hike to a 100m tall waterfall. If it is warm enough you can have a refreshing shower before going back to the car.

wodden monasteries

Accommodation at a traditional rural guesthouse in Bucovina region.

Drive time: 5h

Day 5
In a small village in Bucovina region you will stay at the guesthouse of a family who also has a small farm, they have animals like cows, pigs, chicken and also a garden. So on the fifth day of your family your in Romania you can help your hosts with their daily routine at the farm. Depending on the season you might get involved in mowing hay with a scythe and piling haystacks or in planting, caring and collecting vegetables.

Family tour of Romania - Help with daily chores at a farm

Accommodation at a traditional rural guesthouse in Bucovina region.

Day 6
Bucovina is also a mountainous region so you can choose to go for a hike in the mountains. The region is famous for its painted monasteries, 8 of them are UNESCO World Heritage sites so you can choose to visit at least one of them. The most beautiful and accessible are Voronet monastery, famous for its unique and secret blue painting, Moldovita monastery or the one in Sucevita, the best preserved of all the monasteries of Bucovina.

If you would like to have other activities instead of visiting the monasteries or hiking you can have a 1h drive to a swimming pool. Nearby there is also an adventure park where the children can do climbing. Another option is to have a ride through the countryside with an old narrow-gauge train passing by villages, meadows, forests and mountains. The round-trip will take around 3 hours.

Accommodation at a traditional rural guesthouse in Bucovina region.

Drive time: 2-3 hours

Day 7
You will leave Bucovina region behind and head towards Transylvania. You will cross again the mountains, on a different route and you will pass by the beautiful Bicaz gorge and Lacu Rosu lake. At the lake you can have a stop, rent a boat and do some rowing.

Then you will arrive at Sovata, a resort appreciated for its natural spring waters and home to the largest heliothermic lake in the world. In this lake, in the summer the temperature of the water at the surface is 15-20 degrees while at 1.5 m depth it reaches 40 degrees Celsius so it offers a very interesting experience. Being half way through your tour you will stay 2 nights in this region so you can bathe and rest.

Accommodation at a hotel in Sovata.

Drive time: 5h

Day 8
In the nearby town of Praid there is a huge underground salt mine and also and outdoor salty lake. You can visit the salt mine where you can spend some time as there is also a small adventure park inside. Then you can head to either to the salty or heliothermic lake or both.

In the afternoon you will have an introduction workshop into pottery, you will get your hands dirty and try to make your own bowl or vase.

Accommodation at a hotel in Sovata.

Day 9
Next on the itinerary of your Family Tour in Romania is Sighisoara, a beautiful medieval city and one of the best-preserved in Europe. Founded by Transylvanian Saxons during the 12th century, it still has its fortification, old towers and centuries old buildings.

Sighisoara

In the evening you will arrive in a village near the mountains where there is a guesthouse and a horse stable.

Accommodation at a guesthouse with a horse stable near the mountains.

Drive time: 3 hours

Day 10
You will go on a 2 days horse-riding trip and for the night you will camp somewhere in nature, returning the second day to the guesthouse. Depending on your fitness level and horse-riding experience, you can leave in the morning and ride 2 full days or if you don’t want to ride for so long, you can leave after lunch and then have 2 half days for riding.

Horse riding time: 2 to 5-6 hours depending on your preference.

Accommodation in a tent

Day 11
You will return from the horse riding and camping trip. In the afternoon you can choose to go to a bear hide to see bears in the wild as they come to eat the food placed especially for them in certain places.

Horse riding time: 2 to 5-6 hours depending on your preference.

Accommodation at a guesthouse with a horse stable near the mountains.

Day 12
It’s time for one of the highlights of your tour in Romania. You will drive on the spectacular Transfagarasan road which goes up to 2100m altitude but first you can pass by a swimming pool in the town of Fagaras for a couple of hours.

You can choose to drive to a certain point, leave the car and then have a 4h hike to the highest point where the road goes. There is also a lake and on the way you will pass by a waterfall. The way back it will take 3 hours or less. Or you can drive all the way and once at the lake you can do a 3 hours roundtrip hike to a 2500m peak.

Accommodation at a rural guesthouse near Sibiu.

Drive time: 4h30-5h

Day 13
You will spend another day in the countryside. You will learn more about the rural life in Romania by visiting the local blacksmith and see what he is working that day; usually he makes horseshoes and puts them on horses. Then you will visit the local brick-maker where you will learn how bricks are made out of clay, sand and water. It is time to get your hands dirty once again as you will get to make some bricks yourselves. In the afternoon you will go to a sheepfold and see how shepherds live, how they milk the sheep and how they make cheese; the visit to the sheepfold will also involve at least a 1 hour hike (it can easily be more). To better understand what you are seeing a guide will join you on this day.

Milking sheep

Accommodation at a rural guesthouse near Sibiu.

Drive time: 2h

Day 14
You will travel to Bucharest where you will have the entire afternoon to explore this lively city. You can also choose to have some fun going to an aqua park or some escape games. At the end of the day you will drop the rented car at the hotel.

Accommodation in Bucharest.

Day 15

This is the last day of your Family Tour in Romania. You will be transferred to the airport where you will take the flight back home.

The drive time is calculated without stops.

This tour was designed together with AuthenTrip.ro

Suggested Itinerary Viewed On Map
Suggested Accommodation

Acommodation at a guesthouse with a horse stable

This large, wooden guesthouse is part of an equestrian centre, also including a horse riding facility and lies at the foot of the Transylvanian Carpathians. During the day guests can enjoy the scenic landscape, ride horses and explore the unspoilt countryside, all the time being provided with help from the hosts. At night, they can relax in one of the 9 double rooms, spacious and lightly furnished, or downstairs in the open living area.

Vila Sara 3* – Sovata

Located in the center of the Sovata resort, this hotel is known for its excellent service and cozy atmosphere. The 10 rooms are equipped with modern furniture and balconies facing the main street, but the exterior building has a rustic finish to it, which makes the villa a perfect mix of old and new. The quiet, relaxing atmosphere is brought to life by the wood burning fireplace, where guests can enjoy a glass of wine and listen to stories of the region.

Rural guesthouse in Bucovina

Located in the middle of nature, this family-run business provides acommodation in 4 rooms decorated in a rustic style. The building used to be a barn and now looks more like a museum, with traditional adornments on the walls and pieces of clothes specific to the area exposed along the hallways.  To make your rural experience complete, the hosts offer tasteful meals cooked using locally grown ingredients, most of them from their own farm.

Maramu’ Guesthouse – Breb

Dating from almost a century ago, this wooden guesthouse offers an authentic rural experience that will allow you to discover the traditions of Maramures. The 4 rooms with a capacity for 12 people are clean and comfortable, preserving elements specific to the region. The inner yard, full of vegetation, and the small terrace are the perfect places from which to enjoy the beauty of the Gutai Mountains. The hosts are very warm and caring and along with the tasty, homecooked meals, will help make your stay memorable.
ileana guesthouse orlat

Ileana Guesthouse – Orlat

Ileana is a traditional guesthouse from Marginimea Sibiului region in Transylvania, having a high entrance gate and inner courtyard covered with a curtain of vines. It offers a pleasant stay in 5 traditional rooms and the hospitality of the hosts and the meals they cook are the main reasons to love this place. While serving the tasteful home-cooked meals the welcoming hosts will tell you stories about themselves, life in the village, about their traditions or about the art of icon glass painting as the lady of the house is also an artist.

Hotel Capitol 3* – Bucharest

Located in the heart of Bucharest and keeping the same appearance that had in the early 1900s, Hotel Capitol is known for its excellent services and comfort and for its long history in the capital. The 79 rooms are spacious and elegant and the perfect location will allow you to easily get to the main attractions of Bucharest. The hotel has also a restaurant providing different specialties of food from traditional Romanian dishes to classic international meals.
Family Tour of Romania: Included Services
  • Trip planning. This will include a personalized self-drive booklet with vouchers for accommodation, detailed information about the places you are visiting, directions, useful contacts and recommended things to see and do along the way. This is like a personalized Lonely Planet guidebook.
  • Accommodation for 14 Nights with breakfast included
    • 3 nights in 2 double rooms at a rural guesthouse in Breb, Maramures region
    • 3 nights in 2 double rooms at a rural guesthouse in Orata, Bucovina region
    • 2 nights in 2 double rooms at a hotel in Sovata
    • 2 nights in 2 double rooms at a rural guesthouse in Sinca Noua and 1 night in a tent during the horse-riding trip
    • 2 nights in an apartment at rural guesthouse in Orlat village
    • 1 night in Bucharest Hotel Capitol, 3*
  •  Meals
    • 11 Dinners
    • 5 Packed lunches for picnic while hiking or horse riding
    • 1 Lunch
  • Rented car for 15 days: Toyota Auris, Ford Focus, Opel Astra or similar, all insurances are included. 500 EUR (approximately 550 USD) will be blocked on your card when picking up the car and it will be released if the car is returned without damages. Pick up in Cluj Napoca on the first day and drop it at the hotel in Bucharest on the 14th day
  •  Activities
    • Full day of working at the farm of the guesthouse in Orata, Bucovina region
    • Pottery workshop for 1h30
    • Guided day trip in the countryside around Sibiu
    • 2 days guided horse-riding roundtrip with 2 to 5-6h riding a day, depending on your preferences. You will spend the night in a tent (tent and sleeping bags are provided).

EXCLUDED SERVICES

  • flights
  • Meals (except those included above)
  • For the car: GPS, fuel
  • entrance tickets to tourist sites
Prices
The prices are calculated for a self-drive private tour for groups of the sizes mentioned below. If you are interested in a guided tour, please let us know. 
Group Size
Price per person – EUR
Family of 4

1100 EUR

For a number of people other than 4, the price will be different.
Traveler’s Reviews
Chrystel and Jean-Marc Hendrikse from France and the Netherlands
“We came for a 16 days family tour of Romania and we spent a night at a typical sheepfold. It was really amazing, people were nice, it’s life as it was 80 years ago in France. We ate with people, we saw the sheep.  We came with our children and it was fantastic for them to see this. It was also difficult for our son, who was 10 years old to see how people live in such a basic way, with such few things. It was a lesson of life. The most important thing of this trip is that the hospitality of these people is enormous, it’s incredible.  ”

Are you looking for something else? Check our other suggested tours focused on rural and nature. 

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