Photography Tour of Romania during Harvest Time

Photo Tour of Romania during Harvest Times

Discover the people and countryside of Romania
7 Days
This photography tour of Romania takes you to Transylvania region. In late summer farmers work hard in the fields to gather their crops, mow hay and pile it in haystacks while craftsmen carry on their centuries old occupations.

The rolling hills in the countryside dotted by medieval towns and villages and the nearby mountains all make for great travel, landscape and people photography. So join us for a memorable photo tour of Romania during Harvest Times.

The tour is set to take place between September 18-24, 2019, but it can also be organized as a private tour on your preferred dates.

Suggested Itinerary
Day 1  Arrival in Cluj Napoca and visit of Alba Iulia
Day 2  Morning shoot and photographing local craftsmen and shepherds
Day 3  Discover Sibiu, a glass making factory and an organic farm
Day 4  Sunrise in Biertan and visit to a coppersmith
Day 5  Explore and capture the village of Viscri
Day 6  Head towards Bucharest and photograph along the way
Day 7  Departure from Bucharest
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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 
We will meet in the morning in Cluj Napoca and then we will travel to a village near Sibiu where we will spend 2 nights. On the way we will pass by Alba Iulia, home to the largest fortress in Transylvania where we will have lunch and then drive through the countryside and stop by the side of the road to photograph farmers working in the fields. You can expect to see locals traveling by horse cart, shepherds tending sheep and even farmers ploughing the fields by using horses instead of tractors.

village farmers photo tour romania

Accommodation in a village near Sibiu.

Drive time: 3h

Day 2  
We will wake up for sunrise and hope to have very good light and capture the very beautiful landscape with mountains in the distance and picturesque villages in the foreground.

We will visit some of the local craftsmen from the village depending on which one is busy that day. We will try the local blacksmith who usually makes and puts on horseshoes, the brick maker or the harness maker. They and their workshops make for great environmental portraits.

In the afternoon we will go to a sheepfold in the mountains and see how shepherds tend the sheep, live and learn about how they make cheese in this region.

Accommodation in a village near Sibiu.

Drive time: 2h30’

Day 3  
We will visit the old town of Sibiu (Hermannstadt) which was built mostly by German Saxon settlers starting with the 12th century so besides the very interesting street photo opportunities it provides, it is also interesting to learn about its history.

Old town of Sibiu

Then we will go to a glass making factory and see how they make glass objects by the old blowing technique.

Later in the afternoon we will visit an organic farm and have dinner with the family owning the farm.

Accommodation in Biertan.

Drive time: 3h

Day 4  
On the forth day of your photo tour of Romania during harvest times we will wake up early once again to catch the sunrise in Biertan (Bierthalm) in a very beautiful location, in a valley which has in the middle a centuries old majestic fortified church. After photographing the fortification from outside, we will also visit it from inside and then we will visit a gypsy family, the man being a coppersmith, a craft which he inherited from his father and grandfather. You will get to see him at work and also photograph him and his family.

coppersmith

In the afternoon you will arrive in Viscri (Weißkirch) where we will spend the next 2 nights. This evening we will have time for a photo review of the pictures taken during the first days.

Accommodation in Viscri.

Drive time: 3h

Day 5  
In the morning you will wake up for sunrise but also to see the cows coming out from each household and going to pasture. It is a very lively moment of the day as also people go out of their homes with their milk containers and going to the milk collection center.

In the village there is a blacksmith and a brick maker. We will visit both of them and learn about their craft and photograph them at work. Viscri is a UNESCO world heritage site and of particular historical importance is the fortified church which we will get to visit as well.

photo tour traditional house

Accommodation in Viscri.

Day 6  
We will leave Viscri behind and head south towards Bucharest. On the way we have several options for places to stop and photograph: the medieval town of Brasov, the fortified church in Prejmer or Bran or Peles castles. Besides those for sure there will be other photo opportunities along the way so we will stop and take advantage of them.

In Bucharest we can do one last photo shoot during the blue hour with the imposing Palace of Parliament.

palace of parliament bucharest

Accommodation in Bucharest.

Drive time: 4h30′

Day 7  
This is the last day of your Photo tour of Romania during Harvest Times so depending on the time of your flight you will be transferred to the airport.

See more photos of Romania during harvest times. 

Suggested Itinerary Viewed On Map
Suggested Accommodation
Unglerus Guesthouse Biertan

Unglerus Guesthouse 3* – Biertan

Initially one of the village’s old German-Saxon buildings, Unglerus Guesthouse managed to preserve its authentic medieval atmosphere even after its renovation. The 32 rooms are large, with hard wooden floors and high ceilings and decorated with antique furniture. From the windows you can see the impressive fortified church, as the building is located close to the central square. The restaurant serves traditional, delicious meals accompanied by one of the best wines of the region.
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.

Viscri 125 – Viscri

The 11 rooms of this rural guesthouse are located in traditional German Saxon buildings specific to this area and older than 100 years. The rooms are charming, comfortable and lack TV and internet access so you are encouraged to disconnect from the outside world. They offer set menus cooked from local ingredients and mostly by following traditional recipes. Walking out through the front gate you’ll feel like stepping back in time while exploring the village. Through the back door you will get to the hammocks area where you can relax or walk through the wildflower fields in the summer months.

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.
About the tour guide
Daniel is a Romanian tour guide since 2011 and the very first tour he organized was for photographers. Since then he ran tours for several international photo tour leaders including a Pulitzer Prize winner so he became very aware of the specific needs of photographers.

He really loves the rural areas and people practicing traditional occupations and helps photographers interact with them. Previously he worked for Microsoft, Soros Foundation, Ecosistemi, Deloitte and AIESEC, lived in 4 different countries and traveled to another 30 on 4 continents.

About the tour
This is a cultural tour which focuses on photography by putting you in contact with interesting locals and also planning visits around interesting events and the good times of the day to take pictures. This means that on some days you might wake up early for sunrise or stay up late for sunsets and the blue hour, it is up to each participant though.

It also means that the tour plan is flexible and can be changed depending on weather conditions and photography opportunities found on the way.

Besides the planned visits at places of interest and people we’ve also planned time for 2-3 stops/day as we drive around the countryside as there are always unplanned very interesting photo opportunities, especially focused on people. It will be the tour guide who will make the call where and when to make those additional stops.

This tour is not meant to be an intense photography workshop with non-stop shooting, editing and image reviewing. The pace will be moderate so you can actually enjoy it as a holiday and learn about the culture you are visiting.

The tour guide leading this photo tour has good knowledge of photography but he is not a professional photographer or teacher. So you will be able to have interesting discussions about composition and some technical aspects but you will not be able to have very in-depth technical discussions.

Included Services
  • Accommodation for 3 nights in standard double room (with private bathroom), breakfast included
  • Accommodation for the photo tour leader in a single room is included
  • Visits to craftsmen and locals
  • English speaking tour guide services throughout the program (accommodation and meals are included).
  • Transfer by 8+1 seats minibus on the above itinerary (Renault Trafic, Mercedes Vito, VW Transporter or similar)
  • Transfer to the airport in Bucharest on the last day
  • Meals:
    • Breakfasts
    • 5 dinners: 2 in Orlat, 1 at organic farm and 2 in Viscri
    • 2 lunches: 1 in Orlat and 1 in Viscri

For prices, please contact us for details.

Peles Castle Romania
Traveler’s Reviews
Gianni from Italy
“I took part in a photography tour Daniel organized in rural Romania. Excellent knowledge of local history and culture! We visited off-the-beaten path places with practically no tourists around. Daniel certainly knows some of the best view points in the country, and he tailored the tour since we were a group of photographers seeking for some good landscape views, as well as people photography. Highly recommended if you want to see real Romania!”

Are you looking for something else? Check our other suggested photography tours.

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