In Maramures you will see people practicing centuries old traditions, caroling and going to church in traditional clothes. While in Moldova you will see the locals dressed in bear costumes caroling and sending away the bad spirits of winter. Furthermore, you will photograph castles, wooden churches and medieval towns covered with snow which makes the compositions even more interesting.

• Photograph people getting ready for Christmas
• Attend the Christmas Mass in a traditional village
• Shoot the only narrow-gauge steam train in Europe still fully functional today
• Attend local festivals and witness interesting customs
• Capture the architecture specific to Maramures, Bucovina and Transylvania
• Celebrate the New Year’s Eve with a fireworks show
• Photograph Romania’s most picturesque landscapes in a magical snowy setting

You will meet your guide in Cluj-Napoca and then travel towards Maramures, one of the most authentic regions of Romania where you will spend the first days of your Romania Winter Photo Tour.

Accommodation in Maramures.

Drive time: 4 h

Start the morning by witnessing how people around the village get ready for the Holy Celebration and cook delicious local foods, followed by a visit to the Merry Cemetery, a one-of-a-kind place.

In the afternoon you will meet with carolers wandering from house to house dressed in traditional clothes. Caroling is a fascinating custom, recently listed as part of Romania’s UNESCO Intangible World Heritage. Later that evening you will also attend Christmas Mass and observe the religious proceedings.

Accommodation in Maramures.

You will then have the opportunity to discover why Maramures is called “the land of wooden churches”. The churches are made entirely out of wood, using traditional building techniques and some of them are even UNESCO World Heritage Sites. So we will look at creating interesting composition with the wooden churches, the villages, valleys and mountains hopefully covered in snow.

Accommodation in Maramures.

Drive time: 2h

Later that day you will enjoy a ride through the village with a horse drawn carriage, followed by a sunset shoot in the nature. 

Accommodation in Maramures.

Drive time: 2h

There will be lots of people photography opportunities, you just need to be quick and position yourself in the right place. The guide will provide tips on how to best capture the event.

Then you will leave Maramures behind and head to Bucovina.

Accommodation in Bucovina.

Drive time: 5h

You will then explore the Painted Monasteries for which Bucovina is so famous. Most of them date from the 15th and 16th centuries and are majestic examples of Byzantine art. You will visit two of the most famous ones, also UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Moldovita Monastery and Sucevita Monastery. Not only will you be able to capture the impressive architecture and colorful exterior frescoes of the churches, but also the beautiful natural settings in which they are located.

In the last part of the day you will have a shoot of Mocanita Hutulca, another of Romania’s steam trains. As the train travels through villages, forests and by the river you can capture it in motion.

Accommodation in Bucovina.

Drive time: 2h

Next, you will stop for a visit at the Neamt Citadel, a massive medieval fortress located in the heart of the nature. Optional, we can also include Pangarati Lake, a place where hundreds of birds live during the cold winters. You can photograph swans and wild ducks and other birds as they glide across the clear surface of the water.

Accommodation in Piatra Neamt.

Drive time: 2h 30’

You will leave Piatra Neamt and head towards Brasov, stopping on the way in Comanesti, where you will attend one of the most interesting Winter Festivals of Customs and Traditions.

You will be able to witness and photograph people bringing to life customs from all regions across of the country, amongst which “The dance of the Bear” is the most impressive. During the bear dance both men and women, young and old put on bear skins, dance and stroll through the town in an impressive and surreal display of color and liveliness. This will offer abundant opportunities for taking really unique shots and at the same time learning about this very special custom.

In the afternoon we will travel to Brasov over a mountain pass and as we will find interesting landscapes or situation one the way we will make one or two stops.

Accommodation in Brasov.

Drive time: 4h

You will also have a blue hour shoot in the city, the perfect opportunity for capturing the beautiful architecture and festive atmosphere.

At night you can gather in the main square and count down to the New Year, welcoming 2019 with a fireworks show!

Accommodation in Brasov.

In the second part of the day you will have the opportunity to capture the picturesque natural landscape in the vicinity of Bran and Brasov, an area which has many traditional houses scattered around the hills and country roads bordered by wooden fences.

Accommodation in Brasov.

Drive time: 2h 30’

We hope you had a wonderful holiday in Romania!

Drive time: 3h

This winter photo tour of Romania is designed to start from Maramures (Cluj Napoca airport is the closest) and to end in Bucharest, but we can adapt the tour to other places of arrival and departure as well.

This photo tour can be organized for you and your family or group only if you wish. When contacting us please let us know if you want it private or if you are ok with sharing it with other people (this way the price/person will be lower).

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.

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.

• Trip planning and assistance before and during the tour by email and phone
• English speaking tour guide services throughout the program (accommodation and meals are included)
• Accommodation for 10 nights in standard double rooms with breakfast (B) included
• Transfer by 4 wheel drive car on the itinerary mentioned above (for up to 3 people we will use one car for 4 to 6 people we will use 2 cars for 7 to 9 people we will use 3 cars)
• 1 lunch (on Christmas day in Maramures)
• 6 dinners (D): 4 in Maramures and 2 in Bucovina

Services which are not included in the tour price

• Entrance tickets to tourist sites. Per person you are likely to spend up to 50-70 USD
• Meals, except those included above. On average you can pay for a meal 10-15 USD

For prices, please contact us for details.