Overview
Few countries in Europe retain such a colorful and thriving cultural heritage as Romania. Blessed with a rich history, striking natural beauty, and remarkably intact rural culture guided by the rhythms of nature, this uber-photogenic Eastern European nation is one of the continent’s hidden gems.
From the colorful medieval streets of Sibiu, Sighisoara, and Cluj-Napoca to the timeless villages of Maramureș, this 11-day journey is a photographer’s delight as we explore Romania’s fabulous architecture, landscapes, and (above all) culture.
Our one-of-a-kind photo tour immerses you in the countryside during haymaking, when the farmers are busy in the fields, and little-explored villages untouched by time echo to the rickety creaking of horse-drawn carts. This is also the start of the wedding season in the Maramureș region; we hope to be privileged guests at an Orthodox wedding! Plus, we’ll photograph an important religious holiday, when Romanian countryfolk dress in their vibrant traditional costumes to attend mass as they celebrate the harvest festival in honor of Saint Elijah, the guardian of crops.
Always, our main focus is people photography. Among others, we’ll meet and photograph shepherds, cowherds, and master artisans such as traditional blacksmiths and Roma (gypsy) coppersmiths that represent the romantic and artistic heart and soul of Romania.
We begin in historic Cluj-Napoca, the “heart” of Transylvania, full of delights with its inviting squares and gothic architecture. We then move north for three nights in the Maramureș region, a living open-air museum of ancient customs and traditional rural scenes that cast you back centuries. We’ll also photograph such medieval wooden churches and UNESCO World Heritage Sites as Ieud and Surdesti… the vividly painted tombstones of Săpânța-Merry cemetery… and the ‘Mocanita’ narrow-gauge steam train.
A night in the Apuseni Mountains immerses us further in timeless Romanian rural life. We’ll then return to Transylvania and the Carpathian Mountains to explore the medieval gems of Sighisoara, Viscri, and Sibiu, full of medieval squares, centuries-old architecture, and other landmarks dating back to Saxon and Hungarian rule. Our four nights here, including two in a traditional guesthouse, include plenty of cultural encounters, as well as a visit to Bran Castle, with its panoramic setting and infamous association with the Dracula legend. Finally, after snaking over Transylvania’s Fagaras Mountains, we’ll savor the beauty of Balea Lake and Corvin Castle, before we return to Cluj-Napoca.
Throughout, you get to elevate your skills and learn the “art of seeing,” visual storytelling, and anticipating the decisive moment in the company of renowned National Geographic author and photographer Christopher P. Baker; and with one of Romania’s top local photo tour operators and photographers.
Itinerary
Day 1: (July 16)Welcome to Romania! Upon arrival you will be picked up from the airport in Club-Napoca and transferred to our hotel in Transylvania’s culturally rich capital city. For participants arriving a day early, Daniel will lead a walk in the beautiful and lively old town, full of historic buildings dating to Saxon and Hungarian rule. This evening, we’ll enjoy a welcome reception and dinner with other participants and our Romanian photographer-guide.
OVERNIGHT IN CLUJ-NAPOCA
Day 2 :(July 17)This morning, head north to Maramures for three days shooting in this culturally rich rural region known as the ‘Land of Wood’ (our daily itinerary here may vary from shown, depending on local conditions). We begin by visiting the Surdesti Monastery, a remarkable wooden church with fantastic age-old frescoes. The region preserves one of the most authentic rural lifestyles in Europe. Summer is haymaking time, and we will stop and photograph people mowing hay, turning it with age-old pitch-forks, tossing it atop haystacks, and loading it into horse-drawn carts. While enjoying a walk in a village you will observe locals coming back from working in the fields or children playing in the streets.
OVERNIGHT IN MARAMURES REGION
Day 3: (July 18)Our day will start with a sunrise shoot in the countryside, followed by photographing one of the last fully-functional narrow-gauge steam train in Europe. We’ll enjoy a range of fascinating perspectives, from mechanics working the ‘Mocanita’ train, passengers boarding and alighting, and shots of the train following the river through the beautiful Vaser Valley. In Maramures, July is also the wedding season and while it is hard to promise that we will catch a traditional wedding, the chances are very high. The guide will research in the weeks before for such a wedding but we may also casually photograph one that we find on the way.
OVERNIGHT IN MARAMURES REGION
Day 4: (July 19)Today our venues include the Memorial of the Victims of Communism in Sighet, located in a former prison where Communists detained their political opponents. Here we’ll learn about the impact of Communism in the development of Romania). We’ll also visit the one-of-a-kind Săpânța-Merry Cemetery, where the crosses are decorated with lively paintings and insightful poems that offer a celebration of life rather than the grief of death. Finally, we will visit and capture the Ieud Wooden Church, a UNESCO World Heritage site dating back to the 14th century.
OVERNIGHT IN MARAMURES REGION
Day 5: (July 20)This is a special day for people photography as we photograph Romanians dressed in traditional clothes coming and going from the mass for a very important religious celebration: On July 20, the locals celebrate Saint Elijah—the ‘guardian of crops’—and it is believed that it’s forbidden to work the fields on this day, as you can stir the anger of nature. From the Maramures region, we will travel into the Apuseni Mountains, which offers wonderful landscapes and a tranquil and quaint way of life where locals practice haymaking the traditional way. Consequently, we will explore the hamlets and traditional lifestyle of this relatively untouched region.
OVERNIGHT IN APUSENI MOUNTAINS
Day 6: (July 21)We will have a sunrise photo shoot in a mountain location where there is often mist in the deep mountain valleys. There are also plenty of traditional barns covered with hay, making for very interesting compositions as we capture local farmers bringing in the harvest. We will continue in Transylvania region we will explore the heritage left behind by the Transylvanian German Saxons. Today’s highlight will be Sighisoara, a charming medieval town and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the heart of Transylvania. Above all, its cobbled streets and centuries-old buildings colored as if by Crayola will transport you back to medieval times. In the afternoon we will arrive Viscri, a centuries old medieval village with colorful traditional houses where we will stay three nights in a traditional guesthouse. Upon arrival, we will take a horse drawn carriage ride to a sheepfold. Moreover, you will be able to capture the shepherds’ way of life, including how they milk sheep and make cheese.
OVERNIGHT IN TRANSYLVANIA
Day 7: (July 22)Above all, the mornings in Viscri are a favorite time for photography, as cows are led through in the streets to pasture, while locals who just milked the cows carry small milk carts through the streets… all set against the background of traditional historic buildings. Then, we’ll meet a local blacksmith who still practices a centuries-old craft. Additionally, you will get the chance to capture his work process and to learn more about this craft. Also, you can get to see the process of bread making in a traditional bakery. In late afternoon, we head to one of Romania’s most famous sites—Bran Castle! The fabled castle of ‘Dracula’ fame, this dramatic medieval fortress is perched atop a mountain crag in the heart of Transylvania.
OVERNIGHT IN TRANSYLVANIA
Day 8: (July 23)Today’s cultural highlight is an encounter with a Roma (gypsy) family, providing a rich insight into, and fabulous photography of, their traditional way of life. Our visit will be with friendly gypsy coppersmiths—an occupation that Roman men have been passing down from generation to generation. Next, we continue to Sibiu, where we will take a guided walking tour of the town—Europe’s Cultural Capital in 2007—replete with fabulous architecture, and historic squares that abound in opportunities for street photography (we may extend this with a blue-hour photo shoot)
OVERNIGHT IN SIBIU
Day 9: (July 24)From Viscri, we follow the Transfagarasan road west along one of the most spectacular mountain roads in the world; the “the Road to the Sky” snakes up to Balea Lake, set like a sparkling jewel amid a tiara of sharp-peaked mountains. After shooting around this glacial lake deep in the rugged mountains, we’ll return to Sibiu for more late afternoon street photography in this beautifully-preserved medieval city.
OVERNIGHT IN SIBIU
Day 10: (July 25)Leaving Sibiu, we will head towards Hunedoara, where we will photograph Corvin Castle—the most imposing gothic castle in Transylvania, looking like a set from the Game of Thrones! As we travel back to Cluj-Napoca, we will make one last stop at Turda Salt Mine. Here, at 400 feet underground, you’ll find an incredible theme park that resembles the set of a Hollywood sci-fi movie: An underground lake with paddle and row boats, plus amphitheater, bowling alley, and Ferris wheel will give you some fabulous shots. The balance of the afternoon is at leisure in Club-Napoca. This evening, we will enjoy a slideshow of everyone’s favorite images before our final dinner together.
OVERNIGHT IN CLUB-NAPOCA
Day 11: (July 26)Your cultural photography tour of Romania end today as you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home.