Culture and Belief in Romania

Experience Romania’s spectacular unspoiled countryside and rustic medieval villages, glorious painted churches, excellent food and wine and an eclectic ethnic mix.

Romania’s history of belief reflects a rich blend of ancient, Christian, and folk traditions. Pre-Christian Dacian spirituality, centered on nature and deities like Zalmoxis, merged with Roman and later Byzantine Christianity, shaping the Orthodox faith.

Over centuries, pagan customs intertwined with Christian rituals, creating unique folk practices, festivals, and superstitions.Influences from Slavic, Ottoman, and Western cultures added further layers. This fusion of ancient and sacred beliefs defines Romania’s enduring spiritual identity and cultural heritage.

Travel in excellent company with tour leader Ro Hallam, who will steer you through the vertiginous landscapes of the Carpathians, fortified Saxon towns and revitalised cities. Along the way, the Very Reverend Dr Richard Marsh will guide you through the region’s rich spiritual landscape with a series of stimulating talks.

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Price (sharing a room)

per person

Price (room to yourself)

per person

Reference:

ROM0627-1

At a glance

What you need to know

Type of tour

Cultural

Profession

Theological History

Nights

Countries

Tour grade

Moderate

Remaining places

Dates and places

Itinerary at a glance

Bucharest

Monday

June

Arrive in Bucharest and check in to Capitol Hotel. Welcome dinner in a local restaurant.

Bucharest

Tuesday

June

Faith and Fire: Byzantium Beyond Byzantium. Orientation of Bucharest's most impressive buildings and monuments, including Constitution Square and the Parliament Palace, the Palace of the Patriarchate, Stavropoleos Church and Antim Monastery, which was moved to survive demolition during the Communist Era. Visit the Village Museum, an open-air museum showcasing rural life.

Bucharest / Curtea de Arges / Sibiu

Wednesday

June

Bones of Kings and Stones of Faith: The Birth of Romanian Holiness. Drive to Curtea de Arges to visit the Cathedral and the Princely Court. The former Romanian Royal Family is buried here. Visit Cozia Monastery, one of Romania's most ancient churches featuring well-preserved frescoes, relics of worship and architectural styles that combine local and Byzantine motifs. Continue to Sibiu.

Sibiu

Thursday

June

The Devil’s Architect: Faith, Fear, and the Gothic Imagination. Full day visiting the Saxon traces of Transylvania; the fortified churches of Richis and Biertan. Arrive in Sighisoara, the birthplace of Vlad Țepeș (Dracula) and visit the Citadel of Sighisoara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Explore its winding cobbled streets on a walking tour, with a tour of the Clock Tower.

Sibiu / Alba Iulia / Jidvei / Cluj

Friday

June

Fortified Faith: Lutherans, Catholics, and Orthodox under One Sky. Visit Alba Iulia, one of the oldest settlements in Romania. Visit its citadel and baroque gates, St Michael Catholic Cathedral and the Coronation Cathedral, built to commemorate the reunion of Romania with Transylvania in 1918. Wine tasting in the Renaissance-style Bethlen Castle. Continue to Cluj Napoca.

Cluj / Maramures (Sighetu Marmatiei)

Saturday

June

The Half-Dead and the Holy: Death, Humour, and Hope in Romanian Life. Drive to the Merry Cemetery, with its gravestones with ironic epitaphs. Visit Maramures Village Museum, the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and the Resistance, located in Sighetu Marmației, in a former prison. It serves as a poignant tribute to those who suffered under the communist regime in Romania.

Maramures (Sighetu Marmatiei)

Sunday

June

Wood, Word, and Wonder: A Gospel Carved from Wood. Explore Maramures, where life seems to have stood still for hundreds of years. Attend a service in a local church and visit Leud, one of the most traditional villages in the province and its beautiful wooden churches. In Bârsana visit a large monastery. Visit the distinctive Church of the Holy Archangel (1720) in Rozavlea.

Maramures (Sighetu Marmatiei) / Bucovina (Voronet)

Monday

June

Holy Irony: Faith, Humour, and Survival under Communism. Drive to Bucovina, stopping at the Heroes Monument just outside Moisei. Continue over Pasul Prislop, the highest mountain pass in Romania. Visit Pasul Prislop Church with views over the Rodna and Maramures Mountains. Explore the colorful traditional village of Ciocănești and visit the Painted Egg Museum. Arrive in Voronet.

Bucovina (Voronet)

Tuesday

June

Mountain Monasteries and the Idea of Landscape as Theology. Full day Painted Monasteries Tour of UNESCO World Heritage listed sites, including Dragormina, a stunning example of medieval architecture, and Sucevita, famous for its exterior frescoes. Continue to Humor, a small monastery with unique Byzantine paintings. Finish at Voroneț Monastery, known as the “Sistine Chapel of the East."

Voronet / Lacu Rosu /Prejmer / Brasov

Wednesday

June

How Romania’s Geography Shapes its Soul. Drive to Lacu Rosu, a red natural dam lake. Enjoy a short stroll along the lake. Continue to Prejmer and visit its church fortress, one of the most important medieval historical monuments in Transylvania. Arrive in Brasov, one of Transylvania’s most atmospheric towns.

Brasov

Thursday

June

Saints, Shadows, and the Gothic Soul of Europe. Visit legendary Bran Castle, linked with Dracula but rooted in real medieval history. Walk through the medieval heart of Brașov Old Town, visiting Council Square and the Gothic Black Church, named for its charred appearance after the Great Fire in 1689. Continue to Sforii Street, the narrowest street in Europe.

Brasov / Sinaia / Bucharest

Friday

June

Landscape as Liturgy: The Thinking about Place in the Carpathians. Head into the Carpathians, stopping at the fairytale Peles Castle for a tour. Continue to Sinai and stop at the serene Sinaia Monastery. Lunch at leisure and then continue back to Bucharest. Farewell dinner at a traditional local restaurant.

Bucharest

Saturday

June

Check out of the hotel after breakfast.

What to expect

Tour highlights

Explore the painted monasteries from Dragormina to Sucevita

Sucevita Monastery, Bucovina

Mountain monasteries and the idea of landscape as theology. Enjoy a full day experiencing the Painted Monasteries, a UNESCO World Heritage listed site, as a prayer in the landscape.

The landscape, architecture and culture of Maramures, where time seems to have stood still for centuries.

Visit the Rozavlea Wooden Church, Maramures, which dates back to 1717

The Rozavlea Wooden Church is distinctive for its tall tower and sharply pitched roof. Inside, you’ll find beautiful, vivid interior paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries.