Bucovina Step by Step Tour - 7 days
Explore the land of UNESCO World Heritage painted churches, amazing scenery and superb food.
Bukovina Step by Step Tour – 7 days- Iasi – Suceava – Voronet – Sucevita – Putna
Be prepared to enter a colorful land of legends, incredible natural beauty, UNESCO World Heritage painted churches, with tourist-friendly people that will do anything for you to have an amazing experience. If you ask a Romanian about the most picturesque area in Romania, there are high chances that bucolic Bukovina will be the answer. And the reason behind all these is that Bukovina is the only place where you can find such welcoming people, historically significant places and picture perfect scenery. You don’t have to be a believer to feel in awe when admiring the 500 years old painted churches or an expert to admire the traditional local artisans at work. It is just that amazing!
We have prepared a tour that will cover most of the highlights: from admiring the Sistine Chapel of the East – Voronet Monastery, to joining the pilgrims in the Jerusalem of Romania – which is how Putna monastery is known, to hiking the peaks of the Rarau mountains or joining the party in the university city Iasi. You will have the opportunity to join workshops and cooking classes, try your hand at traditional egg painting workshops and work next to famous local craftsmen. You’ll get to know the locals, you’ll eat amazing local foods and drink the fabulous Cotnari wine, famous since medieval times. These will be the best 7 days you had for ages and we promise we’ll take it slow, step by step.
Highlights
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Admire the deep blue Voronet monastery paintings
Built by the famous ruler Stephan the Great in 1488, Voronet is famed for its shade of blue – Voronet blue – and for its most famous fresco, “Last Judgment”, unique in Eastern Christianity. This is an absolute highlight of the universal culture, on par with any other famous religious and cultural sites you might know.
Amazing food in fantastic locations
The biggest problems when eating with the locals in the countryside is that the food is too good and the portions too large. Home made eggplant spread (zacusca), fantastic sour soups (ciorba), heart-attack-worthy polenta (bulz), pork cooked in the most amazing ways, cheese pies to die for.
Join the pilgrims in Putna, Romania's Jerusalem
The most sacred religious place in Romania, where thousands upon thousands of pilgrims come anually to pray, Putna monastery is the burying place of Stephan the Great. Built in the 15th century, was a powerful cultural center and a symbol of the past greateness for generations of Romanians and Moldovans.
Experience the traditional way of life
You’ll visit countryside homes, talk to the locals, learn their way of life in their own words. You’ll see blacksmiths, shepherds, beekeepers, pottery masters, local cooks, farmers and more. You’ll know more about how our ancestors lived hundreds of years ago.
Bucovina scenery
Nativity church in Gura Humorului
Hutulca slow train in Moldovita
Siege of Constantinople - Moldovita Monastery
Bucovina sunrise
Bicaz gorge
Itinerary
Itinerary overview
- Day 1 – Iasi
- Day 2 – Suceava, Gura Humorului
- Day 3 – Voronet, Vama, Gura Humorului
- Day 4 – Rarau, Gura Humorului
- Day 5 – Marginea, Putna, Sucevita
- Day 6 – Dragomirna, Harlau, Cotnari, Iasi
- Day 7 – Iasi
Iasi, the city of the seven hills
We’ll pick you up from the airport and on the way to the centrally located hotel, we’ll do a panoramic city tour.
Iasi is the cultural heart of Moldavia and it shows. We’ll visit the majestic neo-Gothic Palace of the Culture, the splending theatre and you’ll admire the intricate stonework of the Trei Ierarhi monastery.
Iasi is a university city which guarantees a bohemian lifestyle in the hundreds of pubs and restaurants and the appropriate level of cultural events – something the locals are very proud of.
We’ll organise a welcome dinner in a famous Romanian restaurant, where you will get acquainted with some local specialties in the company of your tour guide and discuss any details about your travel program.
You’ll spend the night in a 4* hotel, close to the city center.
Bucovina – the land of legends, painted churches, amazing people
After a great breakfast, we’ll drive towards Bucovina – the first stop being Suceava – the former medieval capital of Moldova. We’ll visit the open-air Bucovina Village Museum, where you’ll admire the superb peasant houses and the Suceava Fortress – the chair of the famous Moldavian ruler Stephen the Great.
We’ll have a mouth watering lunch in Gura Humorului (La conac in Bucovina) and we’ll visit the UNESCO World Heritage Humor monastery where you’ll admire the fantastic frescoes depicting the Fall of Constantinople.
Accomodation: La Saivan Bio Retreat & Farm, where you will serve dinner. La Saivan bio Retreat & Farm is a collection of 3 houses, dating back to 1900s, where you will be able to admire the gorgeous landscape and taste the amazing talmoș balmoș made with polenta and cheese from their own sheepfold.
The deepest blue in the world – Voronet Monastery
We’ll start early with a visit to the fabulous Voronet Monastery – the most beautiful church in Bucovina. You’ll marvel at the famous blue frescoes explained by an expert guide.
We’ll drive to Vama, one of the most beautiful locations in Bucovina where we’ll visit the Painted Eggs museum – one of the most ancient traditions in Bucovina. You will have the chances to try your skills and beat the old masters.
You’ll have a great lunch and we’ll depart to another great museum – this time in Câmpulung – where we’ll see another beautiful local tradition – wooden sculpture. We will return to Gura Humorului where you’ll have a great dinner and relax at the pool.
Overnight: Bucovina Residence & Spa = Gura Humorului
Natural beauty and the oldest village in Moldavia
This is a day where you’re going to focus on the beauty of nature. It’s hiking day today! You’re going to see the beautiful Lady’s Stones (Pietrele Doamnei) – a 2-hours circuit that takes you from Rarau Chalet to Pietrele Doamnei and back. The view is absolutely spectacular, Instagram-worthy and, after the amazing food in the past days, it is also really necessary!
You’ll lunch at Hanul Pastravarului and we’ll depart towards Ciocanesti, the most beautiful and oldest village in Bucovina. Here, you’ll stroll on the old countryside streets and you’ll admire the beautifully painted houses and meet the locals.
You’ll return to Gura Humorului where you can have dinner and relax at the pool. Overnight: Bucovina Residence & Spa, Gura Humorului.
Moldovita – the Siege of Constantinople and Putna, the holiest monastery
We start early in the morning, after breakfast and drive towards Marginea, home to the amazing black pottery, where you’ll join one of the few active pottery artisans and try your hand at clay modelling.
Next we’ll visit the amazing Moldovita monastery where you’ll admire the vibrant colors of the paintings and the famous Siege of Constantinople scene.
After a hearty lunch, you’ll go to one of the holiest places in Romania, the Romanian Jerusalem, Putna monastery – where Stephen the Great is burried, and join the pilgrims for a real spiritual experience.
You’ll spend the night and enjoy dinner at Hotel & restaurant Sophia (Sucevita).
Taste the best wine in Moldavia, famous since medieval times
After breakfast, you’ll visit the old pottery workshop of pottery artisan Constantin Colibaba, where you can see splendid pottery objects specific to this area.
You’ll depart towards Dragomirna monastery, special among the UNESCO World Heritage painted churches, in the sense that it is the highest and narrowest of all. The painting is again superb, and some say, this is is the most beautiful among Bucovina churches.
For the most important stop of the day, you’ll go to Cotnari, one of the best known wineries in Romania for hundreds of years and enjoy both the fantastic local wine and a great lunch.
You’ll arrive in Iasi in the early evening and you’ll have some free time to explore the city on your own.
Depending on your departure time, you may have some time to explore more of the beautiful city of Iasi. We can organize extra activities to conclude your visit in Bucovina
Inclusions and exclusions
This is what you’ll see and get in our Bucovina Step by Step Tour
- Included in the city guided tours in Iasi, Suceava, you’ll see the Iasi old city center, the Palace of Culture, Vasile Alecsandri Theatre, Trei Ierarhi Monastery, Suceava Fortress, Suceava Bukovina Village Museum and many more.
- You’ll visit the UNESCO World Heritage painted churches of Humor, Voronet, Moldovita, Sucevita, Dragomirna and the holiest place in Moldavia – the Putna monastery
- You’ll meet the local craftsmen and artisans and visit local peasant art museums
- You’ll hike on Rarau and see the geological formation Pietrele Doamnei
- Accommodation for 6 nights in 4* hotels or countryside mansions, breakfast included
- 2 dinners (Iasi, Gura Humorului), 1 wine tasting session
- Transportation by AC vehicle for the entire trip in Romania
- This is a private tour so it is dedicated only to your group and family/friends
- 24/7 assistance during the entire trip
Not included
- Food (dinner, lunch, snacks) outside the program
- Personal expenses, shopping, souvenirs
- International transportation (airline tickets to and from Romania)
- Travel Insurance