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Welcome to Hooked on Walking Holidays and our Walking holiday in Romania. This seven night self guided walking tour in Romania takes you to the ‘Painted Monasteries of Bukowina’. The monasteries, part of the Unesco World Heritage, are famous and unique by its outside mural paintings. Its pictorial texts combine Byzantine forms and western book miniature painting with Romanian folk tradition. You walk on old rediscovered trails from one monastery to another monastery whose architecture and paintings would be unthinkable and impossible without the beautiful landscape of the “Sweet Land of Bukowina’.
Available Saturdays 3rd May to 30th September
Level 2 self guided tour
Day 1 Arrival in Bucharest. Overnight in Bucharest.
Day 2 Bucharest to Suceave and onto Moldovita
First a short walk to the train station (3 minutes) and an early morning Intercity to Suceava. Transfer to Putna monastery. Two nights in the very beautiful Arhondaric. You will be welcomed by Brother Dosoftei, who speaks English and you will enjoy this beautiful monastery with its Arcadian setting, and above all, the great hospitality of the monastery.
Day 3 Round trip walk from Putna
Visit the monastery, a foundation of Stefan the Great. It is the most important spiritual center of Romanian Orthodoxy and played a significant role in the Romanian history. Worthwhile visiting is the museum with priceless artifacts and treasures. During a round walk, you will visit Sihastru monastery and you will have a beautiful birds’ eye view from one of the hills of the impressive Putna monastery. 1, 3 or 4 h
Day 4 Putna to Sucevita
From Putna you take the old monastery path to Sucevita monastery. In summer, the forest is full of berries and wild mushrooms. The undercoat of emerald green on which the superb frescoes are painted (1596) gave the monastery the name ‘a Poem in Green and Light’. The iconostasis is supposed to be the most beautiful one in the country. Sacherverell Sitwell wrote in 1938: “The first view of the painted church of Sucevita is among the most impressive revelations of the Byzantine world”. The little museum house the most precious collection of medieval art in Moldovia. Including medieval embroidered portraits and an epitaph with 1000 pearls. Two nights in a welcoming guesthouse with great food (served good quality with local wine).
Walking time 5 hours , 10 miles 16 km up 300m down 300m
Day 5 Moldovita and round walk Sucevita
A car takes you over the Ciumirna pass with astounding panoramic mountain views. Visit Moldovita monastery, famous for its warmth and brilliance of its frescoes. The blue undercoat for its tree of Jesse gave the monastery the name ‘a parchment dipped in blue color’. Very beautiful is the Ladder of Paradise, which has the ascetical mystic of John Klimakos as a theme and the depiction of the ancient philosophers. Maybe you meet Sister Tatiana (she speaks some English) who will show you around. The little museum contains, besides a priceless silver-cased Evangelistary presented by Catherine the Great of Russia, valuable icons and miniatures. Back in Sucevita you may have a round walk and enjoy the birds eye view upon the impressive, fortified monastery. 3 hours walk and 6 miles 10 km
Day 6 Sucevita Humor
Short transfer to Solca village, then walk through pastoral scenery passing friendly Polish villages founded during Austrian-Habsburg times to Humor. You will meet horse wagons loaded with hay. People are still working with sickles and scythes on the fields. The 16th century Humor monastery, which exudes friendliness and tranquil charm, is painted in warm blues, greens and reddish browns (from oriental madder pigment). Two nights in a very pleasant guesthouse (English speaking) in Humor. 4 ½ h around 10 miles 16 km
Day 7 Humor - Voronet - Humor
Visit Voronet monastery. “Voronet-Blue” is the key word. Its superb frescoes gave it the name ‘the Sistine Chapel of the East’. Architecturally it combines Gothic and  Byzantine features. Petru Comanescu still holds its truth, here in the clear mellow light of those parts of the walls of the church seem to have stolen the sparking blue of the sky, the green of the trees and the pastures, the gold of the sun and the red of the flowers growing in the peasants gardens. Walk up to the Objina with good views over a valley and villages scattered around till you reach Humor.
Walking time 4 ½ hours , 8 miles 12 km up 300m down 400m
Day 8 Humor to Bucharest
Transfer to Suceava. Train to Bucharest (dep. Suceava 5.51 am., arrive. 11.41 am.).
Difficulty: Walks from 4 hours to 6 hours making this a Level 2 tour
Accommodation: Carefully selected accommodations in double rooms with twin beds all with private facilities
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What is Included
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Extras
- Transport before and after tour
- Single Rooms
- Flights
- Dinners
- Entrance to attractions
- public transport not mentioned above
- Travel Insurance
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2009 Prices
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7 nights Code RomInd
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Single Person
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N/A
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Per Person based on sharing Twin / Double room
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£560
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Dinners x 6
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£59
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How to get there
By Plane to Bucharest
Click Below if you would like to review our
Cycling Holidays in Romania
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