Transylvania walking holidays: guided walks in the Transylvanian countryside, from Sibiu

Discover the natural splendour of Transylvania's countryside by spotting wildflowers and fauna, visiting quaint villages, interacting with the people, learning local history and enjoying local food.

Experience all of this with us during a series of 2 to 6 guided walks at an active yet leisurely pace.


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Transylvania is known for its associations with vampires, werewolves, superstition and supernatural. Actually, this is not the fact at all. Transylvania is a land at the crossroads of civilisations, with an unique cultural heritage and a charming natural landscape. Is not gloomy at all, but full of life and joy. When someone is planning to visit this region in the central part of Romania, the first things appearing in search are the castles (Bran Castle, Corvin Castle), the beautiful medieval cities (Sibiu, Sighisoara, Brasov) and fortified churches. But, Transylvania is more than that.

If the visitor wants to see real Transylvania, they should walk on out of the beaten path, to explore the countryside, to walk on trails from one village to another, to venture on the low altitude meadows or high on the mountain pastures. This will reveal to the traveller an unspoiled image of Transylvania, with colourful compact villages, rolling hills covered with wildflowers and haystacks or sheep flocks. Also, if you want to get to know better the soul of a region, you have to meet its people and taste its local food. Not the one from restaurants, but the one people are eating every day. Having this in mind, we designed this multi-day trip in Transylvania countryside , trying to cover all the aspects mentioned above: nature, culture and food.

Each of these day trips can combine walking in countryside with a delicious lunch, prepared with local ingredients in the village. A quick visit to an important landmark of the village, can also be included in our trips.

This would be used as an introduction in the Transylvanian countryside, walking through 2 neighbouring villages, but very different: a Romanian one, Rasinari, in Marginimea Sibiului, and a Saxon one - Cisnadioara, just beyond the hill. We will have the possibility to visit one of the oldest fortified churches in Transylvania and also to have lunch at one of the guesthouses in the area. We will be able to see the differences between rural architecture, village layout and the geometry of the streets. We will walk through farming roads and paths through the forest and we will enjoy spectacular panoramas over both villages. We may be able to observe animal tracks in the woods, villagers at work and flocks of sheep. Depending on the day of the tour, we may go to Rasinari's Saturday market. The track is around 10 kilometres long and it has 300 meters difference in altitude.

On this tour, we will explore the heights around Biertan which are offering some of the best views of the Transylvanian highlands. The colourful village, with well-preserved Saxon architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located one hour from Sibiu and 30 minutes from Sighisoara. We will use The Via Transilvanica trail, a 1,400-kilometer hiking route that traverses Romania from north to south.
We will be able to tour Biertan's fortified church, a remarkable example of religious architecture adapted for military defensive objectives. We'll be walking through dense woodland with a decent probability of sighting bear footprints. The views from the heights around Biertan are probably the best ones among the tours we are proposing. The track is around 10 kilometres long, and the difference in altitude is around 300 meters.

For this walk we take you to the village of Hosman, not far from Sibiu. The village can be proud of one of the most beautiful scenery in Transylvania, the image of the fortified church with the Carpathian mountains in the background becoming iconic (see the gallery here) The hike starts near the fortified church and climbs gently through farming fields and meadows to the oak forest.
After crossing the forest, we will enjoy a superb panorama of the Fagaras mountains. From September to the end of May, we have a good chance to see the ridges covered with snow.
One of the best times for this hike is June, when the wild flowers are in full bloom. During the hike we will enjoy the bucolic landscape, with working the land, herds of sheep, goats or cows or horse driven carts. There are good chances to see bear tracks. The track is around 10 kilometres long, and the difference in altitude is around 300 meters

This hike will introduce us to the world of shepherds who graze their sheep in the highlands around Sibiu. The area of mountain villages near Sibiu known as Marginimea Sibiului is famous across the country for the high quality of its cheese. The trip begins in Rau Sadului, a community with a long pastoral culture hidden in a mountain valley near Sibiu. We will follow the pathways used by the local shepherds to go to their flocks and huts from the top of the mountain, and depending on the season, we may be able to meet them. They oscillate with their herds between the pastures near the village and the high alpine pastures.
If the shepherd is available, he will prepare a special shepherd's lunch: grilled polenta balls filled with cheese cooked right at the hut. Check here the photos taken during one of the hikes we did in 2022.
The track is around 12 kilometres long, and the difference in altitude is around 700 meters.

This trip is one of our favorites as it combines history with nature. We will explore the heights around the village of Boita, located at the entrance of the Olt River in a valley that cuts through the mountains to the south. An old border settlement, the village witnessed important files of Transylvania's history, from the Roman era through World War I.
In addition to the special views with Olt at the entrance to the mountains, we will be able to discover a forgotten hamlet, hidden in the forests above the village. A long time ago, it was inhabited by several families who were engaged in agriculture and shepherding amid the peace and quiet of the forest. Now there is only one family that insists on living there, deprived of the benefits of the modern world.
The track is around 9 kilometres long, and the difference in altitude is around 400 meters. Here you can see some pictures taken during our previous hikes. here the photo gallery.

This walk will take us to Jina, the last of the 17 villages of Marginimea Sibiului. The settlement, like Rome, is located at an elevation of 1000 meters and spreads across seven hills. Is one of the last villages from the area where some of the inhabitants are still moving with their livestock higher up in the mountains to the summer hamlets, where they dwell from June to September.
During our walk, we will enjoy the picturesque views of the village and we will see some of the summer hamlets and the pastures filled with flowers or hay, depending on the season. At the end of the walking, we will be able to visit the Shepherding Museum and enjoy a shepherd-style lunch in the village.
The track is around 10 kilometres long, and the difference in altitude is around 300 meters. Here you can see some pictures taken during our previous hikes.

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Short presentation of the villages

Rasinari is an ancient Romanian village, located very close to Sibiu (actually still connected to the city with a tram line), laid at the foothills of the Cindrel Mountains, on the way to the main ski resort of Sibiu - Paltinis. Like all the other villages in Marginimea Sibiului, Rasinari is an old shepherds village, with a few sheepfolds still existing on the hills around the village. Once you have walked to the surrounding heights, you can admire the splendid views of the village, with the colourful houses aligned on the main streets converging to the pointed church towers.
Cisnadioara is a lovely Saxon village, raised in a beautiful natural setting, at the foothills of the Magura mountain, just a few kilometres from Sibiu. Its main attraction is the Romanesque fortified church which is overlooking the village since 12 century. Even though in the orchards on the north hills started to appear new modern villas, the old part of the village maintained its charming spirit of an old Saxon village. Cisnadioara ( or Michelsberg in German) is the starting place of a few hiking trails, and it's easily reachable on foot from the neighbouring village of Rasinari, hidden on the other side of the western hills.
Jina is the village from Marginimea Sibiului located at the highest altitude (1000 m). Spread like Rome, on 7 hills, the village offers splendid views over the Cindrel Mountains or the Transylvanian plateau. Shepherding is still the main occupation here, and during a walk around the village, the chances to stumble on a flock of sheep are very high. So it is normal that in the village the tourists can Pastoral Museum, a good occasion to find out more about the traditional lifestyle of the shepherds. While here, do not miss the chance of a local cheese tasting.
Biertan is an adorable Saxon village, hidden in a valley somewhere in the Transylvanian plateau, on the way to Sighisoara from Sibiu. Listed in the UNESCO site, together with the imposing fortified church, Biertan is a colourful village, which kept unspoiled the traditional architecture. The main attraction is the fortified church, the former seat of the Lutheran bishop in Transylvania, a very fine example of religious architecture mixed with military elements. Biertan is on the path of a few biking and walking trails, so for the outdoor activities lovers, there are many possibilities of guided walks starting from the village.
Hosman is a typical former Saxon settlement in the Hartibaciului Valley, not far from Sibiu, with ancient traditional homes clustered around the century-old fortified church. In Hosman, a vibrant community has emerged, which organizes a variety of youth activities in the courtyard of the fortified church, the notable examples being the Christmas Market and the Holzstok music festival. Another feature of the area is the "mocanita," a narrow gauge railway with a departure station near the settlement and trips planned for visitors every weekend.
Another hidden gem of Transylvania countryside, Boita is the first village of Marginimea Sibiului, an area comprising 17 Romanian villages at the foot of the Carpathians mountains. It guards for centuries one of the main routes connecting Transylvania with Wallachia, at the entry of the Olt river valley. The views from the heights surrounding the village are gorgeous, the visitors may admire wildflowers, haystacks, snow-capped peaks or encounter during the guided walks farmers and their horse-driven carts.

We will walk around 4 to 7 hours per day, including breaks.
All year round. Contact us or text/call us at +40 740 205 877 to check the availability for the desired period.
       
  Group size | Price/person/day (EUR) | Price per group/day (EUR)
  1 130 130
  2 70 140
  3 50 150
  4 45 180
  5 45 225
  6 40 240
  7 35 245
  8 35 280
Depending on the time available and your interests, this tour may be beginning to an exciting journey in Romania, whether the starting point is in Bucharest, Sibiu, Brasov, Clluj or Sighisoara. We cand design the trips to cover a wider are of Transylvania or Romania, not only trekking but also visiting towns, castles or other turistic attractions Romania has to offer. .
Guiding and transportation. We can also help you with accomodation.
Accommodation (if needed), entrance fees and meals. Drone filming can be provided at an additional cost.
Moderate. You will need to walk around 10 kilometres per day, on uneven terrain, with a difference in altitude ranging from 200 to 600 meters.
Specific for trekking. Proper trekking shoes, confortable trousers and shirts. You will need a hat and a raincoat. Walking sticks are also needed.

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