TRADITIONAL ROMANIA EXPLORING RURAL MARAMURES

Day 1 Cluj

Arrive in the northwestern city of Cluj, a major university city that blends Romanian and Hungarian culture, a hangover from the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Start your Romanian sojourn with a stroll around the Unirii (Union) Square, lined with shops, restaurants and 18th and 19th-century buildings, and dominated by the Gothic St. Michael's Church - Romania's tallest church tower, which from 1316 took more than 150 years to be built. The Baroque Bánffy Palace, meanwhile, houses an impressive display of weaponry and Romanian art collections. Check in at your modern, self-catered apartment in the city centre and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight: City centre apartment

Day 2 Cluj

Venture out for breakfast before meeting your local guide for a walking tour of the city. The local university campus is one of Romania's oldest and largest, with an impressive library - and the chance to meet some of its expert professors. Discover small art galleries and two former brush and matchstick factories that have been transformed into collective performance, work and exhibition spaces for local artists and organisations. Their value lies both in the art that they champion, and their former Communist factory premises in parts of Cluj that travellers would not usually frequent. This evening, dine in the city, trying local food stalls or favourite student haunts.

Overnight: City centre apartment

Day 3 Hungarian Castles

Drive to nearby villages to experience the historic Hungarian influence on this part of Romania, such as at the restored Baroque Bontida Castle or the village of Sic, where locals hang their shoes outside their houses between practicing traditional dances in the village centre. This afternoon, head to the Turda salt mine, where salt was produced from the Middle Ages until the 20th century. Go deep underground to learn its history and, defying expectations, have fun on its ferris wheel, bowling lanes and boating lake.

Overnight: City centre apartment

Day 4 Maramures

Make your way to verdant Maramureș today, driving a narrow, scenic road that cuts through the volcanic Țibleș mountains. Your three-hour journey will pass sublime panoramas and remote villages before reaching Botiza. Here, rest at your cottage set in a stunning nature reserve surrounded by grazing cattle and bucolic views.

Take a picnic lunch into this ravishing area, perhaps dining with a view of the monastery on the other side of Sesuri's hill, taking a walk to the UNESCO-protected, 17th-century wooden church in the village of Ieud. Unwind with nature for company, strolling through the forest or driving - taking serendipitous detours along the way - to meet a traditional wooden gate carver, who has made handsomely detailed pieces for Romanian royalty and US presidents alike.

Overnight: Local guesthouse

Day 5 Maramures

Today, drive to discover more of the landscape and traditional villages with wooden churches that characterise Maramureș. Visit the uniquely colourful Merry Cemetery in Săpânța, where tombstones are decorated with often humorous epitaphs. Step into the houses of local craftspeople, who will show you traditional Maramureș dress and share a taste of the homemade palinca (plum brandy is at its best - and strongest - in this part of the world). Next, spend time at the Maramureș Village Museum, a small ethnological study of the region, and the poignant Memorial Museum of Communism Victims in the former Sighet prison, where many intellectuals of Communist Romania were detained, tortured and killed.

Overnight: Local guesthouse

Day 6 Maramures

Take an hour's drive to Borsa, where the Rodnei Mountains National Park opens over the vast wilds in breathtaking grandeur. Enjoy quiet contemplation at a monastery and walk among Alpine flora, glacial lakes and hidden caves with your expert guide, breathing deep in the fresh air.

Overnight: Local guesthouse

Day 7 Bucovina

Crossing into Bucovina with your private guide and driver, travel five hours - with a pitstop for a typical Romanian lunch - through this commanding mountain landscape to Sucevița, a small and traditional village. In the afternoon, start your discovery of Bucovina's glorious monasteries with the Eastern Orthodox example in Sucevița itself: a Byzantine and Gothic structure covered in ornately detailed frescoes, some typically Moldavian, thanks to the boyar family that built it in 1585.

Overnight: Local guesthouse

Day 8 Bucovina's Monasteries

The 15th and 16th-century painted monasteries throughout Bucovina are UNESCO heritage sites, and their frescoes are wondrous to behold. A little further north, the Moldovița monastery is a Romanian Orthodox example from 1532 that is no less colourful and striking. Fully appreciating these scenes demands inspecting them up close. Lunch might be in Moldovița, a picnic from local markets, or at your next destination, Gura Humorului. Here, two further monasteries boast even more impressively preserved murals, some from the 1400s. Return to Suceava for a night at the modern Hotel Sonnenhof, with Austrian flair, a beautifully kempt summer garden and restaurant with an international flavour.

Overnight: Central hotel

Day 9 Transfer to Bucharest

Fly to Bucharest before continuing your journey home, or consider extending your stay in Romania's fascinating architectural capital.