Overview
An eight day, self-guided walking holiday starting in Rășinari, just 12km south of Sibiu, one of Europe’s best preserved medieval cities. Where you also get to spend a night mid-holiday. Rășinari is located in a wide valley where the Transylvanian Plateau meets the Carpathian Mountains, and the region is bursting with cultural and natural heritage highlights. In terms of Transylvanian castles, for example, Criș village’s ancestral seat of Counts Bethlem dates back to 1305. From here you hike to Sighişoara, birthplace of the infamous Vlad Dracula. There are also hikes around Păltiniș, the highest mountain resort in Romania (1,400m) and Dumbrava Forest, at the edge of the Cindrel Mountains. Accommodation on this tour includes a mix of mostly small, locally-owned hotels and guesthouses, with luggage transfers.
- Sibiu
- Rășinari,
- ASTRA National Museum Complex
- Mălâncrav
- Biertan
- Sighişoara
- Criș
- Dumbrava Forest
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Rășinari
Meet your driver at Sibiu or Cluj Napoca Airport to be transferred to Rășinari (16mins/2h, not included), your home for the next three nights. The colourful village of Rășinari forms part of the Mărginimea Sibiului area and is the birthplace of famous writers Emil Cioran and Octavian Goga. Spend the afternoon exploring the village streets lined with colourfully painted Saxon-style houses, and two outstanding churches.
- Accommodation: Badiu’s Guest House or similar in Rășinari
Day 2: Cisnădioara loop | 10/19.5km
After breakfast, hike to Prislop and then Cisnădioara, home to a 12th-century fortified church, renowned for its acoustics and now used for performances. Continue on up the valley to the summit of Magura (1,304m), returning to Rășinari via a viewpoint known as the Rose Garden, offering views of the Sadu Valley and the Transylvanian Highlands.
This walk can also be shortened by 9.5km by taking a shorter route through farmland from Cisnădioara back to Rășinari.
- Walking for the day: 19.5km, 6.5h, ↑900m ↓900m or 10km, 3h, ↑240m ↓240m
- Accommodation: Badiu’s Guest House or similar in Rășinari
Day 3: Păltiniș – Rășinari | 17km
Start the day with a transfer to Păltiniș (25mins), the highest mountain resort in Romania (1,400m). Walk up to the Wolves’ Clearing, then to the first peak La Icoana (1,548m), before heading over Tomnaticu (1,386m), Ghihan (1,411m) and Plaiului (1,196m) to return to Rășinari. Follow forested paths and valley trails before taking in views over the Transylvanian Alps.
- Walking for the day: 17km, 6h, ↑500m ↓1,350m
- Accommodation: Badiu’s Guest House or similar in Rășinari
Day 4: Rășinari – Sibiu | 5.6km
Walk or take a short transfer to ASTRA National Museum Complex, a large open-air museum in Dumbrava Forest. The museum showcases 340 buildings from different regions and periods, brought in their entirety from various areas of Transylvania, with household equipment, windmills, water stations and a huge wine press amongst some of the artefacts. Continue on through Parcul Sub Arini, one of Romania’s oldest parks, hosting a wide range of tree and plant species. End the day in Sibiu, a medieval town featuring gothic, renaissance and baroque architecture. Head down the Passage of Stairs into Lower Sibiu, which is like an ancient arcade of artisans.
- Walking for the day: 5.5km, 3h, ↑35m ↓80m
- Accommodation: Konak or similar in Sibiu
Day 5: Richiş – Biertan | 12km
You are transferred (1h) to Richiş (Reichesdorf), once a vintners’ village and where the old terraces are still visible in the surrounding landscape. Continue on to Ațel (Hetzeldorf) and take in the 14th-century fortified church before reaching Biertan. This village was founded in 1283 and is dominated by Saint Mary’s citadel and church. This hilltop medieval construction, surrounded by three fortified walls, is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Walking for the day: 12km, 4h, ↑220m ↓260m
- Accommodation: Casa Eva Wagner or similar in Biertan
Day 6: Biertan – Mălâncrav | 15km
Walk to Copsa Mare (Großkopisch), Nou Săsesc and then to Mălâncrav, a remote village where time feels like it has stood still. Known for its well-preserved Transylvanian Saxon heritage, traditional architecture, and 14th-century fortified church, the village is steeped in history. Spend the afternoon exploring the village, where we recommend a visit to Apafi Manor, a mansion that has undergone many changes over the centuries, but has now been lovingly restored.
- Walking for the day: 15km, 5.5h, ↑500m ↓450m
- Accommodation: Guesthouse Mălâncrav 280 or similar in Mălâncrav
Day 7: Criș – Sighişoara | 15km
Begin with a short transfer to Criș (Kreisch) to visit the castle of the noble Bethlen family. The hilltop castle, first documented in 1305, is one of the most famous renaissance buildings in Transylvania. Walk to Sighişoara, infamous for being the birthplace of Vlad Dracula, the 15th-century ruler of Wallachia and subject of Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula. Look inside Dracula’s home and take in the city’s burgher houses, historic towers and lavish churches. Climb to the top of the Clock Tower and admire the views over the Old Town and Tarnava Mare Valley.
- Walking for the day: 15km, 5h, ↑250m ↓310m
- Accommodation: Hotel Korona or similar in Sighişoara
Day 8: Departure
Departure after breakfast.
What to expect
Accommodation
Accommodation on this tour includes a mix of mostly small, locally-owned hotels, B&Bs and traditional guesthouses. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their location, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to responsible tourism. All rooms have en-suite or private bathrooms.
Click to view default hotels
- Badiu’s Guest House (Rășinari)
- Konak (Sibiu)
- Casa Eva Wagner (Biertan)
- Mălâncrav 280 (Mălâncrav)
- Hotel Korona (Sighişoara)
Accommodation is subject to availability. In the event of a particular hotel or guesthouse being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with a hotel of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation.
Meals
Breakfast on all mornings and four dinners are included. When no restaurant location is available on route lunches and snacks should either be bought from local shops, or packed lunch can be pre-ordered from your accommodation the night before.
Difficulty and terrain
This tour is graded easy to moderate with daily distances ranging from 5-19km and requires an average level of fitness (read more about difficulty grades).
We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never try to shorten the path through the unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed road notes and maps and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed info on route navigation will be included in your holiday information pack.
When to go
This trip is available from April until November.
The weather is best between June – September. The flexibility of self-guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates and you can start your holiday on any date in the season. For more information, see our blog, Best time to go to Romania.
Getting there
Click to view travel options
By plane
Our recommended arrival airports for this holiday are Sibiu Airport (SBZ) and Cluj International Airport (CLJ). You can also fly into Bucharest and then by train to Sibiu.
By train or bus
- From Sighişoara, there are regular train services to Sibiu or Bucharest. For more details, visit CFR or use the Omio planner above.
Inclusions
Included
- 7 nights accommodation
- 7 breakfasts
- 4 dinners
- Luggage transport
- Digital information pack including regularly updated route descriptions and road notes; maps with daily routes and optional hikes marked
- GPX tracks
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office/representative
Excluded
- Airfares and land transfers
- Entrance tickets
- Lunch and three dinners
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses
- Local tourist taxes and entry fees (payable on-site)
- Any items not explicitly listed as included
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
Options, extras and supplements
- If you’re travelling in a group, a supplement applies to group members who would like to have a room of their own
- This holiday is available for solo travellers. However, a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. Please note that solo travellers are always accommodated in their own room. For logistical reasons, we don’t offer an option for solo travellers to share rooms with other solo travellers
- Extra nights along the trail are bookable upon request
- Private airport transfers
