Summary
The Via Transilvanica runs diagonally across Romania, passing through 12 Unesco World Heritage sites. The route mostly passes through the mountains, forests and villages of the Transylvania region. It is one of Europe's most traditional landscapes and communities.
The 1,400km Via Transilvanica runs its rugged finger diagonally across Romania from north-east to south-west. The route passes through some of Europe's most traditional landscapes, rich in bears and wolves. It also ticks off 12 Unesco World Heritage sites and brings new life to remote, rural communities.
Bucovina is known for its Unesco-registered Painted Monasteries. The region is also known as the "Switzerland of the East" Most guesthouses on the route are owner-run, with only a handful of rooms. The trail's symbol is an orange T painted on a white circular background.
Romania's Carpathian Mountains are home to the densest brown bear populations in Europe. Most bear activity is at dawn or dusk, so if you are on the trail at that time, make plenty of noise. A more common hazard is fierce shepherd dogs, trained to defend sheep against wolves.
Bucovina is famous for its Unesco-registered Painted Monasteries. It is also famous for the more southerly Saxon section of the trail to explore the cultural differences. So far we've had 35,000 hikers in the first two years, 80% Romanian, but in time, I reckon we're going to get 250,000 a year.
In Saschiz I stayed at a guesthouse run by Anca, a great advocate of the trail, and shared my dinner table with two hikers from Moldova. Next day, climbing out of Saschz up past its 600-year-old fortress, swapping beechwoods with pastures pebble-dashed with flocks of sheep.