Join me on a magical journey through Transylvania exploring rich folk traditions, local hospitality, beautiful lanscapes. We have created two fascinating journeys with a focus on tradition and folk culture. Staying in village accommodation, eating local food and meeting local craftspeople, not to mention stunning scenery, Unesco listed churches and a huge bi-annual flea market.
I will be running 2 tours to Transylvania in 2027; June and October
A journey from Kalotaszeg to Szeklerland including pretty Saxon villages, beautiful landscapes, local traditions, crafts people and a huge bi-annual flea market. This tour will run from the morning June 6 for 7 nights/ 8 full days. Further details including price coming soon
Junes tour will explore the cultures of the Saxon, Csango, Szekler and Kalotaszeg regions of Transylvania. We will visit artisans, food producers and private collections. We will travel in a spacious midi bus, staying in village accommodation, and eating local food. We will visit crafts people dowry rooms, churches and a huge biannual flea market. We will hike in beautiful alpine meadows to visit a family making cheese. We will have performances of local music and dance. Experience the slow life of Transylvanian villages. It’s a wonderful time of year to experience rural Transylvania with wild flowers in abundance. Everyone who attended last year loved this tour with a wonderful
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June 6.
Pick up from accommodation 8/9 am
Travel to Rimetea, a pretty village with traditional houses. Visit a dowry collection and learn about the textiles of the area.
Lunch in an old manor house.
Visit a Roma community who make their living from copper work, demonstration and learn about their traditions and lifestyle
Visit a weaver and embroiderer of the Romanian blouse in a Saxon village
Stay in the very pretty, quiet Saxon village of Alma Vii. Visit the fortified church. Option for a swim in a natural swimming pool
Supper at Alma Via
June 7
Visit the magnificent Saxon fortified church of Biertan
Travel through Szeklerland, visiting a blacksmith and traditional tile and brick maker.
Lunch in Zalanpatak at the house belonging to King charles
Visit to the Szekler museum in Cernat with an amazing collection of painted furniture, stove tiles and textiles from the area
Travel to Ghimes, home of the Csango people where we will stay in renovated traditional houses ( a working skanzen) for 2 nights.
June 8
Full day in Ghimes
Tour and talk about the skanzen
Horse and cart to the foot of the hills, hike through meadows of wild flowers, visit a milking station and cheese makers enjoying a picnic with panoramic views. This is a beautiful walk, it takes about 75 minutes at a moderate pace, we won’t be rushing! Its not very steep but there is a steady incline winding through open pastures so a reasonable level of fitness is required. There will be a horse and cart available to help but because of the incline it will only be able to take a maximum of 2 and its a bumpy and not very comfortable ride.
We will walk back down and by horse and cart travel to the Szalamas valley where we will visit a Csango family and learn, with demonstrations, about their costumes, culture and music.
June 9
Travel back through Szeklerland visiting a weaver and natural dyer.
Lunch at Emeses, a wonderful herb and rose garden.
Visit a famous pottery centre and a basket maker where we can try our hands at basket weaving
Travel to the Saxon village of Mesendorf where we will stay for 2 nights in a converted farmstead
June 10
Manuela Ivan, a charismatic furniture painter will accompany us to the local church where she will talk to us about furniture painting in Transylvania followed by a demonstration and some hands- on practice.
Lunch in Viscri
Visit the Viscri church and attached museum
Visit a Roma family in Viscri who will give us a surprise demonstration
Back to Mesendorf where we will walk to the house of Oana who will cook a special dinner and talk about the local produce and culinary traditions
June 11
Visit a traditional fulling (felting) mill where they weave and full the cloth and then to a family who, for generations have made ( and still make) the densely embroidered sheepskin waistcoats of the Fagaras region
Visit Stefan Vaida a restorer in the village of Altana.
Home cooked lunch at Stefans
Stefan will show us round his wondeful house museum, tile collection and talk about his work
Travel to Savadisla where we will stay for 2 nights
June 12
Early start to visit the huge bi -annual flea market where I will introduce you to dealers from different areas in Romania
Visit a dowry room belonging to a master embroiderer in Kalotaszeg
Musicians and folk dancers from Kalotaszeg
June 13
Visit a stunning private collection of textiles,
Lunch
Visit a master embroidered at her home in Gherla
price coming soon
Discovering the folk traditions of Kalotaszeg, the Transylvanian Plain and Maramures
The tour starts in Cluj on the morning of the 4th October. There will be a welcome drink the evening before.
With two nights in Kalotaszeg, 2 nights in Szek and 3 nights in Maramures this tour explores the folk culture of 3 distinct regions of Transylvania.
Staying in village guest houses, eating local food. We will visit dowry rooms, private collections, crafts people, sheepfold, cheese makers and more. I have been running this tour for 3 years and have received great feedback.
Day1 Transylvanian Plain
-Morning pick up 08.00-08.30 from your accommodation in Cluj.
Travel to Gherla to meet a master embroiderer who will talk and demonstrate some of the folk traditions of the village of Szek. We will visit her dowry room.
Lunch with Sipos Istvan in the village of Szek
Visit the home of a collector
Visit the oldest house in Szek
Supper with dance and music and costume demonstration
Day 2
Curators tour of the Kallos foundation, an amazing collection of textiles from throughout Transylvania.
Travel to the Unesco- listed church of Rogoz in Maramures
Lunch
Visit the fulling mill in Sarbi
Visit a hat maker
Introuduction to Maramures
Day 3
Exploring Breb by horse and cart
Lunch in the house of an embroiderer
embroidery demonstration
A walk with Talida along the paths of Breb visiting local crafts people
Day 4
Curators tour of the village museum in Sighetu
To the market
Lunch in Sighetu
Visit to the Unesco listed church of Budesti
Visit to a sheepfold
Supper with music and dance
Day 5
Visit a weaver in Sapanta
Visit to the Merry cemetery and the house of the founder
Lunch
Visit a family who make embroidered sheepskin waistcoats where we will learn about the process
Travel to the village of Sancrieu
Day 6 Kalotaszeg
Visit Sinko Kallo Katalin the expert on the embroidery of the region. We will visit her dowry room and her collection of textiles and costume learn about the local textile techniques, the costume. Katalin will take us to the local embroidery -adorned church where she will talk more about the significance of the patterns and motifs used.
-Lunch at an organic homestead high in the Apuseni mountains
-Visit a small private museum and learn about the work of NGO TKD in restoration and preservation of built and cultural heritage in Kalotaszeg.
Day 7
Nagreni market
-Lunch of your choice at the market * not included in cost
-Visit an expert in vagdolas, a technique similar to hardanger, in her dowry room.
-Music and dance from Kalotaszeg with supper
Day 8 Kalotaszeg ( Petrinzel) and The Transylvanian Plain
-Visit a local cheesemaker.
-Visit Ilonka who will show us her dowry room and demonstrate the drawing of the irasos patterns
-Visit the tiny church designed by Kos Karoly
-Lunch with a family in the village
Cost £2150, £240 single supplement, payable by bank transfer (£50 surcharge for payment with credit card).
5% discount for returning tour customers
Payments can be transferred in your local currency according to the mid exchange rate on the day of payment
Getting there
Flights to Cluj Napoca International Airport. Wizzair flies from many European cities including London. Lufthansa and others via Germany from London and the US.
Flixbus from mainland Europe
The train lines are being modernised, there are long diversions on trains from Budapest
I am happy to advise, please email me.
Cost
Includes 7 nights accommodation with ensuite bathroom, all transport, guiding, meals from lunch on day 1 to lunch on day 8 excluding lunch on market day when we buy our own lunch at the market. Glass of wine or beer with dinner.
Not included; transport to and accommodation in Cluj pre and post tour, extra snacks and drinks. Compulsory insurance.
Payment terms
Deposit of £500 payable within 7 days of your place being confirmed.
June trip; Further payment of £800 due February 14th 2026 with the balance due March 31st
October trip; Further payment of £800 due June 9th with the balance due July 15th
Other
To experience all activities to the fullest a reasonable level of mobility is required, there will be some (limited) walking on uneven terrain, steps in churches etc
We can accommodate most dietary requirements
To register please complete the registration form, ensure you have read and agree to the T and C . I will confirm receipt within 24 hours. Further practical information will be sent out prior to the tour commencement.
I wrote a Postcard from Transylvania for Cabana magazine after producing a feature for them in 2002 and more recently had a travel piece Head for the Hills published in issue 126 of Selvedge magazine
“Kath’s passion, connections, knowledge and love for the people,textiles and heritage made for an unforgettable experience. Thank you Kath for showing us so much beauty” Giada, tour particpant 2023
This is one of the best trips I have ever done. I saw Transylvania in a different light, and it was very special to have such unique access to people’s homes and dowry rooms. I felt more connected on this trip to Romania than I have done before because I met such wonderful people and I learned a lot about the local skills and traditions. Kath and Cristian were brilliant and lovely, and their knowledge outstanding. Thank you for a truly amazing trip! Katie , 2025x
..A story perfectly produced by Kath Griffiths..who put together an ideal itinerary, mixing traditional houses and churches and finding a myriad of detail (think cross stitch panels, embroidered cushions, painted furniture and ceramics) in those rooms that are suspended in time Martina Mondadori, Editor in chief, Cabana Magazine 2022
Kath’s passion, connections, knowledge and love for the people,textiles and heritage made for an unforgettable experience. Thank you Kath for showing us so much beauty Giada, tour particpant 2023
Although I knew Kath had connections in the area, it was still a real blessing to be welcomed into the private homes, and further into the Dowry Rooms where the families most prized textiles are lovingly stored. (much fun playing at dress-up) I would quite happily do the tour again. Suzanne Mannolini, tour participant 2023 and 2024
It was the first time I decided to do a group tour for 1 week and it surpassed all my expectations. The organizer Kath and the guide Christian were just such great people to be around with : knowledgeable and transmitting their enthousiasm for the region we visited. The group was such nice people to spend time with so it made the whole week very special.
I very much enjoyed the variety of the program and the fact that we had many interaction with various locals. I really feel I was fully immersed in a another culture for one week . I enjoyed every minute of it and I feel privileged to have had such an experience that I could share with so many interesting people. Tour participant 2024
