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WILD BEAUTY AND SIMPLE LIVING IN RURAL ROMANIA

I believe the Romanian countryside offers something rare in today’s fast-paced world and that’s an unfiltered connection to tradition. Nestled among the rolling hills, vast pastures, and deep forests of Transylvania, Maramureș, Bucovina, and the Apuseni Mountains, I found the villages of rural Romania remain largely untouched by modern means.

During my time in Romania, I was staying with a dear friend who lives just outside Bucharest. And, having shown me around the capital city of Bucharest and taken me on guided tours to see fabulous palaces and gothic castles, she now wanted to show me her family home in the Romanian countryside.

Where, she says, the rhythm of life follows the seasons and her family’s age-old customs are not just remembered but are lived every single day.

I considered it a great privilege to experience this traditional Romanian way of life and now, my dear wanderful friends, I want to share this very special time in Romania with you with my words and photographs.

So, let’s take a journey – one that in many ways feels like traveling back in time – to explore an unfiltered life in the beautiful and unspoilt Romanian countryside.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• WILD BEAUTY AND SIMPLE LIVING IN RURAL ROMANIA
• CHEESE MAKING IN ROMANIA
• ROMANIA’S APPLE ORCHARDS
• ROMANY CULTURE
• HIKING IN THE CARPATHIANS
• ROMANIA – STEP INTO A SLOWER WORLD
• BEAT THE RUSH TO ROMANIA!

While driving through Romania’s Subcarpathian hills, I was unprepared for how eye wateringly beautiful it all is and I was amazed to see so many horse-drawn carts clopping on the roads, alongside cars and trucks.

I was also surprised discover that Romanian farmers still use traditional methods, passed down through generations, to tend to and to farm the land. Fields are ploughed with horse-drawn equipment and families work together from dawn until dusk. Self-sufficiency here is a way of life rather than a movement.

During my trip, thanks to the generosity of my friend and her family, I was invited to a fabulous traditional evening of Romanian music and dance and also to a big family gathering and a wonderful homecooked meal.

To respect the family’s privacy, I wont share those photos with you, however I DO have so many other photos to show you!

Perhaps one of the most iconic images of rural Romania is the sight of tall hand stacked haystacks – căpițe. This, I’m told, is more than just practical as it is a testament to a lifestyle rooted in respect for the land and its cycles and most village homes keep a few animals – cows, goats, chickens, and the hay sustains them through the harsh winters.

On our travels we stopped at the roadside where a farmer was sitting with his artisan cheese smoker and selling his fresh cheeses. I bought half a round of his cheese and later – after tasting the most delicious creamy smoky cheese I’ve ever had and that’s saying something as I’ve lived in France – I really regretted not buying the whole round. I’ll never ever forget that wonderful cheese or meeting the wonderfully interesting local man at that roadside stall in rural Romania!

CHEESE MAKING IN ROMANIA

Cheese-making is an art in rural Romania, particularly in the shepherding regions of Transylvania and in places like Mărginimea Sibiului, where sheep and cow’s milk are transformed into delicacies such as telemea (a salty white cheese), caș, and urdă, often sold at village markets or roadside stalls (as I was lucky to find).

Everything is made by hand. There are no factories, no preservatives, just time, skill, and natural ingredients. In addition to dairy, villagers produce honey, smoked meats, jams, and pickles. Crops include potatoes, maize, sunflowers, cabbages, and beans. In some regions, you’ll even see small vineyards or patches of medicinal herbs.

ROMANIA’S APPLE ORCHARDS

Romania’s Subcarpathian hills, particularly in the counties of Argeș, Bistrița-Năsăud, and Dâmbovița, are renowned for their apple orchards.

And this is where my Romanian friend’s family farm the land and have their apple orchards. I was there in the late springtime and so the remaining apples in storage – the staples in rural households – were left from the previous year’s harvest.

But, in the autumn time, I’m told the countryside becomes a patchwork of ripe fruit trees, their boughs heavy with apples of every variety. There are lots of fabulous festivals to celebrate the harvest and apple-based products from cider to compote.

Other fruits grown in abundance here include plums (used to make the traditional spirit țuică), cherries, pears, and berries – many of which grow wild in the forests.

ROMANY CULTURE

The Romany people (often referred to as Roma) are an integral yet complex part of Romania’s social fabric. Their presence in the countryside – with their horses and carts and vibrant freedom of spirit – I found both interesting and fascinating.

So much so that I captured the moment and took lots of photos as we came across them on the road.

Historically nomadic, many Roma communities have settled in rural areas, though I’m told that even here they often face social challenges and marginalisation. Despite these hardships, Romany traditions persist. Their resilience and culture offers a vital with their vivid clothing, large family gatherings, singing and storytelling.

HIKING IN THE CARPATHIANS

Romania’s natural beauty is breath taking and the Carpathian Mountains offer miles of hiking trails through dense forests, alpine meadows, and dramatic ridgelines.

Areas like the Retezat, Piatra Craiului, and Făgăraș Mountains are havens for nature lovers, offering solitude and panoramic vistas. But with this wilderness comes a challenge as Romania is home to Europe’s largest bear population outside of Russia.

It has been stated by the country’s forestry research institute that Romania may be home to as many as 13,000 brown bears, almost twice as many as previously thought.

A recent article in The Guardian newspaper says: “Bears have killed 26 people and severely injured 274 others over the past 20 years in Romania, the most recent fatality being a 19-year-old hiker who was mauled to death on a popular Carpathian trail last July.”

Hikers are therefore well advised to follow safety guidelines, carry bear spray, and respect nature’s boundaries. You have been warned!

BEAT THE RUSH TO ROMANIA!

Right now, Romania’s capital city of Bucharest is often overlooked by tourists looking for a city break in favour of its Western European counterparts. But, from this year on, Romania’s tourist industry is being predicted to grow exponentially.

In fact, Romania has just been featured as a stellar destination in Vogue’s Where To Travel In 2025.

This means that while Bucharest might be underrated and uncrowded right now and you’ll likely be beating the tourist masses to enjoy a more authentic Romanian experience – that might not be the case very soon – especially in response to the impact of over tourism in other places in Europe like Paris and Rome and Venice.

This makes Romania a great budget friendly European capital and top destination for travellers on a budget, with lots of low cost flights into (OTP) Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (Aeroportul Internațional Henri Coandă București).

Bucharest is still shifting politically, economically, and culturally. Romania became a member of NATO in 2004 and part of the European Union in 2007 but in January 2025 it became a Schengen Area member. With the removal of border controls, Romania is sure to see increased tourism and trade with other Schengen countries in the very near future, potentially driving up prices and speeding up economic growth. 

Clearly, there has never been a better time than right now to visit Bucharest and the rest of Romania.

Do read my other posts on Romania – click on the boxes below – for a fabulous Romanian travel itinerary!