Village Scenes: Life in Rural Romania
“It's like stepping back in time.”
How often have you heard this phrase? Probably plenty. But how often has is actually been true?
Well, in the rural villages of Romania, this phrase rings incredibly true — when you visit, you really DO feel like you've done a time warp and been transported back at least a handful of decades, if not more.
During my time in Romania, I had the pleasure of experiencing it all — cities, tourist hot spots, and, yes, even tiny villages. Having gotten a taste of the contrast between city and country life here, I think I'm better able to appreciate the way life moves a bit slower in rural Romania.
I'll be writing much more about traveling through post-communist Romania in the future, but for now I want to share some of my favorite village scenes with you. Because, in Romania, I really think it's the villages that will steal your heart and your imagination.
Romania is full of small villages like the ones I'll describe to you here, where little wrinkled old ladies sit out on their front benches to gossip in the evenings, where shepherds still tend sheep and cows, and where you're more likely to be awoken by a rooster than morning traffic.
Yes, electricity, satellite dishes and cell phones abound here, but you are able to easily look past them to the essence of life in the Romanian countryside.
Life is still blissfully simple in these regions.
You can still find fresh homemade bread, cheese, and butter on the table each night.
Farmers still use horses and carts to do farm work and transport everything from hay to firewood.
Kids still play OUTSIDE instead of on smartphones or in front of the TV.
Yes, these regions are poorer — people live with very little here, and have to be resourceful to survive. I was humbled to see some of the small homes and watch some of the back-breaking work (like building hay stacks by hand) that form the reality of life in rural parts of Romania. But, in seeing all of this, I was also able to appreciate the honest simplicity of it all.
Here, then, are some more of my favorite village scenes from my time in Romania:
Green fields and haystacks in Maramures:
A tiled house in a Maramures village:
A “traditional room” in that same Romanian house:
Morning in Vadu Izei, a small village in the Maramures region:
A woodcarver's shop:
A horse and cart in Vadu Izei:
Rolling Romanian countryside:
Two little girls in traditional dresses at a village festival near Viscri:
The main (and basically only) street in Viscri, a village in Transylvania:
An old woman on the street in Viscri:
Old windows:
And the cows coming home at night to be milked in Viscri:
These are scenes that may very well disappear in the not-so-distant future. As mentioned above, paved roads, electric wires, satellite dishes, and cell phones are swiftly starting to appear in these villages in abundance. New, modern houses are being built next to the remains of more traditional homes. It probably won't be long until every village cafe and guesthouse offers free wireless Internet.
This is no surprise, of course. Romania is swiftly developing now that it's shedding its communist past, and these advancements are just par for the course.
It's silly to expect these places NOT to develop. I would never want to see a place be denied modern comforts just for the sake of tourists who want to see a “traditional Romanian village.” Rural Romania will develop, and probably will do so quickly as the older generations are replaced by younger ones.
So the bottom line is, if you want to see Romania like this, you'd better go now.
Which of these photos most makes you want to visit rural Romania?
*Note: I am on a complimentary “Explore Eastern Europe” tour with Intrepid Travel, but all opinions are completely my own.
Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Dangerous Business Travel Blog. She has traveled to more than 60 countries on 6 continents from her home base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and thoughtful travel through the US, Europe, and rest of the world. Amanda only shares tips based on her personal experiences and places she's actually traveled!
Hi, I’ve just discovered your blog and am enjoying it so much! My partner and I are heading to Romania in October and staying in Brasov and Sighisoara. We hope to also do some bear-watching in the wild, before they go into hibernation 🙂
Anyway – all this to say I think your blog is fabulous. So well-written (not all of them are!) and also you come across as so relatable. Seen so many travel blogs and vlogs of people who just seem, I don’t know… really smug and out of touch. Your blog is a total breath of fresh air. Thank you!
Alex, UK
I love the village scenes. The old horse and buggy days are gone here but I am glad to see they still exist in Romania. I plan on going to Romania in April or May this year. I can hardly wait!!!
romainia
Maramures is probably my favourite destination in Romania! Loved it, there is so much to do and see. I sometimes feel like I should have made my whole blog just about Romania haha, thanks for this article!
I was wondering if people use soap for proper hygiene and cleanliness, I’m a germophobe actually.
Yes they use soap. Just because people live in rural areas doesn’t mean they don’t bathe or wash their clothing!
Romania is the best.
I was lucky to visit Romania twice. Once back in 2011 when I was in Bucharest, Sighasoara and Sibiu. Then again in 2015 when with my girlfriend we visited Maramures county, Brasov, Sibiu, Sighasoara and Viscri.
It is truly a beautiful place. Really our favorite trip ever.
It’s one of the countries I always recommend to people who want to see a slightly different side of Europe. 🙂
Did you visit “our” village, Breb, Maramures? Some of the photos look very similar, but not quite right, maybe. We’ve been living there on and off for a year now, we just visited and fell in love. Such a beautiful place.
I’m not positive, but I don’t think so! We stayed in Vadu Izei and Viscri, and that’s where most of these photos were taken.
Just returned from Romania, it was an awesome holiday. Looking forward to visit again next year.
I am currently spending 8 months in Romania and I agree, the villages are the best experience. It’s like being thrown back in time, and so beautiful. You could shoot Western movies in many places here.
Haha, so funny that you mentioned Western movies! But yeah… loved the villages!
I loved the pictures, the colour that they gave to your article. The natural way of sharing your experience captured my attention. Beautiful!
Transylvania is a land of many wonders and the place with the largest cultural diversity in Romania, where for centuries, Romanians, Germans and Hungarians have been living together.
My freind and will be spending the first two weeks in october exploring Romania…your articles have increased our excitement on our upcoming adventure…… Jeff from Long Beach California.
Great to hear, Jeff!
[…] Whether it’s wooden churches and rolling hills in the Maramures region, happy cemeteries in tiny villages, colorful medieval towns with tons of history, or fortresses and castles in the mountains, Romania […]
I loved seeing this. I have visited Romania before. Was this near the castle in Bran?
These photos were taken all over Romania, not just in one location! Most of them were from the Maramures region, and from Transylvanian villages like Viscri.
[…] Scenes from rural life in Romania. The woodcarver’s shop is amazing. […]
Hi Amanda,
I’m an author endeavoring to finish my memoir to be published next year. I wanted to ask you if I could use your url to reference as the site I found today when googling. Your beautiful photos (i won’t reference them as I’m not using them just the url site) swept me off my feet. Much the same way I felt that momentous day in 1975. We visited Bucharest, Brasov and Maramures as well as other cities. I was fifteen when I saw that picturesque scene. Thank you so much. I wanted to share with you what I wrote today. I would also love to stay in touch..:-) Here it goes!
“I don’t exactly remember the route we took to visit Maramures, but I realize now that the rural road we passed had a profound effect on me. Little did I know that I would be lost in a time warp? After all, I unfortunately have no memory of visiting Maramures wooden churches dating back to the seventeenth century. So today I researched on google and uncovered yet another déjà vu. I wouldn’t be offering Romania the justice that she so deserves if I didn’t offer you a peek.”
“We cruised through the heart of Transylvania and uncovered a rural jewel during the Communist era of that time. This section of Romania tugged at my heart like a long forgotten Brothers Grimm fairytale. Yellow and white houses with red roofs and flower-filled wooden balconies mimicked Hansel and Gretel’s. Undulating lush green hills and grazing sheep lay tucked against the Carpathians. Grass-growing valleys dotted with bundled hay shaped like Nestles Kisses and sprouting church spires made me smile. I was lulled into a fairy-tale sleep of hills alive with ringing church bells and horse-drawn buggies.”
“There is no doubt in my mind that the heart and soul of Romania prevailed in the landscape. I witnessed that pulse of life—the ebb and flow of rural Transylvania—where provincial culture survives and embraces medieval manners.”
Warmest wishes and Happy Travels!!!
Carina Sue Burns
Hi Carina! Yes, please feel free to reference my site if you’d like to. And good luck with your memoir!
Amanda, my story will be published this year – will let you know when
I’m looking forward to being able to return to Maramures. Especially in this time of the year, Romania is amazing.
I went to Sinaia. My God I like the architecture, I guess it’s called Brancoveano.
Next time I ant to get me a girlfriend there with Ink black hear and green eyes.
Oh yaaa
Haha, Romanians are quite attractive! Good luck with that goal.
[…] traditional villages. One of the writers of the blog Dangerous Business has traveled to the villages of Romania to capture a breathtaking view of the past, as it still leaves and […]
May I also suggest that you visit the Dobrogea region, you’ll love it! Thanks again.
This is such a great post! I love rural Romania and I actually plan to move there before it all changes. Beautiful simplicity is what it’s all about. You’re a great writer and you captured it well, thank you for this post!
Thanks for the kind words, Sim! Rural Romania definitely is special!
I liked this post so much
I´m going there with friends next october!! Any tips,specific villages,places or regions etc.?
Will the weather be a problem? I apprecciate any help,thanks
I didn’t visit all that many, but I would sugest the Maramures region which is very rural and pretty. I also enjoyed visiting Viscri and its fortified church.
Wonderful photos, and wonderful write-up. But please try to imagine those same villages in winter. Minus 20c or colder, snow 6′ to 9′ or more (some areas have the houses completely covered! Then remember that many do not have running water – this is obtained through a well, or communal spring; and the average bathroom is a bowl in the house, with toilet being a pit dug 15yds or more away from the house. What do you DO in winter?
Very good point, Steve! I”m sure winter in these villages would be very harsh indeed.
if they survived over 2000 years, they can adapt easy, its not like we can’t survive if we don’t have a touch screen button to flush the toilet, Water from well is cleaner and winter is best time.
In Romania we don’t leave in tree or in tent.
Or no one force you to stay in a village where they dont have toilet, can stay in 5 stars hotels or you can go in Germany, France or any other place where they have clean road on top of the mountain, it’s like staying home and watch photos on pc(Same thing)
Romania have 90% of wild animals population in Europe, why? because we dont flush the toilet from iPhone and we don’t eat only fast food.
And i am sorry for my bad english.
As a tourist in Romania, the north of he country if definitely a place to go that you will never forget, but if you go to Maramures which is North-West, you should not miss Bucovina (north-east), same beautiful people and places as in Maramurest, but in the same time totally different in looks, traditions, food and way of living. Don’t miss Bucovina, you will not egret it!
Here is a photo album from Bucovina that I found online: http://www.comunitatefoto.ro/fotografii/tag/Bucovina/
Thanks for the suggestion, Dan! Maramures is gorgeous.
This post just helped me decide my next trip! The photos are amazing and Romania sounds like an interesting place to visit.
Fantastic to hear! Romania is indeed an interesting place – if you go, I hope you enjoy it!
I am so happy that you loved our country. Next time when you visit Romania please come and stay with my family for couple of days. We just bought a beautiful house at the countryside. I can send you pictures from the region where we live.
Thank you so much for the kind invite! I definitely hope to make it back to Romania someday.
Well said! I find myself saying “its like stepping back in time” all too often as well when I travel, but in Maramures, there are no other words that capture the sense I felt when traveling in the region last summer. Visiting Maramures reminded me of my grandmother’s stories of growing up in rural Italy.
For better or for worse, things will probably change, For now, I think those who are looking for a taste of the “old” Europe, should look no further than Romania.
Agreed – there’s really no better way to describe it! And I also agree about telling people to head to Romania if they want a taste of “old” Europe. It’s now one of the top places I recommend to people who want something different than Western Europe!
I’m very glad to see your impressions about Romania and especially about the country side. Indeed there are not so many countries in Europe that still have unspoiled and not so “organized look” . Don’t get me wrong, I like Austria as an example, but for some people there is to much “order”. Dobrogea with Danube Delta, monasteries from Bucovina and Neamt and of course Maramures and so many other places, needs to be discovered and not only by you as tourist but also from us as locals. We have to discover the beauties of our own country, and I feel that this is true also for you for your own country :). Next time you travel to Romania I will be glad to assist you.
Very wise words, Alex! It definitely is important to be able to appreciate the great things our own countries have to offer. It’s been so great to get feedback on my Romania posts from Romanians – it’s wonderful to see people so passionate about their country!
I spent a week in Romania a few years ago and was shocked to find out how much I loved it! We camped out in Botiza, Maramures, intending to spend a night and staying a few more, completely crossing the Black Sea off of our list. Beautiful shots that really speak to what Maramures is like.
Isn’t Maramures stunning? I LOVED the time we spent there, and will definitely be recommending it to anyone going to that part of the world! Glad you hear you had a good experience there, too.
[…] can still find quirky places like Merry Cemetery that nobody knows about. Villages still feel like villages. And the cows still come home at […]
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I keep writing this, I had no idea it was so beautiful there. And so interesting. I wouldn’t want a society to change or stay the same for tourists’ sake, but rather I hope Romanians go the path that fits them best. Looking forward to reading about the cows.
I think there are a lot of misconceptions about this part of the world, and I’m glad I’m getting a chance to address some of them!
(And the cow post should be coming soon!)
loving the villages Romania..& life…….beauty of Nature…….
It’s a very easy place to love, especially if you can appreciate the simple things in life.
I just love villages! Your description tells me so much about India itself, our villages are pretty much similar…
These are beautiful shots of Romania!!
Wish you a happy weekend Amanda:)
I feel like villages all over the world are probably pretty similar to this. But it was definitely interesting to see for myself.
You are right Amanda! All those villages have those simple folks and are pollution free too.
Its always a joy to explore a village.
I’m definitely a city person, but I do love seeing the countryside when I’m traveling. This looks amazing. It’s almost crazy that places like this can still exist so close to modern cities.
That tiled house is both incredibly tacky and really awesome at the same time!
It IS almost crazy! But I’m glad places like this still exist.
And yes, those tiled houses were apparently very popular in the 1970s and are now considered quite tacky. But I kind of loved them!
Omg….that cheese. I am so jealous.
The fresh sheep cheese was so good!
Beautiful shots! I’ve never really thought about visiting Romania, but you might have just put it on my radar.
Awesome! My goal is to put it on lots of peoples’ radars!
Beautiful scenes. I’m sure your experience there is one you will not forget. I would love to spend some time there; I’m sure the people are lovely. I lived in a very rural area of the Czech Rep. and though it wasn’t as back in time as this, it was different, much simpler and slower than what most of us are used to. Moldova is also a great place to see this kind of life.
No, I am definitely not likely to forget Romania anytime soon. The trip was so amazing! Bulgaria was also really nice.
I am very fond of this post of yours. The landscape, the view from the hotel, everything ring a bell to my trip to Romania two months ago. It was much better than I had imagined.
I felt the same way! Romania was way better than I ever could have imagined.
Romania isn’t strictly on our itinerary but wonderful posts like this one make us grab the map & often reconsider where our journey really lies ahead.
You should most definitely consider adding Romania to your itinerary!!! It’s actually really easy to travel through (most people speak English, and the infrastructure is better than you’d imagine), and is absolutely worth it.
As you’re with the tour I guess your taking a coach/bus throughout Romania?
Wonder how much train travel is, etc.
I was on a tour, yes, but we actually used public transport (trains and buses) the whole time – no big coaches for us! However, our guide always bought the tickets, so I’m not exactly sure how expensive they were. Not too pricey though, as traveling through Romania is quite cheap!
price for train ticket?
about 10 euro for 166Km in 2:37h
5 euro for 166Km in 3:39h
(Bucuresti – Brasov two of the most important city)
sorry for my bad english
Thanks for that! (And for the warning about taxi drivers – I was warned of the same thing in both Romania and Bulgaria.)
*and be aware of taxi drivers, they always try to take advantage of tourists
Beautiful pictures, Amanda! I’m just back from Turkey, and visited a lot of small villages in the north of the country. I fell in love with the warmth of the people =) But just like in Romania, things are changing fast, and younger people are opting for change. Fairly so, from their perspective, which means the best time to go back in time is indeed now.
I’ve heard great things about rural Turkey, so that’s very cool you got to experience it! I’m sure it’s similar to rural Romania and Bulgaria — simple way of life and lovely locals.
Wow. Such a different way of life and so beautiful. It makes me want to build a house with my bare hands and live off the earth. But you’re right – it wouldn’t be fair to deny them modern advances for our privileged romantic fantasies. But I hope I get the chance to go and there is still some of this beautiful culture there to explore. Thanks for sharing.
Quite a few times a couple of us on the tour said we wanted to buy a run-down house in the Romanian countryside and retire there. Even with satellite TV and cellphones, it would still be peaceful and quiet!
Am I the only one who looks at the brooms in the last photo and thinks of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”? 🙂
Hahaha, probably not because I thought it, too!
There is something so intriguing and charming about rural Eastern Europe. It’s really neat that you got to spend so much time in the Romanian countryside! Sounds like a great tour for sure!
The tour was fantastic, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to see these countries differently (i.e. not just the big cities). Rural Bulgaria was also lovely, but I especially enjoyed Romania!
Romania, my country, has many enchanting places to visit, big cities or small towns, like the ones you recommended. Maramures is indeed a special part of the country, and we still have many traditions in place here. I like the people dressed in traditional costumes going to church, I like houses and let’s not forget Romanians are famous for their ospitality.
I’m very glad you liked rural Romania – and that you shared your impressions here 🙂
“Enchanting” is a great word to describe your country. 🙂 I loved it!
Rural Romania looks like the place to be. I have always been one who preferred the countrysides than the cities – and these photos describe why perfectly. Great photos!
If you’re a country girl at heart, you would LOVE this part of the world!
That’s me , country girl at heart. I would love to visit for a year or 2. I love the old ways.
Rural Romania looks quiet and peaceful. You took some beautiful photos Amanda!
It is definitely the place to go if you want peace and quiet and some friendly locals. Glad you liked the photos!
Lovely pictures! I’d really like to go to rural Romania now.
Thanks, Rachel! It’s a very easy place to take photos of – it’s so pretty!
Hi, I am thinking of moving to this village I am currently living in Mexico with my husband. We are 25 years old with 2 young kids. Is there a possibility that we can live in the village?
There are photos from more than one village in this post, so it depends on which village you mean by “this village.” Some of the villages in Romania are VERY small. I guess it depends what kind of lifestyle you’re looking for!