Village Crafts, 10-Hour Day Trip

Village Crafts, 10-Hour Day Trip, 10 hours, rated 5 across 1 traveller review.

Overview

This full-day trip from Sibiu packs two UNESCO World Heritage sites, a Roma coppersmith workshop and a horse carriage ride into roughly 10 hours. The operator, Agramonia ABF, runs it with hotel pickup and drop-off in Sibiu and a professional local guide.

The route heads first to Brateiu, a village where a Roma artisan family practises the traditional craft of copper processing in a workshop. Travellers watch the craft being worked and hear how the skill has been passed down through generations, along with something of traditional Roma dress and customs. From there the day moves to Biertan, whose fortified church sits inside three circuits of walls and a set of towers, one of which served historically as a so-called marriage prison.

After Biertan comes Sighisoara, an inhabited medieval citadel entered through the Clock Tower. The walk covers the cobblestone streets, the Covered Scholars' Stairway and the Church on the Hill with its frescoes, with a lunch break at a restaurant inside the citadel walls at your own expense. The final stop is Stejarisu, where a rustic horse carriage ride runs through orchards and open countryside before the drive back.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Pickup in SibiuHotel pickup from Sibiu is included, followed by roughly an hour on the road.
2. Drive to BrateiuA further 20 minutes of driving brings you to the village of Brateiu for the coppersmith visit.
3. Biertan fortified churchA 45-minute guided visit to the UNESCO-listed fortified church. The listing marks this stop with an extra fee.
4. Sighisoara citadelAbout 30 minutes of driving, then a 2-hour visit inside the citadel, taking in the Clock Tower, the Covered Scholars' Stairway and the Church on the Hill.
5. Lunch in SighisoaraOne hour for lunch at a local restaurant within the citadel walls. Lunch is not included in the tour price.
6. Stejarisu carriage rideAbout 30 minutes of driving brings you to Stejarisu for the rustic horse carriage ride through the village orchards and surrounding countryside.
7. Return to SibiuA drive of about an hour brings the day trip back to Sibiu.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points will help you get the most out of a 10-hour day that mixes driving, walking and village stops.

• Footwear. The listing recommends comfortable walking shoes. Sighisoara has cobblestone streets and the Covered Scholars' Stairway to climb, and Biertan involves walking through the church and its defensive circuits.
• Pace and stamina. Plan for a full day of approximately 10 hours door to door. There is a decent amount of driving between stops, so be prepared for long stretches in the vehicle.
• Food and drink. Lunch in Sighisoara and all drinks are at your own expense, as are personal expenses, souvenirs and gratuities. Only the one-hour lunch stop inside the citadel walls is scheduled for eating.
• Languages. The tour is offered in Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Romanian and English.
• Village visits. The coppersmith visit in Brateiu is a meeting with a local Roma family rather than a museum stop, and the carriage ride in Stejarisu passes through village orchards and quiet countryside. Both stops are centred on village life rather than on monuments.
• What is covered. Transport in an air-conditioned vehicle, the guide, hotel pickup and drop-off, the Brateiu workshop visit, the carriage ride and the Biertan entrance ticket are all in the price. Fuel, parking and local taxes are covered too.

Common issues. This is a long day with considerable driving and a fair amount of walking, particularly at the fortified churches and in Sighisoara, which has cobblestone streets and the Covered Scholars' Stairway. Lunch, drinks and gratuities are not included, and the itinerary itself flags the Biertan visit and the Sighisoara lunch as extra-fee items, so budget for those on top of the tour price. No traveller reviews of this exact tour were available to draw on for recurring complaints.

Common Questions