Traditions in Bucharest: Village Museum and Wine Tasting Tour
Description
Ever imagined yourself walking through a medieval village that’s located right in the middle of a city? Join this private tour and discover Bucharest’s Village Museum, a time capsule in the heart of an urban jungle and one of the largest outdoor museums in Europe. Travel through the 18th century provinces of Transylvania, Moldavia or Wallachia and admire unique types of peasant architecture. Next, visit a local Art & Craft shop and see traditional hand-made items like the Romanian national blouse but also themed souvenirs. End the tour in style with a wine tasting and learn the history of local wines while tasting unique Romanian varieties like Feteasca Neagra or Negru de Dragasani. - Learn about Romanian traditions & architecture from a private guide; - Explore the Village Museum: steep-roofed houses, wooden churches, thatched barns; - Admire traditional artisanal blouses, painted eggs, pottery, Dracula souvenirs; - Enjoy 3 local wines along with a plate of cheese & charcuterie
Tour Options
Itinerary
Ever imagined yourself walking through a medieval village that’s located right in the middle of a city? Your first stop is at The National Village Museum - a time capsule in the heart of an urban jungle. This open-air reconstruction of the traditional Romanian village is also one of the largest outdoor museums in Europe. “The architecture of a country is, perhaps, the most accurate expression of its history” (M. Cantacuzino). The Village Museum is the perfect place to discover the authentic Romanian village, with folklore elements and buildings originating from all historical provinces and going back all the way to the 17th century. Your private guide will show you the reef-roofed houses of the Danube Delta, the simple and elegant architecture of Moldavia or Wallachia and the exquisitely wooden carved facades of Transylvanian houses. You can admire steep-roofed peasant homes, thatched barns, log cabins, watermills, windmills, wooden churches, oil presses and many more.
The second stop is at a local art & craft shop, where everything is handmade. You can admire traditional Romanian blouses called “ie”, glass painted icons, exquisite Easter painted eggs from Moldavia, famous Horezu pottery from Wallachia, wooden masks and trinkets from Transylvania. There are also Dracula themed souvenirs, books and traditional sweets such as knot cookies or “chocolate nuts”.
Romania is the world’s 11th largest wine producer with over 2000 years of viticulture tradition. We believe that knowledge of a region’s food and wine is intrinsic to understanding its culture. Thus, the third and final stop is at at a local wine bar. Whether you’re a casual wine drinker or a true connoisseur, you’ll enjoy yourself as you discover the distinctive “terroir” of Dealu Mare, Romania's most famous wine region. Learn about the history of local wines and discover endemic Romanian varieties like Feteasca Neagra or Negru de Dragasani. You’ll enjoy 3 glasses of wine along with a plate of traditional cheese & charcuterie. After the wine tasting the tour comes to an end and you can either choose to spend more time at the wine bar on your own or ask your tour guide for directions back to your accommodation or to the nearby Old Town area.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
For hotel/accommodation pick-up, please select your hotel from the list or type the exact name or address. We offer free pick-up anywhere in Bucharest, within city limits. Your private guide will meet you in the hotel lobby, next to the reception desk. The tour ends in the city center, in walking distance of the Old Town area.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A small amount of walking is involved (less than 1 mile)
- Minimum drinking age: 18 y.o.
Reviews(27)
Our amazing guide took us on a journey through Romania’s past, informing us of different regional architecture and the history of these areas. This was followed by a visit to a local wine bar where we tasted wines made from Romania’s regional grape. Very yummy! Mike was very prompt, articulate and knowledgeable. Great tour, would highly recommend.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m glad you enjoyed the journey through Romania’s traditions — from the unique architecture at the Village Museum to the wine tasting with local grapes. Best regards, and thanks again for recommending the tour!
An excellent insight to living in Romania through the centuries. It was fascinating to see all the different building styles and methods. It's a lovely environment to wander around. Also good to have stalls selling local produce and goods Well worth a few hours visit
Our guide, Mihai Vataselu, is intelligent, personable, knowledgeable, and entertaining. He is one of the best tour guides we have had the pleasure to meet. His knowledge and English skills made our tour of the Village Museum in Bucharest much more than just seeing old buildings. We learned about the area of the country and the how and why the people living there created the homes they did. Mihai selected a boutique winery shop for our last stop where we sampled four delicious Romanian wines and a charcuterie plate of meats and cheeses while learning the history of Romanian wine making and getting to know each other. We highly recommend Mihai as your tour guide
Mihai our host was an absolute pleasure and very knowledgeable about the history of Romania, the life of romanian peasants in the last few centuries, and romanian wine (my girlfriends favourite part of the tour!) I would recommend this tour to anyone visiting Bucharest, anyone with even a passing interest in history and wine will have a great time with this excellent guide. The Village museum itself is a wonderful experience, the centuries old churches were a particular highlight, the artwork adorning it is stunning
A nice experience, since the museum is located entirely outdoors and there is the possibility of visiting the traditional houses. A sore point is that over 50% are closed by padlocks and therefore only part of them can be seen! I report this inconsistency and hope they can be reopened for future users.
Michael was an excellent guide and very knowledgeable. We had a fantastically happy day and will remember with fondest. His passion for Romania was enthusiastic. Thoroughly recommend this tour.
Michael was amazing with his knowledge of the area and was great with our group. He customized our visit to help our gentle walkers see as much as possible
A most beautiful place to spend a day out of Bucharest. Need a good half day to get around it properly. The park next door and the lake is also just wonderful.
The village has several buildings that were a real house from people all over the country. They moved the entire house to this village in order to recreate a real condition. Our tour guide, Mr. Bordan, knows a great deal of the Romenian history. In the wine tasting, we had a opportunity to taste 4 types of Romenian wine.
The guide was very professional, had extensive knowledge about Romanian history and even the Romanians in the group learned new interesting facts. The wine bar was very cozy and the owner/staff are friendly and open. Excellent parings of wine and platers made this team outing a success.
