Jewish Heritage Tour of Romania, Serbia, and Szeged (Hungary)

Itinerary: Bucharest–Peles–Bran–Brasov–Viscri–Sighisoara–Targu Mures–Cluj Napoca–Maramures–Budesti–Sighetu Marmatiei–Sapanta–Satu Mare–Oradea–Szeged–Subotica–Novi Sad–Belgrade

20 May–1 June, 2024

12 nights // 13 days

♦ When Jewish-Hungarian architect Lipot Baumhorn died in 1932, his tombstone carried a list of the twenty-five synagogues he designed. The gravestone is crowned with a bas-relief replica of the dome of the magnificent Szeged Synagogue, which we will visit.

♦ A particular highlight of our journey is the Maramures region in northern Romania. A true fairytale land, Maramures will charm you with its pastoral meadows, lush pastures, haystacks, thatched roofs, and exquisite wooden churches with pyramidal shingled roofs and wood-carved steeples. The vernacular architecture of the pristine villages of Maramures and their bucolic atmosphere will take you back a few hundred years. A sizable Jewish population lived in this idyllic region, the birthplace of both Elie Wiesel and the Satmar Hasidic group.

♦ Along our route lie the sumptuous Carpathian mountains, Saxon villages, Gothic castles, and medieval Lutheran fortified churches. We will traverse multi-ethnic Transylvania, home to some of Romania's most scenic natural beauty, and visit three of its loveliest cities: Brasov, Sighisoara, and Cluj-Napoca.

♦ You can also enjoy Romanian gypsy music, an important influence on klezmer, and walk through the bustling streets of Belgrade and Bucharest – both vibrant, atmospheric, and throbbing European capitals.

♦ Serbia and Romania produce excellent wines from local varietals and boast delicious cuisines. Serbian grilled meats are considered the best in the Balkans, and other local specialties include gibanica (phyllo dough pastries), sarmas/sarmales (stuffed pickled cabbage leaves), duveč (meat or vegetable stew), many regional variations on mamaliga (polenta), and Аmandine (Romanian layered chocolate cake).

GET IN TOUCH FOR MORE INFORMATION