Neamt Monasteries Tour - Explore Bucovina

Neamt Monastery Tour

Availability - All year round

Time - 8 hours

Distance - 190 km (round trip)

Group size - from 1 to 7 or private

Price range - 45 - 80 Euro/ person

Book now

Itinerary:

Suceava

With an estimated population of 100,000 Suceava is the largest city and the seat of Suceava County. Once the capital of Moldavia, for nearly 200 years the city of Suceava was the capital of the Principality of Moldavia and the main residence of the Moldavian princes (namely between 1388 and 1565). Today is an excellen starting point to visit the north of Romania, specially the painted monasteries of Bucovina but not only. The town has some noteworthy attractions of its own, Saint George's Church (the monastery of St. John the New of Suceava), a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Bucovina village museum (open air museum), with its valuable old woodend bucovinean houses and traditional items exhibits, and Suceava's main tourist site, is the 14th-century citadel.

Neamt Fortress

Issued from the local society’s necessities, the fortress of Neamtz was build in the period of consolidation of the romanian medieval state on the east side of Carpathians. Along the centuries, the history of the fortress has been tidely combined with the history of the whole Moldavia, for the fortress marked some important moments of this history, keeping on its walls the traces of the days of glory or those of sorrow of the past times.

Neamt Monastery

Is one of the oldest and most important of its kind in Romania. It was built in 15th century, and it is an example of medieval Moldavian architecture. Sumptuous, with delicate colour effects, the monastery shows the maturity of the Moldavian architectonic style, which matured during Stefan cel Mare’s period.

Agapia Monastery

A Romanian Orthodox monastery located 9 km west of Târgu Neamț, in Agapia Commune It was built between 1642 and 1647 by Romanian Voivode Vasile Lupu. The church, restored and modified several times during the centuries was painted by Nicolae Grigorescu, between 1858 and 1861.

Varatec Monastery

Combines elements of the old Moldavian style of the 15th and 16th centuries with foreign influences of the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century.

Suceava

Tour description:

The Neamt - Monasteries Tour is a day tour recommended for those who want to explore not only the beauty and the spirituality of Bucovina but olso the fascinating county of Neamt. In Neamt we have the highest density of monasteries in Romania and the highest number of nuns living behind the monasteries walls, almost 300 nuns in Agapia monastery and more than 300 in Varatec monastery, creating entire monastic villages around the main church. In the Neamt tour we will also discover fine art, several works of Nicolae Grigorescu, the most faimos romanian painter and the medieval fortress of Neamt, which played a key role in the medieval defense sistem of Moldavia.

The Neamt - Monasteries Tour is not only about the monasteries and the spirituality but it will also introduce you in the bucolic atmosphere of the romanian countryside with its charming traditional villages, dense forests, spectacular mountain roads and local craftsmen who preserves ancient traditions.

All this in one single day, 200 km and approximately 8 hours.

Price:

80 Euro/Person

Discount for group reservations:

8 persons - 45 Euro/person
6-7 persons - 50 Euro/person
4-5 persons - 60 Euro/person

Other discounts:

- 50% Off discount for children between 7-12 years old.
- Families with children under 7 years old, will need to contact us for a private tour

What's included:

- Licensed english speaking tour guide;
- Private transportation with modern vehicle (AC);
- Pick up and drop off from your hotel.

Not included:

- Lunch;
- Entrance fees;
- Personal expenses.

Optionals:

Remember all our tour can be customized. At this tour you can add other tourist attractions like:

Slatina Monastery

Slatina Monastery with titular saint day ,,Schimbarea la Fata” is the first foundation of Alexandru Lapusneanu and is situated at 30km from Falticeni, in an especially beautiful place. The history of the construction of the monastery is lost in the haze of time, but the legends say that a hermit who lived here would have advised the ruler Lapusneanu to build a monastery on the place where a maple grew..

The lordly house is a precious example of laic architecture where the influence of Transylvanian Renaissance emphasized. The inside of Slatina Monastery has a quadrangle, irregular shape. The surrounding walls made of river stones with rocks at the corners, have ramparts and guard road. On the four corners there were placed bastions which show the fact that Slatina Monastery was meant for refuge, resistance and defence.

Rasca Monastery

The ensemble from Rasca Monastery situated on the valley of the river heaving the same name, was built on several stages. In 1512 Bogdan the 3rd built the cells, and in 1540 Macarie, the bishop of Roman, together with the chancellor loan and Teodor Bals built the church as a saint’s day “St. Nicolae”. At the order of the ruler Petru Rares, tall and strong walls were built around the church, with crenels and towers, the work being completed in 1542. During 1611-1617, the great governor Costea Bacioc adds an imposing to the exonarthex building, increasing considerably the capacity of the edifice. The internal and external painting of RASCA MONASTERY was done between 1551-1557, the iconographic and compositional plane preserving the initial data especially in the altar (St. Nicolae) and nave (the multiplication of the breads). The votive picture where the ruler Petru Rares is presented together with his family is remarkable.

Secu Monastery

The church of Secu monastery was built in 1602 in the shape of a rectangular city, in the middle of the surrounding walls. In the year 1821 here took place the last battle between Turks and Eteristi. The Turkish won the battle and burned the church. After that, most of the buildings and cells had to be rebuild, together with the chapel St Nicholas. In the year 1832 on the place of the old wooden church a new one is raised. This new church from Secu Monastery is made out of stone with patron The Birth of John the Baptist. The church is a massive construction in the shape of a clover with a big open tower. In the year 1850 the interior of the church was painted and the wall that separates the altar from the rest of the church was remade out of lime tree, covered in gold and sculpted in a Baroque style.

Sihastria Monastery

The first church of Sihastria Monastery was founded in 1655 by Metropolitan Varlaam Motoc, which endowed it also with the monastic cells. In the early eighteenth century, the repeated attacks of the Tartars have transformed Sihastria Monastery into a ruin. In 1734, Bishop Gideon of Roman built a spacious and solidly church which was dedicated to Secu Monastery, located nearby. In 1821 a bloody battle ended with the burning and looting of monasteries nearby, by which also was affected the church of the Sihastria Monastery.

Tour FAQ:

Is this a private or a group tour?

Usually this is a private tour. However if we have specific requests from our guests we can provide a small group tour or a shared tour.

What time do tours start?

The best time to start this tour is 09.00 am, but we can also start at a mutually agreeded time.

Which are the pick-up and drop-off places?

We can pick-up/dop-off you at your hotel or any other point in Suceava city and not only.

How long does the tour take?

The tour takes approximately 8 hours but we can adapt to fit 100% your individual requirments from 7 to 10 hours.

How should I dress?

There is no formal dress code but try to be respectfully and try to cover your knees and shoulders during the visit at the monasteries.

When do I have to pay?

If you book a day tour you don't have to pay in advance. You just have to inform us about the pick-up place and time and you will pay only when you will start the tour.

What currency can we use?

For our tours we accept both Euro and the local currency known as Leu or Ron, but for all the other expences we recommend to use the local currency.

When is the best time of the year to visit Romania and Neamt county?

We recommend taking advantage of any chance to visit us, since each season is great in its own way to visit Romania and Neamt county.