Via Transilvanica has been featured in TIME‘s annual “World’s Greatest Places” list, a program promoting 100 great destinations worth visiting in 2024.
“Active travelers curious to discover Romania’s primeval forests and its slow ecotourism should set their sights on the new long-distance Via Transilvanica, a trail crossing the country diagonally from Putna Monastery in Bukovina to Drobeta-Turnu Severin by the Danube,” TIME magazine says in his presentation describing Via Transilvanica.
“Inaugurated in October 2022, the 882-mile hiking, cycling, and horseback riding pathway was founded by Romanian NGO Tasuleasa Social to revitalize more than 400 secular communities sidelined by depopulation and economic constraints. Dubbed “the path that unites” for its focus on community, the project brings travelers through traditional villages living off the land, welcoming backpackers reveling in wild, Transylvanian charm,” the magazine further points out.
“Our project couldn’t have missed out precisely because it is a true ambassador for Romania that aims to revitalize time-forgotten villages, offering unique experiences in communities with diverse traditions, history and culture.
We are honored to appear on the same list with iconic places around the world such as Cortina d’Ampezzo, La Maison Rabelais or Angama Amboseli, Kimana Sanctuary in Kenya.
First of all we would like to thank our friend Monica Suma for the nomination and for making it possible for this unique European project to appear on the list. Via Transilvanica supports rural, sustainable tourism while promoting volunteering and attracting more and more hikers from abroad.
If we have managed to be one of TIME’s “World’s Greatest Places” selected this year, we believe you can be proud of this achievement and spread the word,” Via Transilvanica says in a Facebook post.
Starting autumn 2023, a large part of the Via Transilvanica route has been available in Street View panoramic images on Google Maps, with almost 900 kilometers of the road being available digitally by anyone in the world with an internet connection.
Via Transilvanica is the project of the Tășuleasa Social Association and represents a long-distance route, a concept known and encountered throughout the world, whether it is pilgrimage roads, such as El Camino, or natural routes, such as the Appalachian Trail.
The route starts from Bukovina, from Putna, ends at the Danube, at Drobeta Turnu Severin and passes through 10 counties: Mehedinți, Caraș-Severin, Hunedoara, Alba, Sibiu, Brașov, Harghita, Mureș, Bistrița-Năsăud and Suceava.