Transilvania Train is launching the 2018 edition, with 15 traditional workshops and 600km of journey ahead

Transilvania Train will go on next year as well, with organizers announcing the second edition of this train ride will take place during August 22-26, 2018. The participants of this year edition, next to the partners and friend who supported Transilvania Train projec,t got together in the North Station’s Royal Salon on November 21 to find out more about the preparations for the 2018 edition.

„The 2017 edition has been a pilot project, when we tested the relevance of such initiative on the Romanian market. A new idea will always be risky, but we assumed that, as we were eager to change the perception over the Romanian tourism, but also because we wanted to mobilize the audience to get involved in promoting the national values, traditions and culture. The project had an unexpected feedback. We enjoyed the support both of the partners and of the customers who stayed closed to us also after the journey ended,” said Cristian Pitulice, co-founder Transilvania Train, managing partner Globe 365 Travel Boutique, who granted us an exclusive interview several months ago about the first edition of the Transilvania Train.

Transilvania Train 2017 meant a new tourist experience, in a train with three bistro-like coaches, four days of traditional and cultural travel activities, 100 participants, six historical cities, 10 workshops inspired by the Transylvanian Saxon traditions and a series of exclusive music events.

Corneliu Luscalov, a tourist taking the Transilvania Train this summer recounted: “To receive the honour of the Royal Guard of the Alba Carolina Fortress, I am sure you haven’t done it before. To cook traditional dishes in the Sebes fortress is a great honour, to be praised for the results, it’s like a dream. To end this trip with an open-air chamber music concert on a sunny Sunday, on the most popular street in Sibiu, is just superb. To arrive home and to realize that what you have seen in 4 days, some people might not see in a lifetime, makes you not know how to condense days until next year.”

The second edition comes along with lots of good changes, inspired by the organizers’ conclusions after the experience of the first edition, but also by the participants’ impressions.

In 2018, 200 avid travellers are expected to join this special experience, with 5 days ahead to get to know the Transylvanian Saxons’ history and culture. The new tourist package will comprise 15 traditional handicraft workshops.

Besides exploring Transylvania’s medieval fortifications, passengers will attend workshops inspired from the Transylvanian Saxons’ traditional handicrafts, will cook Transylvanian Saxons’ dishes like in the old times and will enjoy memorable concerts and shows, organized on the route. Each of the five days of the journey will have its own topic.

On August 22, 2018, tourists will have the opportunity to know one another and get ready for the route to Brasov. The second day is dedicated to the Haferland region, with participants being able to visit the fortified churches in the area. The day will end with a night walk on the charming lanes of Sighisoara fortress.

The third day is booked for the traditional handicrafts, from tiling to weaving, with travellers exercising their skills next to the locals and popular artists and will find their secrets preserved from one generation to another.

The fourth day will start with a tour of the renowned Alba Carolina citadel and will also include a pipe organ concert at the Evangelic Church in Sebes. The peak of the day will be provided by a unique gastronomic experience, when participants will have the chance to cook dishes based on traditional recipes.

Travellers will explore Sibiu city on the fifth day and we’ll get back to Brasov, but not before stopping by the Fagaras fortress.

“The feedback of the first edition has encouraged us to start working for the second edition next year as soon as possible. We had a lot of questions and requests from young families, which pleased us very much. We are mostly focused on the education and involvement aspects in this project, and the next generations need to know their roots and to cherish the national cultural values,” said Alina Deak, co-founder Transilvania Ttrain, representative Free Spirit Travel.

Transilvania Train is the first 100% Romanian tourist train, set up by the Free Spirit Travel and Globe 365 travel agencies, in partnership with CFR Călători.