Romania travel: Five day trips from Bucharest

Within a few hours of the capital or less, visitors can discover traditional crafts, a landscape of mud volcanoes, a historic palace, and one of Romania's best-known mountain resorts. Here is a selection of five destinations to try as one-day trips from Bucharest. Piscu School Museum and Workshop Set in a former village pottery, the Piscu School Museum and Workshop is a cultural and educational hub.

Founded by art historian Adriana Scripcariu and sculptor Virgil Scripcariu, the initiative grew into a venue bringing together cultural heritage, contemporary art and ceramics. Launched in 2007, the project began by researching local heritage and sharing those discoveries with the community, with a focus on children. Nearly a decade later, the project of a new cultural space to exhibit artefacts, receive visitors, and host cultural and educational events, emerged.

Built with the help of volunteers, the venue combines the area's pottery tradition with contemporary architecture. In 2022, it received a Europa Nostra Heritage Award in the Education, Training and Skills category. Their offering this summer has included pottery workshops, ceramic painting and linocut printmaking workshops, an exhibition of linocut prints from the designs of the Via Transilvanica milestones in Șona by painter Ștefan Câlția, and the garden of sculptures by Virgil Scripcariu.

The venue, open on selected dates, is located in the village of Piscu, in Ciolpani commune, in Ilfov county. Photo by Laurian Ghinitoiu, courtesy of Muzeu Atelier de la Piscu Comana Comana, a village in Giurgiu county about 40 km south of Bucharest, offers nature, history, and outdoor activities. At its heart lies the Comana Nature Park, a wetland known for its rich biodiversity, birdwatching opportunities, and scenic waterways.

The more active types can enjoy here the various activities offered by the Comana Adventure Park. Those interested in traditional crafts can explore the Paper Mill and the Crafts Village Complex, developed by the Paper Mill Association (Moara de hârtie). The project grew from a small workshop-museum, dedicated to old book-related crafts, which was inaugurated in 2011.

Building on the enthusiasm of visitors getting acquainted with the activities there, the team of the association decided to open a small village dedicated to Romanian traditional crafts. The complex consists of ten creative wor…