Quiet places near Câmpulung Moldovenesc: hermitages, wooden churches, paths

Places of silence, half an hour from the gate

Bucovina holds eight UNESCO monuments and dozens of wooden churches, but this page is not about them. It is about the places no coach ever reaches: the hermitage at 1,200 metres on the Rarău road, the cathedral in town three minutes from the gate, the little church on Corlățeni hill. Coffee in the garden in the morning, a short drive at midday, and back in the evening to the quiet under the trees. For the painted monasteries, with hours, fees and curiosities, there is a whole guide below.

Timpii și kilometrii sunt cei din Google Maps, cu mașina, de la poarta casei. Pentru cele 18 mănăstiri și biserici din Bucovina, cu program, taxă de intrare și curiozități: the monastery guide. Iar despre Rarău ca loc de liniște, nu doar de urcuș: Rarău, the heart of the country.

3 min 1,1 km

Câmpulung Cathedral

The Cathedral of the Dormition, in the town centre, next to the Wood Museum. A ten-minute walk from the house, for a candle at the start of the day.
Take me there3 min · 1,1 km
22 min 12,5 km

Rarău hermitage

The monastery on the Rarău road, on Izvorul Alb, in Poiana Sihăstriei: 12 km from the house, under the forest, with a spring at the gate. The service is heard against the spruces; you enter in silence. On foot, it's the halfway rest on the classic trail to the Pietrele Doamnei.
Take me there22 min · 12,5 km
26 min 13,4 km

St John Jacob Monastery, Corlățeni

On Corlățeni hill, above Pojorâta, at the end of a 1 km road called the Way of Golgotha: it climbs steeply between icons of the Passion, with resting places. At the top, two churches, the old blue wooden one and the new one, and a view of Rarău and Giumalău “as if from the roof of the world”. Welcoming monks. On foot it's a pilgrimage; by car, 4x4 only.
Take me there26 min · 13,4 km
31 min 25,5 km

Moldovița Monastery

The nearest painted monastery: the yellow of Moldovița, the Siege of Constantinople on the south wall, fortress walls and a small museum of treasures. Seen in 45 minutes; go in the morning, before the coaches.
Take me there31 min · 25,5 km
42 min 36,1 km

Voroneț Monastery

The Sistine Chapel of the East: the Last Judgement across the whole west wall, in the blue nobody has reproduced since. UNESCO. Most beautiful in afternoon light.
Take me there42 min · 36,1 km
51 min 40,7 km

Humor Monastery

Smaller and more intimate, without a tower, in red-brown. The watchtower in the yard can be climbed and looks over the whole village. Ten minutes from Voroneț, ideal on the same day.
Take me there51 min · 40,7 km
63 min 56,2 km

Sucevița Monastery

The Ladder of Virtues on the north wall, Sucevița green, massive walls with corner towers. The most fortified of the monasteries. Just over 50 km, but not to be missed.
Take me there63 min · 56,2 km