Roural Tours | Why you should Always First

🤔 Why a Road Trip?

Because I love driving (I have over 1 million kilometers covered as a driver and a driving instructor for all categories) 🚙, and the vastness of the Blue Butterfly Land can best be understood through this style of travel. This way, we can socialize and make new friends more easily, remain highly mobile, delve deeper into traditional hamlets and villages, and stop whenever we wish to enjoy spectacular views 🌲, explore a local market 🛍️, savor traditional food 🍲, or simply snap a unique photo in the special light of this region... and life in Transylvania certainly offers unique sights and situations around every corner!

The Blue Butterfly Land is a micro-region in Cluj County, hosting 4 species of Maculinea butterflies, something unique in Europe. This miracle only happens here because two necessary conditions are met: no pollution and late mowing of the pastures in a traditional style. The area stretches on both sides of the Someș Valley and includes hills, meadows, majestic deciduous forests, medieval castles and fortresses, natural reserves and old churches, as well as craftspeople who preserve authentic traditions. The local cuisine 🍽️, reflecting the multi-ethnic nature of the area, is undoubtedly a pleasant surprise for travelers passing through!

We invite you to a day of adventure through this land alongside a guide passionate about nature and rural areas! We’ll explore natural areas with spectacular landscapes 🏞️, visit authentic villages, savor organic local produce, discover ancient customs and traditions, and interact with the locals.

📍 Location

Pickup from Cluj-Napoca or another location in the country (to be arranged in advance).

🚐 Transportation

We provide transportation for travelers and their luggage from the meeting point and back.

🏰 Main Attractions

🏚️ The authentic stone village of Chidea (stone house architecture, churches)
🏯 Dăbâca Fortress ruins – 10th century
🏛️ Teleki Castle in Luna de Jos – 17th century
🏰 Banffy Castle in Răscruci – historical monument
🐟 The Pike Lake (Lacul Știucilor) in Săcălaia
🌿 The reed marshes at Sic Nature Reserve (Stufărișurile de la Sic)
🏘️ Sic – authentic Hungarian village (ethnographic museum, 13th-century Reformed church)
⛪ Nicula Monastery
📜 Political Prisoners Memorial Museum in Gherla
🏙️ Armenopolis – the Baroque city built by Armenians in the 18th century
⛪ The Armenian Catholic Church in Gherla

🌟 Experiences

Explore authentic, incredibly beautiful rural settlements: Chidea and Sic 🏘️🪨🌸
Discover the first planned city in Romania, built by Armenians in the 18th century – Gherla (Armenopolis) 🏛️🗺️
Drive through the Blue Butterfly Land, across forests, valleys, and rolling hills with spectacular scenery 🚙🌲🌄
Enjoy a walk and photo shoot at the reed marshes in Sic 🌾📸📷
Visit castles, fortresses, museums, and historical and architectural monuments 🏰🏛️🏯
Savor delicious local cuisine – homemade, organic products 🍲🍷🍯
Meet the locals and discover their simple way of life 🤝🏡😌
Experience ancient customs and traditions (traditional blouse embroidery, folk dancing, etc.) 🧵💃🕺

📖 Complete Description

We meet at the agreed location 🏁, board our vehicle 🚐, and head toward the Blue Butterfly Land 🦋, in the heart of Transylvania ❤️. Our first stop is the “Stone Village” – Chidea 🏘️, where we discover a childhood world we thought was long lost 🧒💭. Here, every building, including the church ⛪ and the store 🏪, is built from volcanic tuff stone 🪨. We can’t get enough of walking through the streets of this authentic village and snapping endless photos! 📸 Eventually, we leave Chidea to uncover more secrets of this region 🔍.

We make a short stop on a plateau ⛰️ above the village of Dăbâca to admire the ruins of one of the most important Transylvanian fortresses of the 10th century 🏰. The tranquility and positive energy ☀️💫 radiating from this special place recharge our batteries, fueling our eagerness for new discoveries ⚡.

We head toward the Someș Valley 🌳, but after a few kilometers 🚗, we stop again to see the remaining hunting tower of Teleki Castle in Luna de Jos. The tower, overgrown with vegetation 🌱🍃, might captivate both professional and amateur artists alike. We continue our journey—this is a road trip, after all—until we come across a beautifully restored castle, a true gem: Banffy Castle at Răscruci! ✨ We enter for a visit and get a real taste of the era of noble ladies and knights 🤴👸. We marvel at the wide range of artistic features housed in the castle: its interior and exterior architecture, wood finishing, furniture, fireplaces, ceramic stoves, stained glass windows, as well as the castle park, complete with a lake and a fountain 🌊⛲. We pause for lunch to savor the delights of the local Transylvanian cuisine—a blend of Romanian, Hungarian, and Armenian influences 🍽️🍲.

We continue our trip to discover the second-largest reed marsh area in the country (after the Danube Delta) 🌊🐦: the “Reed Marshes of Sic” (Stufărișurile de la Sic) Nature Reserve. Here, we walk along the one-kilometer pontoon 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️ and climb into the suspended watchtower for a panoramic view of the massive expanse of reeds (220 hectares!) 🌿🦆. Once we’ve taken pictures from every possible angle 📸📱, we visit the ethnographic museum founded by a Dutchman who fell in love with dance 💃🕺 and these lands, transforming an old dance hall into a museum. We then take a stroll through the authentic village streets. Once a free royal town under the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus 👑, Sic is sure to surprise us with women dressed in a local traditional costume unique to Transylvania 👗.

Going deeper into the region, we arrive at Transylvania’s deepest natural lake—the Pike Lake in Săcălaia 🌊🐟. If it’s hot outside ☀️, we can even take a refreshing swim in its clear waters, which are the subject of many local legends and tales 📖✨. Then, we head toward Gherla, but before arriving, we stop at the monastery that attracts the most Orthodox pilgrims in Romania on August 15—Nicula Monastery ⛪🙏. From its courtyard, perched on the highest hill in the area 🏞️, we enjoy a wonderful view of the surrounding villages, the Someș Valley, and Gherla 🌅. Legend has it that there is a miraculous icon here, and the monastery is also known for its glass painting workshop, the largest in the country! 🎨🖼️

We enter Gherla 🏘️ and make our first stop at a place that may sadden us but will certainly enrich our knowledge of the region’s communist-era history—the Political Prisoners Memorial Museum 📜. Next, we head to the old city center, which was built by Armenians in Baroque style during the 18th century and was called Armenopolis! We take a guided walking tour 🚶‍♂️🗺️ and soak in the magical atmosphere of the first city in Romania built according to a pre-established plan 🏛️. We’re sure to wonder, “How have I never heard of this city until now?” It’s impressive how well the 40 buildings constructed during the Armenian era have been preserved 🏘️, as well as the Martinuzzi Fortress (built in 1540), which currently serves as a maximum-security prison (the oldest in the country) 🔒.

We take a break for a beer 🍺 or coffee ☕ in the city’s English garden—Elisabeta Park—spanning 40 hectares and home to majestic trees (some of rare species) 🌳🌲, a small lake with rowboats 🚣, and nicknamed the “Little Schönbrunn.” The city is multi-ethnic, where Armenians, Romanians, Hungarians, Jews, and Roma all live in harmony 🤝🌍, giving it a special charm! We also stop by the city’s synagogue, once the epicenter of the local Jewish community 🕍, which numbered around 1,000 people before World War II. We wrap up our Gherla tour and our journey through the Blue Butterfly Land by visiting the Holy Trinity Armenian Catholic Cathedral, the largest Armenian Catholic cathedral in Southeast Europe ⛪✨. Here, we learn about the Rubens painting housed in the church 🖼️!

We then head back to where our trip began... but a few questions keep echoing in your mind 🤔💭: Which area was the most picturesque on our road trip? Was it the wooded hills near Dăbâca 🌳🌲, the reed marshes at Sic 🌾, or the Pike Lake at Săcălaia 🌊? Which village was the nicest: Chidea or Sic...? Or maybe Nicula...? What was the most delicious dish you tried? Armenian hurut soup 🍜, polenta with sheep cheese and cracklings 🧀🥓... or perhaps the local plum or pear brandy 🥃? 🍃🍲