Suceava
The old capital of Moldavia and the base for the painted monasteries. Not a beautiful town, and the right one to sleep in.
- Best for
- A base for Bucovina, and medieval Moldavian history
- Suggested time
- One or two nights
- Getting there
- Suceava has an airport and a mainline station, which is why the monastery routes start here
What there is to see
In and around Suceava. Filter by what you are interested in.
Voroneț Monastery
The most famous of the painted churches, and the one that gave a colour its name. Its west wall carries a Last Judgement painted across the…
Sucevița Monastery
The last of the painted churches and the most heavily fortified — a monastery inside real defensive walls, carrying a Ladder of Virtue thirty-two rungs high.
Moldovița Monastery
Gold and deep blue, and a siege scene that is officially about the year 626 and unmistakably about 1453.
Putna Monastery
Stephen the Great's own foundation and his burial place. Not one of the painted churches — which is the first thing worth knowing about it.
Humor Monastery
The smallest and quietest of the main group, in reddish-brown rather than blue, with an open porch and a defensive tower beside it.
Suceava Fortress
The seat fortress of medieval Moldavia, on the ridge above Suceava. It held against Mehmed II — the sultan who had taken Constantinople twenty-three years earlier.
Marginea Black Pottery
A village where the pots come out of the kiln black, because the fire is starved of air on purpose. The workshops are working ones, not…
The background
Be clear about what Suceava is for. It is not a pretty town — it took the twentieth century full in the face and shows it — and almost nobody comes here for the streets.
It is the base. The painted monasteries are scattered across the countryside to the west with no single village big enough to hold visitors, and Suceava has the airport, the station, the hotels and the car hire. Sleep here, drive out, come back.
What is actually in town
The seat fortress on the ridge is the real thing and deserves a couple of hours. Moldavia’s capital moved here at the end of the 14th century, and this is the fortification that made that possible — including the year it held against Mehmed II.
The Church of St George, on the UNESCO list with the painted monasteries, is in the town itself, which surprises people who assume the whole group is rural.
How long
One night if you are driving the monasteries in a single day and moving on. Two if you want to do it properly, which most people who get here wish they had.
Prefer to have the route organised for you?
Guided private trips and custom itineraries are arranged externally, with a local driver-guide.
View private tours