The Austrians gave the name “Die Buchenland”, “The Land of Beech Woods”, to the North East of Romania.. Historical Bucovina was about twice its present size, but the northern part now belongs to the Ukraine as a result of World War II. What remains is bound in the North by the Ukraine, and in the West by the Romanian region of Transylvania. On the eastern and southern sides is Moldavia.

The name Bucovina may not mean much to many people, but Bucovina, and its brave princes, played an important part in the history of the Balkans during the XV and XVI centuries, and in particular with regard to relations with the Ottoman Empire. The impressive number of churches to be found there, with their fine exterior and interior frescoes, have been preserved and handed down from mediaeval times, and because of their uniqueness and artistic value, were added to UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1993. There is, indeed, no other place in the world where such a group of churches, with such high quality exterior frescoes, are to be seen.

The churches were founded, in most cases, as family burial places of princes and high nobles. Each painter, although following the canonical iconographic programme, interpreted the scenes in a slightly different way. The scenes were first painted on the interior walls, and then extended to the exterior ones. The reasons for such vast scenes were both religious and didactic: to promote Orthodoxy and to educate the illiterate.

When to visit: Most visitors, both foreign and others, head for Bucovina during the relatively warm months, between April and September, or during the winter holidays when the land is covered in snow. These two periods are popular also for the other holiday areas in Romania, not only Bucovina. The presence of tourists can influence the availability of good accommodation, so it is better to take this into account when planning the journey.
In April or even in May it is better to take an extra sweater with you, because the weather can be windy, with temperatures around 9-15° C.
The summers can be very hot, but usually the temperatures are lower than in other parts of Romania, due to the mountains and hills. At this time of the year all the monasteries are full of flowers in bloom.
Even the autumn months could be a good time to travel to enjoy the turning colours of the wooded hills. During winter the cold can be quite intense, especially in the northern part of Bucovina, and our advice is to come prepared with, apart from the extra sweater, also warm boots, gloves and scarves. If you plan your trip by yourself and you want to go during the high season, it is better to book the hotel rooms two or even three months before your arrival. Prices tend to be higher during the tourist season, but the increase is not exaggerated.

Tourist information in Romania: The notion of "tourist information office" disappeared after the 1989 revolution because all the local tourist offices were abolished. The travel agencies created by the private sector took over the role of the tourist information offices. They can provide you with the information and services for organizing tours in Bucovina. Because Romanians themselves increasingly prefer to travel outside Romania, the travel agencies are more specialized in organizing international travel. Local tours have been neglected for many years but are now flourishing again.
During the last ten years of communism, the tourism business did very well, and foreign groups came for cheap spa treatments and the beaches of the Black Sea. The 1989 revolution created confusion in the field, and the reorganization of old state hotels took a long time.
The private sector is now the most advanced, and appreciated both inside and outside the country for the western level of comfort and services.
Tourist information can also be found in the PagiTur, an annual publication of the Romanian Yellow Pages (Pagini Aurii România), as well as in the local Yellow Pages guide (Ghidul Pagini Aurii Suceava Boto[ani). All bookshops sell travel guides, but it is not so easy to find travel guides of Bucovina in the main towns. An exception could be the newspaper stores (called chio[c de ziare).