
Maramureş
Why?
Houses and monumental wooden gates, wooden churches, secular traditions, and craftsmen, these are just a few of the attractions that make Maramureş look like an open air museum.
You will be fascinated by a train ride with the old steam locomotive mocăniţa and by the famous Merry Cemetery in Săpânţa. And if you find yourself in this fascinating land don’t forget to discover Ţara Oaşului (the Land of Oaş) and Sătmar, areas filled with castles, citadels, architectural monuments, natural resources with well-preserved traditions and folk costumes.
Maramureş is the ideal destination for a traditional holiday in any season. If you love the wood tradition and if you like to slowly discover archaic villages lost in fairy tale-like scenery don’t miss Maramureş!
We recommend
To take a ride with the steam train down the Vaser valley.
Get lost on the little streets of Breb village.
Go and explore by bike the “Heritage road of Maramureş”.
Visit a sheepfold with a local tour guide.
Participate in a local celebration (Sâmbra Oilor, Hora de la Prislop etc).
Taste horinca and pălinca- both traditional alcoholic beverages.
Taste the local wine made by one of the wineries in Beltiug.
Buy authentic souvenirs from local craftsmen.
Good to know
The Mara–Cosău–Creasta Cocoşului is one of the few destinations that is Eco-tourism certified.
The guesthouses and other tourism operators that received the green certification contribute to preserving nature and the culture of the region.
The tourist info centre in Baia Mare is located at 46 Gheorghe Şincai Street, 1st floor, apartment 20. Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from 09:00-16:00, Friday from 09:00-14:00.
Baia Mare has many bike rental shops. One is located at 3 Victoriei Street. Others can be found in Ocna Şugatag and in some of the eco certified guesthouses from Breb, Deseşti and Budeşti.
Another important tourist info centre is located in Vişeu de Sus, at 22 December Street.
How to get here
In Maramureş you can easily arrive by plane, train, and car due to its proximity to Central Europe.
Air access
If you wish to travel by plane to Maramureş there is an International airport in Baia Mare.
You can also take a flight to Budapest or Cluj-Napoca and then take a train to Maramureş.
Railway access
There are international trains connecting important cities in Europe (Paris, Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava) with Bucharest or important cities in Transylvania from where you can take a connection to Sighetu Marmaţiei.
Road Access
Most people who visit Maramureş rent a car, but you can also easily get around with your own means of transportation. The region is crossed by European road E81. For those of you who prefer transportation by coach you can access the www.autogari.ro website where you can find a bus from almost all main important cities in Romania and Europe.
Have a pleasant trip!
Discover
History and nature have conspired to put Maramureş on the tourism map as one of the most important ethno-cultural Romanian centres. Maramureş is divided into four ethnographic regions, each with its own customs and lifestyles that we encourage you to discover: Ţara Lăpuşului (the Lăpuş Land), Historical Maramureş, Ţara Chioarului (the Chioar Land) and Ţara Codrului (the Wood Land). The northern area is completed by Ţara Oaşului (the Oaş Land) and Sătmar.
Ţara Lăpuşului (the Lăpuş Land) is located in the southern area of Maramureş county and is dominated by the Lăpuş valley that shapes the most spectacular gorges. With its length of 36 km, 25 of them are located within a natural protected area. You’ll be fascinated by the numerous gorges, caves, waterfalls and be able to get a glimpse of the beautiful scenery from many of the belvederes. Those hiking and the extreme sports fans among you will be thrilled to discover many places to enjoy them. Here you can go rafting, mountain biking and even climbing.
The splendour of the nature here is completed by the cultural and folk attractions as the area has been well preserved due to very little tourism traffic. The UNESCO World Heritage Rogoz wooden church stands out, as well as numerous old wooden houses amidst the exceptional country background.
The Historical Maramureş or Maramureş Land occupies the largest part of the county with Sighetu Marmaţiei town as its core. The area, as its name suggests, embodies the essence of Maramureş: rich in folk and ethnographic elements, traditional folk customs that are alive and well today, traditional handmade crafts, original traditional villages such as those in the valleys of Iza, Mara, Cosău, Vişeu and Tisa, spectacular wooden churches, many in the UNESCO World Heritage, wooden carved gates and wooden churches.
As a plus the area surprises with its unique attractions such as the Merry Cemetery in Săpânţa or the unique steam train (mocăniţa) in the Vaser Valley.
Ţara Chioarului is located in the south western area of Maramureş county drawing its name from the Chioar Fortress and the Stone Fortress mentioned since the 13th century. Ţara Chioarului stands out with its rich ethno-folklore and well preserved area with traditional villages such as Şurdeşti, Şişeşti, Negrea, Buteasa, Hovrila, Vălenii Şomcutei, Prislop, and Boiu Mare.
Here the wooden and stone churches are true folk art jewels.
Ţara Codrului is located between the Culmea Codrului (Codru Peak) and the Someş Valley, in the south western part of the county and it is maybe one of the least known and explored areas from Maramureş. This area is filled with customs and traditions, authentic folkart, crafts and traditional occupations such as weaving wickers, glass works in Fărcaşa or pottery in Băiţa de sub Codru. Despite that its name has its roots from the large oak and beech forests, todays rolling hill scenery is dominated by agricultural crops well-maintained by the locals.
The Sătmar region, the gateway to Romania from Hungary, is perfect for cultural and rural tourism, but also for treatment and health tourism. The Codru area preserves elements of traditional architecture very well such as churches, wooden gates, houses and traditional folk crafts. If you have enough time, you can discover the cultural attractions of the region in a circuit that takes you around the ancient fortresses and medieval castles (Satu Mare – Carei – Tăşnad – Ardud - Medieşu Aurit - Livada - Turulung) or the circuit that showcases the monasteries (Bixad – Prilog – Lunca Potăului – Măriuş – Scărişoara Nouă). The presence of thermal and mineral waters complete the charm of this region. Balneotourism can be practiced in places such as Tăşnad or Bixad, both offering treatment and recreational activities.
Ţara Oaşului is one of the most picturesque ethno-folk areas in Romania and is located in the northern part of Transylvania surrounded by picturesque mountain scenery that allures you to go on hiking trips. This area stands out through its original costumes, the specific folk culture of singing and dancing shown in various traditional shows such as Sâmbra Oilor and generally by keeping intact the traditions and customs passed on from generation to generation. The capital of the region is Negreşti-Oaş- a polarizing centre and the starting point of tours to the traditional villages in the area. Don’t forget to visit The Village Museum rich in exhibits that define the lifestyle of the locals: the costumes, ceramics and traditional houses.
Gastronomy
You’ll fully understand Maramureş when you sit down at the table and try the dishes of local cuisine. From the very beginning you’ll find that eating is for Maramureş people a cultural act, that has been incorporated into the collective subconscious since forever.
Significantly different from the other regional more sophisticated Romanian cuisine, Maramureş cuisine, with its old-fashioned dishes, is an eccentric and fascinating blend of traditions and influences, preserved to this day. Maramureş tasty cuisine is mainly based on simple peasant dishes, on ecological, healthy principles, characteristic of a picturesque civilization.
Focused on home-grown organic products and ingredients, the cuisine emphasizes the use of dairy products (cheese, cottage cheese or fresh milk), pork prepared according to traditional recipes (bacon and home-made sausage, tobă - wide pork sausage stuffed with pork jelly, liver, and skin, caltaboş - cooked sausage made from minced pork organs and rice, stuffed in a pig's casing) or freshly picked vegetables from the garden (potatoes, beans etc).
In order to convince you of the special flavor of Maramureş dishes, try some specialties that you will find here: polenta with roasted onion, fried meatballs, polenta with cheese and small pieces of fried meat, sour soup with smoked meat, beef and chestnut sour soup, chicken soup with homemade noodles, “sarmale” (traditional stuffed cabbage leaves), “tochitura maramureşeană” (stew made from pan-fried cubed pork), chicken stuffed with liver and vegetables, “colţunaşi” - dumplings filled with vegetables or jam, and cottage cheese pie.
In addition to the many dishes of Maramureş cuisine, traditional distilled beverages like “pălinca” or “horinca” (plum brandy) come to complete your gastronomic feast. And for the wine lovers among you, don’t miss the special wines from Beltiug vineyard.
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