The ultimate tour (3 to 7+ days) to discover Maramureș in depth. The most conservative region of Europe has developed a unique culture with strong traditions and a distinct lifestyle, with their folk costumes, worn on holidays, the dowry tradition, the hay culture, the self-sufficient farming, or the wonderfully carved wooden gates and churches. See its best attractions and meet the locals at their homes, at the food market, or out on the fields; walk through the best hay meadows of Europe; and get off the beaten path.
The tour is starting and ending in Cluj-Napoca (or somewhere else).
Itinerary proposal for the 5-day tour option:
Day 1. Start in Cluj-Napoca. Arrive in Maramures, where you will visit a wood carver and a traditional old house with a dowry room, still inhabited by a local lady, both in Săcel. See the Museum of the Peasant Woman from Dragomirești. Optionally, instead, visit the Ieud Deal (or Poienile Izei) UNESCO church. Visit a plant-dyed rug weaver (an art inscribed in UNESCO intangible heritage). Overnight in Breb or Sighetu Marmației.
Day 2: Visit the Memorial of the Victims of Communism, the food market, and the Elie Wiesel Memorial House. Optionally: the Sephardic Synagogue and/or the Village Museum. Then, visit the Merry Cemetery of Săpânța, Peri Monastery—the tallest wooden church in the world—and, if available, a painted cross maker (or a weaver). Overnight in Breb or Sighetu Marmației.
Day 3. Take a ride with the famous “Mocănița” steam train on Vaser Valley, whose locomotives are burning wood instead of coal. After the train journey, hike to the Horses Waterfall, famous across Romania as being the second tallest in the country. Optionally, instead of training/waterfalling, you can discover more local life/people/villages. Overnight in Breb or Sighetu Marmației.
Day 4. Visit Bârsana Monastery, the most beautiful in the north, and a wood carving workshop. Explore a very special medieval wooden church, virtually unknown. See at Sârbi unique watermills, an alcohol distillery, and a whirlpool, still operating for community needs and run by a family of farmers. Watch a great optical illusion near Budești. Walk a bit around Breb, meeting some interesting local farmers and craftspeople. Overnight in Breb or Sighetu Marmației.
Day 5. Visit Mara trout farm, with its wood architecture and a waterfall. At choice, see the Desești wooden church (a UNESCO site, with the best-preserved paintings). Stop in Baia Mare, in the medieval square, and see St. Stephen Tower. Optionally, visit one of the city’s museums or the impressive new Orthodox Cathedral catacombs-style basement. Drive back to Cluj-Napoca, where the circuit ends.
The tour includes the accommodation with breakfast, the guiding fee, the transport, and all entrance tickets.
You can choose another itinerary or tour length (from 3 days to 7+ days), pick up another starting/ending place, and decide various accommodation and meal options.
For price, dates, and more information, please fill out the form or contact me by WhatsApp or email.
Private tours of Maramures, Bucovina, Transylvania, and beyond 