Guided Maramures Tour: wooden churches and traditional crafts

Detailed tour information

Day 1 of your guided Maramures tour

You will meet your guide in Cluj and set on the road to the historic region of Maramures. First stop will be at the highest old wooden church from the region, in Surdesti.

You will then arrive to the picturesque village of Breb, the base for this tour, and set on foot to the neighboring village. This way you will see farmers working the fields, traditional wooden houses and the natural whirlpool washing machines locals use.

Day 2: The Merry Cemetery, Communism Victim’s museum and a horse-drawn carriage ride.

You will have several fascinating experiences on this day. The first will be to walk in a cemetery full of lively decorated funerary crosses, namely the Merry Cemetery in Sapanta.

Then you will walk in a prison where communists detained their political enemies, now turned into a museum, in Sighetu Marmatiei. There you will also visit the house of Elie Wiesel, a local Jew who received the Nobel Peace Prize and who survived the holocaust.

To brighten the day you will take a horse-drawn carriage ride in the countryside to experience how locals commute off-road.

Day 3: The steam train from Viseu and craftsmen

You will experience a ride with the only fully functional narrow-gauge steam train in Europe which travels deep into the spectacular Vaser Valley.

On the way back you will pass by the wonderful monastic complex in Barsana and a jolly wood carver making impressive traditional wooden gates and finely carved objects.

Day 4: Locals in traditional clothes

Ideally the last day (or at least one of the days) of your guided Maramures tour should be on a Sunday or a major religious event so you can go to church and see locals  dressed in traditional clothes.

You will visit one more wooden church, in Desesti, with the best preserved interior painting. Then, on the way to Cluj, if interested, you can stop by the mineralogy museum having outstanding exhibits.

Unless you fall in love with Maramures and want to stay longer, in late afternoon you'll arrive in Cluj from where you can continue your journey.

Interesting activities and places you can also include in this guided tour of Maramures

The above program can be easily adapted to your preferences.

Depending on the time of your visit you can consider extending your Maramures tour by including some of these activities:

• Traditional events and festivals: like celebrating the best farmer or milk-measurement  in May or summer traditions in August
• Visit a sheepfold and learn how shepherds live and how they make cheese
• Mow hay with a scythe and pile a haystack, from May to August
• Learn pottery basic from a local potter
• Visit local plum brandy (horinca) distilleries and learn how it is done in this region
• Hike on the wonderful mountains surrounding the region
• Have a day trip to Ukraine
• Picking porcini mushrooms and berries
• Visit a local market and see how locals trade animals, grains and goods
• Learn a traditional craft  like weaving, wood carving, making wicker baskets or hats, by spending time with a local artisan