Intro

Maramures is a pictoresque region of Romania as well as a county with Baia Mare as capital.

Almost half the surface of the county is occupied by the Gutai, Tibles and Rodna Mountains with its tallest peak Pietrosul (2303 m). You can almost reach the summit of Pietrosul by foot from the small town of Borsa in less than a day. The scenery is nothing short of fantastic and there’s also a small small lake shaped almost like Romania near the top.

The Tisa River, which makes up the border with Ukraine, is crossing the region as well as its affluents such as the Iza, the Mara or the Viseu.

Location

Maramures is located in the northernmost part of the country, where you hang the map of Romania, so to say.

Getting to & around

Getting to Maramures is somewhat of a problem.

Reaching the region by train from Bucharest takes up to 14 hours. A better solution would be to get by plane to Cluj from abroad and take the train from there. This way the train ride will take just a couple of hours. 

Maramures is just as remote by road and reaching it from Bucharest takes just as much time as it takes reaching it by train. The rural areas have few roads that are troublesome for drivers with the exception of horse-drawn carts and walkers.

Attractions

The accessibility of the region is a problem as stated above but it has also been an advantage since Maramures wouldn’t have been as charming as it is now if not for its remoteness.

The region is known for its centuries old Romanian traditions, well preserved in the rural areas. Woodworking is one of such traditions, Maramures being home of impressive wooden churches, houses and gates.

Some of the main attractions are:

• Baia Mare – the city;
• Sighetu Marmatiei – the city, home of a famous Communist prison now museum;
• The Rodna Mountains with its Pietrosul peak (2303 m) – accessible by foot in less than a day from Borsa;
• The Wooden Churches, Houses and Gates of Maramures;
• Hiking the mountains through fantastic scenery;
• The Merry Cemetery of Sapanta – 15 km northwest of Sighetu Marmatiei, south of the Tisa River; famous for its colourful and cheerful tombstones with paintings representing scenes from the life of the buried persons as well as poems depicting their lives and the way they’ve died in an upbeat manner; the cemetery is now an open-air museum and a tourist attraction.

Accommodation

Please visit our page of Baia Mare hotels to get further information on Baia Mare accommodation or to comment or rate a specific hotel.