Maramureş

Maramureş [1] is a region in north-western Romania. The Romanian part of the historical Maramureş is a rather small region consisting of Maramures County and Satu Mare County. Cities Baia Mare Baia Sprie Cavnic — former mining town, now a developing ski resort Sighetu Marmaţiei Vişeu de Sus Borşa Satu Mare Targu Lapus Somcuta Mare Other destinations Vaser Valley Understand Talk Get in By plane The Romanian airline Tarom [2] has daily flights from Bucharest to Baia Mare and Satu Mare. During the summer season, Blue Air [3] has a charter flight from Antalya to Satu Mare. Connections: City Country IATA ICAO Airport Airline(s) Destination(s) Antalya Turkey AYT LTAI Antalya Airport [4] Seasonal charter: Blue Air [5] (resumes 1 June 2013) Satu Mare Bucharest Romania OTP LROP Henri Coandă International Airport [6] TAROM [7] Baia Mare, Satu Mare Busy route Seasonal + Future destination Ø Charter/Seasonal charter # The destination will be ended By train To Baia Mare there are four trains daily from Cluj, three trains from Bucharest and one train from Timisoara. To Sighetu Marmatiei there are two direct trains from Cluj, one from Bucharest and one from Timisoara. Check timetables on infofer.ro. There is also a cross border train from Hungary to Satu Mare, which has some carriages coming directly from Budapest; check for timetable on elvira.hu. By bus There are buses to Baia Mare from cities in Spain, France, Switzerland, the Czech republic and Hungary as well as from major cities in Romania. Check for timetables autogari.ro. By car Get around See Maramures is one the best kept Europe's secrets, the place where the time hasn't moved for decades, a place where the traditions, the wooden art and the human kindness are well preserved. Close to the Ukrainian border, Maramures covers 3381 sq km of valleys, beautiful villages, hills and mountains (up to 2303 m high). On this small surface are preserved over 100 wooden churches (8 of them listed on UNESCO list), a natural reserve also protected by UNESCO, about 60 villages and small towns, the only narrow gauge industrial steam train still in use in Europe, and many other attractions. 1. Sighetu Marmaţiei town with its museums and churches. 2. Vaser Valley where only a steam powered train runs [8]. 3. The wooden churches (protected by UNESCO) in Bârsana, Budeşti, Deseşti, Ieud, Plopiş/Siseşti Commune, Poienile Izei, Rogoz/Târgu Lăpuş and Şurdeşti/Siseşti Commune, erected between XVI-XVIII centuries, in "Maramures gothic style" and painted hundreds of years ago. 4. The Merry Cemetery in Sapanta, unique in the world, famous for its colourful tombstones with native paintings describing, in an original and poetic manner, the persons that are buried there as well as scenes from their lives, today an worldwide known tourist attraction. 5. The tallest wooden church in the world (78 m high, erected at Sapanta, between 1995-2003). 6. Pietrosu Rodnei Natural Reserve, UNESCO listed since 1979, established in 1932, part of the "Rodna Mountains National Park", protecting edelweiss, gentians, marmots, chamois, etc. 7. Maramures Mountains Natural Park, the largest and wildest in Romania, covering 1480 sq km, protecting 1260 plant species, bears, wolves, lynxes, etc. 8. Breb, village adopted by the HMS Prince of Wales (he bought there three old wooden houses). 9. Sarbi Village, group of water powered machines (fuiling and watermills, thresher, alcohol distilleries, whirlpools). 10. Budesti Village, the best preserved traditional Maramures settlement. 11. Horses Waterfall (Cascada Cailor), located at Baie Borsa. You can go up by the ski lifts (operating in the summer as well), and visit it with a short walk (approx 15-20 min). Itineraries Do Textile Study Tour, [9]. Active Holidays organizes a Textile Study Tour in the Maramureș region, which gives tourists the chance to experience specific Romanian embroidery, wool spinning and much more from the region. Tourists are taken to homes where people are still using the looms, and even dyeing their own wool using natural dyes, made from plants, leaves, roots. Apart from visiting Romanian homes where such practices are still live today, participants will have the opportunity to wash and comb the wool, get it ready in yarns, gather plants that will be used for dyeing the wool themselves, spun threads from yarn, practice weaving and take home their own work, and last but not least to make different lace patterns. Alternative activities are offered for spouses not interested in textile work and visiting UNESCO World Heritage sites are included in the package as well.  edit Wooden Culture Tour, [10]. Characteristic for Maramures are the beautiful sculpted wooden gates, the colorful traditional costumes, still worn, and the peaceful, hectic-free life of the people, a piece of lost Paradise. The first attraction of the tour will be Sibiu and the Bruckenthal Museum, followed by Surdeşti Wooden Church and Rohia Monastery, the Jolly Cemetery and Sighet (including a visit to the prison where important politicians and personalities were imprisoned by communists). The Iza Valley with the famous wooden churches, a ride on the newly refurbished steam powered train leads through the big forests will leave you breathless. The tour will end with a tour around Sighisoara's medieval citadel. The whole itinerary and other details can be accessed at the link above.  edit Eat Drink Horinca - strong (>50% alcohol) double distilled fruit brandy. Stay safe Get out This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!