The traditional Villages of Maramures

Itinerary: Budapest – Oradea – Satu Mare – Maramures villages 
Duration: 4 days 
Best way of transportation: car or train and car

» Day 1: Budapest – Oradea – Satu Mare (238 miles/ 384 km)
Leave Budapest and travel to Oradea (4 hours by train). Rent a car in Oradea or hire a local guide. Travel northeast to Satu Mare. Overnight in Satu Mare. Sightseeing in Satu Mare: the impressive Secession buildings in the Great Square.

» Day 2: Satu Mare – Sapanta – Botiza (94 miles/ 151 km)
After breakfast travel east to the village of Sapanta. Sightseeing: the Merry Cemetery. Continue 12 miles east to the town of Sighetul Marmatiei. Discover Maramures’ villages such as Vadul Izei, Barsana and Botiza. In Barsana visit the workshop of master wood-carver Toader Barsan, who represented Maramures at the 2001 Smithsonian Festival in Washington, DC. Observe rural life, the traditional costumes still worn by the villagers, and the specific architecture. Overnight in a Maramures village

» Day 3: Botiza – Oradea (177 miles/ 285 km)
Sightseeing: some of the area’s wooden churches: Poienile Izei – famous for its representation of Hell on its main door, Ieud – featuring the oldest church in the entire region, Bogdan Voda and Surdesti – the tallest wooden church in the world (steeple 160 feet high). Ovenight in Oradea.

» Day 4: Oradea – Budapest (155 miles/ 250 km)
Take the train or drive from Oradea to Budapest. This itinerary can be extended with one or two days to include the Painted Monasteries in Bucovina.

Itineraries maramures, romania, travel