Winter holidays in Maramureș

Northern region of Maramureș is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Romania.

Daniel Onea, 22.12.2022, 14:00

Outdoor
performances, spectacular firework displays and Christmas fairs are all on
offer these days in Romania’s cities. In the countryside, however, the
atmosphere is completely different. Maramureș, in the north of the country, is
one of the most popular regions with tourists, owing to its picturesque
atmosphere and old-world charm. The area is also becoming a popular skiing
destination, with the resorts of Cavnic and Borșa providing facilities for both
beginners and advanced skiers. Whether they come for skiing, walks or rides in
horse-driven sleighs, visitors will be well catered for.

Edit Pop is the
head of the Eco Maramureș association, whose activities are aimed at promoting
responsible tourism, while providing an exciting experience. She tells us more:

Maramureș is
very rich in tourist offers. When we think of Maramureș we think first of all
of traditions and traditional villages, as well as of activities taking place
in nature and which have kept nature almost intact. During winter, we can speak
of walks around the village, rides in horse or dog driven sleighs, as well as
horseback riding. Maramureș is also a skiing destination. Not far from where we
are now there are ski slopes in Cavnic and Mogoșa, but there are also others in
the Borșa area. Cross-country skiing can
also be practised, but this requires special equipment.

The local,
family-run guesthouses in the region also provide their guests with
transportation to visit nearby villages, important churches in the area or to
one of the live demonstrations of local crafts organised for the benefit of
tourists, and which usually end with a small party with music and a sampling of
local dishes and drinks. Edit Pop from the Eco Maramureș association says
handcrafted objects are in high demand at this time of the year:

There are signs
pointing to the artisans’ workshops so tourists can easily find them. Tourists
can thus watch as the famous Maramureș gates are being carved out of wood. I
recently took a group of tourists to watch just such a demonstration. Others
make the little decorated bells, which are typical of this part of the country.
We also organise visits to see traditional technical installations such as the
water mill used to process wool, as well visits to traditional households where
tourists can watch the women weave and stitch. Tourists are encouraged to have
a try themselves.

A stay in a 3-daisy guest house located 46 km
from the Maramureș
International Airport and 25 km from the Maramureș Village Museum will cost 890
euros per person over 24th to 28th December. Decorated in
a rustic style, with large rooms, and a splendid view over the Gutâi Mountains,
this kind of guest house, some of which have their own trout farms, can be the
perfect choice. And if you happen to be in these parts for the Christmas
period, you will have the chance to experience one of the oldest folk customs
known as Viflaim, a kind of theatre
performance inspired by the Bible in which young men wearing masks will go
carolling around the village. Edit Pop says the period around New Year’s Eve is
also characterised by lots of traditional customs:

Romanian
tourists come to Maramureș for its traditions and customs. People also go
carolling around New Year’s, which lends an atmosphere of celebration to the
villages. Lots of festivals are organised at this time of the year. On the 27th
and 28th of December, for example, Sighetu Marmației is home to a festival of winter customs and
traditions where visitors can see many traditions from different parts of Maramureș and beyond. It’s hard to say what
tourists like best, it depends on personal preferences as well, but we always
have positive feedback when people have a chance to experience life in a
village and find out about the story of the place itself. They like
experiencing life in the countryside not in a museum, but by seeing what
actually goes on in the village, the customs and traditions that are still
alive.

To book a
holiday in Maramureș, you can go to the website ecomaramures.com. Edit
Pop, from the Eco Maramureș association,
also recommends using the mobile phone app of the same name, which is free of
charge, and can be found in the Android or IOS stores:

Both the app
and the website provide detailed information about the activities available in
the area, including facilities, experiences, tourist attractions, protected
areas, outdoor activities, village events and artisans. All this information is
made available for tourists and we even created 2 and 3 day modules called The
Stories of the Places: the Story of the Hay-Making, The Story of Wood and the
Story of Wool, which are in fact tourist packages. They are designed for a
visit of two or three days and can also be combined. Tourists will always find
interesting things to do in Maramureș and will go home with a bag full of
experiences they will not easily forget.

The mountains of
Maramureș are already covered in snow and more snow is expected in the hills
at the foot of the mountains, which will surely make for a dream-like Christmas
setting.