Top Things to do in Maramures County
What to do and see in Maramures County, Transylvania: The Best Free Things to do
Discover the best top things to do in Maramures County, Romania including Church of the Holy Archangels, Barsana Monastery, Sapanta-Peri Monastery, Poienile Izei Church of Saint Parascheva, Prislop Pass, Church of the Holy Paraskeva, Cimitirul Saracilor, Lacul Albastru (The Blue Lake), VIVO! Baia Mare.
Restaurants in Maramures County
1. Church of the Holy Archangels
2. Barsana Monastery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 315 reviews
Reviewed By Tiberiu_Baranyi - Timisoara, Romania
Near the village of Barsana you will find this monastery ... a place of serenity and prayer open for visitors ... a place that somehow has a positive vibe to it. Overall an excellent place to visit , free for visiting and with free parking .... go visiting on a weekday , during the weekend there is a crowd gathering - some for the service , some just to see this place. Remember , tread lightly you are on holy grounds - so regardless if you are religious or not it is very interesting to see. For those of you interested in wood carving, architecture and arts in general for sure it is worth seeing. Historical values is almost nonexistent since is a fairly newly established monastery ... however it is definitely a must see when you are in the area. Of Course there are souvenir and religious items shops - since visiting is free of charge this a source of income - but also donations are welcome. If you are in the area, definitely stop here - it is a place of tranquility and serenity ...
3. Sapanta-Peri Monastery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 87 reviews
Reviewed By Vladimiramirela - Mississauga, Canada
This monastery is an Eastern Orthodox complex built in the past 20 years and following the rebirth of religious faith in Romania, after the fall of Communism. The monastery complex is dominated by a less traditional church, whose steeple is 78 meters high and which hosts at its lower level the actual prayer hall doubled by a souvenirs store.
4. Poienile Izei Church of Saint Parascheva
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 13 reviews
Reviewed By gerardc834 - Albany, United States
This is one of the famous wooden churches of Maramures. The icons painted on interior walls are well preserved. There is a sign with a full description and history in several languages.
5. Prislop Pass
6. Church of the Holy Paraskeva
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 21 reviews
Reviewed By carolas936 - Marietta, United States
Church of the Holy Paraskeva is rustic church surrounded by a small cemetery entered through a finely carved wooden gate. The church is named after Saint Paraskeva of the Balkans, a 10th century female saint who renounced her family's riches to pursue an ascetic life. The church was built between 1770 and 1780, and is typical of wooden country churches in the Maramureş area, with steeply sloped roof (to shed snow), tall triangular spire covering the bell tower, and stout oak walls. The inside surfaces are almost completely covered in simple but vibrant ecclesiastical murals painted directly on the wood by Radu Munteanu and Gheorghe Zugravul in 1780. Alexandru Ponehalschi painted the icons and iconostasis between 1778 and 1780. Notable pictures include the Crucifixion and old testament stories such as Adam & Eve and Sodom & Gomorrah. The bell tower and the exterior walls of the church were seriously damaged by a lightning strike in 1925, but were repaired; the interior paintings were carefully cleaned in the 1990s. St. Paraschiva's Church is one of seven churches in Maramureş County listed as a UNESCO heritage site. When I visited, I was struck by the peaceful setting of the church and its tree-shaded cemetery as a statement of community faith over the centuries.
7. Cimitirul Saracilor
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 19 reviews
Reviewed By Tiberiu_Baranyi - Timisoara, Romania
In Sighetu Marmatiei there are 2 places full of sadness and bitter memories of the times when Communism was taking over Romania... (and was holding the country in its iron grip for almost 45 years)... that's one of those. This is another Cemetery - and I recommend you visit it before you go to the cemetery of Sapanta - but a very sad one. It was the former Cemetery of the poor in the early XX century , however after 1950 it was used by the Securitate ( the former secret police of Romania) as a place of burial - in unmarked graves or common graves - of those killed in the extermination (political) prison in Sighet. They've been doing this till 1955 and some of Romania's great politicians who opposed the party were buried here in secrecy , to mention a few : Iuliu Maniu (the great statesmen, artizan of the united Romania and enemy of the Communist ), Constantin C. Brătianu and Gheorghe Brătianu (prominent politicians and great minds who got killed by the Communists). Beside the politicians in this cemetery, somewhere, there are the final resting places of the bishops of the catholic church from Romania - imprisoned in the Sighet penitentiary, where they died of (un)natural causes. Communism for Romania was a plague and this Cemetery is a sad memento of the crimes committed and the final resting place of true Heroes of this country, Heroes who gave their lives for the ideal called Romania. The graveyard - since there are potentially hundreds of unmarked graves and several common graves - is surrounded by a hedge that is reproducing the shape of the map of Romania with the shattered crosses inside. This is to remind the visitor that people from all Romania were executed in Sighet prison. If you are in the area it is definitely a place where you shall go for a visit or if you pass by, just stop - even if it is only for a few minutes - and think, just for little while, about what this place represents.
8. Lacul Albastru (The Blue Lake)
9. VIVO! Baia Mare
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 29 reviews
