Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sighet. Enchanting as the region is, it's bucolic rhythms won't be around forever, so
prioritize a visit here soon.
ARRIVAL, ORIENTATION & GETTING AROUND
Ta r o m
(B-dul Bucure
@
ti 5;
&
0262/22-1624
) flies from Bucharest to
Baia Mare,
the
main city, on Tuesday (7am), Thursday (4:25pm), and Friday (8:45am). The
airport
(
&
0262/22-2245;
www.baiamareairport.po.ro) is 10km (6
1
⁄
4
miles) from the city at
Tautii Magheraus village; a free shuttle will take you into town. There are also daily
train connections
from the capital and most other major centers, including Cluj,
Oradea, Bra
@
ov, and Suceava; Baia Mare's
train station
is at Str. G
â
rii 4 (
&
0262/22-
0995
). One train per day pulls in from Budapest. It's also possible to catch a train
directly to
Sighetu Marma
$
iei,
near the Ukraine border, although you're looking at a
much longer journey. You can purchase onward tickets at the
CFR
office (Str. Victo-
riei 57;
&
0262/21-9113
).
Maramure
@
is best explored by car, and you are better off having a driver who knows
their way around; the region may be small, but it is certainly not signposted to make
life easy for outsiders. If you need a taxi in Baia Mare, call
Stotax
(
&
0262/953
)or
Gallant (
&
0262/942);
rates are .25
€
(30¢) per kilometer.
All the villages are situated in two valleys in the eastern part of Maramure
@
, occu-
pying a fairly compact region. These are the
Mara Valley
and the
Izei Valley,
both
northeast of the district capital,
Baia Mare,
which is likely to be your point of arrival
in Maramure
@
. Three days in the region, using a car and driver and staying at private
homes in the villages (avoid the larger towns, which have little to recommend them
aside from their small historic centers) will give you ample time. Like the larger towns,
Baia Mare is disappointing; arrange to be met at the airport or station by your driver,
and head immediately for the Mara Valley and beyond (perhaps stopping briefly at
Baia Mare's colorful outdoor market to pick up some fresh fruit, and perhaps a cheese
that you can give to your host as a gift).
ORGANIZING YOUR MARAMURE! EXPERIENCE
For complete peace of mind, contact
DiscoveRomania
(see “Tours & Travel
Agents,” at the beginning of this chapter). Laura Vesa will tailor-make a Maramure
@
holiday for you, arranging transport (about 50
€
/$63 per day) and accommodations
€
€
(20
/$25-$31 per person per day, half board) and incorporating fabulous ex-
periences along the way. You can arrange everything via e-mail, and know that there's
nothing to worry about; she will also let you know about local festivals so that you can
plan your trip accordingly. DiscoveRomania is dedicated to eco-sensible sustainable
tourism, so accommodations are mostly in village homes (three of these are reviewed
below); if you insist on being in a city hotel, ask for one of the options in Baia Mare
or Sighet that are suggested below. Iron out the details of your itinerary with Laura
well in advance since your hosts may not speak English; this won't be a problem if
you've arranged for a guide to accompany you, but if you're doing without a guide, it's
best that your hosts understand all your needs while you're there.
If you leave your planning until your arrival in Maramure
@
, head for the
Mara Holi-
day Travel Agency
inside Baia Mare's Mara Hotel (B-dul. Unirii 11;
&
062/22-
6656;
mara@sintec.ro); on fairly short notice, they'll put together an itinerary and set
you up with transport (70
-25
€
-80
€
/$88-$100 per day) and village accommodations
€
€
(20
-25
/$25-$31 per person per night) in the Iza Valley.
