Maramures Tour: 2 UNESCO Churches & Merry Cemetery

Two centuries of wooden churches and a cemetery painted in defiance of grief

A full-day tour from Cluj into Maramures takes you across the Carpathian Mountains to two 18th-century UNESCO wooden churches, the Merry Cemetery in Sapanta, and a traditional village home. The route includes lunch with a local family, entry to all three main sites, and a professional English-speaking guide. You can book as a private tour or join a small shared group.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Maramures wooden churches and culture

• Visit 18th century wooden church of Surdesti
• Lunch and short walk in famous village
• Visit 18th century wooden church of Desesti
• Visit Merry Cemetery in Sapanta
• Enter traditional dowry room in villager's house

The experience

The drive from Cluj crosses the Carpathian Mountains and drops into a landscape of haystacks and wooden gates that has barely changed in centuries. Your guide meets you at your hotel and drives a private vehicle or minibus depending on which option you chose. The first stop is the 18th-century wooden church of Surdesti, the tallest of Maramures's eight UNESCO-listed wooden churches, where the interior painting has survived intact. After that comes lunch in the most famous village of Maramures (a meal cooked by a local family in their home), followed by a short walk through the village itself.

The afternoon takes you to the wooden church of Desesti, also 18th century and also UNESCO heritage, which shelters some of the best-preserved interior painting in the region. Late in the day you reach the Merry Cemetery in Sapanta, the unavoidable attraction in Maramures: a place of bright crosses and vivid colors that locals say reflects their love of life rather than fear of death. Before heading back to Cluj, you visit the home of a villager who shows you a traditional dowry room: the textiles and furnishings that once marked a family's wealth and status. The exact order of stops may shift depending on traffic and your interests, and the whole day runs roughly 12 to 13 hours from pickup to drop-off.

What’s included

• Lunch cooked by a local family.
• entry tickets to two UNESCO wooden churches and the Merry Cemetery in Sapanta.
• services of a professional English-speaking guide and driver.
• all transportation by private vehicle or minibus with gas, road tax and parking included.
• hotel pickup and drop-off.

Options for this experience

2 options

Private tourGuide in English or French · Available from 1 Apr 2027Only you and the people in your own booking will be on this tour, with no other travellers joining. Pickup is included.

Shared tourGuide in English · Available from 3 Apr 2027The tour needs at least 3 participants and takes no more than 7. If there are fewer than 3, it will not go ahead, and you will get a full refund or the choice of an alternative date or tour.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 1 Apr 2027

AgesAdult (12 to 90 years) · Under 12: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 7

Live guideEnglish and French

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 18 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Get a Cluj Tour

Is this one for you?Choose the private tour if you want the day shaped around your pace and interests, or the shared group if you prefer to split the cost and meet other travelers: both follow the same route and stops, and both include the guide, the meals and all entry fees.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and French.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What are the two UNESCO wooden churches I'll see on this tour?

You visit the 18th-century wooden church of Surdesti, the tallest of all eight UNESCO-listed wooden churches in Maramures, and the wooden church of Desesti, which holds some of the region's best-preserved interior painting.

Is lunch included, and who prepares it?

Lunch is included and cooked by a local family in their home, in the most famous village of Maramures. You eat with them and take a short walk through the village afterward.

What exactly is the Merry Cemetery in Sapanta?

The Merry Cemetery is an unusually colorful place filled with bright crosses and vivid paintings. Locals say it reflects their love of life rather than a fear of death, and it's the main attraction most visitors come to see in the region.

Do I need to book a private tour or can I join a shared group?

You can choose between a private tour or a shared small-group tour at checkout. Both include the same sites, guide, and lunch. The private option means just your party, while the shared tour combines you with other travelers.

What's included in the price, and what do I need to pay for separately?

Entry to both wooden churches and the Merry Cemetery, lunch with the local family, all transportation, hotel pickup and drop-off, and a professional English-speaking guide are all included. Your personal meals and drinks beyond lunch, and any personal expenses, are separate.