Welcome in Breb!
We hope that Babou gives you the peace and lots of relaxing. Sometimes there is nothing better than to do nothing at all 😉
If you want to explore, here are some ideas though!
Breb, the village
Breb is a wonderful and special village within the Maramureș. Because of its setting in a valley and away from the main road, it has a spacious yet intimate feeling.
Wandering around can be a full day experience. We advice you to go off the main roads now and then. You will find there are many small foot paths everywhere, also in the grass, to be explored. You are very allowed to go anywhere! You can also follow the “blue C” route, which takes you around Breb(see “short walks” You’ll most likely find the villagers of Breb extremely friendly and happy to help you if you’d get a bit lost. The village has about 1000 inhabitants and 500 houses, 3 main churches( one of the wooden ones dates back to 1531!), a few bars, a few shops, lots of distilleries, a village house and a school. In the garden of a craftsman/woman you will fin a wooden sign indicating the specialty of the craft; you are more than welcome to visit them.
Of course there is way more to discover for yourself. Have a look on the map inside and explore away 🙂
Of course you can ask us anything. We like to help and answer any questions you might have. Enjoy!
Things to do outside Breb
☼Visit the country side and explore some of Maramureș finest villages. Besides Breb, other nice villages are Budeş ti and Sărbi in the Cosau Vally, Harnicesti and Mara in the Mara Valley( explore the smaller streets away from the main roads!) and the villages of Slatioare, Glod and Botiza in the Iza Valley.
☼Maramureş is famous for its wooden churches. In historical Maramureş ther are 5 churches with an UNESCO World Heritage status and they are located in Budeşti, Deseşti, Bărsana, Poienele Izei and Ieud. Other very nice churches can be found in Breb, Calineşti, Sat-Şugatag and Mănăstirea and in almost all the other villages you will find these wooden churches. They can be visited when there are services. At other times you will have to look for the keeper of the key; sometimes you will have to ask around the people near the church or you might find a telephone number attached to the church.
☼One of the most beautiful of Romania can be found in Bărsana. This wooden complex, constructed in the nineties on the place of an old monastery, had become a pilgrim destination for many Romanians. You can wonder around all days. On Sunday morning you can attend an often impressive service, which will be held outside in the summer months.
☼At local markets, they do not only sell products, but it is also a meeting place for locals. Every Thursday morning( between 7 and 12) there is market in Ocna Şugatag, on Friday mornings in Bărsana(just past the monastery) and on Saturday mornings in Botiza. In Sighetu there is a daily (food) market.
☼Have a picnic on top of the mountains above Sat-Şugatag(not Ocna-Şugatag). Drive there via Hoteni and about 200 meters before the church in Sat-Şugatag you will find an asphalted road on your left. Follow this road all the way to the end( about 10 minutes). |On a sunny day it is the perfect place to eat, drink, play football or just enjoy the views. Also a very nice place for a picnic is towards the small monastery of Budeşti. Once you’ve reached the center of Budeşti, there is an indicator next to the town hall directing you to the monastery. Beautiful forest road, little streams and shade.
☼Sighetu Marmatei is the main town of the historical Maramureş. In this pleasant little town you can find the famous Memorial Museum, an open air Village Museum, the Elie Wiesel House, some good restaurants( such as Casa lurca de Calineşti, right next the Elie Wiesel House), a daily market and some bigger supermarkets like Kaufland and Lidl.
☼In Săpânţa you can visit the famous Merry Cemetery. While you are there, check out the Peri-Monastaery, which supposedly is the highest wooden structure in Europe.
☼If you’d like to swim, or have a bath in salt water, visit one of the many pools in neighbooring Ocna-Şugatag. We suggest the sweet and salt pools attached to the restaurant Lacul Sarat which is right next to the big sweet water lake or the small saltwater lake a little further up. Easiestway to reach these is to take the small road to Hoteni, take a right at the end after about 2 km in the sharp turn to the right, go straight on the unpaved road towards Ocna.
Near Mara there is a swimming pool opposite the trout farm/restaurant Alex with a superb view.
☼Vişeu de Sus is the location f the famous “mocanita”steam train. This train leaves normally at 9 am, so with a car you ought to leave around 7 am to be there on time to buy your tickets.( route: Calineşte-Bârsana-Bogdan Voda- Vişeu de Jos- Vişeu de Sus)
☼Go off road into nature on horse back with “Casa Pascu”in Budeşti, where you can go on guided trips in the surrounding fields and forest( best to make a reservation) +40 742 304 495
☼Baia Mare is the capital of the Maramureş. There is a beautiful restored medieval square, some nice museums and lots of options for eating and drinking.
☼Visit Ukraine! Lots of nationalities do not need a visum for Ukraïne anymore. Feel the atmosphere in the villages just across the border, drink a Ukrainian beer, buy cheap groceries or Ukrainian vodka or cognac. You can also visit the salt baths in the village just across the border . Or drive to the nearest city, which is Rakhiv. The border crossing is in Sighetu Marmatei at the end of the main street at the right.
If you do not have a car, you can visit most places by public transport or, much faster and more convenient: go around by hitchhiking( very accepted and safe, where it is polite to offer the driver some money for gas)
Also you can rent a bike in the village.
Walking and Hiking
There are several possibilities for shorter and longer walks, starting from Babou. ( coördinates of the campsite are: 47.746 23.893 )
Short walks:
☼Blue C( 60-75 minutes): this is a circular route around Breb. You can find the blue C just right outside of the gate, on the electricity pole next to the house. This is an easy one, where you won’t get lost!
☼A walk to Hoteni( 45-60 minutes one way) Exit Babou to the left, follow the blue C until you cross the water where you will see a red C indicating Hoteni, going to the left.
☼You can wonder around the fields( 15 minutes-as long as you desire): enjoy the views, see people working their lands. The easiest way to go there is to take a left outside the gate, go straight at the corner, and follow this path for about 10 minutes and from there you can go left or right along paths or just through the fields. Be as adventurous as you like! 🙂
☼Just go around the village. Follow the paths and just wander around. You will meet and see many nice people, see many nice houses and enjoy many nice views
☼Miller’s lake(Lacul Morǎrenilor) (75-90 minutes)
The nearest red cross can be found when you exit Babou to the right, follow the path to the intersection and take a right here. Follow the path until you find a information panel and some red arrows that take you to this beautiful lake in a protected area. ( Coordinates 47.718 23.860)
Longer hikes
☼Mount Gutâi/Rooster’s Crest( Creasta Cocoşului)(6-7 hours) Indicated by a red C: this is the famous hike up to the incredible Roosters Crest on mount Gutâi. The walk takes you into the protected nature reserve, so be prepared and take some food and water!. The nearest red cross can be found when you exit Babou to the right, follow the path to the intersection and take a right here.(Coordinates 47.704 23.841)
Option 2( 4-5 hours) is from the passe above Mara, when you have a car.
Follow the road to Hoteni, take a left, and again a left on the end. Go through Mara and up the passe. Above (Coordinates 47.699 23.780)you can park, and you will find a footpath to hike towards Roosters Crest. (Coordinates 47.704 23.841 )
☼Red C’s : There are several red C’s in Breb and the area. Officially they are meant as biking routes, but lots of them are very suitable(or even better ) for walking. From Breb there is a nice route towards Mara( about 2 hours one way), although indicators are missing and you’ll have to use GPS or your instinct 😉
From there you can walk back the same road, or take a big loop towards Deseşti and Hǎrniceşti and back to Breb( ad 3-4 hours) or just hitch a ride!
For other Red C routes, see leaflet “the joy on two wheels”near the reception and hostel.
#When walking further into the fields away from the villages, you might meet sheep herds, accompanied by sometimes not so friendly dogs. Best thing to do is walking around in a big loo, or get the attention of the shepherd. He will control them then.
You could always borrow a high frequency dog repeller. This harmless device will scare the dogs away, so you can enjoy your walk and be safe 🙂
Animals and wildlife
On mount Gutǎi, in the forest and in the surrounding areas, there are wolves, bears, lynx, boars and deer to be found as well as many other species. These bigger animals are rarely seen and will want to hide from you as soon as you are being noticed.. Just make a sound every now and then, so they can hear your presence. Or not, if you wish to meet them( with respect please)
Eating and drinking
There are several options for eating and drinking out. In the village there are some local bars where you can have a drink, and also in most shops you can get a drink as well.
For food, we have the best neighbors we could wish for. Local 148 is where Irinia and Radu (+40745201654) have a cozy garden, where you can eat local traditional and international dishes as well as a delicious breakfast, coffee or other drinks.
There is also “Breb &Butter”, which serves traditional meals(+40740260697) and drinks. You might have seen their blue signs through the village, they are about 300 meter walk away.
Next to Local 148 there is “Casuta Bunicilor”( take a left, walk past Local 148 and there is the place on the right side) for local traditional food.
Reservations are not always necessary, but if you want to be sure, call them or walk past to make sure there is room.
Further out of town, I’d recommend you go visit Mara. There is Alex(+40749990042), a huge restaurant with trout-ponds, so they are famous for their trout. They are located at the end of the town on the right side, just before the passe. Also in Mara there is a really nice smaller restaurant, “Bica Haiducu” (+40740781905). They serve superb local traditional food. Definitely worth the ride! Located right before Alex, on your left side.
In Sighetu Marmatei “Casa Iurca de Calineşti” which serves local traditional dishes in their cozy garden. If you are looking for more international food, check out “Grădina Morii”(+40 372 721 210)on the south-western side of the village. They have a beautiful big garden with a little playgarden for the kids.
Enough cool places to check out, and we might know more and more, since there are too many to choose!
Pofta buna!
Groceries
There are some shops in Breb where you can buy your basics. They are usually open from 8 am to 9 pm. There is a Profi in Ocna-Sugatag for a more broad selection, or you could go to Sighetu.
If you have more questions, do not hesitate to ask!