In the far north of Romania, nestled in a valley below a long-extinct volcano, lies the little village of Breb, in Maramures County. We first came to Romania, Maramures and Breb in May 2015 and fell in love. Today, we are still unable to fully call it home due to visas and officialdom, but to us, it feels like home. It’s the place that after 50+ countries and 6 years of full-time travel, we really want to be. We lived in Breb for three years, some of the best years of our lives.
Beautiful Breb in the north of Romania. Summer, freshly made haystacks and green fields.
So here, a brief glimpse of life in Breb, 2 Easters, 2 Christmases, 2 harsh winters and 2 glorious summers, absorbing the stunning countryside, the way of life and the traditions of the village of Breb.
The beautiful church in Breb village Romania after light snow.
Maramures is a magical county and Breb is a now fairly famous rural village in the Romanian countryside.
Horses and carts in Breb Romania, this one carrying a freshly made sheep cheese.
The county is famously home to the “last peasant culture in Europe” and it’s hard to not notice the immediate difference as you cross by winding mountain road into Maramures in the north of Transylvania.
Breb. Traditional wooden village house and vegetable garden.
In Breb, you will find the traditions, culture, costumes, and country way of life as perfectly preserved as they are anywhere.
The village church in Breb, men, women and children in traditional dress for the Sunday service.
Time really has stood still here but it’s catching up with rural Romania and the traditional way of life won’t last much longer. We were lucky to catch it before it disappears forever.
If you want to see it, go now.
Traditional wooden gates around the village of Breb.
Roads in Romania are generally good, despite the bad press you will find elsewhere. Our local roads were recently resurfaced and in winter snowploughs keep traffic flowing seamlessly, but no tarmac existed in Breb.
UPDATE: The roads in Breb are now mostly tarmac, things changed fast. I’m keeping this post as I originally wrote it, to show you how Breb was when we lived there, but there has been a lot of modernisation.
Breb Romania- traditional foods and a bottle of homemade tuica.
Once you arrive you’ll be exploring on dirt lanes, mud and stone and in winter ice lies deep here from October to February. The locals aren’t phased, their horses and carts in summer, horses and sleighs in winter, can cope with anything.
Everyone in the village produces their own food. Meadows grow thick with wildflowers and abundant lush grass all summer long. Villagers cut it with scythes to make the haystacks so characteristic of the region.
Breb is magical under winter snows, but it can get very cold, we’ve recorded -25C in Breb around New Year.
In winter these food stores keep the horses, cows and sheep well-fed. Cows inhabit barns and are milked daily, sheep deliver an annual lamb for the Easter feast and milk for cheese afterwards.
Every family raises a piglet or two to slaughter just before Christmas and plump, healthy chickens roam the lanes all year round giving a good supply of eggs. Chickens, dogs and cats cope with winter temperatures just fine, no little dog jackets or booties here.
In spring, around March and April, the weather is right for ploughing and planting and the busy summer growing season begins. Around this time the trees are thick with blossom, getting ready for another year’s supply of plums, apples and pears.
The spring ploughing festival is held in the neighbouring village of Hoteni, Maramures. April and summer traditional clothes.
Most of the fruit produced in the village is drunk, either as suc, (juice), or as tuica (also known as horinka or palinka) a fierce home-distilled spirit ubiquitous in this village.
Our village, Breb, has over a dozen tuica sheds where fermented fruit pulp is distilled around the clock at certain times of year. Bring your drinking trousers!
Winters are harsh and the weather here allows nearby skiing in Cavnic. In January temperatures can reach -25ºC but crisp, bright days aren’t unusual and it’s still possible to get out for a hike.
Christmas traditions are fascinating and the holiday centres around religion, Orthodox and Roman. Don’t be surprised if you see locals dressed in bearskins or strange demon costumes with animal horns and fleeces.
Winter sees a change of traditional outfit, for church, for celebrations and holidays.
It’s been an incredible and deeply enjoyable few years for us in the fascinating village of Breb. If you’re interested, come now, you won’t be disappointed.
Visiting Breb, Maramures County
Local embroidery and crafts in a village home.
Best Times to Visit Breb
If you possibly can, try to be here for one of the big festivals. Easter is huge but Palm Sunday is also a big church event.
The neighbouring village of Hoteni hosts a unique annual ploughing festival (pictured above) in April and Sighetu Marmatiei holds a large festival of Winter and Christmas traditions just after Christmas.
Failing that, be here on a Sunday to see everyone dressed up in full traditional costume, making their way to church.
Spring in Breb, meadows splashed with yellow and trees heavy with blossom as good weather warms the ground.
Weather in Breb is generally superb from March to October. In summer you could be here for hay making and see the famous haystacks of Maramures going up.
Most local hotels shut down for winter, particularly January and February, but you will find some open nearby. Don’t try and bring a car into Breb without 4×4 or chains when ice is on the ground. We’ve experienced winter in Romania many times now and maybe, it’s my favourite time in Breb, but it’s only for hardy sorts!
If you’re sensitive, be aware that you are fairly likely to see lambs and pigs being slaughtered around the village at certain times of year, notably pre Easter and pre-Christmas.
Summer dancing, with a bottle of home made tuica stashed in a belt.
Be here for local festivals and religious events. ( The May ploughing festival is mentioned above)
How to Get to Breb
A traditional village house in winter.
Our nearest airport is Satu Mare, about 2 hours away by road, but Cluj Napoca, about 3.5 hours away, has far more incoming flights.
From Bucharest, you can take the overnight sleeper train to Sighetu Marmatiei and from there arrange a pickup or local bus.
Hitchhiking is very common in this region. If you need somebody to pick you up, shoot us an email. There are buses from Cluj Napoca to Baia Mare.
Sorry, we aren’t in Breb any more!
Where to Stay in Breb
Just one of the lovingly reconstructed and restored village houses that you can rent at The Village Hotel, Breb. It’s in the heart of our village, surrounded by trees, meadows, birdsong and village life. We’ll see you for a drink down the pub.
Breb has quite a collection of accommodation options these days, including numerous pensiunea, a campsite and hostel, various holiday cottages and, famously, The Village Hotel, Breb, above.
You need to read this book, William Blacker lived here with our villagers a decade ago, before we foreigners and travellers arrived. He shared our village with the world in this famous book about Breb, Along the Enchanted Way.
Thanks for reading and thanks for being interested. The village of Breb Maramures and the whole region of northern Romania is very special to us. Let us know if you’re coming to Breb Maramures, we’ll catch up with you at the village pub if we’re in town. If you need to learn more about travel in Romania, click through.
Alyson Long is a British medical scientist who jumped ship to chase dreams. A former Chief Biomedical Scientist at London's West Middlesex Hospital she started in website creation and travel writing in 2011.
Alyson is a full-time blogger and travel writer, a published author, and owns several websites. World Travel Family is the biggest.
A lifetime of wanderlust and over 6 years of full-time travel, plus a separate 12 month gap year, has given Alyson and the family some travel expert smarts to share with you on this world travel site.
Today Alyson still travels extensively to update this site and continue her mission to visit every country, but she's often at home on her farm in Australia.
I’ve booked a room at Pensiunia Inima Maramuresului for 4th and 5th June which should be Orthodox Pentecost. Would be interesting to meet you in the pub if you’re around then
Hi Susan. I have a post about things to do around and in Brasov, there are some AMAZING citadels and fortified churches around there. Most can be reached as a day trip from Brasov, or, if you don’t mind the extra drive time, Bucharest. Search “Brasov” in our search bar. I should write a trip on day trips from Bucharest, I don’t think I have as yet. I will! Or go to this post, this site is also mine, a new baby.
Thank you introducing us to Breb, it looks amazing. Your Journey sound fantastic.
2 mature Australia rural ladies, will be travelling in a rental car in September 2020, for 3 weeks. Planning to collect hire car in Brasov, where we will stay for 3 nights and depart from Bucharest where will will 4 nights at the end of our journey. Prefer to try and do slow travel i.e. stay in one place for 3 / 4 nights and do day trips.
Could you suggest some more interesting places of run to visit please. Would prefer not to have too much time in the large cities, Sibiu and Sibigoara?? are also on our list of places to see/ stay.
Thank you very much for your consideration.
Warmest Wishes Tracy Hardy in North Queensland Australia.
Sighisoara is beautiful. Brasov is a great place to be based. If you find our Brasov post we’ve listed loads of interesting places to see around there. Also Turda Salt mines are cool and the Roman city and ruins at Alba Iulia. If you search for our post called Romania Travel Blog you should find heaps there. Driving is easy, but just figure out the system. You use the hard shoulder to pull over if you’re slower. Watch out for horses and carts in that lane though. Most roads are perfect but Google maps will take you on some roads that aren’t even roads sometimes. Say hi to Penny from me!
We too were planning a trip to Romania in 2020 but will not be able to leave Australia until at least mid 2021. It’s so sad, so many people stranded It appears that we have also lost the airline tickets we had purchased, fingers crossed that they will still honour them next year. Will certainly contact you re a guide when we are ready to go and look forward to staying in the Village Hotel – it looks beautiful
Breb sounds great. I was looking for costs in your post but didn’t see them. What is avg cost to rent 2 be ppace for a month, and avg meal, food costs?
How do you get around Breb? Is it walkable?
Are there hiking, walking trails? Modern supermarkets?
Costs vary with level of luxury and what’s included and not included, just look at the usual booking sites. You walk around the village, yes. Food is very cheap but set meals – a requirement to buy 3 courses, could put costs up. There are very limited dining facilities but there are now a few eateries. The pubs don’t serve food. No, no modern supermarket, 2 very small shops, it’s a tiny village, expect interruptions to water, mud, dirt tracks and so on. Yes you can walk up the mountain behind Breb, it’s a good walk, but beware dogs.
with all due respect, why would a Brit or foreign traveler to Romania, stay with a British family in rural Maramures, instead of staying, thus experiencing, a real, authentic Romanian family, in their own home. Would you go to China and stay with Brits just because they have a business there and are way more adept at marketing as opposed to real locals ?
We had our own home there, for 3 years, no idea what you mean, sorry. Do you mean The Village Hotel ? Well it used to be the only hotel, the first. and is still by far the most stunning and authentic traditional rural establishment in the Village. And in response to your China question, I would ( and did) stay in a hotel or guest house, maybe a hostel. I have never had any desire to stay in somebody else’s home. I don’t think we’ve ever done that. The newer hotels and pensiune in the village are owned by city Romanians from elsewhere. Casa Din Vale is nice but I think the Village Hotel is still better. The campsite and hostel is owned by a Dutch family. But every day more farm houses are being turned into pensiune, it’s sad to see the traditional village disappearing now. If you’re implying that I was paid to market the village hotel, I wasn’t. You couldn’t be more wrong.
We have been in Breb for two whole days and your post has rung so true with us. We have never visited such a paradise and if we were looking to settle, could really see ourselves being right here! As you say, we are lucky to experience it at this time, before the traditions are lost, since it is not just the landscape that makes it beautiful, but the open kindness, sense of community and the way that the people interact with the land, in tune with the rhythms of nature.
We have been in Romania for a couple of months, mostly in Transylvania. We have loved every minute. I have subscribed to your blog. I can’t wait to read your story – and it will give us ideas for when (not if!) we are back!
I think our presence might have been noticed in Breb; we had an interesting journey to our campsite THE WRONG WAY – around the back roads (and a footpath!) with a 7m caravan and a 5m van with surfboards on the roof….
Ah…you took a right at old Petru’s house, past Casa din Vale? We live next door to Petru and Ileana there. Hi from Kathmandu and enjoy our home. How’s Mann the dog at Babu ? He’s a sweetheart.
We shall look your place up and give you a wave! It is a beautiful, golden Autumn day in Breb and we’re planning to just walk around today and enjoy the village. Mann is as gorgeous as ever – and is keeping all our canines in line!
Enjoy Kathmandu – it’s a long time since I was there, but I absolutely loved Nepal! I rafted the Karnali, “The Peacock River” in the west of Nepal. It was marvellous. We had to trek for 2 days to get there. It was so unspoilt and the Nepalese rival the Romanians for friendliness!
We’re taking our family to Romania for the month of September. Breb sounds amazing. Are there any special festivals in September that you know of? Your blog has started to get me excited about our upcoming trip!
Glad I came around to this great post! I’ll be going to Romania in the summer and I’ve been thinking about going to Maramures and Breb. In Romania I would like to stay for a while in some mountain village. Do you know if this is possible in Breb and if not then anywhere else?
I only know Breb well and yes there is a hostel, camp site, many pensiones and hotel, lots of options, also houses to rent online on the major booking engines.
I don’t know right now, but we’ll be back in Breb soon and will find out when the ploughing festival is in Hoteni. ( I can read Romanian but not write it well)
Maramures is an area where we keep the traditions alive. We have another part in Moldova as well. I am from Muntenia, but we spent our honeymoon in that part of the country and loved every moment of it. And yes, on Sundays, the villages look truly spectacular: people dressing up in their best traditional suits, going to churches, keeping traditions alive:)
I absolutely love the photos. I found the roads in Romania good, but slow due to the traffic that we faced while driving between cities. I’d love to go back to Romania and I hope to visit in time for a holiday
Very little traffic up in Maramures, unless you count horses and carts, most of our roads were replced year before last, all good and all clear of snow in winter. But in the village it’s 4×4 only, the snowploughs don’t visit.
Breb is amazing, I love this part of Romania.
I’ve booked a room at Pensiunia Inima Maramuresului for 4th and 5th June which should be Orthodox Pentecost. Would be interesting to meet you in the pub if you’re around then
We won’t be sorry. We’ll most likely be in Australia, Enjoy!
I’m going to Romania for my 3rd time in 2023. Staying in Bucharest and would love some suggestions of day trips. We’re going to Brasov.
Hi Susan. I have a post about things to do around and in Brasov, there are some AMAZING citadels and fortified churches around there. Most can be reached as a day trip from Brasov, or, if you don’t mind the extra drive time, Bucharest. Search “Brasov” in our search bar. I should write a trip on day trips from Bucharest, I don’t think I have as yet. I will! Or go to this post, this site is also mine, a new baby.
Hello Alyson,
Thank you introducing us to Breb, it looks amazing. Your Journey sound fantastic.
2 mature Australia rural ladies, will be travelling in a rental car in September 2020, for 3 weeks. Planning to collect hire car in Brasov, where we will stay for 3 nights and depart from Bucharest where will will 4 nights at the end of our journey. Prefer to try and do slow travel i.e. stay in one place for 3 / 4 nights and do day trips.
Could you suggest some more interesting places of run to visit please. Would prefer not to have too much time in the large cities, Sibiu and Sibigoara?? are also on our list of places to see/ stay.
Thank you very much for your consideration.
Warmest Wishes Tracy Hardy in North Queensland Australia.
Sighisoara is beautiful. Brasov is a great place to be based. If you find our Brasov post we’ve listed loads of interesting places to see around there. Also Turda Salt mines are cool and the Roman city and ruins at Alba Iulia. If you search for our post called Romania Travel Blog you should find heaps there. Driving is easy, but just figure out the system. You use the hard shoulder to pull over if you’re slower. Watch out for horses and carts in that lane though. Most roads are perfect but Google maps will take you on some roads that aren’t even roads sometimes. Say hi to Penny from me!
We too were planning a trip to Romania in 2020 but will not be able to leave Australia until at least mid 2021. It’s so sad, so many people stranded It appears that we have also lost the airline tickets we had purchased, fingers crossed that they will still honour them next year. Will certainly contact you re a guide when we are ready to go and look forward to staying in the Village Hotel – it looks beautiful
I hope you do. Penny is open for business after the shut down. It’s terrible you can’t get a refund on your tickets.
Breb sounds great. I was looking for costs in your post but didn’t see them. What is avg cost to rent 2 be ppace for a month, and avg meal, food costs?
How do you get around Breb? Is it walkable?
Are there hiking, walking trails? Modern supermarkets?
Just a few questions.? Thanks!
Costs vary with level of luxury and what’s included and not included, just look at the usual booking sites. You walk around the village, yes. Food is very cheap but set meals – a requirement to buy 3 courses, could put costs up. There are very limited dining facilities but there are now a few eateries. The pubs don’t serve food. No, no modern supermarket, 2 very small shops, it’s a tiny village, expect interruptions to water, mud, dirt tracks and so on. Yes you can walk up the mountain behind Breb, it’s a good walk, but beware dogs.
Hi, Will be in Breb 15th to 18th this month. Would be nice to meet if you’re around.
Cheers!
We’re not sorry Mel but have a lovely time! It’s wonderful around Christmas. Did you see our post on Romania at Christmas?
Hi Alyson,
Are you by any chance in Breb..? Would love to talk to you.
We’re in Bhutan right now sorry!
with all due respect, why would a Brit or foreign traveler to Romania, stay with a British family in rural Maramures, instead of staying, thus experiencing, a real, authentic Romanian family, in their own home. Would you go to China and stay with Brits just because they have a business there and are way more adept at marketing as opposed to real locals ?
We had our own home there, for 3 years, no idea what you mean, sorry. Do you mean The Village Hotel ? Well it used to be the only hotel, the first. and is still by far the most stunning and authentic traditional rural establishment in the Village. And in response to your China question, I would ( and did) stay in a hotel or guest house, maybe a hostel. I have never had any desire to stay in somebody else’s home. I don’t think we’ve ever done that. The newer hotels and pensiune in the village are owned by city Romanians from elsewhere. Casa Din Vale is nice but I think the Village Hotel is still better. The campsite and hostel is owned by a Dutch family. But every day more farm houses are being turned into pensiune, it’s sad to see the traditional village disappearing now. If you’re implying that I was paid to market the village hotel, I wasn’t. You couldn’t be more wrong.
We have been in Breb for two whole days and your post has rung so true with us. We have never visited such a paradise and if we were looking to settle, could really see ourselves being right here! As you say, we are lucky to experience it at this time, before the traditions are lost, since it is not just the landscape that makes it beautiful, but the open kindness, sense of community and the way that the people interact with the land, in tune with the rhythms of nature.
We have been in Romania for a couple of months, mostly in Transylvania. We have loved every minute. I have subscribed to your blog. I can’t wait to read your story – and it will give us ideas for when (not if!) we are back!
I think our presence might have been noticed in Breb; we had an interesting journey to our campsite THE WRONG WAY – around the back roads (and a footpath!) with a 7m caravan and a 5m van with surfboards on the roof….
Ah…you took a right at old Petru’s house, past Casa din Vale? We live next door to Petru and Ileana there. Hi from Kathmandu and enjoy our home. How’s Mann the dog at Babu ? He’s a sweetheart.
We shall look your place up and give you a wave! It is a beautiful, golden Autumn day in Breb and we’re planning to just walk around today and enjoy the village. Mann is as gorgeous as ever – and is keeping all our canines in line!
Enjoy Kathmandu – it’s a long time since I was there, but I absolutely loved Nepal! I rafted the Karnali, “The Peacock River” in the west of Nepal. It was marvellous. We had to trek for 2 days to get there. It was so unspoilt and the Nepalese rival the Romanians for friendliness!
We’re taking our family to Romania for the month of September. Breb sounds amazing. Are there any special festivals in September that you know of? Your blog has started to get me excited about our upcoming trip!
I don’t think there are, no. Sorry.
Are you still in Romania or on Thailand now? Chan rak pratet thai!
Neither !
Glad I came around to this great post! I’ll be going to Romania in the summer and I’ve been thinking about going to Maramures and Breb. In Romania I would like to stay for a while in some mountain village. Do you know if this is possible in Breb and if not then anywhere else?
I only know Breb well and yes there is a hostel, camp site, many pensiones and hotel, lots of options, also houses to rent online on the major booking engines.
cand este Tanjaua festival in Hoteni in 2018?
I don’t know right now, but we’ll be back in Breb soon and will find out when the ploughing festival is in Hoteni. ( I can read Romanian but not write it well)
On 13th of May.
Maramures is an area where we keep the traditions alive. We have another part in Moldova as well. I am from Muntenia, but we spent our honeymoon in that part of the country and loved every moment of it. And yes, on Sundays, the villages look truly spectacular: people dressing up in their best traditional suits, going to churches, keeping traditions alive:)
I absolutely love the photos. I found the roads in Romania good, but slow due to the traffic that we faced while driving between cities. I’d love to go back to Romania and I hope to visit in time for a holiday
Very little traffic up in Maramures, unless you count horses and carts, most of our roads were replced year before last, all good and all clear of snow in winter. But in the village it’s 4×4 only, the snowploughs don’t visit.
The ploughing festival from Hoteni is held every year, since 1968, in the second Sunday of May.