Transylvania Named as Essential Tourist Destination

"In the historic Land of Maramures, the hills are alive with ways long forgotten elsewhere in Europe," says the latest issue of US-based travel magazine National Geographic Traveler.

"In this remote northwest corner of Romania, 300 miles from Bucharest, the schedule is set by the seasons, the weather, tradition. In each of the five valleys, with their meandering rivers and haystack-dotted fields, life plays out as it has for hundreds of years," the magazine continues.

Its article also praises the beautiful, unspoiled natural environment of the area, its the UNESCO-designated wooden churches from the 17th and 18th centuries and the Merry Cemetery in Sapanta, where wooden crosses are inscribed with lighthearted epitaphs written in verse.

Maramures is the only destination from Central and Eastern Europe in the National Geographic Traveler ‘Best Trips 2015' list, which also includes places like the Faroe Islands, Corsica, Koyasan in Japan and Tunis. 

Transylvania and the surrounding Carpathians are among the last remaining unspoiled natural environments in Europe.

One of the area's best-known champions is the Prince of Wales, who bought a house in an old village in southern Transylvania.

Prince Charles has visited the area for years for holidays and also owns several other properties there.

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