Romania's Maramures region is expanding its cycle tourism offer, promoting routes through traditional villages, UNESCO-listed forests and the Tibles Mountains as part of efforts to attract more visitors to lesser-known rural destinations, local tourism officials said on Thursday.

Guesthouses in villages along the Lapus Valley have developed cycling routes to off-the-beaten-track destinations while showcasing the area's historical heritage, said Livia Sima, head of the Maramures branch of the National Association for Rural, Ecological and Cultural Tourism (ANTREC).

'The guesthouses built in recent years in the villages and communes along the Lapus Valley have worked with local authorities to develop cycling routes to lesser-known destinations while highlighting the historical heritage of villages along the way. One advantage is that the routes are relatively short, allowing visitors to stop and explore at their own pace, enjoy local food and continue their journey. Altogether, the routes cover more than 50 kilometres and can be completed on virtually any type of bicycle. Many guesthouses also rent bicycles and provide route information, sightseeing recommendations and alternative itineraries,' Livia Sima said.

Most routes start in the town of Targu Lapus and lead to the villages of Grosii Tiblesului or Strambu Baiut.

According to Sima, one popular itinerary runs from Targu Lapus through Rogoz, Damacuseni, Suciu de Sus and Suciu de Jos to Grosii Tiblesului, where visitors can explore a local museum. Another route heads from Rogoz through Lapus village, Poiana Botizii and Strambu Baiut to Baiut, reaching the foothills of the Tibles Mountains. From Poiana Botizii, visitors can access the Bone Cave and the ancient beech forests of the Lapus Mountains, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Sima said rural tourism in the Lapus Gorge area has expanded steadily over the past decade following increased investment in accommodation and visitor facilities.

Diana Ilut, director of the Maramures Destination Management Organisation (DMO), said cycle tourism also has strong potential in villages where rural guesthouses have been operating for nearly 25 years.

'We have villages where agritourism has flourished over the past 25 years, with the first rural guesthouses helping to promote the area and encourage further investment. These are villages in what we call Historic Maramures, where visitors can still see and stay in centuries-old traditional wooden houses. In the future, cycle tourism could become a valuable complement to the region's existing tourism offer,' Ilut said.

According to ANTREC Maramures, more than 30,000 Romanian and foreign tourists visited Maramures in 2025 or used it as a gateway to other destinations, with neighbouring Bucovina remaining the most popular onward destination.

Ilut added that Maramures will soon launch a new tourism branding concept designed to promote lesser-known destinations, including the villages of the Lapus Gorge. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Leontin Cupar; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)