Yes, and it is one of the best reasons to come this far. Several UNESCO-listed wooden churches, including the towering church at Șurdești, one of the tallest wooden structures in Europe, sit within roughly an hour's drive of Baia Mare. A private transfer lets you string together two or three villages in a single day rather than committing to just one.
From Cluj-Napoca, the region's main travel hub, Baia Mare is about 150 km (93 miles) away, with a private transfer typically taking around 2.5-3 hours on the mountain roads through the Gutâi Pass. Trains and buses cover the route too, but connections are limited and schedules run only a few times a day. Going direct means no timed departures and no changing platforms with luggage in hand.
The old town is compact enough to see the main sights, Stephen's Tower, Piața Libertății, and the Butchers' Bastion, in about 2 to 3 hours at an easy pace. That leaves plenty of the day free to head into the Maramureș countryside, which is really where this region shines.
Yes. About 65 km (40 miles) from Baia Mare, Săpânța's Merry Cemetery is unlike anywhere else in Europe, with hand-carved, brightly painted crosses that tell each resident's life story with humor rather than mourning. It is easy to combine with a wooden church or two on the way there or back.
Turnul Ștefan, a Gothic bell tower dating to the 15th century, is the city's best-known landmark. Piața Libertății is worth a slow walk for its Baroque and Renaissance facades, while the Butchers' Bastion, a surviving piece of the old city fortifications, now hosts art exhibitions. The County Museum rounds things out with regional history and folk art collections.
Baia Mare pairs centuries of mining wealth with a compact, walkable old town. Colorful burgher houses line Piața Libertății, medieval fortifications still stand watch over the streets, and the whole center can be explored on foot before heading into the surrounding countryside. It works well as either a standalone destination or the starting point for exploring rural Maramureș.
