Baia Mare
Understand
Baia Mare is the largest city in the Maramureş region. The old neighbourhood and the lovely park together with the charming sites around the town and the interesting history of the place are worth visiting. The new parts of the town might seem unsightly for some.
Get in
By train
- 1 Baia Mare railway station (Gara Baia Mare), Strada Gării.
There are three trains daily from Bucharest or Cluj, one from Timisoara and one from Vienna via Budapest. Check timetables on CFR's website[dead link].
By bus
- 2 Baia Mare Bus Station (Autogara Baia Mare) (just left outside the train station).
- Volanbusz runs daily(?) buses from Budapest to Baia Mare via Satu Mare during the summer for only Ft4,500 (youth fare).
- Fany[dead link] runs multiple daily buses from Cluj-Napoca (3 hr, 40 lei, Sep 2018) and Sibiu. Fany buses arrive at their own autogara, not at the Autogara Baia Mare, which is a 30-min walk (or 8-lei taxi, Sep 2018) away.
By plane
- 3 Maramures International Airport (BAY IATA), Tăuţii-Măgheruş village (10 km west of the city). Flights from Bucharest (TAROM) and Paris-Beauvais (HiSky).
The closest airport with more international connections is Avram Iancu International Airport in Cluj-Napoca.
Get around
By taxi
It is not very expensive—minimum charge is 5 lei.
See
Do
Baia Mare is the main transportation hub and largest economic center in Maramures, but the city itself is quite ugly and industrial. If you come in to either the train station or the bus station, you will instantly notice this as they are some of the worst in the European Union. Consider getting out to smaller villages across the northeastern mountain pass to experience the "real" Maramures.
Hiking and mountain biking
There are a couple of marked trails that will make a nice day trip on the hills around Baia Mare. For reliable maps, GPS navigation, comprehensive trails and map information, consult OpenStreetMap, which is also used by this travel guide and by many mobile Apps like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz. Or just download the according GPX or KML files for such trails on OpenStreetMap through Waymarked Trails.
Buy
Eat
The old city center has many options, usually most of the pubs will have some type of food available for you. Most of them are OK.
- Il Padrino (Strada Scolii nr. 9) – Pizzeria
- Restaurant Pronto (Strada Victoriei nr. 146) – Good and cheap traditional full meals. The restaurant is basic, but the cooks are said to be the best in town. To get there is going to be a little difficult unless you have a bike or a car, cause it is quite far from the city center.
Drink
- 1 Terasa Tom și Jerry (Tom si Jerry), Str. Petofi Sandor nr.16, Baia Mare, ☏ +40 720 481780, bigguy_alextom@yahoo.com. 10:00–00:00. Close to the city central park, this place is full in the summers. Usually frequented by young people.
Sleep
- Eurohotel, Bulevardul București 23
- Hotel Carpati, Str. Independentei nr. 2
- La Fontana, Str. Closca nr. 11
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