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Timişoara [1] is a university city and industrial center in western Romania. It is often described as the most cosmopolitan city in Romania.

Downtown Timisoara

[edit] Understand

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

The city is served by Romania's second-largest airport, Traian Vuia International Airport [2], located 10km away from the city center. It is the hub of the Romania's second-largest airline, Carpatair [3]. There are regular flights from/to numerous major European and domestic destinations:

• Carpatair flies internationally to/from Ancona, Athens, Bergamo, Bari, Bologna, Budapest, Chisinau, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Lviv, Munich, Odessa, Perugia, Rome, Stuttgart, Thessaloniki, Torino, Venice and Verona; it also has domestic flights to Bacau, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Constanta, Iasi, Oradea, Satu-Mare, Sibiu and Suceava.
• TAROM [4] has several daily flights to Bucharest.
• Austrian Airlines [5] has flights to Vienna.
• MALEV [6] has flights to Budapest.
• Lufthansa [7] has two daily flights to Munich.
• Wizz Air [8] has flights to Barcelona, Bergamo, Dortmund, London Luton, Paris Beauvais, Rome Fiumincio, Treviso and Valencia.

Bus line 26 links the airport with downtown Timisoara; car hire is also available.

[edit] By train

There are direct trains daily from Budapest (a 5 hours trip), Belgrade (4 hours), Vienna (8 hours) and Munich (15 hours). Check timetables here. Naturally, there are also numerous trains to Bucharest and most major towns in Romania; check timetables here.

[edit] By car

Belgrade (in Serbia) is 150km away ( a 2 1/2 hours drive).

Budapest (Hungary) is about 320km away ( a 4 hours drive).

[edit] By bus

[edit] Get around

Timisoara has a good transportation service including trolleys, trams and buses. The majority of buses and trolleys are new. The trams are old German models, but the travel conditions are quite decent. A major problem in Romanian public transportation is respecting a schedule. Unfortunately Timisoara makes no exception. Some of the tram and bus stations have digital panels which list the waiting times, but they're not always accurate.

There are two types of tickets, one for the three express lines (buses) and one for the rest of the buses, trams and trolleys. The prices for one ticket are around 0.6 and 0.3€ respectively, and you can find them at press stands in almost every station. You can also buy passes for a day, a week, two weeks or a month, on one, two or all lines.

In Timisoara there is no shortage of taxis. You can reach about any point in Timisoara by paying a fee of 10-20 Lei (about 3-6€). Don't negotiate with the driver and insist for the meter to be turned on. If you don't want to overpay avoid private taxis and call for a local taxi company (Tudo, Radio, Timisoara, Autogenn, Fan or Prompt). The taxis licensed by the City Hall have a distinctive oval black sticker on the backseat doors.

If you want to rent a car there are plenty of car rental companies. They offer good priced services and all types of vehicles.

[edit][add listing] See

Piata Unirii

• Piata Victoriei (Victory Square or Opera Square).  editIt's the symbol of the Romanian revolution. Here you can find The Metropolitan Orthodox Cathedral, The Opera House, The City Hall, The Philharmonic, The Banat Museum and beautiful palaces built at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.
• Piata Unirii (Union Square).  editWith its beautiful palaces and all the coffee houses it is the old city's center. Here you find The Catholic Dome, The Baroque Palace (now a beautiful art gallery), The Serbian Church and other important buildings.
• Piata Libertatii (Liberty Square).  editLocated between Piata Unirii and Piata Victoriei is a small square with old buildings. Here you can find the old City Hall and the beautiful St. Nepomuk's Statue.
• The Bastion.  editPart of Timisoara's old defensive walls. The Bastion is located near Piata Unirii.
• Parks.  editTimisoara is known in Romania as the City of Parks. Important parks you can visit are: Botanical Park (near Piata Unirii, it's the most beautiful park in Timisoara), Rose Park (near Piata Victoriei), Central Park (near Piata Victoriei, just behind the Metropolitan Orthodox Cathedral), Children's Park (near the Student Campus) and other.
• Piata Traian (Traian Square).  editThis is a part of the old city. The old buildings are beautiful, but be careful. Try not to visit the area at night and always keep an eye on your valuables.
• The Village Museum.  editLocated near Padurea Verde (The Green Forest). Here you can discover the Romanian tradition.
• The Zoo.  editLocated in the same area as The Village Museum, it's a small zoo, but your children will love it.

[edit][add listing] Do

Enjoy nice coffee products in Piata Unirii (Union Square) or Piata Victoriei (Victory Square). Taste the week-end nightlife by dancing all night long at Club The Note and Heaven Studio or their summer locations, River Deck and Heaven Outdoor Club. Eat a great pizza or pasta at Da Toni, enjoy a nice beer at Bierhaus (you can find around 50 types of beer there), eat tasty Romanian food at Club XXI, don't miss the cocktails at River Deck or Club The Note. If you like shopping, Iulius Mall is the place to visit. Enjoy a nice walk in the Botanical Park. Timisoara is a very cosmopolitan city and if you ask around you can enjoy all kinds of activities.

• Centre culturel français, Bd Loga, [9]. The French and Francophile communities of Timisoara frequent the local CCF which organizes exhibits, concerts, and various events.  edit

[edit] Learn

Universitatea Politehnica Timisoara (Polytechnic University) and Universitatea de Vest Timisoara (West University) are the most important universities in the area.

[edit][add listing] Buy

• Iulius Mall.  editOne of the biggest shopping malls in Eastern Europe. You can find here many Romanian and international brands. Also here you can find a very modern cinema, Cinema City, where you can enjoy the latest movies.
• Piata Victoriei.  editThe center of the city, with many shops.
• Bega Shopping Center.  editLocated near Hotel Continental, is the first important shopping mall in Timisoara. You can find important brands here.

In Timisoara you can buy everything, from well known brands to Romanian products. The important shops are located in the city center. If you want an authentic adventure visit Piata Aurora or the Brancoveanu shopping area, but be careful and keep a close eye on your valuables. Police won't help you at all.

[edit][add listing] Eat

If you want to eat in Timisoara, you can find places for every budget. Because Timisoara was and still is a very cosmopolitan city, the local cuisine is influenced by Italian, Serbian, Hungarian, German, Turkish and Arabic cuisine.

[edit] Budget

• Pan Rusovan.  editLocated near Piata Victoriei, this small place, it's well known for its sandwiches and burgers.
• McDonald's.  editLocated in Piata Victoriei. Near the "Dan Paltinisanu" Stadium you can find a McDonald's drive through.
• Stradivarius.  editLocated in Piata Unirii, it's well known for its international cuisine and sandwiches.
• Godfather Pizzeria.  editLocated near Piata Victoriei, this small place is renound for its signature dish, the fold your own Calzone.
• Napoleon.  editLocated in the Student Campus, it's a good place to eat a pizza or a hamburger.
• Timisoreana.  editLocated near the beer factory, is a very popular restaurant. It is known for its barbecue meals and cold local beer.
• Ready's.  editLocated in the center of students' cumpus, is a Greek restaurant, with reasonable prices and big portions.

[edit] Mid-range

• D.A.F. Junior, Str. Gloriei, Nr. 5, ☎ 0256/395998, [10]. Romania meets Las Vegas!  edit Located in the Eastern subburbs, this surreal complex that also includes bowling, bars and tennis also has a very good value restaurant with outside terrace. The dishes are enormous and lots of fusion Romanian cuisine on offer at very good prices.
• Club XXI.  edit Located in Piata Victoriei, it's well known for the Romanian cuisine.
• Da Toni Pizza.  editLocated on Daliei Street, it's the best restaurant for enjoying Italian cuisine in a down to earth environment, located in the student district. The price for a pizza ranges from 5 to 10 €.
• Pasta e Basta.  editLocated near Piata Unirii, it's well known for very good Italian food, but is more expensive than Da Toni.
• Tinecz.  editLocated in Calea Aradului, it's a very popular restaurant in Timisoara.
• Sabres.  editLocated near "Dan Paltinisanu" Stadium, it's the best sea food restaurant in Timisoara.

[edit] Splurge

• Aquarium, Piata 700, City Business Center (Go into the ground floor of the City Business Center and take lift to 6th floor.), ☎ 0356/170380, 0728444618, 0770422716 (fax: 0356/170380).  editArguably the chicest place in the city to eat; dine with a very international business crowd whilst relaxing on a fantastic new outdoor terrace with incredible views over looking the entire city. The steak dishes are especially recommended! A main dish and a glass of wine cost on average 12-20 €
• Casa cu Flori.  editLocated near Piata Libertatii, it's well known for it's international cuisine.
• Marele Restaurant Chinezesc - Chinese Restaurant.  editLocated near Piata Badea Cartan, on Simion Barnutiu Street, it's the best asian restaurant in Timisoara. A meal will usually cost you around 10-15 €.
• River Deck.  editAlthough it turns into a club at night, during the day you can enjoy excellent fusion cuisine. But be carefull with drinks and desert you can easily pay 15-20 €.

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit] Clubs

• Heaven Studios.  editJust recently opened, in 2007. It's the largest and by far the best club in Timisoara slash the world and it's famous for the week-end parties and immaculate bottoms. If you want to reserve a table you need to call days in advance (calm up). Entrance fee around 15 Zoiks.

• Dark Bar.  editSimply better than.

• River Deck.  editThis is Club The Note's summer location, on the bank of the Bega Channel. It's notorious for the week-end parties, but also for the excellent cocktails and the fusion cuisine. If you want to reserve a table for the week-end do it a week in advance, because this is one of the trendiest places in Timisoara. Entrance fee around 3€.

• Club The Note.  editProbably the second best club in Timisoara. Well known for it's cocktails, week-end parties and concerts with famous guests. For a reservation you need to call days in advance. Entrance fee around 3€.

• Heaven Outdoor Club.  editHeaven Club's summer location, near "Dan Paltinisanu" Stadium. It is one of the best clubs in Timisoara, famous for its guest djs and week-end parties. Entrance fee around 3€.

• D'Arc Club.  editA well known club in Piata Unirii. Located at the basement of an old building, is notorious for the Thursday Night Party and for being overcrowded. No entrance fee.

• Club 30.  editLocated in Piata Victoriei and known for the retro music played here. It's a nice club, but it tends to get overcrowded.

• Setup Venue, Str. Pestalozzi nr. 22, [11].  editA cross between a concert / music venue and a club this transformed industrial warehouse space hosts weekly alternative music events from urban electronic and hip hop to alternative, hardcore rock and rockabilly.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Hotel La Residenza, str.Independentei 14, ☎ +40256401080, [12].  editShakira stayed here for her concert.
• Hotel Continental.  editThe best known hotel in Timisoara.
• Hotel Elysee.  editThe only 5 star hotel in Banat. It's located near Timisoara, in Sacalaz.
• Reghina Hotels.  edit
• Hotel 2000.  editIt has a swimming pool, but there's no water in it
• Perla Hotels.  edit
• Hotel Ambassador.  edit
• Hotel Savoy.  edit
• Hotel Boca Junior. Very high prices and very poor services.  edit
• Other 3 star hotels like Hotel Strelitia, Hotel Pacific, Hotel Royal Plaza.  edit

The accommodations in Timisoara are good if you stay at a 3 star or plus hotel.

• Vila Americana, Str. Avram Imbroane 74 (Green Forest), ☎ +40733550844, [13]. checkin: 14:00; checkout: 12:00. Four-stars villa close to the Green Forest with luxury aparments and pool, visited by diplomats and officials. 50. (45°46'31.19N,21°15'47.44E) edit
• Hotel Valentina, Str. Mehadia, [14]. One of the best and most friendly hotel in town. Special rates for various occasions or lenght of stay. 40 euros.  edit

[edit] Get out

Jimbolia is a small town 40 km west of Timisoara on the border with Serbia. It provides visitors with several interesting cultural and recreational attractions.