Oradea

Oradea is one the few undiscovered gems of Romania's tourism. Despite being one of the largest and most important cities in Transylvania, and having a high degree of administrative, economic and commercial importance, it is often overlooked by tourists in favor of other Transylvanian cities such as Brasov, Sibiu, Sighisoara or Cluj-Napoca. The city can also act as a pleasant stopover if you are coming to Romania from Hungary, or leaving the country.



Understand
The city combines a good location and climate with romantic baroque architecture from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with a lovely jumble of Romanian and Hungarian cultures. The city was passed back many times between Hungary and Romania, with both these cultures giving it a special charm and pleasant mix of architecture.

Oradea, situated 8 km from the Hungarian border (and a whopping 650 km by train from the capital of Romania, Bucharest), can even serve as a starting point for a Romanian journey, as it is served by trains coming in from Budapest and other parts of Europe. Many tourists also make a stopover in Oradea before travelling further on to Cluj-Napoca, Brasov or Bucharest. Tourism is booming and people are even considering attributing the name Le Petit Paris (the Little Paris) to it.

Oradea is in the county of Bihor (BH), in Transylvania. The city proper has a population of 196,367 (according to the 2011 census); this does not include areas in the metropolitan area which bring the total urban area population to approximately 350,000. Oradea is one of the most prosperous cities of Romania. The city is on the Crişul Repede river, and has a sizeable Hungarian minority. It is also home to many renowned shoe factories.

Talk
Oradea is a bilingual city: most residents speak Romanian but Hungarian is also largely spoken. If you speak either of these two languages, you are bound to get along well. Despite all the Romanisation efforts of the communism era, Hungarian influences are still apparent in the bilingual shop signs or speakers to be found. Furthermore, most public signs are now in both languages.

Oradeans also tend to be fairly good at foreign languages: English, French and German are taught in all high schools and have been for a fairly long time, so even older speakers may know how to speak one of these languages. In general, you won't have problems speaking in French, German or English, or even Italian, in Oradea. English is becoming increasingly popular, and it is spoken fairly fluently by the younger generation, and by many of the middle-aged people. In supermarkets or shops, you can confidently speak in English, especially if the staff members are young. However, it is always good to know a few words in the local languages.

By train


Getting into Oradea is moderately easy, from Romania or from Hungary. Most visitors arrive by train, as Oradea is located at the western extremity of the Romanian train network. For a good domestic trip finder see Romanian Railways. For an international pan-European trip finder try Deutsche Bahn European Timetable.

If you're travelling from Bucharest, there are 2–3 trains per day, one of which is a very comfortable yet fairly inexpensive night train, especially if you decide to travel in a refurbished first-class sleeper. However, if you visit Oradea from any other place, the worst idea is to do it from Bucharest—the journey from Bucharest is a 10-hour, 650 km trip across Romania. Book tickets well in advance for the first-class sleeper cars because the tickets sell out quickly.

Getting to Oradea from other parts of Transylvania is a lot easier and quicker. There are now fast InterCity (IC) connections with brand-new trains from Germany to Cluj-Napoca, Arad and Timisoara. Besides these, there are fast trains that link Oradea at least once daily with nearly every major city in Romania.

If Oradea is your entry point to Romania, and you are coming from Hungary or Central Europe, there are five trains per day from Budapest to Oradea (some of which continue onwards to Brasov and Cluj-Napoca). Two of these trains are early in the morning, and one leaves Budapest in the afternoon and arrives in Oradea in the late evening, after about four hours.

By bus


Intercity bus and coach services running through Oradea are increasing, and most of the residents see them as a welcome departure from what they see are slow, uncomfortable trains. This is because intercity coach travel is a novelty in a country where trains and aeroplanes have been the primary form of public transportation for decades. Even today, train is by far the recommended way, being much more comfortable and increasingly modern and luxurious.

Bus services are private, and are either run by large cross-European companies such as Eurolines or small Romanian or Hungarian companies which operate coaches between, say, Oradea and Budapest.

Many buses from Budapest who go in Romania stop at Oradea.

Autogenn mini buses leave every 90 min from Timișoara via Arad can be found in the carpark next to the Medlife clinic on Boulevard Gen. Ion Dragalina, the main road going south from Gara de Nord. (40 lei, 3 hr 15 min)

From Oradea it is easy to transfer to other northern cities such as Cluj-Napoca—a good option if you miss the earlier train or bus.

By plane


Oradea's closest large international airport is Budapest's Liszt Ferenc Airport, which serves flights from all corners of Europe. See above for information on train connections to Oradea. Cluj-Napoca is another option for most flights from elsewhere in Europe.

See
The beautiful city center is worth visiting, as are the Băile Felix health spas, accessible by train or bus and located outside the city.

Other sites worth visiting are:


 * Darvas-La Roche house (Iosif Vulcan street) – a historical and architectural monument in Oradea, designed by the brothers József and László Vágó, dating from the beginning of the 20th century. The residence is built in Viennese Secession style and is today the first Art Nouveau Museum in Romania.
 * Darvas-La Roche house (Iosif Vulcan street) – a historical and architectural monument in Oradea, designed by the brothers József and László Vágó, dating from the beginning of the 20th century. The residence is built in Viennese Secession style and is today the first Art Nouveau Museum in Romania.
 * Darvas-La Roche house (Iosif Vulcan street) – a historical and architectural monument in Oradea, designed by the brothers József and László Vágó, dating from the beginning of the 20th century. The residence is built in Viennese Secession style and is today the first Art Nouveau Museum in Romania.
 * Darvas-La Roche house (Iosif Vulcan street) – a historical and architectural monument in Oradea, designed by the brothers József and László Vágó, dating from the beginning of the 20th century. The residence is built in Viennese Secession style and is today the first Art Nouveau Museum in Romania.
 * Darvas-La Roche house (Iosif Vulcan street) – a historical and architectural monument in Oradea, designed by the brothers József and László Vágó, dating from the beginning of the 20th century. The residence is built in Viennese Secession style and is today the first Art Nouveau Museum in Romania.
 * Darvas-La Roche house (Iosif Vulcan street) – a historical and architectural monument in Oradea, designed by the brothers József and László Vágó, dating from the beginning of the 20th century. The residence is built in Viennese Secession style and is today the first Art Nouveau Museum in Romania.
 * Darvas-La Roche house (Iosif Vulcan street) – a historical and architectural monument in Oradea, designed by the brothers József and László Vágó, dating from the beginning of the 20th century. The residence is built in Viennese Secession style and is today the first Art Nouveau Museum in Romania.
 * Darvas-La Roche house (Iosif Vulcan street) – a historical and architectural monument in Oradea, designed by the brothers József and László Vágó, dating from the beginning of the 20th century. The residence is built in Viennese Secession style and is today the first Art Nouveau Museum in Romania.
 * Darvas-La Roche house (Iosif Vulcan street) – a historical and architectural monument in Oradea, designed by the brothers József and László Vágó, dating from the beginning of the 20th century. The residence is built in Viennese Secession style and is today the first Art Nouveau Museum in Romania.
 * Darvas-La Roche house (Iosif Vulcan street) – a historical and architectural monument in Oradea, designed by the brothers József and László Vágó, dating from the beginning of the 20th century. The residence is built in Viennese Secession style and is today the first Art Nouveau Museum in Romania.

There are around 100 religious sites of different denominations in Oradea, including three synagogues (however, only one is said to be still in use) and the biggest Baptist church in Eastern Europe.

Buy
Souvenir shopping, food shopping.

Eat
Dining in Oradea is usually a pleasure. Most restaurants serve local recipes, which are similar to other Central European cuisines. Additionally, some Chinese and Middle Eastern restaurants have opened.

Sleep
Hotels in Oradea range from modern and gleaming structures with all the amenities to cosy, wonderful and very elegant pensions to old, charming but somewhat uncomfortable hostels. Prices of hotels tend to be fixed, so it's not much use haggling. Note that prices are increasingly being quoted in euro, not Romanian lei, and euro is accepted in most places. Hotels in Oradea are slightly cheaper than typical in Western Europe.

In the "satellite quarters" of Oradea there are few hotels, except in the Nufărul quarter, where it's not worth staying. Try finding accommodation in the city, near Str. Republicii or the Town Hall, or near Bd. Magheru and the Civic Center. Though the Str. Republicii features a lot of shopping, dining and partying, the street is noisier than others.



Stay safe
In terms of major problems and on a Romanian scale, Oradea is fairly safe. On a Western European scale, the city is even safer. In fact, you will rarely find problems with organised crime against tourists, or more serious offences. What you will find more abundantly, unfortunately are petty scams or thefts. Keep an eye for beggars, who beg for money and may attempt to distract you while your wallet or watch are snatched.

Concerning tricks and scams, these tend to occur more regularly in Oradea. When exchanging money, don't do so on the black market, as these people generally rip you off. Try to stay away from people selling souvenirs or products at the railway station. These usually aren't of quality and aren't worth buying. Also, when taking a taxi, make sure the taxi is certified.

Some bars are also in the habit of providing foreign customers with a menu with grossly inflated prices compared to what the locals pay. These menus tend to show the prices in both new and old lei. At least the "tourist" prices seem not to have risen in line with inflation, but are still higher than what is commonly paid on the Black Sea coast.

Go next

 * Arad
 * Cluj-Napoca
 * Debrecen
 * Satu Mare