Timișoara

Timișoara is a university city and industrial centre in western Romania, with a multicultural heritage due to its location in the Banat region and a history of ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity. Nicknamed "Little Vienna" or the "City of Flowers", it is known for its sizable historical urban core with wide-ranging architectural styles.

Understand
Romania's third largest city with a population of 319,000 (2011), Timișoara is the administrative centre of Timiș County, and is considered the informal capital of the broader historical Banat region (one of the eastern frontiers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now shared by Romania, Serbia and Hungary). It is the pre-eminent economic hub of the region, with a strong presence of automotive industry, and houses one of the most powerful IT sectors in Romania. Timișoara, like many other large cities in Romania, is a medical tourism service provider especially for dental care. There are about 40,000 students enrolled in the city's four public and two private universities, including international students from over 50 countries.

Along with Oradea, Timișoara is part of the Art Nouveau European Route. The city is designated as one of the three European Capitals of Culture for 2023.

History
Today's Timișoara was the site of a medieval city-fortress of Temes (recorded in Latin as Castrum Tymes), built by Béla IV of Hungary. In the first half of the 14th century the city, by then called Temesvár – referring to a vár (Hungarian for castle) on the river Temes (Timiș) – was the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary for several years. In reality, Temesvár was merely adjacent to Timiș: As the city limits grew in later centuries, it expanded to the southern banks of the nearby river Bega (the course of which was also altered by engineering); the river that passes through present-day Timișoara is in fact Bega. In 1443, Hungarian general and leader John Hunyadi rebuilt the royal castle (today's Huniade Castle) and the walls, damaged in an earthquake, to defend from Ottoman expansion. After several attempts in the following decades, the Ottomans captured Timișoara, and from mid-16th to the early 18th century it was the capital of an Eyâlet (principal administrative division of the Ottoman Empire).

In 1716, Temesvár was conquered from the Turks by an Austrian army led by Prince Eugene of Savoy, subsequently becoming the capital of the newly established province – Banat of Temeswar (banate meaning the domain of a ban, a feudal title; however, this was just nominal as the province was not governed by a ban) and was developed into a fortified city of the Habsburg Empire. There are notable buildings such as the Military Casino from this period. After 1848 Temesvár was the capital of a separate crown land of the Habsburg Empire, and from 1867 it belonged to the Hungarian half of the Dual Monarchy. At that time, Germans made up the majority of the population. Gradually, the Hungarian population increased, and later also that of Romanians, so that in 1930 all three ethnic groups were represented roughly equally. In the second half of the 19th century the city prospered: in 1857 it was connected to the railroad network, in 1869 it got a horse-drawn tramway (electrified in 1899), and in 1884 it was one of the first cities in Europe to get electric street lighting. This era also brought a flourishing of culture. Many of the city's prominent buildings are from this period. The sprawling Habsburg fortress was dismantled in 1892, considered antiquated by that time, and incompatible with modern era city-planning. What is nowadays called "Timișoara Fortress" comprises all the separate remainders of the structure, such as the Theresia Bastion (named after the empress Maria Theresa), which have been preserved as a historic monument.

Since the end of WW1 the city has been a part of Romania. In 1920, the Polytechnic University was founded. The city grew rapidly, with mainly Romanians immigrating, while the number of Hungarians and Germans stagnated, the latter even decreasing sharply due to emigration after World War II and during the rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu (who tried to assimilate the minorities). The city became a center of heavy industry and manufacturing. In December 1989, a series of mass street protests in Timișoara started the Romanian Revolution that overthrew the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, and marked the end of communist rule.

By train
The main railway station is Timișoara North railway station, located on Strada Gării 2, west of the city centre. There are direct trains daily from Budapest (a 5-hour trip) and Vienna (8 hours). There are numerous trains from Bucharest and most major towns in Romania. From Sibiu, for example, it is about 8 hours (73.50 lei, Sep 2018).

Direct trains from Belgrade have been discontinued but it is still possible to travel, with a simple change in the border town of Vršac. (The bus connection over the Serbia-Romania border does not run on public holidays, so check your calendar!)



By car
Belgrade (Serbia) is 150 km away (a 3-hour drive).

Budapest (Hungary) is 286 km away (a 3-hour drive).

By bus
The bus terminal lies 500 m to the west of the Gara de Nord railway station. Tickets are purchased directly from the driver, but there are timetables and an information desk inside the small hut by the entrance.

Every day there is a bus from Vršac, just over the border with Serbia, ~2 hours. From Vršac there are many buses further into Serbia.

It is also easy to share a taxi in the direction of the border (Cenad), leaving at Calea Torontalului.

By public transport
You could walk most places in central Timișoara, but there is 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. Timișoara makes no exception. Some of the tram and bus stations have digital panels which list the waiting times, but they're not always accurate. Route planner is available online.

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 3 lei and 1.5 lei 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.

By taxi
In Timișoara there is no shortage of taxis. You can reach about any point in Timișoara by paying a fee of 15-50 lei. 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, Timișoara, Autogenn, Fan or Prompt). The taxis licensed by the City Hall have a distinctive oval black sticker on the backseat doors, while the pricier, probably scam taxis have a sign on the top of the car which only says 'Taxi' and doesn't mention the name of the taxi company. These taxis are twice as expensive, but they are also legal. If you see a taxi driver approaching and asking you for a ride, reject it, and search for a local company taxi.

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

By bike
Getting around the city is also possible by bicycle, and during rush hours with fair weather is far better than getting stuck in heavy traffic. There are also dedicated cycle lanes in some parts of the city (starting from the city center). However, be mindful of potholes popping up every now and then and be extra-cautious when sharing the road with cars, as some drivers tend to utterly disrespect anyone traveling on two wheels (be it a bicycle or a motorcycle).

Parks
Timișoara is known in Romania as the City of Parks.



Do
Enjoy nice coffee products in Piața Unirii (Union Square) or Piața Victoriei (Victory Square). Taste the week-end nightlife by dancing all night long at Club The Note or D'Arc, or their summer locations, River Deck or D'Arc terrace on the shores of Bega Channel. Eat a great pizza or pasta at Da Toni, 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. Timișoara is a very cosmopolitan city and if you ask around you can enjoy all kinds of activities.

Buy
In Timișoara you can buy everything, from well known brands to Romanian products. The important shops are 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.



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

Cope
There are free public toilets underneath Piața Unirii.

Connect
Timișoara and its approach roads have 4G from all Romanian carriers. As of Aug 2022, city centre has 5G from Digi, Orange and Vodafone.

Go next

 * Deta (40 km south)
 * Jimbolia (45 km west) – a small town 40 km west of Timișoara on the border with Serbia; several interesting cultural and recreational attractions.
 * Arad (60 km north) – citadel, old town with Art Nouveau buildings, Cultural Palace; twelve trains per day, taking 50 minutes.
 * Lugoj (60 km east) – 1½ hours by bus.
 * Sânnicolau Mare (65 km northwest) – birthplace of Béla Bartók; 2 hours by bus.
 * Deva (155 km east) – There are eight trains daily, taking 3½ hours.
 * Szeged (115 km northwest) – largest city in Southern Hungary, famous for salami, paprika and sunshine; 1½ hours by bus.
 * Kikinda (70 km west) in Serbia
 * Vršac (75 km south) – Serbian border town; there are two trains per day from Nord Train station (1½ hr).
 * Belgrade (150 km southwest) – Serbian capital; via Vršac.
 * Novi Sad (150 km west) – another regional centre in the Pannonian Basin, sharing some of the architectural styles; its Habsburg fortress from the same period has been preserved