[Romania] Going West to Timișoara

There aren’t too many cities in Romania I really recommend visiting mostly because they lack the vibe that we are looking for, but Timișoara has for some years now gotten on our radar. The city is in 2023 the European Capital of Culture, so some extra reasons to enjoy some days here. As a tip, try avoiding the summer months, it can get crazy hot.

We’ve been visiting Timișoara in the recent years, mostly because it’s more active event wise than Sibiu and it’s just a 3-hour drive from where we live. The city is in constant evolution since we first saw it, some 5 years ago. First impression in 2018 was not the best – the city was in quite a bad condition, with lots of its buildings on the edge of falling. But over the years, things have improved, the city is slowly getting a new and refurbished face, one that we like more and more.

Timișoara is the largest city in the Western part of Romania and the capital of the Banat region, with a population of around 300 000 inhabitants. Historically speaking, Timișoara has its special place – it was the first city in Europe and second in the world, after New York, to use electricity to illuminate its streets. In 1869 Timișoara introduced public transport with horse-drawn trams, a premiere in Europe. More recently, Timișoara was the starting point of the 1989 Revolution that led to the abolition of the communist regime in Romania (there are still some remaining of the shootings on the buildings in Piața Victoriei).

It is a multicultural city, influenced by various ethnic communities, such as German, Hungarian and Serbian, but also Bulgarian, Italian, Greek and Roma. Also, Orthodox believers, Catholics, Jews, Protestants, Lutherans, Reformed, Muslims and other denominations practice their religion here.

Wondering on the streets of Timișoara will highlight its mixture of architectural styles. Often named “Little Vienna”, you will find here a beautiful blend. From baroque to neo-romanian, from art-nouveau, secession and eclectic to the brutalist communist style.

Our getaways here follow almost the same pattern – a city center walk, a lazy afternoon in the shady sidewalks of the Bega River, some drinks in the Traian Square in the evening, mixed with a few of our favorite places to eat out, some events or art exhibitions.

For a full list of places we like to check out when we visit Timișoara, check our Gastro (and not only) Guide.

For the full 2023 Timișoara Schedule, go HERE.

And my 2018 blog post about the city.