Oradea Travel Guide, Romania
Oradea Travel Guide – City Overview
Oradea is one of the most important social, cultural and economical centers in Romania. With a population of more than 200,000 - according to the 2002 census-, it is only the 10th largest Romanian town, but one of the most significant ones. Located in the North-Western part of the country, on the banks of the “Crişul Repede” river, the capital city of Bihor County is considered the gate towards the Central- and West European World. Moreover, Oradea is one of the leading tourist destinations in Romania, with the historical atmosphere its beautiful architecture conveys, with its famous spas and the excellent hiking possibilities its surroundings permits, the city attracts thousands of visitors every year.
Oradea Travel Guide – Paris on the River Pece
Since its foundation in the 11th century, Oradea, the city of King Ladislaus (László) I. of Hungary, has always been a significant political and cultural point throughout the course of history. Its late 19th century name: “Paris on the River Pece” reflects beautifully how prosperous the city was by that time. Though the World Wars and the Communist Regime deteriorated the city image badly, in the past twenty years Oradea showed a fast paced development and a real upswing, so that now its old praising name starts to be heard again.
The fine architecture the city center can take pride in conveys an atmosphere that takes us back to the period when Oradea was part of Austria-Hungary. Similar to Arad Travel Guide or Timisoara Travel Guide, the strong historical character of the city has to be highlighted here as well. The rich Baroque architecture and the Art Nouveau buildings combine in a harmonious way, offering a splendid cityscape. The gorgeous Baroque Palace together with the Basilica, the unique “Black Eagle” Palace, the main street and numerous other sites of historical nature, no to speak of Oradea’s Fortress, will make your sightseeing tour plentiful and memorable.
Oradea Travel Guide – Recreational Possibilities
An Oradea Travel Guide would be incomplete without mentioning its famous spas. All the public baths of the city welcomes its visitors with thermal water, and the famed spa Băile Felix is a popular tourist attraction in itself. The thermal spa resort lies only 8 km from Oradea, being very easily accessible by car or bus. The thermal waters (20-48°C) of Felix, which are known for more than a millennium now, are considered to be of the best quality in Romania, being acclaimed for their effectiveness in curing rheumatic, neurological and also gynecological diseases, and the soothing action of muscular and articular aches is also well-known. Băile Felix, which is the largest permanent resort of this kind in Romania, besides its therapeutic character, offers various recreational possibilities to tourists.
Moreover, the hilly surroundings of the city, most notably the Apuseni Mountains, with scenic karst formations, are a must see. Whether you are a hiking fan or just nature lover, a trip in the surrounding mountains will certainly be worthwhile and will make a perfect ending to your visit.
Read our members' reviews about Oradea
Had a great time in Oradea
review by asterix posted more then 30 days ago
Oradea is a really peaceful and beautiful city, a lot of old style buildings like churches and palaces (mosly Art Nouveua) in the center of it. It's interesting that, at the moment like half of the buildings are renovated and half are not, you can It has also a river called Crisul Repede, witch...
Da Vinci exhibiton in Oradea
review by erato posted more then 30 days ago
Leonardo Da Vinci’s inventions resurrect in a small Transylvanian village. Lajos Antal lives in Hegykozkovacsi (Cauaceu in Romanian), a small village in Bihor County, Romania. He is a carpenter and woodcarver craftsman and for over six years prepares the models of Leonardo da Vinci’s...
Initial experiences in Oradea
review by szbogi posted more then 30 days ago
Some pictures about me made by Zoli, just for fun. :) We are waiting to start our journey... We are really excited, this is a very big thing for us. I can't wait to see all those wonderful things I just read about before. We also decided to document each move of ours with photos and write down...
Read our members' travel tips about Oradea
The Castle of Oradea
travel tip by Sandor posted more then 30 days ago
One of the major attractions in Oradea would be the Castle built more than 800 years ago by the founder of the city, King St. Laszlo of Hungary. The Castle has got 5 bastions and is under restauration now (Feb. 2011). The building...
Grand Palace
travel tip by zangazanga posted more then 30 days ago
Garnd Palace Restaurant is only 5 minutes from the city center by walking. It is very luxurious, but not very expensive. The furniture, the decoration, the huge mirrors on the walls, everything is very elegant, in the classical way....- Magnolia trees in the musem's park
travel tip by szbogi posted more then 30 days ago
If you visit Oradea in spring (espacially in April) you should take a walk in the museum's park. There are some magnolia trees which are in bloom that time of the year. Don't forget to take your camera with you!
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