I was not sure what to expect from Timisoara. It’s close to the Hungarian border, so it’s more Westernish. But it’s still Romania, so I didn’t get my hopes up.

… which turned out to be a good thing, as I discovered a lovely city. I was surprised how much green spaces it has (well… coming from Bucharest, it’s kinda hard not to). I also saw a lot of bike paths and a lot of bikes using them. The paths were built on the sidewalk, but since cars were not parking there, they were usable (in Bucharest it’s common to walk on the street in order to get around the cars parked on the sidewalk).

I also enjoyed the old center, with recently restored buildings and with lots of pubs and terraces, reminding me (just a little) of Leuven’s Oude Markt.

Tip: for some nice views of the city, you can go on top of the Continental hotel (but I don’t think it’s open for public). Just go in like you have some business there, take the elevator to the top floor and you’ll (hopefully) find one of the doors leading to the roof unlocked.