Last Updated on 20th September 2021 by Sarah and Justin
We ended our two weeks in Romania with two days in Oradea. It’s a bit lesser known than the major destinations like Brasov and Sibiu, but that was one of the things that appealed to us. If you enjoy great architecture and are looking for something a little more off the tourist track, we highly recommend it. And to convince you to add it to your Romania itinerary, we wrote this post of our favorite things to do in Oradea.Admire Oradea’s Union Square
Your first stop in Oradea should definitely be Union Square. It’s relatively new and you can tell since it’s super clean and in amazing shape. The buildings that surround it aren’t very large, but they are beautifully ornate and in bright colors. We love European squares and this one pleasantly surprised us.
Explore the Black Eagle Palace
A highlight of Union Square, and Oradea, is the Black Eagle Palace. It was built in the early 20th century and is a great example of the Secession style of architecture. The buildings are grand, but almost look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. Inside, there is a passage with stained glass featuring the palace’s namesake.
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Visit the Church of the Moon
Walk along the Crișul Repede river
A river runs through Oradea. The Crișul Repede river to be exact. It’s nice to walk down and across and is beautiful at any time of day. But actually, it’s most lovely at sunset, so definitely go then.
Also on the river is the Neolog Synagogue Zion. It was recently restored in 2015. It’s a massive and impressive building, but today the Jewish community in Oradea is much smaller than it once was. 25,000 Jewish people in Oradea were deported to concentration camps during WWII.
Visit Parcul 1 Decembrie
Oradea also has a nice park, Parcul 1 Decembrie. It has fountains and sculptures and if it hadn’t been so hot when we were walking around we would have hung out in it more. It’s pretty big too, and probably a good place to bike about.
Stroll along Calea Republicii
Calea Republicii is Oradea’s main shopping street and is pedestrianized. It’s on the other side of the river from Union Square. It’s lined with shops and cafes and unbelievably beautiful Art Nouveau style buildings. We weren’t staying anywhere near the street, so only walked up and down it once, but had we been staying in the area, we probably would have frequented it much more.
Eat Plăcintă
We were walking down a street in Oradea when we noticed an older woman tending to some dough in a small room. We hesitate to call this place a shop. It was pretty much just a kitchen. The dough looked and smelled delicious and after we saw two seemingly in-the-know people step inside, we followed. We had to decide between a lightly fried and a deep fried (and puffier) version of whatever she was making (we still didn’t know what it was) and chose the former. It was basically a fried pancake stuffed with cheese. She gave us a hot one in a oil-absorbing paper and we paid her 2 RON (~$0.43) and were on our way. Well actually, Sarah asked if she could take pictures of the place first… and then we were on our way.
Outside, we bit into the delicious pancake and tasted yummy cheese and knew we had made the right choice, but knew we should have gotten two (at least!). We later learned the item is called plăcintă and has a Hungarian influence. We feasted on one more before we departed Oradea (and Romania), spending our last Romanian money on one at a similarly small shop near the train station. We can’t find either of these places on Google Maps, so you’ll just have to keep an eye out when you’re visiting.
Visit Hungary
Another great thing about Oradea is that it’s pretty close to Hungary (only 8km to the border), so it’s fairly easy to extend your trip into this country. We took the train from Oradea to Debrecen, from where we would be flying home. The train trip took about 3 1/2 hours including an extended stop at the border where they checked our passports.
Tips about visiting Oradea
Getting in
Oradea is in the western part of Romania. If you’re traveling via public transportation from Cluj-Napoca (like we did), you can take a bus (which takes about 2 1/2 hours) or a train (~3 hours 45 minutes). Due to the timetables, we took a minibus.
<< Read all our expert tips about taking public transportation in Romania >>
The bus dropped us off just a few minutes from the main train station. You can take public transportation (tram or bus) into the center of the city from there. You can buy your ticket from a machine or a person in a booth near the stop (it varies by stop). Once you get into the center of the city, everything you’ll want to see and do is within walking distance.
Hotel in Oradea
We stayed at the Ramada which was located a little bit outside the main touristic center of Oradea. We enjoyed our stay for the views (as you can see in the picture above) and the rooftop jacuzzi. The restaurant there is also quite good, albeit a bit more expensive than others (it is a hotel restaurant after all).
Grocery shopping
Close to the Ramada is an amazing and massive supermarket, the German chain Kaufland. If you are staying for a while, definitely stock up on supplies there.Accessibility in Oradea
As we mentioned in our last post, we thought Oradea was quite easy to get around by walking. Unlike some of the other places we visited in Romania, it’s fairly flat and most of the streets were well-maintained (especially Union Square). Public transportation in Oradea is wheelchair accessible: trams and buses are equipped with ramps. We thank Accessible Romania for providing us with this information and recommend that anyone who has further questions about accessibility in Oradea or Romania as a whole contact them directly.So have we convinced you? Don’t you want to visit Oradea?
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I love discovering new places and now I know a bit more about another small town in Romania which is a country that is high on my list. Wonderful and informative post with some nice pics!
Romania looks amazing! It’s now on my bucket list!
What a lovely city! We love discovering off-the-beaten places. And those pastries look delicious!
Transylvania is high on my list, just moved a little higher …. pinning for when we visit
Very good article. Oradea is my home town and my favorite place on Earth as well. I’m happy to see it’s beauty noticed by foreigners. Thank you for visiting my home and for saying so beautiful words about it !
Thank you for commenting! Positive feedback from a native Oradean is just wonderful. We are glad we did well by your home city 🙂
The deep fried things in the restaurant are called langos. Delicious with sour cream and cheese. Palacinta is a Hungarian pancake. Thanks for the tips, I’m driving to Oradea tomorrow from Hungary. Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing
Ah yes we know langos well! We didn’t realize that’s what they were in that specific small shop. We only ate the palacinta there – was new to us. So delicious. Would love one now! Hope you enjoy your time in Oradea!
Thanks for tips. I am romanian and would be travelling for the first time to Oradea tomorrow. Plăcintă is what u would call pie, but this is different and we call it “scovergi” at the south of romania. They can be filled with cheese, but usually they are just deep fried dough, sprinkled with sugar. And i would not necessarily tribute this to hungarians. Romanian food is as good and interesting and i dare u to try it when u will get the chance. Maybe next you will take a trip at the seaside. Travel safe! 🤗
Wow thank you for all the information! We really enjoyed all the food we ate in Romania. We hope you had a great trip to Oradea.
Hello, Oradea is my hometown and it gets more and more lovely by the day! Glad you liked it!
Just one thing: it is in western Romania.
Many happy travels!
Thank you Andrea! We’ve corrected that in the post 🙂
If you don’t mind, a note: Oradea is in the western part of Romania, not eastern. Otherwise, I like your article.
Thank you very much for catching that error and calling it to our attention. We’ve corrected it now. Glad you liked the article otherwise!
I was born in Romania but i live in Orlando FL …this article makes me visit this beautiful city
Thank You