Romania - Eastern Europe - page 538

mountain guesthouses, family homes, and rustic mountain chalets, or there's always
the option of camping under the stars. To design an adventure that's to your taste,
contact Paul Iacoba @ ( & 0745-602-301; [e-mail]), who started
Apuseni Experience after 3 years with the U.S. Peace Corps.
TIMI!OARA
Timi@oara is 562km (348 miles) W of Bucharest
Timi @ oara (pronounced tim- uh -schwara, and called “Temesvar” by Hungarians) is
considered Romania's most cosmopolitan city, defined by its strong associations with
western European culture and progressive aspirations: This was the first European city
to install street lighting, and the first to run off hydroelectric power. You'd never guess
that this peaceful place, with its languid parks and gardens and gorgeous, lively
squares, was once a hotbed of military and political violence: Timi @ oara, regarded as
the first free city of Romania, was for a long time one of the major military bases
against the Ottoman Empire in its ongoing advance on central Europe. When the
citadel did finally fall to the Turkish armies, it took 164 years of planned invasions,
and more than one army, before the Habsburgs finally managed to toss out the Turk-
ish occupiers. The Austrian stamp remains clearly evident in the city's urban design,
appealing for its voluminous parks and squares, and mix of baroque, neoclassical, and
Art Nouveau buildings.
ARRIVAL, ORIENTATION & GETTING AROUND
Tarom (B-dul Revoluti $ iei 3-5; & 0256/49-0150; Mon-Fri 7am-7pm, Sat 7am-
1pm) flies from Bucharest to Timi @ oara each weekday at 9am. Carpat Air (www.
carpatair.ro) flies the same route Monday through Saturday. You can skip Bucharest
entirely by flying straight to Timi @ oara from London with a number of airlines,
including Tarom, Malev, Austrian, Lufthansa, Alitalia, and low-cost carrier Easyjet.
There are also flights from other European cities, so it's worth investigating before
booking yourself directly to the capital. Situated 13km (8 miles) from the city center,
the airport (Calea Lugojului; & 0256/49-1637 ) has a free shuttle service into town
for Tarom passengers; taxis and public buses are also available. Avis rents cars at the
airport ( & 0256/20-3234 ) or in town ( & 0256/30-9425 ).
Trains from practically anywhere in Romania and a number of European cities pull
in at Gar â Timi @ oara-Nord (Str. G â rii 2; & 0256/49-1696 ). Onward tickets can be
purchased at the CFR Agen $ ie de Voiaj (Pia $ a Vitoriei 2; & 0256/49-1889 ) on week-
days, but be warned that there is almost always a queue with lengthy waits.
WHERE TO STAY
La Residenza This is one of the best hotels in Romania (and the coun-
try's only member of Small Elegant Hotels of the World); the preferred destination for
business bigwigs and visiting celebs (this is where Shakira bedded down when she
rocked the city in 2006). Behind the shuttered walls is a family of hoteliers with a dis-
creet sense of luxury; you're made to feel as though you are in your very own intimate
and stylish home, with plenty of added comforts. Accommodations are elegant, com-
bining distinctive old-world styling with Italian mattresses, Spanish drapes, and Bel-
gian carpets; select antiques and lovely decorative elements work to create a
remarkably unaffected sense of luxury. Standard (comfort) rooms are quite spacious
(and a steal at just under 100

Value

€ €

($36) you can book the
28-sq.-m (301-sq.-ft.) deluxe unit; if you're up for a splurge the Garden suite is tops.

/$120), but for an extra 30