Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Information
Associata Turistica
( 0744-420 626;
www.visitgheorgeni.ro
; Piaţa Libertăţii 27;
8am-4pm Mon-Fri)
Opened in 2012, this excellent tourist office has info on local things to
do including Lăzarea's castle, Lacu Roşu, and the Bicaz Gorge, 26km east. Free walking
maps too, as well as accommodation and trekking advice.
Getting There & Away
The
bus station
( 0266-364 722)
and
train station
( 0266-364 587)
are 1.5km west
of the centre via Str Gării. There are two daily buses to Braşov (25 lei, 2½ hours); one to
Târgu Mureş (25 lei, four hours), continuing to Cluj-Napoca (30 lei); one to Lacu Roşu
(15 lei, one hour); and one to Odorheiu Secuiesc (5 lei, 2¼ hours). Trains going to Braşov
(43 lei) and Baia Mare (70 lei), Bistriţa (38 lei) and Bucharest North (70 lei) stop here.
There is no public transport to the stations, so many people lug their bags out there by
foot. Ask Associata Turistica about getting a cab.
Odorheiu Secuiesc
POP 36,320
Of all Székely Land, nowhere is more 'Hungarian' than Odorheiu Secuiesc (or as locals
prefer, Székelyudvarhely), with about 95% of the population being ethnic Hungarian. Sur-
rounded by small hills, dominated by its centrepiece square and church and sprinkled with
gelateries and cafes, Odorheiu Secuiesc is a low-key place to stretch your legs. Some
weekends there's a market selling crafts on Str Kossuth Lajos.
Settled on an ancient Roman military camp, Odorheiu Secuiesc developed as a small
craft town between the 11th and 13th centuries. The Craftmen's Market, held in the citadel
in mid-July, carries on the town's tradition of craft guilds set up by King Matthias
Corvinus in 1485. Politics is often a part of conversation, and you're more likely to hear
about the tensions between Romanian and ethnic Hungarian politicians here than else-
where in Székely Land.
The train and bus stations, reached via Str Bethlen Gábor, are a 10-minute walk north
of the centre; the bus station is 100m southwest of the train station (west of the tracks).
Streets (and everything else, actually) get two names here - Hungarian and Romanian.
