Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BANAT
Timişoara
POP 303,700
Romania's third- or fourth-largest city (depending on the source) is also one of the coun-
try's most attractive urban areas, built around a series of beautiful public squares and lavish
parks and gardens. It's known as Primul Oraş Liber (First Free Town), for it was here that
anti-Ceauşescu protests first exceeded the Securitate's capacity for violent suppression in
1989, eventually sending Ceauşescu and his wife to their demise. With western Romania's
nicest hotels and restaurants, it makes a perfect base for exploring the Banat region.
