TIMIŞOARA was born in the Middle Ages, as a small settlement needed for  defense in the middle of the swamps. The city developed rapidly, and came  to play a key role in Romanian and European history. In 1552 the city was  conquered by the Ottomans and becomes the center of a large paşalâc. In  1716 the city is freed from the Ottomans by the Prince Eugene of Savoy and becomes a part of the Hasburg Empire. Over the next two centuries the city is heavily influenced by Vienna. Thousands of colonists from all over  Europe come into the region of Banat, the swamps are drained and the Bega river is turned in a canal to link Timişoara to Vienna by ship. The economy is booming, the city reaches an continental importance, many of  the city’s technical premiers dating from this period, including the introduction of electrical street lighting and of the electrical –drawn trams. At the end of 1918, the citizens of Banat region decide to unite with  Romania.

Situated less than 700 km away from14 European capitals (Belgrade, Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest, Ljubljana, Podgorica, Pristina, Prague, Sarajevo, Skopje, Sofia, Tirana, Vienna, Zagreb) in an ethno-culturally diverse region and being a thriving university centre generated a dynamic lifestyle and an open-minded community with a busy cultural agenda including dozens of festivals of all kinds:

• Bega Boulevard Festival (open-air, whole-family festival)
• Hearts Festival (traditional music & dancing from around the world)
• PLAI Festival (world music)
• Musical Timisoara International Festival (classical music)
• Jazz TM (jazz music)
• House Parade Festival (electronic music)
• Early Music Festival, Baroque Music Festival
• Opera and Operetta Festival (open-air shows during the summer)
• EuroThalia Festival (theatre in various European languages)
• European Film Festival
• TimiShort Film Festival (short movies festival)
• CineCultura Festival (movie festival)
• French Film Festival
• Spanish Culture Days
• Salsa Addicted Festival
• Timişoara International Dance Festival (ballroom dancing)
• Street Art International Festival
• Graffiti International Festival
• StudentFest (student arts festival)
• Wine Festival
• Beer Festival

and many many more.

The most common weekend trip destinations for incoming Erasmus students are:

• The cities of Banat and Transylvania. Arad, Alba-Iulia, Deva, Hunedoara, Reşiţa, Târgu Jiu, Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca or Oradea are all easily accessible by train or bus.
• Iron Gates National Park and the Danube river gorges. Whether driving close to the Danube and stopping in the picturesque villages or boarding a ship for a two to four hours tour on the Danube, this is a great way of spending a sunny week-end.
• During winter: the closest winter sports resorts are Semenic or Muntele Mic, both accessible as day trips from Timişoara. For longer trips, Poiana Braşov, Sinaia, Predeal, Păltiniş or Runcu are great choices.
• International: Belgrade and Novi Sad in Serbia; Budapest and Szeged in Hungary; various places around Europe accessible by low-cost airlines.
• Romania National Tourist Office: www.romaniatourism.com 

GETTING HERE AND AROUND

• By air: Timişoara’s “Traian Vuia” International Airport (www.aerotim.ro) connects the city to many major cities in Europe. There are also domestic connections to all major airports in Romania. The airlines that operate flights from this airport include Austrian Airlines, Carpatair, Lufthansa, Tarom and Wizzair. The connection from Timisoara to the airport is assured by the public transport, buses Expres 4 and 4B. A bus ticket is 6 Lei =1.5 Euro. The airports of Bucharest (transfer by air or train to Timişoara) or Budapest (transfer by train or minibus toTimişoara) might offer lower priced alternatives for guests coming from certain destinations.
• By train: Romania has an extensive railway network, with trains being often the cheapest, though sometimes the slowest means of reaching remote places. We recommend using Inter Regio trains for the best travel conditions. Trains are a good travel option for reaching Budapest (Hungary), Belgrade (Serbia) or Vienna (via Arad). Discounts are available for students and groups of travellers.
• By car: Don’t forget to buy a “rovigneta” when entering the country (toll for using national roads valid 1 day, 7 days, 30 days, 90 days or 12 months) if you decide to bring your own car. In the student complex there are limited on-street (not guarded) parking places.
• Public transportation: It is unlikely for international students to use the public transportation system of Timişoara: the student complex is situated within walking distance from the city center. A regular one-way bus/tram ticket is 2 RON (~0.45 EUR), while an express ticket is 2.5 RON (~0.55 EUR). Students will have access to discounts after registration.
• Cycling: The city has a developing network of bike lanes for cycling enthusiasts.

THE ROMANIAN LANGUAGE

The Romanian alphabet has 31 letters, similar to the ones in the English alphabet, with the exception of five special letters called 'diacritics': ă (like the 'a' in English word 'musical'), ș (pronounced as 'sh'), ț (pronounced 'ts'), â, î (have the same reading, without an English equivalent).

Certain letters (and letter combinations) are pronounced differently than they are in English:
ă as in father
î, â No English equivalent
e as in tell
i [e] as in pick
j as in leisure
ş as in shoe
ţ [ts] as in fits
ce as in check
gi [dsi] as in gin
ge [dse] as in gender
chi [ki] as in skill
che [ke] as in chemistry
ghi [gi] as in give
ghe [ge] as in guess

BASIC VOCABULARY

Personal data – Date personale                                               
Surname – Nume                                                                           
First name – Prenume                                                                   
Date of birth – Data naşterii                                                          
Country– Ţară                                                                                  
Address – Adresă                                                                           
Street – Stradă                                                                                 
Number – Număr                                                                           
Passport – Paşaport                                                                      

Greetings – Formule de salut
Good morning – Bună dimineaţa! (formal)
Good afternoon – Bună ziua! (formal)
Good evening – Bună seara! (formal)
Good night – Noapte bună!
Goodbye – La revedere! (formal)
Hi! – Bună / Salut / Ceau (all informal)
Bye! – Ceau / Pa (informal)
See you soon – Pe curând!

Conversation – Conversaţie
My name is... – Numele meu este...
What is your name? – Cum vă numiţi? (formal), Cum te cheamă? (informal)
How are you? – Ce mai faceţi ? (formal), Ce mai faci? (informal)
I’m fine, thanks! – Bine, mulţumesc!
Please – Vă rog (formal) / Te rog (informal)
Thank you – Mulţumesc (formal) / Mersi (informal)
You’re welcome – Cu plăcere!
Excuse me, I’m sorry – Scuzaţi-mă! / Scuze! /Îmi pare rău!
Enjoy your meal – Poftă bună!
Cheers! – Noroc!
Do you speak English? – Vorbiţi englezeşte?
Yes, a little – Da, puţin
Yes – Da
No – Nu
Maybe – Poate
I don’t understand – Nu înţeleg
I don’t know – Nu ştiu
How much does it cost? – Cât costă?
Price – Preţ
Where is... – Unde este...
Is it far ? – E departe?
I am lost – M-am pierdut
Can you show me on the map? – Îmi arătaţi pe hartă?
Here – Aici
There – Acolo
Towards – Spre
Could you call me a taxi? – Aţi putea să îmi chemaţi un taxi?
I am happy/ sad/ excited/ bored – Sunt fericit/ trist/ încântat/ plictisit
I am well/ill/worried – Sunt bine/ bolnav/ îngrijorat.

Signs - Semne
Open / Closed – Deschis / Închis
Entrance / Exit – Intrare / Ieşire
Emergency exit – Ieşire de urgenţă
No smoking – Fumatul interzis
Men / Women – Bărbaţi / Femei
Airport - Aeroport
Train station - Gară
Arrivals / Departure – Sosiri / Plecări
Police - Poliţie
Fire department - Pompieri
Hospital - Spital
Post Office - Poştă
Watch out! – Atenţie!

LINKS

Tourist Information Centre Timişoara

Thematic guides for tours in the DKMT Euroregion (available in English, German, Hungarian and Serbian)

Wine and gastronomy guide of the DKMT Euroregion (English, German, Hungarian)

Historical and memorial places of the DKMT Euroregion (English, German, Hungarian)

Discover Romania brochures (in English, German, French, Italian)

Official Tourism Site of Romania