← Timișoara Marathon·Day trip

Buziaș: A Spa Town with an Imperial Colonnade

A flat, slow day in a nineteenth-century spa town with a colonnade between the springs and the casino, a park and a small balneary museum.

DurationDay trip
TransitRoad (DJ592) or rail, about 35 km east of Timișoara; check current services
DepartsTimișoara

After the Timișoara Marathon: Buziaș

The Route: Timișoara → Buziaș → Timișoara Logistics: About 35 km by road. A railway between the two opened in 1896, so check the current timetable at cfrcalatori.ro. If no suitable train runs, a taxi is the simple answer. Marathon Month: October Duration: Day trip

Timișoara ──(35 km, DJ592 or rail)──> Buziaș
                                        │
Timișoara ◄──(same route, afternoon)────┘

The Timișoara City Marathon ends on a Sunday in Piața Victoriei after a run along the Bega from the village of Otelec. Monday is a good day for something flat and quiet. Buziaș is both.

October in Banat: the national weather service puts the regional monthly mean at roughly 10 to 12°C. Bring a warm layer for the sitting parts of the day.

Getting there

Buziaș lies about 35 km from Timișoara and 25 km from Lugoj, linked by county road DJ592 and the railway. The line from Timișoara opened in 1896. Check whether a passenger train suits your timings on the day. A taxi arranged through your hotel is the fallback.

The day

The town became an officially declared spa resort in 1819, after the local mineral springs were first analysed in 1811. The carbon dioxide springs were bottled almost continuously from 1840, until the bottling plant closed in early 2014. The water is still the reason the town exists, and the park built around the springs is the part to walk.

The imperial colonnade links the springs to the casino. It has been likened to the promenades at Karlovy Vary and Baden-Baden, which is generous but gives the right idea: a covered, level walk where you can sit and stop whenever your legs ask. The town park has a fountain and ornamental trees, and the paths are flat.

Two churches sit within the town. The neo-Gothic Roman Catholic church dates from 1875, and the Orthodox church of Saints Peter and Paul from 1833. The Buziaș Balneary Museum occupies the former Gorjup villa and opened in 1987. Check its opening hours before you go, because small museums in Romanian towns often keep short hours or close on a Monday.

Plan two or three hours on foot at most. A café stop in the park does more for a post-marathon body than a long itinerary.

Where to eat

Ask your hotel in Timișoara to suggest a lunch place in Buziaș, or eat before you leave.

Getting back

Aim to be back in Timișoara before dark. If you are flying out, Timișoara Traian Vuia airport publishes E4 buses to the centre and E4b to the station, so check the current route and fare.