3-Hour Cultural Walking Tour of Oradea

I really enjoyed my walking tour with Arin. He taught me about the unique history of Oradea, as well as architecture facts I will keep in mind during future travels.

My husband and I visited Oradea in early June and wanted to see not only some of the highlights of the city but also specific attractions. My parents grew up in Oradea and I wanted to see the Cris river (on whose banks my dad walked with his first girlfriend), the Jewish conservative synagogue and the place where the Jews were taken to the camps by train (now a park). Arin was highly personable, knowledgeable and flexible and made our tour a delightful experience. He started by showing us the fascinating Oradea citadel (a must-see), whose moat with hot water from thermal springs kept invaders at bay. It is believed to be the best preserved citadel in Europe built in the Renaissance style, erected between the years 1077-1095 by King Ladislau I. (In the beginning it was a fortified monastery, later it was transformed into a citadel, which became the headquarters of the Roman-Catholic Diocese of Oradea.) Arin then took us to the open market (really, it had some kind of a roof to protect u s from the elements), huge in size, and offering a great variety of beautiful produce, fruits and vegetables), and flowers. He then walked us through parts of the beautiful city and its varied architecture, pointing out all sorts of interesting things, and then walked with us, continuing to explain everything, to the sites we wanted to see, including some new ones that he thought we might want to see (he was right). Arin is a superb guide. His English is flawless, he is fun to be with, accommodating, helpful and dedicated to giving his clients the best possible experience. I recommend not only this particular walking tour (which, for us, was memorable), but also Arin as a guide. We felt so fortunate to have found him.