Arad county features wide streets and grand palaces that feel like old Vienna. You walk through the city center where the** Administrative Palace** rises with a 54-meter clock tower. The buildings feature fancy stone faces and colorful tiles from the Art Nouveau era. The vibe is classic and very refined, especially near the red brick Lutheran church. It is a great place to start a tour of the west before heading into the wild.
The Mureș river offers a scenic path for your journey. Huge trees line the banks where you can stop for a peaceful walk at the Mureș Floodplain Natural Park. The landscape is broad and open with rich green fields as far as you can see. You pass the ruins of Șoimoș Castle, which sits on a high hill watching over the water. It is a relaxing route where you can spot wild deer in the thickets.
Head to the sunny hills of Miniș to find the local wine road. Red grapes grow in the dark soil to create the famous Cadarcă wine, once loved by emperors. You can visit small family cellars for a quick tasting of sweet dessert wines. The owners are friendly and love to show off their tunnels. This stop adds a tasty twist to your southern plains adventure.
Arad (county) highlights
- Șoimoș Castle Ruins Hike up a steep hill to reach the crumbling stone walls of a fortress that has watched over the Mureș River for centuries. The view from the top captures the wide blue river winding its way through the lush green valley toward the western horizon. It is a rugged and evocative spot where you can sit on the ancient stones and feel the history of the frontier.
- Miniș Vineyards Drive through sun-drenched hills where the grapes for royal wines have been harvested since the middle ages. You can stop at small, family-run cellars to taste bold reds that once graced the tables of emperors across Europe. The light in this region is warm and golden, making the drive through the vineyards feel like a classic Mediterranean escape.
- Mureș Floodplain Park Follow quiet gravel paths through a lush wetland forest that serves as a sanctuary for rare birds and ancient oak trees. The slow moving water of the river creates a calming backdrop for a peaceful nature drive far from the city noise. It is a great place to watch the local wildlife and enjoy the simple beauty of the river banks.
- Maria Radna Basilica Visit a grand, twin-towered church that rises from the forest as a beacon of faith and history. The elegant white interior is filled with light and offers a deep sense of calm to everyone who passes through the heavy doors. The surrounding hills provide a leafy setting for a quiet walk through the grounds of this historic pilgrimage site.
- Șiria Fortress Watch the sunset from the top of high stone ruins that look out over the vast and flat plains stretching toward the border. The drive up the hill is a fun challenge for any road trip fan, featuring sharp turns and sudden views of the land below. It is a popular local spot for photographers who want to capture the orange glow of the sky over the horizon.
- Bezdin Monastery Seek out one of the most remote and silent holy sites in the region, tucked away in a lush and watery marshland. This Serbian Orthodox gem is full of ancient icons and offers a rare look at the diverse cultural history of the west. The surrounding nature is wild and green, providing a perfect refuge for those looking to get off the beaten path.
- Moneasa Resort Discover a hidden mountain town famous for its red marble and the fresh, ionized air of the surrounding woods. The road leading here is a quiet dead end that terminates in a world of deep green forests and cool mountain streams. It is a fantastic place to park the car and spend an afternoon walking through the shaded trails.
- Tauț Lake Escape to the shores of a large blue lake where local fishermen and campers enjoy the quiet rhythm of the water. The drive to this spot takes you through tiny, traditional villages where life follows the steady pace of the seasons. It is a peaceful destination for anyone looking to spend a night under the stars near the cooling breeze of the lake.
- Art Nouveau Palaces Navigate the backroads to find hidden manor houses that reflect the grand and colorful style of the old Austro-Hungarian empire. These buildings feature intricate stone carvings and floral motifs that turn a simple drive into an architectural treasure hunt. They serve as elegant reminders of a time when this region was a wealthy hub of European trade.
- Săvârșin Royal Domain Walk through the meticulously kept gardens of the royal family’s country estate, where rare trees and flowers create a regal atmosphere. The park is vast and offers a quiet, refined setting for a long stroll away from the modern world. It is a place of grace and history that provides a unique look at the private life of the nation's royalty.
The local Four
History of Arad (county)
Arad is the grand western gateway where the elegance of the Habsburg Empire meets the industrial grit of the early modern age. The region flourished as a strategic military outpost on the Mureș River with the construction of a massive Vauban style fortress that remains one of the best preserved in Europe. It served as a brutal prison for high ranking revolutionaries and later became the center where the 1918 Union was secretly planned. The streets of the capital reflect this wealth with neoclassical palaces that earned it the nickname Little Vienna.
The history of the county is fueled by the first automobile and railway factories in the region which once supplied the entire continent. It was here that the Marta company produced the first cars in the country long before the modern industry took root. Driving the flat western plains takes you past the remains of medieval castles like Șoimoș and Dezna which guarded the salt routes from the mountains to the sea. These ruins overlook the river where Ottoman and Austrian armies fought for control of the gateway to the west.
Travelers will find a different pace in the rolling hills of Miniș where the history of viticulture stretches back to the 11th century. The local Cadarcă wine was so prized that it was the favorite of the imperial court in Vienna for generations. You can visit the memorial house of Ioan Slavici to understand the rural life that defined the frontier spirit of the 19th century. Arad is a journey through imperial luxury and the hard working soul of a borderland that never stopped moving.