If you travel to Oradea in January for the Ice Swimming World Championship, it is worth setting aside a day or two for the city. A few tips for swimmers and supporters.
Not its first ice swimming championship
Oradea has hosted an IISA championship before: the first IISA European Championship took place here in February 2024. According to IISA, eight Hungarian swimmers started 19 times, in water of 4.07 °C. At the 2027 World Championship the outdoor 50-metre pool will be the competition pool, and the indoor pool next to it the warm-up pool.
A walk in the city centre
The city centre on both banks of the Crișul Repede river is one of the Art Nouveau centres of Central Europe. On Union Square stands the Black Eagle Palace with its famous glass-roofed arcade – particularly atmospheric on January evenings. The city also has strong Hungarian literary ties: the poet Endre Ady worked here as a journalist early in his career.
[A TIP FROM THE ASSOCIATION: A FAVOURITE CAFÉ, RESTAURANT OR SIGHT RECOMMENDED BY THE SWIMMERS]
Rewarming, Oradea style
Next to the city lies Băile Felix, the region's famous thermal spa. The rules for rewarming after an ice swim are on the Safety page.
Travel
Oradea is close to the Hungarian border and can be reached from Budapest by car and by train. [TRAVEL INFORMATION: JOINT TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATION, PARKING AT THE VENUE]
It is worth going as a supporter, too: [FOR SUPPORTERS: ENTRY, SPECTATOR AREA, DRESSING FOR THE COLD].