What is padel? Rules, gear and how to start
What is padel and how do you play it? Learn the basic padel rules, scoring, court setup, equipment and beginner tips in this complete guide.
Padel in Romania: courts, clubs and prices in 40 cities
Find a club, an open court, a tournament, or a coach in your city.
How padel is growing in Romania
A short snapshot of activity over the last 30 days.
Top players in Romania
- 1
Roma Shender - 2
Влад Зрибняк
- 3
Dmitry Kurat - 4
Alexander Pashkov - 5
Roma Kulikov
Analytics for Romania
Clubs134
Courts400
Peak occupancy76%
Weekend occupancy42%
Average occupancy41%
Pado community
Padel players178
Tournaments6
Padel tournaments in Romania
See every padel tournament in Romania and sign up online in the category that matches your level.
Padel communities in Romania
Padel courts on the map
Every padel court in Romania on the map — from Bucharest, Cluj and Timisoara to Husi, Zarnesti and Radauti.
Where to play padel today
Padel courts free today in Romania — see what is available right now and book online.
Sat, 10 October
Padel in Romania: a guide for players
What padel is
Padel is a racket sport played in doubles on a 20 by 10 metre court enclosed by glass walls and wire mesh, with tennis scoring and a stringless bat.
It started in Mexico in the late 1960s and spread through Spain and Argentina, where it is now the second most played sport. In Romania it grew quickly after 2022: PADO now lists 134 clubs and 393 courts across 40 cities.
It is easy to pick up because the court is small, the serve is underarm and the walls keep the ball in play — a beginner can play a real match on day one, which in tennis takes months. It is always played four a side of two, so you need three partners; if you do not have them, the clubs and communities on PADO run open matches.
The rules of padel in brief
1. It is played in doubles, two against two, on an enclosed court of 20 × 10 metres.
2. The serve is underarm, below waist height, after the ball has bounced once, diagonally into the opponents’ box.
3. The ball may bounce only once on your side before you hit it.
4. After the bounce the ball may hit the walls and play continues — which makes rallies much longer than in tennis.
5. If the ball hits the wall straight out of the air, without bouncing first, the point is lost.
6. Scoring is the same as in tennis: 15, 30, 40, game. A set is won at six games, with a two-game margin.
7. At 40-40 the golden point is usually played: one point decides the game, with no advantages.
8. The ball can be sent out over the fence and the opponent may play it from outside the court — a rule rarely used at amateur level, but valid.
Padel court dimensions
A padel court is 20 metres long and 10 metres wide, or 200 square metres. The glass walls are 3 metres high, with wire mesh up to 4 metres along the sides. The net is 0.88 metres high in the middle and 0.92 at the posts.
For comparison, a singles tennis court is 23.77 × 8.23 metres and open. That is why padel asks for less running and more positioning, and why a disused tennis court can be split into two padel courts — the reason so many Romanian tennis clubs have added padel in recent years.
PADO compared with other booking apps
On PADO you see all 134 padel clubs in Romania and 393 courts, across 40 cities — including the small clubs in Husi, Zarnesti or Radauti that do not appear in international apps.
Availability is live: you see which court is free today, at what time and at what price, without calling the club.
Booking and payment happen in the app, and the prices shown are the club’s own — PADO adds no commission on top of the court rate.
Updated by the PADO team · September 2026
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How Padel Banda in Warsaw turned the chaos of a large padel community into a system
At some point it became clear that the problem was no longer how to run another tournament. They needed a system that would let them manage a large padel community in Warsaw properly.
Padel tournaments with groups and playoffs: how to run one
Why tournaments with groups and playoffs are worth running in a padel community, how to work out participants, courts, matches and the schedule, and how PADO simplifies large tournaments.
Frequently asked questions about padel in Romania
How much does an hour of padel cost in Romania?
Between 40 and 190 lei an hour, depending on the city, the club and the time slot. In Bucharest typical rates are 100–140 lei during the day and 150–190 in the evening; in Cluj, Iasi and Sibiu 80–160 lei; in smaller cities 40–100 lei. The price table above shows each club’s rate.
Where are the most padel courts in Romania?
In Bucharest — 27 clubs and 99 courts. Then Cluj-Napoca with 33 courts across 7 clubs, Sibiu with 24, Timisoara with 21, Constanta with 20, Oradea with 19 and Iasi with 17.
Can you play padel in winter?
Yes. A large share of Romanian courts are indoor, so play carries on all year. The most indoor courts are in Bucharest, Cluj, Oradea, Timisoara and Baia Mare — the type of each court is listed on the club page.
How many players do you need, and where do I find a partner?
Padel is played in doubles, so you need four players. If you have no partners, the clubs and communities in your city run open matches and tournaments with individual entry — you will find them in the communities and tournaments sections.
Padel or tennis — which is easier for beginners?
Padel. The court is smaller, the bat is short and stringless, the serve is underarm and the walls keep the ball in play. A beginner can play a real match in their first session, which in tennis usually takes a few months of practice.
How do I book a padel court online?
Choose your city, compare the clubs by price, area and court type, then pick a free hour from the club’s calendar and confirm the booking in the app. Availability is live, so an hour shown as free really is free.