Cluj-Napoca.
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Overview

Cluj-Napoca (Romanian), Kolozsvár (Hungarian) or Klausenburg (German) is the capital of Cluj county and the unofficial capital of the historical region of Transylvania. The city, with about 320,000 people (2016), is very pleasant, and it is a great experience for those who want to see urban Transylvanian life at its best. Along with fine dining, excellent cultural activities, a wonderful historical legacy and a great atmosphere, the city will not disappoint those who add it to their travel itinerary. What's more is the fact that Cluj (as it's called for short) is so easy to access and get around.

Understand

Today, the biggest ethnic group in Cluj-Napoca are Romanians. However, this was not always the case as many different groups have inhabited the city throughout its history. The first trace of humans was neolithic settlements dating back thousands of years. Later the settlement was conquered and inhabited by Romans. The archaeological reminder of Roman Napoca can be seen in Unirii Square in the city centre. Saxons were next to occupy the city: they built the wall around the city which still stands. The city carries the German name of Klausenburg. In the 19th century, ethnic Hungarians were the majority of the population and remained so until 1955. They call the city Kolozsvár. The construction of non-Catholic religious buildings in the city centre was forbidden for a while, yet eventually, Romanians were allowed to build Orthodox churches. During communist times, the remaining minorities migrated for a higher standard of living, for example, Jewish people migrated to Israel and ethnic Saxons migrated to Germany.

Cluj-Napoca has reminders of its past all around the city. You might wonder why Cluj-Napoca architecture is similar to that in Germany. This happened during Austro-Hungarian period when local architects been educated in Vienna. Moreover, communist buildings can be found just outside city centre.

Many people still refer to Cluj-Napoca by its previous name, Cluj, because the ending "Napoca" was added in 1974 by the Communist Party.

Cluj-Napoca has emerged as a tech hub being informally named as a silicon valley of Romania. Technology related events organised all around the city include conferences attracting speakers from all around the world. Technology companies mainly offer out-sourcing services yet startups exist too. This continues to increase prices in the city which is high compared to other cities in Romania but still much cheaper than in Western Europe.

Talk

The official language is Romanian, a Romance language. Most educated people will speak reasonably good English and will likely be proficient in one or more second Romance languages. Hungarian is a common language, spoken by the relatively large Hungarian minority. The Roma people speak their native Romany, as well as Romanian. Beyond that, as in any major city, there will be a smattering of other languages.

Get in

Getting to Cluj-Napoca is easy due to its position and its status as a major Transylvanian city.

As with many other Transylvanian cities, the train is the easiest way to reach Cluj because it is an important Romanian railway hub. There are 4 trains daily to Bucharest and 4 trains daily to Budapest (via Oradea). There are train connections to most Romanian or Transylvanian cities, including fast InterCity connections to Oradea, Arad, Timisoara, Brasov, Sighisoara, Ploiesti and Bucharest.

Important to know, that in Romania there are three kind of trains.

On a few routes like from/to Oradea and Târgu Mureș, you can find private companies like Transferoviar grup, which offer cheaper tickets.

Cluj-Napoca can be reached by bus from Bucharest, major cities in Romania, most cities in Transylvania, and a number of major cities in Europe.

There is also an on-demand bus to Cluj-Napoca from Budapest by Eurobusways.

Getting there and away: By bus – Bus line 5 and 8 running 05:30–00:00, for 3 lei one-way (as of Jun 2023). For the public bus, you need to exit the airport, turn right at the main street and walk to the next bus stop. There is a ticket machine. Remember to stamp your ticket on board. You are not allowed to buy tickets from the driver. In May 2023, a new Airport Express Line (A1E) was introduced, which stops in front of the airport and goes to Mihai Viteazu Square. Tickets can only be bought inside the bus at the POS by using a credit or a debit card. During the journey from the Airport to Mihai Viteazu Square the bus will stop at bus stops only at the request of passengers by stop button inside the bus. By taxi – Taxis are abundant but probably only worth if you are several people or have too much luggage. If possible, use apps like Uber and Bolt. By rental car – There are several international and local car rental offices at the airport.

Another alternative is to fly to Budapest Franz Liszt International Airport and then shuttle to Cluj-Napoca. The shuttle takes 6–8 hr to make the trip. Many companies travel this route. You can find shuttles from early morning till late night. Reservations have to be made in advance, make sure you leave at least two hours between your flight arrival and the departure of the shuttle, to account for any flight delays. Prices are around 60 to 80 lei.

Cluj-Napoca has good road connections. European road E60 links it to Bucharest and Brasov to the south, Oradea and Budapest to the west, through Bors customs. E81 leads to Zalau and Satu Mare to the north, Brasov and Bucharest to the south. E58 links Cluj-Napoca to Dej, Bistrita, Baia Mare and Vatra Dornei.

Get around

Public transport in the city is possible by means of 25 bus lines, 7 trolleybus lines, and 3 tram lines, all operated by the RATUC company (Regia Autonomă de Transport Urban de Călători). For most lines servicing the city center you won't need to wait more than 15 minutes. The tariff is 6 lei for two trips. Tickets can be bought inside busses and trams by public transport card, Visa/Mastercard (contactless only), via SMS (Romanian SIM cards only), at machines on major stations or for cash at special booths at most stops, identifiable by the RATUC logo and possibly the text "Bilete si Abonamente" (meaning "short and long-term tickets"). You cannot buy tickets on the bus if you do not have a special public transport card. You must buy your tickets at a special booth ahead of time. Most bus stops do not have special booths nearby; they are scattered sparsely throughout the city. Be careful to correctly punch an unused half of your ticket once in the vehicle, ticket control is relatively common and the fines are sizable. A route planner is available online.

Transport in the Cluj-Napoca metropolitan area is covered by many private bus companies, one of the most important is FANY which provides numerous daily connections to neighboring towns and villages.

By taxi Taxis are relatively more expensive than in other parts of Romania, but still cheap, and very convenient. The tariff is around 2.25 lei/km, and the same is applied as start fee. Typically you won't pay more than 13 lei for a travel between the city center and some point in the suburbs. Payment is always done in cash, and paying by credit card is not possible. It is customary, though not mandatory, that the sum is rounded up to 0.50 lei multiples (e.g., if the meter shows 3.20 lei you will probably be expected to pay 3.50 lei, leaving the extra 0.30 lei as a tip). If you do not have exact change, the driver might keep this tip himself when paying back the change. If he tries to keep too much (like rounding from 3.50 lei to 5 lei, for example), do ask for the change.

Taxi cabs come in all shapes and colors, they are identified by the company logo on the sign on top of the car, which will also be placed somewhere on the car body. Taxis cluster around important locations in the city, and clusters are usually no more than 1 km apart. Take care to always use respectable companies, such as Atlas, Diesel Rapid, Diesel Taxi, Pritax, Nova, Terra and Fan, Pro Rapid. There might be underground, "shark" drivers as they are called, which try to exploit unknowledgeable strangers by overcharging. You should avoid them as they charge at least several times the normal fee. They mostly hang around the train station and the airport. Shark drivers might sometimes "helpfully" offer a ride themselves; you won't see a usual driver do that. Usually shark drivers' cars are marked TAXI and nothing else. Search for name of company on the door of car! Respectable firms typically have several cars parked at each station; that's an easy way to identify them. It should be no more than 2.25 lei. Avoid the Activ Taxi cars.

Cabs can also be phoned in. You typically need to give a name, and wait for the number of the car to be relayed to you. Cars will arrive after a period on the order of minutes.

It may happen that you will be driven around on a longer route if you don't know the city. This may happen even with respectable firms. You can't do much to help that, unless you are able to read a map very well, especially if you're easy to spot as a foreigner. The best thing to do is to appear confident, jump in the car and state your destination unhesitantly as if you knew exactly where it was.

By rental car If you’re looking for a reliable car rental in Cluj-Napoca or directly at the airport, you’ll find several reputable companies offering professional services and flexible options for all budgets. Here are some of the most popular local and international operators:

Avis Rent a Car – Hotel Victoria, Str. 21 Decembrie 1989 no.

See

The area around the Union Square is a must see for the visitor, with the Teleki and Banffy Palaces (the latter now housing the National Art Museum), the Franciscan Monastery, the first Unitarian Church in the world, the Piarist Church, the Mirror Street (Iuliu Maniu Street, a unique architectural accomplishment dating back to the late 1800s) and Matthias Corvinus' place of birth, a 15th-century hotel now home to the Visual Arts Academy. Smaller streets around the Square can take you into splendid inner courts, old houses and isolated Churches.

Union Square. Where you can find St. Michael's Church, the National Art Museum, the Statue of Matthias Corvinus and the Roman ruins.

The Museum Square. A 2-minute walk from the Union Square, is home to the Franciscan Monastery (a combination of Baroque and Gothic architecture dating back to the 14th century), the Transylvanian History Museum and the old Obelisk of the city, offered to the city as acknowledgement of its statute by the Austrian Emperor Franz Ferdinand in the 19th century. You can have a nice coffee right by the Obelisk, as during daytime the surrounding bars and cafes have outdoor seating.

Eroilor Avenue. It links the two main squares, Union Square and Avram Iancu Square.

St. Michael's Church. This Gothic architecture piece is one of the most valuable in Transylvania. Its murals date from the 15th century, and the 50 m neo-Gothic tower was built in 1860.

The Reformed Church. Built 1486–1516, it is a very important piece of Gothic architecture.

The Franciscan Church. Built 1260–1290.

Calvaria Church. A small Benedictine abbey surrounded by defensive walls, Calvaria Church was built starting in the 9–10th centuries.

Bob Church. It is the first Greek-Catholic church that was built in the city of Cluj, while it was part of the Austrian Empire.

Piarist Church. Completed in 1724, it was the province's first baroque church.

Cock Church. Designed by the famous architect Kós Károly.

National Museum of Transylvanian History.

Emil Isac Memorial House, Emil Isac nr. 23

Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania.

Pharmaceutical Museum. Highlights of the museum include Mummy powder used as an expensive cure for all diseases, also the elixir of Love, dentifrice powders and a medieval laboratory although little evidence exists that the room was used as a laboratory. A free audio guide is available through the mobile application "izi.Travel".

Zoology Museum. Zoo museum. Variety of conservated reptiles and fishes includes horror-movie-like exhibition items like Amazon jungle snakes, ray, scorpions and lizards. Also stuffed wild mammals, crocodiles and turtles. The museum is found on university campus building on the ground floor on your left. If doors are closed, try knocking. The same building incorporates another live reptile exhibition downstairs. To visit it, take spiral stairs down from the lobby.

Steampunk Transylvania. Museum about the aesthetics of Victorian-era machinery. Has an escape room.

Galeria Horeb. In the basement of what is probably the ugliest church in Cluj (it was built in 1984, during the very strict communist regime, so the church had to look like a communist apartment building), Galeria Horeb opened in 2009. It has around two exhibitions per year.

The Central Park. A welcome break from the rush of the city. The middle of the park hosts a small lake and the Chios Casino, from the terrace of which you can rent rowboats and hydrobicycles to circle the small island in the centre of the lake.

"Romulus Vuia" Ethnographic Park. Displays village buildings in Transylvania region in 18 and 19 centuries in a 16-ha area park next to the city centre. Most are farmyards displaying a variety of used tools too. Highlights include high stretched cupolas churches with religions drawings within. Most buildings are closed but stalking through the windows are ok. Please allow one and a half hour for a visit.

The Fortress Hill. The Transylvania Hotel (also known to the locals as Belvedere) was built on top of the hill, and besides the great view offers a good restaurant as well. The hill can be climbed by stairs from the centre of the city. On the way you will also find a large iron cross monument. A walkway circles the crown of the hill just below the hotel, offering a nice view of the city. The fortress is a citadel-shaped earthen wall and an empty moat around the hotel area.

Cluj-Napoca Botanical Garden. ​​14 hectares, landscaped with varied configurations, suitable for growing and growing plants on different continents. There are about 10,000 specific categories grouped for better management in several sectors: ornamental, phytogeographical, systematic, economic, the greenhouse complex and the visually impaired sector. The Botanical Museum has about 7,000 exhibits, grouped in collections of scientific or economic importance, and phylogenetically in the evolutionary order from the plants with Simple organization (algae, moss, lichens, mushrooms), to complex ones (gimnosperme and angiosperms).

The Tailors' Bastion. It is very well preserved, alongside with the corresponding section of the medieval wall.

Palace of Justice, Calea Dorobantilor nr. 2

Old Casino. In the Central Park, built at the end of the 19th century, restored in 2012.

The Hintz House. It was the first pharmacy in Cluj. Nowadays it houses the Pharmaceutical museum.

Bánffy Palace. Built between 1774 and 1775, it houses the National Art Museum

Cetățuia Fortress. Used to hold a stronghold, as its name implies. People were also jailed there. Not much of the old fortress remains, but the Fortress Hill is worth climbing, for the view.

Neolog Synagogue. Moorish Revival Synagogue near the train station

Statue of Matthias Corvinus. The statue is often climbed by tourists, although officially this practise is not allowed.

Do

Romanian National Opera. Housed in the same building as the National Theatre.

Hungarian Opera. Housed in the same building as the Hungarian State Theater.

Tranzit House. An old synagogue converted into an arts center.

Watch football at CFR Cluj, who play soccer in Liga 1, the country's top tier. Their home ground Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu, capacity 23,500, is 500 m southwest from the railway station.

Buy

Piața Oser. Flea market held every Saturday from morning 'till noon.

Transylvania "The Land Beyond The Forest" Souvenir Gift & Design Shop. You are lucky, this is probably the greatest souvenir shop in Romania and the official shop of the brand of Transylvania.

You can also visit Sora Shopping Center, Central and Galeriile Ferdinand (very expensive). At a lower budget you can find lots of cool clothes in Piata Marasti (shopping center).

Eat

Cluj dining is some of the best in Romania. Ranging from traditional Romanian, Hungarian and Transylvanian (a combination of the previous two) to Italian (very good Italian food), Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Middle Eastern, American and International Cuisine, the city can offer great dining for all tastes. Fancy restaurants are available as well as local fast food shops and a few international chains (McDonald's, Pizza Hut).

Budget All these are in the city centre:

Hotelul Agapé. Cafeteria-style restaurant with good Hungarian and Romanian food.

Vărzărie. One of the few restaurants that Cluj had during the communist times. The food is largely unchanged and the place still maintains a bit of the old atmosphere. They serve simple and cheap Transylvanian food. Varză à la Cluj is a must try local specialty.

Double. Some say here you the best shaorma in South Eastern Europe. They have some extraordinary soups. Very friendly staff, tasty menu of the day. The only thing is that often there are many customers and you have to wait in line for some time.

Broaster Chicken. The Romanian answer to KFC. Fresh food and the chicken is excellent. Both the onion rings, the crispies, the chicken wings and the potatoes are good. Each dish has a special taste.

Cartofisserie. If you like potatoes, here is your universe. Great place to grab some French fries, they have many options for dip sauce to choose from. The toppings like mozzarella sticks are full of taste and crunchy! Fast serving, nice personnel.

Fair Play. Well known for serving excellent tripe soup.

Klausen Burger. A restaurant and brewery with a view.

Roata. Romanian food. A place to try typical Romanian dishes. Menus have described a history of main dishes within few paragraphs and pictures. The restaurant might (or might not) serve homemade spirit on the house as a starter.

Zama. Modern restaurant serving traditional Transylvanian cuisine.

Samsara Foodhouse. Vegetarian, vegan, and raw vegan restaurant with a nice atmosphere.

Shanghai. Has one of the most varied selections of Chinese dishes.

Aroma. International cuisine with a great view.

Maimuța Plângătoare. Traditional Romanian and Hungarian.

Panoramic. International cuisine on the Cetatuia with a great view from above downtown.

Indigo. Indian cuisine, very good food.

Baracca. Very good Mediterranean food with French cuisine influence, great atmosphere. This restaurant changes its menu every 6 months, in collaboration with a chef from France.

Via. In a wonderfully restored old house.

Drink

Cluj has a vibrant night life, guaranteed by the over 60,000 university students living here. There are bars, cafés, clubs for all preferences and budgets.

Bulgakov. They have nice Hungarian food.

Diesel. One of the oldest and most expensive clubs in Cluj-Napoca. Cosmopolitan events on three floors with some of the most popular groups in Romania.

Enigma. Bar and restaurant. The interior is in steampunk style and there is an indoor terrace with lots of greenery.

Flying Circus Club. Mostly rock music. Every night they are open they broadcast a movie around 20:00. Entrance is free including popcorn.

Insomnia. Bohemian and ever-changing decor and nice personnel. Also serve light meals.

L'Atelier. Also known colloquially as the cardboard place. A relaxed café-bar with furniture made from cardboard and scrap materials. Music ranges from jazz to alternative rock.

La Țevi. Heavy metal bar. Beers are around 10-15 lei.

Makeba. Bar-restaurant with terrace. Opposite, the medieval ramparts of the city.

Samsara Chill-Out & Tea House. Samsara is a place to relax. They serve different kinds of tea and wine in a relaxing atmosphere. There are 3 rooms with different styles. The place is very busy in the evening, so make a reservation or come early.

The Soviet. Bar in Soviet style. Has a nice cocktail menu.

Zorki Photo Cafe. Cafe-bar with jazz & alternative rock music. Regular photo exhibitions. Sometimes small, acoustic concerts.

Zorki Off the Record – In the basement under Zorki. Where concerts sometimes happen. You can grab a beer or a glass of wine.

Sleep

The last three years have seen a boom in the Cluj lodging scene. There are lodging options for all budgets, including a 5-star hotel. Other than that, you can find something that suits your needs.

Mioval Pension. Non-stop B&B accommodation.

Transylvania Hostel. A comfortable hostel in the city center with a friendly knowledgeable staff. Large social areas including a lounge, a game room, a guest kitchen and an outdoor terrace.

Hotel Belvedere. Facilities include a pool, gym, conference rooms. Nice view, on top of Fortress hill close to the city center.

Atrium Hotel Boutique Cluj City Center. Quiet area close to the city center. Besides its own restaurant, also contains the Ciuleandra Romanian-food restaurant.

Olimp. Facilities include WiFi, conference room.

Villa-Hotel Escala. Facilities include GYM and pool.

Agape. Set in the city center a few minutes walk from the statue of Matthias Corvinus.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cluj - City Plaza.

West City Hotel. The first design hotel in Cluj.