Cluj-Napoca

Cluj-Napoca is the unofficial capital of Transylvania and the liveliest city in Romania after Bucharest, with a huge student population that gives it an energy the more picture-postcard Saxon towns lack. Its centre gathers around Unirii Square and the tall Gothic church of Saint Michael, one of the finest in the country, with an equestrian statue of Matthias Corvinus, the Hungarian king born in a house that still stands a few streets away. Around it are baroque and nineteenth-century facades, a botanical garden that is among the best in southeastern Europe, museums of art and ethnography, and a dense scene of cafés, third-wave coffee, ruin-style bars and live music. The city hosts some of the region's biggest festivals, including a vast electronic music gathering each summer and a film festival in spring, when the whole centre fills.

History

The Roman settlement of Napoca, founded about 106, became a municipium under Hadrian and later a colonia. The present name first appears in 1213 as Castrum Clus, craft guilds grew in the second half of the 13th century, and a privilege from Sigismund of Luxembourg in 1405 freed the town from the voivodes' courts and let it elect a twelve-member jury every year; its nickname, the treasure city, dates from the late 16th century (Wikipedia, Cluj-Napoca).

The main sights

• Saint Michael's Church - the great Gothic church on Unirii Square, with a climbable tower.
• The Botanical Garden - one of the finest in this part of Europe.
• The old centre - baroque squares, the Matthias Corvinus house and the tailors' bastion.
• The café and music scene - the student city's bars, coffee and live venues.

When to go

May to September is warmest, with terraces open and festivals running; the big summer music festival and the spring film festival fill the city and its hotels, so check dates before booking. Term time gives the city its student buzz, and August is quieter as students leave.

What to expect

Cluj is a working modern city rather than a preserved historic core, so it has less obvious charm than Sighișoara or Sibiu and rewards those who like urban life over sightseeing. Accommodation prices spike enormously during the major festivals. There is no old-town cluster of headline sights, so it works best as a place to spend time rather than tick off.

Nearby

The Apuseni mountains and their caves lie to the southwest; Turda's salt mine is half an hour away.

Key facts