Interesting Things To Do In Cluj-Napoca

An Overview of Cluj-Napoca

Cluj-Napoca is the historic capital of Transylvania and home to the country’s largest university, Babeș-Bolyai University. The city stands upon the ancient ruins of a Dacian settlement known as Napoca, which the Romans made a municipium (Roman municipality.) Modern Cluj-Napoca is famous for music festivals, it’s numerous renowned cultural institutions and historic structures. There are many interesting things to do in Cluj-Napoca.

Advice For Visiting Cluj-Napoca

Cluj-Napoca is small enough to walk around, but the bus system is fairly handy.  Ticket machines can only be found at some stations, but they accept both cards and cash.

The Cluj-Napoca airport has money exchanges, but they shut down quite early.  It is advisable to bring LEI or ROM (both different names for the same currency) prior to arrival.

The Dallas Exchange in downtown Cluj-Napoca offers a fair rate for Euros to ROM at the time of this writing (July 24th, 2022).

Cluj-Napoca’s Ethnographic Musuem is worth a visit.  The entry fee is 6 Lei at the time of this writing, but other guests mentioned the price changes somewhat depending on the day.  The museum attendant also said prices would rise in the near future.  The Museum has no translations, all information and plaques are in Romanian.  If visiting, bring translation software or a guide to describe the vast display of unusual objects.

Steampunk Transylvania is a brilliant museum.  The cost of entry at the time of this writing is 45 lie per adult. The staff is extremely passionate and helpful.  Photos of the many odd things within the museum are allowed. 

Enigma is a Steampunk Bar which shares a theme with Steampunk Transylvania.  Though the two reference one another, both are independently owned and operated.  It takes about ten minutes to walk from one to the other

Interesting Things To Do In Cluj-Napoca

Romano-Catholic Church Saint Michael

This is a large landmark church located in the Old Town area of Cluj-Napoca

Old Town

This historical portion of Cluj-Napoca. It contains the majority of chain restaurants, shops, clothing stores and the city’s more popular bars.

Unirii Square

This is the central plaza area close to the Old Town Area. There are many tourist features along with dessert cafés and a few local monuments.

Central Park (Parcul Central Simion Bărnuțiu)

This is a large central park area in Cluj-Napoca with several small restaurants, a large lake for boating and shady trails for walking or jogging. It’s a rather pretty space with views of the nearby river.

Grădina Botanică “Alexandru Borza,” the Cluj-Napoca Botanical Gardens

This is a pleasant botanical garden area which has trails moving through low hills and small streams. Much of the Botanical Gardens are open-air but there are several greenhouses on the premise.

Central Cemetary (Cimitirul Central)

This is an impressively large cemetary on the south side of the city.  The cemetery is well-cared for and showcases numerous styles of Romanian funeral and ancestor artwork.

Ethnographic Musuem of Transylvania (Muzeul Etnografic al Transilvaniei)

This is a small culture museum showcasing the extremely ornate culture of Romania.  A guide or translation device may be needed, as most information is only in Romanian.

Steampunk Transylvania

This is a truly astonishing art and literature museum fusing together concepts of steampunk, secret bases, artwork, fairy lore and alt-tech designs. The staff is extremely helpful and the artwork is inspired. Visitors can discover other secrets this musuem has. This is one of the most interesting things to do in Cluj-Napoca.

Enigma

This is a brilliant and quirky Steampunk bar with artful decorations, excellent drinks and staff members wearing unique hats while regaling customers.

Cluj-Napoca Autogara

This is one of the major bus stops in Cluj-Napoca, located in the north of the city.  Access to other nearby towns is available from here. Bus tickets can be bought at the office, but some bus routes prefer direct payment to drivers.

Bulevardul Erolilor

This is a long street going through the Old Town portion of Cluj-Napoca. The street is packed with interesting features and is often nicely lit at night.

Statue of Avram Iancu (Statuia lui Avram Iancu din Cluj-Napoca)

This is an interesting pillar statue in a fountain near a large plaza.  The plaza is used as a small shopping center for local artists on weekends.

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