Cluj-Napoca

Cluj-Napoca is the unofficial capital of Transylvania, and though you

(probably) won’t find vampires here, you can explore castles,
fortresses, botanical gardens, museums and parks. Cluj-Napoca has a
vibrant arts scene that embraces both the traditional and the
progressive. There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy classical
concerts, theatrical performances, puppet shows and music of every
genre, from jazz to modern pop to electronica.

Lively old town

The historic centre around Unirii Square, the largest square in Cluj, is beautiful.
Look out for the Hotel Melody Central. It opened in 1890 as a hotel but has
also been a jazz club and a chapel. St Michael’s church is a huge gothic
building and sights around the square include Old Banffy Palace, which now
houses the National Art Museum, and the old town hall. The three main
squares in the city centre – Mihai Viteazul and Avram Iancu, as well as Unirii –
are full of historic buildings and cosy bars.

Festivals attract a lot of visitors to Cluj and have really changed the city and
accelerated its growth. It’s best known for electronic music events,
particularly Electric Castle (15-17 July 2020), which won the best medium-
sized festival at the 2019 European Festival Awards. Untold is another major
electronica festival (30 July-2 August) and this year sees the launch of Form
Days, a music and arts extravaganza in Gilău, outside the city (2-5 July). Cluj has
a big history with jazz too, and Jazz in the Park (25-28 June) was named best
small festival 2019.

Cluj is a lively student city with a great craft beer and cocktail scene. Joben
Bistro is a steampunk bar with a focus on cocktails and Enigma also has a
steampunk theme: the decor is amazing, with its kinetic sculptures, and it even
has beer cocktails – try bloody beers with chilli sauce! Insomnia attracts artists
and actors – it started as a photo gallery and became a bar – and Booha Bar is a
must, especially at the weekend.