Cluj-Napoca is a beautiful city surrounded by nature. It’s a lot of fun to walk around, and enjoy what the city has to offer such as going to cute cafes and cool bars.
Tips before traveling to Cluj Napoca
SIM card
I personally recommend using an ESIM, which is an electronic SIM, and recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of taking a SIM card abroad and also about other options such as buying a local SIM card.
Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.
The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How can you know if your device supports the electronic card? Very simple: go to this link and you can see. Link to which devices support ESIM.
Car rental in Cluj Napoca
I think this is the most convenient and fun way to travel. Car prices are low and the roads are easy to drive.
You can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through them because they save me time (instead of going to several websites) and they also have the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies.
Attractions in Cluj Napoca
You can get ideas for other cool things you can do on the various attraction sites and even order through them (sometimes at a discounted price). The first attractions site is tiqets the second is Get your guide and Viator.
Where to stay in Cluj Napoca
We stayed at a cute apartment building in the central of the city called Aparthotel Gutinului. The apartment itself was large and clean with a nice view. We loved the location which was on a quiet street but still very central. The only downside is that there is no concierge so the keys have to be picked up from a different hotel 600 meters away, so keep that in mind.
You can search for other places to stay in Cluj Napoca via Booking.
Botanical Gardens
The botanic gardens at Cluj-Napoca are super nice. It is a lovely place to walk around and spend a few hours at. There is so much to see and there are great walking trails.
You can buy coffee from the machine and sit around the Japanese gardens and enjoy the beauty.
We got to the gardens about an hour and a half before closing and we were a little disappointed that we couldn’t stay for longer. We went through everything quickly to see as much as we could.
There is a rose garden, Japanese gardens, greenhouse with cactuses, a tropical forest, huge lilies, a Romanian garden, and so much more. There are over 7000 different plants.
Hours
15 October – 7 April 09:00-16:00
8 April – 14 October 09:00 – 18:00
The greenhouse is closed every first Monday of each month.
It costs 10 Lei (Roman coin) and 2 for a map.
Address:
Strada Republicii 42, Cluj-Napoca
Fortress hill
Located in altitude of 405 meters, the fortress was built in the 18th century by the Austris. Today there are only remainings of walls and a tower.
To get to the top you have to climb a staircase, not too many of them but it could get exhausting. It was totally worth the climb since the view is the best I’ve seen of the city itself.
There are also 2 restaurants with a lovely view of the city. If you are not hungry, you could sit at the benches nearby.
It’s a great place for walking and enjoy the view and silence.
Address:
Strada Gruia, Cluj-Napoca
The Main Square
The St. Michaels Gothic Church is the best area in Cluj-Napoca. It is the main square and it has a catholic church. There are a lot of cool cafes with nice seating areas outside. There are also shops and restaurants and mostly awesome vibes 🙂 You can also rent a bike and ride them around the city.
Address:
Piața Unirii, Cluj-Napoca
Visiting the Salt Mine Salina Turda
About 40km away from Cluj-Napoca, you can discover one of the most beautiful salt mines. I highly recommend visiting there. I wrote a detailed post about it. Read about Salina Turda Salt Mine
More posts I wrote on that
Recommended restaurants and bars in Cluj-Napoca
Awesome things to do in Bucharest
Things to do in Sibiu, Romania
Best things to do in Lake Como
10 Best things to do in Rome
Our amazing itinerary of 10 days in Romania
Top things to do in Lloret De Mar, Costa Brava
Recommended Things to Do in Helsinki Finland – Winter Trip