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Voykit pocket guide · Romania
Cluj-Napoca
Give Cluj 2 nights: one for the old town squares, one for Turda Salt Mine or the Apuseni hills. Base yourself within 10 minutes' walk of Piața Unirii.
Cluj-Napoca is Transylvania's biggest city and its student capital, about 320,000 people, with a compact old town of squares, churches and museums and a large park on the river. Two nights covers the centre well; a third night buys you Turda Salt Mine or a day in the Apuseni mountains. It is the priciest city in Romania for hotels and food, but still well below Western Europe.
- Country
- Romania
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, grey)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- RON
- Money
- Currency is the Romanian leu (RON, plural lei); Romania does not use the euro. About 5 lei to €1 in 2026 — check the live rate.
- Daily spend
- Budget 150–250 lei excl. bed · Mid 250–450 lei excl. bed · High 450 lei+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Orange, Vodafone and Digi sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at the airport; Digi is the cheapest. Passport ID is required to register a SIM — check.
- Emergency
- Police, ambulance, fire, mountain rescue 112
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Standard European round two-pin; Schuko (F) sockets take C plugs.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: About 10%, left in cash even when paying by card.; Café or bar: Round up or leave a few lei.; Taxi or Bolt: Round up; app tips optional.; Guesthouse host or driver-guide: RON 20–50 per day for good service.; Hotel porter: RON 5–10 per bag.
- Water
- Tap water in cities is treated and generally safe; many locals prefer bottled mineral water (apă plată = still, apă minerală = sparkling). Avoid untreated wells in villages.
- Toilets
- Use cafés, malls, museums and fuel stations; some stations and parks charge RON 1–3. Village and monastery toilets can be basic — carry tissues.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee in a centre café | 8–15 lei |
| Lunch menu (fel de mâncare) at a local restaurant | 25–45 lei |
| Dinner main course | 35–70 lei |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can from a shop | 10–18 lei / 4–7 lei |
| Taxi, 5 km in the cityTaxi, 3.1 mi in the city | 12–18 lei |
| Museum entry | 10–30 lei |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | 30–60 lei |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CLJ · Avram Iancu Cluj International
- About 9 km east of the centre; bus 5/8 or the A1E express to the centre, or a taxi/Bolt.About 5.6 mi east of the centre; bus 5/8 or the A1E express to the centre, or a taxi/Bolt.
Typical fares
- Airport (CLJ) → centre, bus 5/8
- about 3 lei, 30–40 min (check)
- Airport (CLJ) → centre, A1E express
- about 6 lei, card only on board (check)
- Taxi, centre → airport
- about 40–60 lei, 20–25 min (check)
- Train Cluj → Bucharest
- about 100–160 lei, 8–10 h (check)
Get around
The old town is walkable end to end in about 20 minutes. Trams, buses and trolleybuses (RATUC) cover the rest; buy a card or a two-trip ticket before boarding, since you cannot pay the driver. Taxis and Bolt/Uber are cheap for short hops.
See and do
Known for
- Piața Unirii and St. Michael's Church
- Matthias Corvinus statue and birthplace
- National Art Museum
- Turda Salt Mine day trip
- Festivals and student nightlife
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Turda Salt Mine | Bus or train to Turda, then local transport or a taxi to the mine | About 1.5 h |
| Apuseni Mountains (caves and gorges) | Car, or a guided day tour from the city | 2–3 h |
| Huedin and the Crișul Repede valley | Train or bus west from Cluj | About 1 h |
| Sighișoara | InterCity train | 3–4 h |
Sleep
- Piața Unirii and the old town
- Walk to everything; quietest at night, priciest rooms.
- Eroilor and Piața Avram Iancu
- Between the two squares; cafés, museums and the Orthodox cathedral on the doorstep.
- Around the train station (Piața Gării)
- Cheapest beds and best for early trains; 20–25 min walk to Piața Unirii.
- Mănăștur and the west side
- Student flats and budget rooms; tram to the centre in about 15 min.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bună ziuaBOO-nuh ZEE-wah |
| Thank you | Mulțumescmool-tsoo-MESK |
| How much is it? | Cât costă?kuht KOS-tuh |
| The bill, please | Nota, vă rogNO-tah vuh rog |
| Can I pay by card? | Pot plăti cu cardul?pot pluh-TEE koo KAR-dool |
| Where is the toilet? | Unde este toaleta?OON-deh YES-teh twa-LEH-tah |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and eye contact; 'bună ziua' by day, 'bună seara' in the evening; avoid: First names with older people before they offer them
- Visiting a home: Take shoes off at the door; bring flowers (an odd number), chocolate or wine; avoid: Even numbers of flowers — they are for funerals
- Churches: Cover shoulders and knees; women may cover their hair in monasteries; stand quietly at the back during services; avoid: Crossing in front of the altar area or photographing people praying
- Conversation: Food, football, travel in Romania and family are safe topics; avoid: Dracula as the country's identity, calling Romanians Slavs, and careless talk about Roma or Hungarians
- Hospitality: Accept at least a taste of what you are offered; thank the host by name; avoid: Refusing all food and drink outright
- Queues and transport: Give seats to older people and parents with children; avoid: Loud phone calls in train compartments
Scams and watch-outs
- Buy public transport tickets before boarding — drivers do not sell them, and inspectors fine on the spot.
- At the airport and train station, use app taxis or a named company; unmarked 'TAXI' cars overcharge.
- Card payment is common in the centre but carry some lei in cash for markets, small cafés and taxis.
- Summer weekends with a festival (Untold, Electric Castle) sell out hotels months ahead — book early or avoid those dates.
Cluj is one of Romania's safer cities; the real risks are overcharging taxis at the airport and station, pickpockets in crowds, and winter ice on pavements.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Cluj-Napoca yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Piața Unirii and St. Michael's Church
- Matthias Corvinus statue and birthplace
- National Art Museum
- Turda Salt Mine day trip
- Festivals and student nightlife
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Cluj-Napoca City Hall: primariaclujnapoca.ro/
- Wikivoyage: Cluj-Napoca, revision 5300816 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5300816
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Cluj-Napoca
La această adresă, vă rog
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, ambulance, fire, mountain rescue112
Romania's emergency number is 112. Most embassies and consulates are in Bucharest; check your country's list before you travel.
Tipping: about 10% in restaurants, in cash.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/cluj-napoca). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.