Cluj-Napoca

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Romania & Bulgaria

$24.99

Shop Book

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Overview

Bohemian cafes, music festivals and vigorous nightlife are the soul of Cluj-Napoca, Romania's second-largest city. With increasing flight links to European cities, Cluj is welcoming more and more travellers, who usually shoot off to the Apuseni Mountains, Maramureş or more popular towns in southern Transylvania. But once arrived, first-time visitors inevitably lament their failure to allow enough time in Cluj.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Fabrica de Pensule

Cluj-Napoca

More of a living, breathing creative space than a gallery, Fabrica de Pensule teems with just-made artwork by local and foreign creators who use this…
St Michael's Church

Cluj-Napoca

The showpiece of Piaţa Unirii is 14th- and 15th-century St Michael’s, the second-biggest Gothic church in Romania (after Braşov’s Black Church). Its neo…
National Art Museum

Cluj-Napoca

The permanent collection of this sizeable gallery has creaky rooms featuring 18th- and 19th-century art, mostly portraits of nobles and their bewigged…
Parcul Etnografic Romulus Vuia

Cluj-Napoca

Traditional architecture from around Romania has been faithfully reassembled at this open-air museum, 5km northwest of central Cluj. Most impressive is…
Pharmacy History Collection

Cluj-Napoca

Cluj-Napoca’s oldest pharmacy building holds an intriguing collection of medical miscellany. ‘Crab eyes’, skulls and powdered mummy are just a few of the…
National History Museum of Transylvania

Cluj-Napoca

Within this museum of regional history you’ll discover Dacian artefacts, mostly from Sarmizegetusa’s archaeological sites, including glass blow pipes,…
Hungarian Reformed Church

Cluj-Napoca

Commissioned by the king of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus, in 1486, this church took more than 20 years to complete. Its interior seems spare at first glance…
Franciscan Church

Cluj-Napoca

On the eastern side of Piaţa Muzeului, the rosy, gilt-edged decor within this sanctuary is worth a peep; look up for trompe l’oeil frescoes.