Cluj-Napoca is the unofficial capital of Transylvania, a university city of more than three hundred thousand on the Someș river, and it wears its mixed history lightly. The Romans founded Napoca here, the Hungarian kings made it a rich town, and for centuries Saxon, Hungarian and Romanian communities lived together within its walls. The great Gothic church of Saint Michael dominates the main square, with a spire visible across the roofs, and a statue of King Matthias Corvinus, who was born in the city in 1443, stands in front of it. On the hill above stands the Cetățuia fortress, which gives a view over the old town and the hills beyond.
Students are the pulse of the place. The Babeș-Bolyai University teaches in Romanian, Hungarian and German, and the cafes, bookshops and festivals reflect it. The botanical garden has a Japanese corner and glasshouses, and on a clear evening the main square is crowded with people taking an ice cream or a beer. Cluj is also an unexpectedly good food city, with bakeries selling cozonac and restaurants serving stuffed cabbage, in the Transylvanian style.
The countryside around is gentle and green, with rolling hills, sheep pasture and villages with old fortified churches. West of the city, the Apuseni Mountains rise into forest and limestone country, with caves, gorges and the lake of Beliș-Fântânele, and the roads there are twisty, narrow and quiet. East and south lie the hills of the Transylvanian Plain, with more modest roads and beautiful light in the late afternoon. About thirty kilometres south-east lies the salt mine at Turda, which has been turned into an underground attraction, and the nearby Turda gorge is a popular walk.
Traffic in and around Cluj is heavy, particularly on the main road toward Oradea and Turda, and trucks make overtaking difficult, so choose smaller roads where you can. Road quality varies, and potholes are common on side roads, especially after winter. Fuel is easy in the city, with big stations on every approach, but mountain roads have fewer, so fill up before leaving. In winter, snow and ice can close the higher roads, and spring is the time of mud and fog.