Huedin is the gateway to the Apuseni Mountains, and most travellers go straight through it on the road from Cluj to Oradea without looking up. The town, of about nine thousand, sits on a plain between the Calata hills and the Vladeasa massif, which rises to nearly eighteen hundred metres to the south, and it has a mixed Romanian and Hungarian population, with the Hungarian name Banffyhunyad still seen on old maps. The countryside around, known as the Calata area, is famous for its folk costume and embroidery, and on feast days the women still wear elaborate dress.
Huta is a small hill hamlet some sixteen kilometres from Huedin, near the border between Cluj and Salaj counties, in the northern foothills of the Apuseni. It is the kind of place that appears on rides because of what lies near it, and in this case the ride joins it with Romanasi, where the Roman site of Largiana and a hilltop fort lie a short distance away. Romanasi is on the line of Roman watchtowers and forts on the Meses ridge, the frontier of Dacia, a World Heritage property since 2024.
For riding, the Huedin area is a good one. The main road to Oradea climbs from the plain into the mountains, with long bends through forest and a high pass, and it carries heavy traffic, so be patient on weekends. The back roads that wander into the Calata hills are quieter, with tight bends, short climbs, hay meadows and views toward the snowy peaks in early spring. Fog is common in the valleys on autumn mornings, and winters bring deep snow, so the roads may be closed or icy.
Huedin has fuel stations, supermarkets, bakeries and a few small hotels. Try the local sweet bread and the strong cheese that shepherds make in the mountains. In the hills, services are limited, and the roads are often rough, so keep your speed under control. Spring, when the apple trees blossom and the streams run full, and early autumn, with golden beech woods, are the best times. In summer, afternoon storms build quickly over the mountains and sweep across the hills with hail.