Despite being Transylvania’s biggest city and the country’s second-largest, Cluj (as it’s more commonly referred to as) exudes a different feel that is more relaxed ⁠– perfect for solo travelers.
Bohemian, slower-paced Cluj-Napoca in northwestern Romania, is everything that the much larger, rowdy (and often chaotic) capital of Bucharest is not. Despite being Transylvania’s biggest city and the country’s second-largest, Cluj (as it’s more commonly referred to as) exudes a different feel that is more relaxed ⁠– perfect for solo travelers. And that’s in part due to the thousands of students studying here, as well as the compact layout of the city. The city dates to pre-Roman times ("Napoca" originates from the Dacians), but its superb Baroque architecture, stemming from the Austro-Hungarian era, stands out. Easy to explore and becoming increasingly in demand as the tech sector flourishes, modern Cluj is artsy, heaps of fun, and delightfully cosmopolitan.