A walk in Cluj

Hello everybody!

Let's talk a bit about the environment in Cluj, the basic outdoor attractions. I bet your first days in Cluj will be about visiting the following places.

1) Cetatuia Parc

Cetatuia Parc is a special hill in the middle of the city, close to Somes river. I adore those cities which have great viewpoints located on hills, from which a 360 degree stunning panorama can be enjoyed. In Graz there’s Schlossberg, in Budapest Gellert-mountain and the Citadella offer amazing views upon the cities. Cluj has Cetatuie. The hill-top can be reached both from the direction of the city centre and from the railway station. The way towards the top of the hill consists of stairs. Of course there’s an alternative trail for those who are curious about walking close to rocks, or just simply prefer the shadow of trees. Both routes are easy to complete, but if someone gets tired, or just wants to make a break, the environment is perfect for sitting on a bench or lying on the lawn. There’s absolute freedom and harmony at Cetatuie. I recommend going up to the top and watching the city in full-moon. It's stunning!

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At the first viewpoint there’s located a lovely restaurant with a beautiful panoramic view. From there, a bit higher (1-2 minutes walk only), there’s a cross-shape monument. Close to the monument there’s the Belvedere Hotel. It’s so cool to swim in its pool and work-out in its fitness center, while admiring the gorgeous view of the city.

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The other side of the hill is built-in, there are people living in family houses. There’s even a playground and basketball court and football pitch. A lot of people come to play team-sports and ball-games at Cetatuie. Others just simply do jogging, or do some open-air yoga. Cetatuia park is frequented by students in the evenings. Drinking a bottle of wine, lying in hammocks, enjoying the view… it’s the perfect atmosphere for team-building or just having romantic moments with our loves. My favourite activity at Cetatuia park is watching shooting stars in August. Many people just get out here, and spend warm summer nights discussing questions of astronomy and life... I actually envy those who are luckily living close to this special hill.

2) Central Park

Central park is a long and wide green territory close to the city centre. People from Cluj always frequent it due to its calmness and silence. It's a perfect source of energy in the lunchbreak or during a break at the university, for relaxing, and also suitable for learning for exams. All in all, Central Park is optimal for many things. Sitting on a bench or lying in the grass, lying down in hammocks, reading, listening to bird tweet. And the best thing about it is that it’s not far away from the centre. It can be reached by everyone who is somewhere around the centre.

In Central Park there’s a big lake, with boats and paddle boats. There are ducks in the crystal water. It's quite romantic. Near this gorgeous lake, there is an old (but renovated) building called ‘Casino’. It’s one of Cluj’s oldest places for entertainment. Back in time, my parents and their parents attended events like balls and festivities here. Casino was the most popular place where people from Cluj used to go out. Nowadays some balls are still held in it, and during the summer it gets assaulted by students, while in its court open-air parties are often held. Central park is the hot-spot of ‘UNTOLD Festival’, and it hosts ‘Jazz in the Park’ and ‘Hammock Day’ as well.

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Cluj loves to be active. At this park there’s basketball court too just like at Cetatuie. There are ping-pong tables and fitness machines for free use, and my favourite board-games. What I like the most is the chess players. Constituted mostly by 80 year old grandpas. And that’s so cool that they still want to challenge their brains and be out in the park. Central Park definitely has no age, it’s a melting pot for every generation.

3) Old Town

The old town is the strength of Cluj-Napoca. It lies on a quite big territory, from the orthodox cathedral to St. Michael church, from the Tailor’s Bastion and Potaissa Street way to the Post Office. The old-town is characterized by cobble stones-streets and classicist-baroque-gothic architecture. There are sculptures and museums, fountains and old buildings of universities and high-schools; furthermore, there are beautiful churches and cathedrals, and of course stylish restaurants and cafés. The main attraction of the old-town is the statue of Matthias Corvinus located on Main Square in front of St. Michael’s church. When there are cultural events, concerts and festivities in the city, they are always held on the Main Square. This is in fact, Cluj’s forte.

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In conclusion, I can admit that Cluj’s old town remained the same during the years, only one or two exceptions (like modern buildings) were constructed in the city centre. Bonus info: If You have the opportunity to go up in the clock tower of St. Michael’s church, take this chance. There are a lot of steps till the top, but from the balcony of the tower, Cluj’s entire old-town is viewable. The Old Town is the venue of ‘Christmas Market’, ‘Romanian and Hungarian Cultural Days of Cluj’, live performances and flashmobs are organized there. It’s definitely one of the ‘brands’ of Cluj.

4) The bank of Somes river is next.

Actually this is a beautiful alley near the river, perfect for jogging, walking, riding a bike or sitting and watching the river. There are little wooden houses and benches ‘on the river’ for the purpose of resting and just making the time stop for a while. Walking by the river is perfect for daydreaming, catching up with friends, chilling. At the end of this bank, there’s situated a park, called ‘Park of Roses’. There’s basketball court, football pitch, ping-pong tables, anyone can practice sport there. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, the beautiful Sinaia Restaurant is also located nearby the bank of Somes river. ‘Jazz in the Park’, or ‘Beach Diggin’, and also ‘UNTOLD Festival’ and others spread their stages on the bank of the river, so mostly in Summer the bank comes alive and many programmes are held there.

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Each of the previously mentioned attractions can be viewed gratis. Walking in Cluj in the first days must meet these basic points.

Thanks for reading, Dora.

(If You're interested about more writings of mine, click on the following link: Blog Dora).

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