Cluj-Napoca (often referred to as Cluj) is the up-and-coming tech capital of Romania, a city with a high quality of life, an academic and cultural center with a focus on innovation and growth. Informally known as the “capital of Transylvania”, it is a vibrant, dynamic city that has seen a fantastic development in the past years.
Over the past decade, Cluj has gone through a process of real renaissance, as it became the second biggest city in the country, with a population likely closing in to 350.000 people. It is now also the second biggest student city, with over 80.000 students annually in 6 universities that are competitive at a national or even international level. Out of the 6, Babes-Bolyai University is the largest in Cluj (as well as in all of Romania), and it ranked in the #801-1000 interval in the global QS University Rankings for 2021.
The city has recently been awarded as the “smartest city” by Emerging Europe, surpassing other European cities such as Tallinn, Sofia or Vilnius.
Cluj has been called the “capital of Transylvania” due to its geographical location in the center of the Transylvania region, as well as the “Silicon Valley of Romania” due to the first IT clusters that developed here. The clusters not only led to a sustainable economic growth, but to the growth of its social-cultural life as well.
Cluj was the European Youth Capital of 2015, it was ranked as the most welcoming city to foreigners (according to a European Commission study), but it is also among the top three fastest-growing local economies in the EU (2019 info from Eurostat).
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Quality of life
According to the Urban Barometer created by the World Bank (in 2020) that measures urban quality of life, Cluj-Napoca is the most attractive city in Romania in regards to the quality of life, economic opportunities and cultural options.
Transportation infrastructure
Cluj-Napoca is well connected to Romanian cities from the center and west of the country through European road E60, as well as to Hungary: it is 180 kilometers away from the border, 4 hours by car to Budapest.
Cluj is served by the “Avram Iancu” International Airport nearby, with direct international connections to Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Switzerland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Egypt and the UAE.
Inside the city, public transportation is assured through a bus-and-tram system run by the City Hall (under the CTP Cluj-Napoca brand) which covers the entire city (including the airport, in the outskirts). 41 electric buses run through the city, together with 26 trams, 251 Diesel buses and 82 trolleys. City Hall confirmed an acquisition of 50 more trolleys and 22 more trams to be delivered by 2022.
Cluj is #225 in the traffic index rating done by Numbeo, ahead of Berlin, Barcelona or Amsterdam. Its infrastructure is well maintained, and connects the major neighbourhoods of Cluj to its shopping areas:
In addition to public transportation, you can easily find taxis all through the day and at night, as well as international ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Bolt. New additions to private mobility are electric scooters, provided by both Lime and Bolt, around the extended downtown and the adjacent neighbourhoods.
Bikes are commonly seen in the city, starting with the past few years. There are also multiple locations where bikes can be rented, operated by the ClujBike brand.
Shopping
Cluj is home to the famous cosmetics brand Farmec, as well as to Jolidon brand of lingerie. There are of course many more shopping opportunities, both international and local, including famous clothing brands such as H&M, Zara, Levi’s, Tom Tailor, U.S. Polo or Tommy Hilfiger.
Electronics are well covered by many local shops, including national chain Altex, as well as iStyle Apple Premium Reseller. Emag, the national ecommerce platform, has a strong presence in the city.
Sports
In terms of sports (both for playing them or watching them), Cluj-Napoca has plenty of opportunities. You can watch football at the Cluj Arena stadium (completed in 2011 according to UEFA standards), at the “Dr. Constantin Radulescu” Stadium or at the “Victoria Someseni” Stadium. To play football, there are plenty of private football fields for rent across the city, from Unirea Sports base and Club Transilvania in the West, to Gheorgheni Sports Center in the East, with CMC and “Balcescu” downtown.
Cluj-Napoca provides many other options for athletic endeavours:
Healthcare
Cluj is served by many large public hospitals that span the whole city length, both for general purpose and for different specific treatments. Among the largest are the Cluj Emergency Hospital (recently renovated), Cluj Municipal Hospital and Children’s Emergency Hospital.
There is also a private hospital that belongs to the largest private clinic network in Romania, “Regina Maria”, together with many public or private clinics all around the city (7 belong to Regina Maria alone).
Cost of living
Quality of life, by comparison
Monthly expenses:
Purchases and going out
Family and kids
Cluj-Napoca is a great city for families, with children or without. There are many options for leisure activities and great educational opportunities at all school cycles and all ages (for developing new skills).
In terms of leisure, Cluj central park “Simion Barnutiu” downtown is a great option for spending a lazy afternoon, Cetatuia Park provides a great view of the city, Iulius Mall Park for a post-shopping reprise, the Sports Park for a bit of jogging, as well as many other smaller parks and gardens. They are well maintained and provide a green oasis, just out of sight from the urban bustle.
Looking at schooling, tens of public and private kindergartens can be found (including Montessori), as well as more than 25 public secondary schools: “Ioan Bob” is the highest rank in the city, and one of the highest ranking in the country, “Spectrum” International school is a close second. Cluj-Napoca has 20 highschools, some with national recognition: “Emil Racovita”, “Elf”, “Avram Iancu”, and “Tiberiu Popoviciu” High School of Computer Science.
Furthermore, for families with children, Cluj-Napoca City Hall provides an allowance between 1230 lei and 85% of the average income for the last 12 months worked before the birth of the child (up to a maximum of 8500 lei), for up to 2 years of age.
Networking opportunities
Cluj’s vibrant tech community is organized alongside a few clusters, in community hubs. It has the highest percentage of startups per population in the country, with 1 out of 11 people in Cluj working in IT. There is an increasing number of tech entrepreneurs who relocate to Cluj due to its informational and social ecosystem.
Top tech communities in Cluj:
There are of course other network opportunities, at some of the large-scale tech events that take place in the city (all sourced from eu-startups.com)
Funding
There are a few investment structures available in Cluj-Napoca, some with big funding and lots of reach. We are looking at accelerators, incubators and VCs (sourced from eu-startups.com):
Real estate
Investing in Cluj-Napoca’s real estate is a powerful bet on the future of the city. Currently, Cluj-Napoca has the highest price per square meter in the country: EUR 1.887 (according to imobiliare.ro), with a difference of around EUR 500 between downtown and the neighbourhoods. The price has more than doubled since a historic low in 2014, and it shows no sign of slowing down.
Leisure
Going out: restaurants
The central area, in and around the Old City, there are plenty of shops, as well as restaurants and cafes. Among the most famous restaurants, we have:
Going out: cafes
Cluj has a strong coffee culture, where organic or single origin coffees and teas that can be sampled in places such as:
Going out: pubs & clubs
The city’s reputation as a party scene is well deserved, partially based on its large percentage of students who live in the city. Some of Cluj’s most famous bars and clubs:
Festivals
There are of course 2 major music festivals of international renown that take place in the Cluj area:
Transylvania International Film Festival - or better known as TIFF - is the most famous film festival in Romania. From their website:
Founded in 2002, in the town of Cluj-Napoca, Transilvania IFF has grown rapidly to become the most important film-related event in Romania and one of the most spectacular annual events in the region. Transilvania IFF’s main goal is the promotion of cinematic art by presenting some of the most innovative and spectacular films of the moment that feature both originality and independence of expression, that reflect unusual cinematic language forms or focus on current trends in youth culture. Dedicated to 1st and 2nd time directors, the Official Competition focuses on discovering new voices.
Visiting
Cluj - the city - offers many fun activities to do and sights to behold. Among the most popular:
Cluj - the county - also has its own share of amazing things to visit:
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