5 destinations you can visit by car from Cluj Napoca
With the winter coming, we can expect colder and shorter days ahead. Day trips, sprinkled with pit-stops for a coffee or a delicious warm meal start to come in mind. And when we know that when the cold season comes, changing tires is not in our care, we set off even more relaxed.
For the cool days of December, we recommend some destinations that you can visit by car, near Cluj Napoca.
Cluj Napoca
After picking up the car from our rental office, within the Cluj Napoca airport, set your GPS with the destination “Cluj Center”. You can start your day with a visit on Cetățuia Hill, from where you can admire Cluj in all its splendor. Tips: book a seat at the nearby restaurant for a lunch with a view! Continue the visit on foot through Unirii Square and the old city centre. After lunch (served in a chic restaurant from the city centre), drive to the Romulus Vuia Museum and Ethnographic Park. Known as the first open-air museum in Romania, the museum takes you through the Transylvanian village, where you can find very well-preserved households, wooden churches and various peasant workshops.
Tarnița Lake
Located 30 km from Cluj Napoca, Lake Tarnita is perhaps the most popular option for a relaxing day spent with friends among the people of Cluj. The artificial lake, formed after the construction of a dam, has an area of almost 215 ha, with a length of 8 km. Surrounded by a wooded mountain area, Tarnița offers you impressive views. You will almost want to create an Instagram account just to share the photos taken here with everyone!
Banffy Castle in Bondița
Built in 1437, Banffy Castle is also known as the Versailles of Transylvania. With a fascinating history, which also involved its nationalization and its transformation into a school unit or even a C.A.P. (part of the castle). In 1999 the domain entered the List of the 100 most endangered sites in the world, and in 2001 rehabilitation works began. But the real “come back” of the castle came when it became the host of an electric music festival, Electric Castle, and thus returned to the local and international tourist circuit. Now Banffy is very handsome and is waiting for you to pay her a visit.
The Blue Lagoon and the Ruins of Bocksai Castle
As the people of Cluj would say: there’s no visit to Cluj without the Blue Lagoon! Also located 30 km from Cluj Napoca, in an area with sand dunes, the lake will impress you at first and you will understand why it is on all the travel short-lists in Cluj Napoca! The lake is formed on the site of a former kaolin mine (white clay), a clay that contrasts very strongly with the bluish green shades of the accumulated water. Access is by car or train. Find the right car for a visit to the Blue Lagoon online or at the Enterprise office in Cluj Napoca.
Salina Turda
“Welcome to the Heart of Transylvania!” could be the slogan of this salt mine! Considered one of the most impressive underground tourist attractions in the world, Turda Salt Mine has been visited so far by over 3 million tourists. Modernized in 2010, the salt mine has been transformed into a small underground town where you can go boating on the lake, play bowling, the little ones can get on the carousel or you can go on an expedition and visit the old galleries of the mine of salt. Here you will clearly forget the cold days of December!
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You can find us every day between 08:00 – 22:00 at our office in Cluj Napoca, at the airport or at any time on the site!
