Cluj-Napoca

Bohemian cafes, music festivals and vigorous nightlife are the soul of Cluj-Napoca, Romania's second-largest city. With increasing flight links to European cities, Cluj is welcoming more and more travellers, who usually shoot off to the Apuseni Mountains, Maramureş or more popular towns in southern Transylvania. But once arrived, first-time visitors inevitably lament their failure to allow enough time in Cluj.

Don’t make the same mistake. Start with the architecture, ranging from Romania’s second-largest Gothic church to baroque buildings and medieval towers. Dip into galleries and gardens. And allow at least one lazy morning to recover from Cluj’s fiery nightlife. The city, teeming with students and artists, is by turns bookish and bawdy.