Cluj-Napoca

Where to shoot

• St Michael's Church — the 14th-century Gothic church at the centre of Piața Unirii, with the tallest tower in Romania for most of its history.
• The Matthias Corvinus statue — the equestrian monument to the Renaissance king born in this city, directly in front of the church.
• Botanical Garden — a large formal garden with glasshouses and a Japanese corner, an easy 20-minute walk from the old town.
• The cafe and bar streets — Cluj is a university city, and its evenings are busier and younger than anywhere else in Transylvania.

When to go

May to June or September, when the Botanical Garden is at its best and the student population is in town without the summer heat.

What to eat

Cluj does the Romanian classics well, but look for the Transylvanian Hungarian influence too — gulyás, chimney cake, and a good papanasi with sour cream and jam to finish.

Where to stay

Just off Piața Unirii, in the pedestrian streets toward the river, so the old town and the cafes are both on foot.