Visit to Cluj - time-limited edition
March 24, 2024 6:28 PM Subscribe
I am going to Cluj for a conference with my travel-averse boss. Neither of us speaks Romanian or has ever been to Romania before. I am not European and have many questions that are perhaps obvious to Europeans.
Hotel and flights are booked and we do not require input on this front (also I will probably have a panic attack if you provide any, so please please don't).
You perhaps know:
- what restaurants are good and what a reasonable price for a meal is
- what the climate is like (I'm aware it's spring, but also aware winter/late autumn/early spring in Eastern Europe is much much much colder than I'm used to)
- how tricky public transport is or isn't
- how much Romanian I will have to learn in the four weeks before we go (beyond the obvious 'good morning/afternoon/evening', 'I don't speak Romanian do you speak English', 'please/thank you/excuse me' and 'where is the bathroom')
-any interesting activities that can be done in the short hours between conference and sleep, with no car.
I am also interested to know whether the war in Ukraine is something I need to or should think about. This may sound naive, but I live on an island and the nearest country to me is further away than the Ukraine/Russia border is from Cluj. I have a very limited innate sense of how long distances over land 'work'.
Additional shocking naivety, please be kind - what, if any, are the differences in behavior and comportment expected of me flying business class (new experience, never done it before) as compared to economy class (have been doing more or less regularly since the age of 4)? I am not mature and experienced like most MeFites.
Hotel and flights are booked and we do not require input on this front (also I will probably have a panic attack if you provide any, so please please don't).
You perhaps know:
- what restaurants are good and what a reasonable price for a meal is
- what the climate is like (I'm aware it's spring, but also aware winter/late autumn/early spring in Eastern Europe is much much much colder than I'm used to)
- how tricky public transport is or isn't
- how much Romanian I will have to learn in the four weeks before we go (beyond the obvious 'good morning/afternoon/evening', 'I don't speak Romanian do you speak English', 'please/thank you/excuse me' and 'where is the bathroom')
-any interesting activities that can be done in the short hours between conference and sleep, with no car.
I am also interested to know whether the war in Ukraine is something I need to or should think about. This may sound naive, but I live on an island and the nearest country to me is further away than the Ukraine/Russia border is from Cluj. I have a very limited innate sense of how long distances over land 'work'.
Additional shocking naivety, please be kind - what, if any, are the differences in behavior and comportment expected of me flying business class (new experience, never done it before) as compared to economy class (have been doing more or less regularly since the age of 4)? I am not mature and experienced like most MeFites.
how much Romanian I will have to learn
I haven't been to Romania but Google Translate is the app of choice on the street here in Toronto, where non-english speaking tourists have used it with me and we've muddled through.
posted by warriorqueen at 7:26 PM on March 24, 2024 [1 favorite]
I haven't been to Romania but Google Translate is the app of choice on the street here in Toronto, where non-english speaking tourists have used it with me and we've muddled through.
posted by warriorqueen at 7:26 PM on March 24, 2024 [1 favorite]
Regarding class of travel, you should probably expect that your fellow passengers in your class are aware of airline rules and have adapted their packing accordingly, so trying to evade the rules will garner rude stares. One of the reasons they're paying more is, as weird as it may seem, a more frictionless boarding and settling-in process.
...but only stares, not actual conversational grumpiness unless something has gone completely off the deep end.
[the other thing I want to warn you about is stupid, but it is still true: I rue the day I managed to fly on a lay-flat bed. Now I know that things actually are better, and thus my econobox seat is more irritating than it was before. I know what it means to be comfy and sleeping, and so the fact that I'm not doing either one makes me grumpier than it did before I cashed in those points.]
posted by aramaic at 8:33 PM on March 24, 2024 [3 favorites]
...but only stares, not actual conversational grumpiness unless something has gone completely off the deep end.
[the other thing I want to warn you about is stupid, but it is still true: I rue the day I managed to fly on a lay-flat bed. Now I know that things actually are better, and thus my econobox seat is more irritating than it was before. I know what it means to be comfy and sleeping, and so the fact that I'm not doing either one makes me grumpier than it did before I cashed in those points.]
posted by aramaic at 8:33 PM on March 24, 2024 [3 favorites]
any interesting activities that can be done in the short hours between conference and sleep, with no car.
This part can be easily resolved with two methods: googling "what to do in (neighbourhood your hotel is in, or phrased as "around (hotel)") or, assuming the conference is allowing you to stay in a fairly decent business hotel, once you've done the business of checking in, ask the concierge for recommendations on where to eat or walk around nearby. If the conference logistics is such that you're either booked in a selected/limited choice of hotels or at a specific one, there will be organizer teams on check-in day that will do the same. At the same time, it's likely there's at least a couple of evening group activities on the agenda.
I've never been to that city but it always strikes me that this particular region of Europe has extremely clever non-verbal signages if you don't speak the local language for the public transport. If you're at more touristy or studenty part of town, basic English should be ok for toilet-location questions.
Additional tip for travel: crossbody bag, zipped up, kept to your front. Until you have a better understanding of yourself as a traveller, try not to walk (for the evenings) around with a small backpack, totes with no zippers, slingbacks with thin straps.
Biz class vs economy - you'll have more time to appreciate the luxury, and depending on the airline, you can ask for snacks and drink at any time (what I mostly remember). Biz class gets to board first, but depending on the airline, this can be embarassing (if the traffic flow is such that you will pass thru the biz class section), so you can hang around until every other class is called at the boarding gate then you queue at the back. You will definitely be the class to exit the flight first as well. Hanging on till the end SHOULD not penalise you with no overhead space for that class (hence why ppl rush to be first to board).
I am assuming the hosts are arranging for airport transfer. If not sure, find out. And if not, let them advise you on how to make your way to the hotel. Be as blurcase as you need so they'd spell it all out.
posted by cendawanita at 8:35 PM on March 24, 2024 [2 favorites]
This part can be easily resolved with two methods: googling "what to do in (neighbourhood your hotel is in, or phrased as "around (hotel)") or, assuming the conference is allowing you to stay in a fairly decent business hotel, once you've done the business of checking in, ask the concierge for recommendations on where to eat or walk around nearby. If the conference logistics is such that you're either booked in a selected/limited choice of hotels or at a specific one, there will be organizer teams on check-in day that will do the same. At the same time, it's likely there's at least a couple of evening group activities on the agenda.
I've never been to that city but it always strikes me that this particular region of Europe has extremely clever non-verbal signages if you don't speak the local language for the public transport. If you're at more touristy or studenty part of town, basic English should be ok for toilet-location questions.
Additional tip for travel: crossbody bag, zipped up, kept to your front. Until you have a better understanding of yourself as a traveller, try not to walk (for the evenings) around with a small backpack, totes with no zippers, slingbacks with thin straps.
Biz class vs economy - you'll have more time to appreciate the luxury, and depending on the airline, you can ask for snacks and drink at any time (what I mostly remember). Biz class gets to board first, but depending on the airline, this can be embarassing (if the traffic flow is such that you will pass thru the biz class section), so you can hang around until every other class is called at the boarding gate then you queue at the back. You will definitely be the class to exit the flight first as well. Hanging on till the end SHOULD not penalise you with no overhead space for that class (hence why ppl rush to be first to board).
I am assuming the hosts are arranging for airport transfer. If not sure, find out. And if not, let them advise you on how to make your way to the hotel. Be as blurcase as you need so they'd spell it all out.
posted by cendawanita at 8:35 PM on March 24, 2024 [2 favorites]
Uber, but not Lyft, will work in Romania.
One thing about flying business class is that they'll offer you a lot of free booze - careful not to overdo it!
posted by kickingtheground at 8:46 PM on March 24, 2024 [1 favorite]
One thing about flying business class is that they'll offer you a lot of free booze - careful not to overdo it!
posted by kickingtheground at 8:46 PM on March 24, 2024 [1 favorite]
Best answer: It's many years since I was last in Cluj, but it's a lovely place. It might be useful to know what sort of experience you have of travelling to conferences in other parts of the world or travelling abroad more generally. That way, people can know what you already know and what might be new to you. Most of your questions don't sound especially specific to Europe unless I'm more unfamiliar with the rest of the world than I realised!
My experience of conferences is that you are likely to spend several evenings going out to eat with other attendees you have met and likely they will be happy to choose a place if you're not confident. If you need to find somewhere yourself, you should be fine using whatever techniques you normally use when finding a place to eat in a new town. Otherwise, here are some reviews that should be fairly reliable but you can back them up by checking recent online comments too. You can also find out the range of prices by looking at interesting-sounding restaurants and checking the prices on their online menus, using an online translator if necessary.
For the weather, you can search for 'Cluj weather in April' and find average temperature, rainfall etc. on multiple sites.
Public transport is likely to have information available in English. I advise looking at the location of your hotel, the location of the conference centre and the location of the city centre to work out how much you are likely to need to use it. You can use Google Maps or the English-language site of the local public transport company to work out what routes you will need to use and what stops to get on and off. You can research tickets online as well - it looks like you can pay on buses and trams with a contactless payment card. If you expect to take public transport every day, you might want to reduce stress by buying a e.g. weekly pass which appears to cost NZ$20 for all lines and NZ$10 for one line. There may also be advice around public transport in the conference handbook.
You do not need to learn much Romanian if you are expecting to interact with locals only in the airport, hotel, conference centre, popular restaurants etc. Obviously it will be appreciated if you know a few words of Romanian but they will be very used to visitors not knowing their language. If you encounter someone who doesn't speak English, a translation app and a friendly manner will smooth over any difficulties.
Cluj is in Western Romania and even if you travelled all the way East to the border with Ukraine, you would be only a fraction of the distance to the front line. People will be very aware of the war taking place in a neighbouring country (especially with ex-Russian president Medvedev saying Romania is not a nation, echoing language used to describe Ukraine) but that in no way translates to any sort of personal risk to you in four weeks.
Finally, you may find it more relaxing if you read about or watch videos about business class in the airline you are flying. You sound like someone who would prefer to know in advance about perks like being offered hot towels, ordering food in advance or having access to a special lounge.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 3:11 AM on March 25, 2024 [2 favorites]
My experience of conferences is that you are likely to spend several evenings going out to eat with other attendees you have met and likely they will be happy to choose a place if you're not confident. If you need to find somewhere yourself, you should be fine using whatever techniques you normally use when finding a place to eat in a new town. Otherwise, here are some reviews that should be fairly reliable but you can back them up by checking recent online comments too. You can also find out the range of prices by looking at interesting-sounding restaurants and checking the prices on their online menus, using an online translator if necessary.
For the weather, you can search for 'Cluj weather in April' and find average temperature, rainfall etc. on multiple sites.
Public transport is likely to have information available in English. I advise looking at the location of your hotel, the location of the conference centre and the location of the city centre to work out how much you are likely to need to use it. You can use Google Maps or the English-language site of the local public transport company to work out what routes you will need to use and what stops to get on and off. You can research tickets online as well - it looks like you can pay on buses and trams with a contactless payment card. If you expect to take public transport every day, you might want to reduce stress by buying a e.g. weekly pass which appears to cost NZ$20 for all lines and NZ$10 for one line. There may also be advice around public transport in the conference handbook.
You do not need to learn much Romanian if you are expecting to interact with locals only in the airport, hotel, conference centre, popular restaurants etc. Obviously it will be appreciated if you know a few words of Romanian but they will be very used to visitors not knowing their language. If you encounter someone who doesn't speak English, a translation app and a friendly manner will smooth over any difficulties.
Cluj is in Western Romania and even if you travelled all the way East to the border with Ukraine, you would be only a fraction of the distance to the front line. People will be very aware of the war taking place in a neighbouring country (especially with ex-Russian president Medvedev saying Romania is not a nation, echoing language used to describe Ukraine) but that in no way translates to any sort of personal risk to you in four weeks.
Finally, you may find it more relaxing if you read about or watch videos about business class in the airline you are flying. You sound like someone who would prefer to know in advance about perks like being offered hot towels, ordering food in advance or having access to a special lounge.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 3:11 AM on March 25, 2024 [2 favorites]
My multinational employer has an office in Cluj and my impression is that English will be as widely understood (if not heard spoken in public) as any other bigger central European city.
posted by macdara at 5:55 AM on March 25, 2024
posted by macdara at 5:55 AM on March 25, 2024
Good language tip: If there are foods you can't eat, don't eat, or would like to know before you eat, looking up the vocabulary for that in advance can be handy. (Though having a translation app handy for menus is also a great idea these days.)
posted by jenettsilver at 7:49 AM on March 25, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by jenettsilver at 7:49 AM on March 25, 2024 [1 favorite]
Best answer: A translate app that works with photos and spoken language will be helpful.
Business Class starts when you arrive at the airport, look for the airline lounge!! Also when you are transiting through another airport as your flight most likely won't be direct. Quiet, free food options, toilets, comfortable chairs and tables. Just keep an eye on the clock if boarding announcements aren't piped in.
And yes, lie-flat beds (sigh) will spoil you for life. The flight attendant will do the conversion.
As always, carry the business card of the hotel.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:23 AM on March 25, 2024 [1 favorite]
Business Class starts when you arrive at the airport, look for the airline lounge!! Also when you are transiting through another airport as your flight most likely won't be direct. Quiet, free food options, toilets, comfortable chairs and tables. Just keep an eye on the clock if boarding announcements aren't piped in.
And yes, lie-flat beds (sigh) will spoil you for life. The flight attendant will do the conversion.
As always, carry the business card of the hotel.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:23 AM on March 25, 2024 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I've been to Cluj a number of times and you will be able to do 99% of everything without Romanian (I've in country almost 3 years and have a decent /tourist level).
They have decent public transportation (buses and trams) but using bolt or Uber will work, and are very cheap to US prices.
Its very international, with lots of students and tech start ups, so very likely you'll run into other non-Romanians. If you have time the Jewish history museum is small but impactful. Make sure to eat papanasi, a jam covered donut/fried ball that is amazing.
posted by aggienfo at 8:25 AM on March 25, 2024 [2 favorites]
They have decent public transportation (buses and trams) but using bolt or Uber will work, and are very cheap to US prices.
Its very international, with lots of students and tech start ups, so very likely you'll run into other non-Romanians. If you have time the Jewish history museum is small but impactful. Make sure to eat papanasi, a jam covered donut/fried ball that is amazing.
posted by aggienfo at 8:25 AM on March 25, 2024 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: To cover off some details -
I've never traveled outside my own island for a conference before. I have traveled in Western Europe on vacation about ten years ago but a) almost entirely by road in a private car and b) almost entirely in places that have a university, a lot of English-speaking tourists, or both. I have reasonably extensive experience of flying internationally.
The advice to look at the airline's website about business class was A+, I feel a lot more prepared for that now. My boss has flown this way a lot and I mainly don't want to embarrass her by acting like a hick.
The hotel I'll be staying at is pretty okay by the standards I'm used to, hadn't thought of asking the concierge for recommendations but definitely will.
I'm aware of TripAdvisor (and Atlas Obscura) and have Google Maps, Translate (the one with the 'translate a photo' capability) and have just downloaded the Uber app. I'm gonna practice using Uber in my country before I go.
I am having trouble getting hold of Romanian leu, either digital or cash. I may also need to deal with Euros for a longish stopover. I'm looking at getting a travel money card that functions like a local debit card, and have used these cards before. As a backup, my bank allows foreign-currency purchases on my normal credit card for a pretty reasonable fee. If anyone has better ideas about how to handle currency I'd love to hear them.
posted by ngaiotonga at 12:33 PM on March 25, 2024
I've never traveled outside my own island for a conference before. I have traveled in Western Europe on vacation about ten years ago but a) almost entirely by road in a private car and b) almost entirely in places that have a university, a lot of English-speaking tourists, or both. I have reasonably extensive experience of flying internationally.
The advice to look at the airline's website about business class was A+, I feel a lot more prepared for that now. My boss has flown this way a lot and I mainly don't want to embarrass her by acting like a hick.
The hotel I'll be staying at is pretty okay by the standards I'm used to, hadn't thought of asking the concierge for recommendations but definitely will.
I'm aware of TripAdvisor (and Atlas Obscura) and have Google Maps, Translate (the one with the 'translate a photo' capability) and have just downloaded the Uber app. I'm gonna practice using Uber in my country before I go.
I am having trouble getting hold of Romanian leu, either digital or cash. I may also need to deal with Euros for a longish stopover. I'm looking at getting a travel money card that functions like a local debit card, and have used these cards before. As a backup, my bank allows foreign-currency purchases on my normal credit card for a pretty reasonable fee. If anyone has better ideas about how to handle currency I'd love to hear them.
posted by ngaiotonga at 12:33 PM on March 25, 2024
I think a couple of payment cards should be plenty. When you use your bank card to pay in lei you will likely be asked whether you want to pay in your currency or lei and you should choose your currency to get a better rate though only by a few percent so don't stress about it.
Also, change some of those Euros for lei at the stopover airport or your arrival airport in Romania - you wont get a great rate but it's useful to have a little cash for tipping etc.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 2:10 PM on March 25, 2024 [1 favorite]
Also, change some of those Euros for lei at the stopover airport or your arrival airport in Romania - you wont get a great rate but it's useful to have a little cash for tipping etc.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 2:10 PM on March 25, 2024 [1 favorite]
That reminds me - Don't use your main card overseas unless absolutely necessary - for no other reason than just a sensible budgeting habit but also to have some physical firewall should it be cloned and your hassle about having to call your bank isn't a big one. If it's paired with an app that you can use to freeze it as needed, the better. I don't really have the big travel money card corp in my country but that would my choice though these days my option is a debit MasterCard - swipes like credit but on a limited balance, and supposedly better rates Inc when having to withdraw from ATM (but I don't look for that except as a backup for cash).
Don't worry about getting the local currency yet for countries that aren't as well-traded, get what you need in euros first. Airport currency exchange don't have the best rates but they're the most convenient and not yet too open for curious eyes at how much you're changing.
You haven't updated about your airport transfer so I'm assuming that's sorted.
posted by cendawanita at 2:44 PM on March 25, 2024 [1 favorite]
Don't worry about getting the local currency yet for countries that aren't as well-traded, get what you need in euros first. Airport currency exchange don't have the best rates but they're the most convenient and not yet too open for curious eyes at how much you're changing.
You haven't updated about your airport transfer so I'm assuming that's sorted.
posted by cendawanita at 2:44 PM on March 25, 2024 [1 favorite]
Cluj is an extremely modern city packaged in a Baroque wrapping. Lightning fast internet, you can get a 60 GB data sim for a couple of bucks... lots of cafes and alternative hangouts due to plentiful University types. I am there a couple of times a year and never have problems. Cluj has a large Hungarian speaking minority, especially noticable in the Old Center, and people are frighteningly multilingual, including English (just about everybody under 30 speaks English.) Prices have risen to European standard for restaurants, but you can still eat well for about US$10. I always drop in at the Vărzărie ( downtown at Bulevardul Eroilor 37) which specializes in local Transylvanian specialties, particularly stuffed cabbage with smoked pork ("ciolan"). The Hungarian creative scene hangs out at the Cafe Bulgakov (in the center at Strada Inocențiu Micu Klein 17) which has a lot of Hungarian Transylvanian trad foods, gets crowded at night. If you are really adventurous, ask a cab to take you out to the Flea Market (Oser de Haine, Strada Bobâlnei 65, ) on the outskirts of town on Saturday morning (closes soon after noon.) Endless piles of junk, antiques, used shoes, Transylvanian farm tools, and grilled meat. Not for the faint hearted. There is often a crafts festival of some sort in the main square, but if you want to see some of the real local folklore, the Hungarian minority regularly has traditional folk dances - not performances, but dances - with live music at the Heltai House near the University.
posted by zaelic at 11:37 PM on March 25, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by zaelic at 11:37 PM on March 25, 2024 [2 favorites]
Have two (money) cards. Use the ATMs in a bank lobby, preferably the kind with a guard stationed nearby. If your card is lost/stolen/cloned, you can cancel it but you won't be able to get a replacement sent to you.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 10:57 AM on March 26, 2024
posted by TWinbrook8 at 10:57 AM on March 26, 2024
Response by poster: Updating now trip completed:
- business class was amazing and so great and the cabin crew were incredible and the whole experience offended every single proletarian nerve in my body and I loved it and I would love to do it again never.
- By the standards of my hometown it was really cold.
- I did not have a lot of opportunities to go to restaurants, but I went to Vărzărie. The staff gave a strong impression of resenting the fact I was there and the food was like 'dear Romania have you ever heard of salt or indeed any seasoning at all'. The catering at the event I was actually there for was pretty good though.
- I bought euros and changed them at a bank in Romania, smooth experience overall. Did not need to use any cards at all, which was great.
- Nearly everyone I interacted with spoke English or could quickly find me someone who could - the one exception was in a post office where I resorted to typing into Google Translate and holding up my phone for them to see. I learned the Romanian for 'hello do you speak English please' and 'I don't speak Romanian' and used both of those a lot.
- Google Maps is very much not up to date with locations and opening hours of basically anything.
- The Ethnographic Museum was awesome.
- Two hours is absolutely not enough time to transit Munich Airport.
posted by ngaiotonga at 3:36 PM on June 11, 2024
- business class was amazing and so great and the cabin crew were incredible and the whole experience offended every single proletarian nerve in my body and I loved it and I would love to do it again never.
- By the standards of my hometown it was really cold.
- I did not have a lot of opportunities to go to restaurants, but I went to Vărzărie. The staff gave a strong impression of resenting the fact I was there and the food was like 'dear Romania have you ever heard of salt or indeed any seasoning at all'. The catering at the event I was actually there for was pretty good though.
- I bought euros and changed them at a bank in Romania, smooth experience overall. Did not need to use any cards at all, which was great.
- Nearly everyone I interacted with spoke English or could quickly find me someone who could - the one exception was in a post office where I resorted to typing into Google Translate and holding up my phone for them to see. I learned the Romanian for 'hello do you speak English please' and 'I don't speak Romanian' and used both of those a lot.
- Google Maps is very much not up to date with locations and opening hours of basically anything.
- The Ethnographic Museum was awesome.
- Two hours is absolutely not enough time to transit Munich Airport.
posted by ngaiotonga at 3:36 PM on June 11, 2024
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You can use a site such as tripadvisor to find activities. Tripadvisor tries to set you up with guided tours, but you can look at the list of activities and come up with your own set of things to see and do.
I don't have comments on the other questions. Enjoy your time.
posted by blob at 7:24 PM on March 24, 2024 [1 favorite]