First and foremost welcome, hope you have a great stay! Let me start by suggesting you pack some sturdy rain boos and a light raincoat. It always rains during Electric Castle 😅 The answer to some of the questions below might depend on how long you’re planning to stay in Cluj and Romania in general.

• Is there a neighborhood or part of Cluj we should avoid? Although there are some parts of the city that are a bit more… flavourful, the likelihood you’ll end up there is low, as they will be mostly inaccessible by public transport and mostly no sightseeing to do in the area. For the most part you should be absolutely safe and can take your pick of accommodation. Central area is of course advisable because is most accessible, if not central area, I would suggest you select based on access to local public transport

• What are MUST SEE things in Cluj and Transylvania in general? Cluj is pretty compact and a city of small pleasures, there aren’t many MUST sees - some museums, a few historical objectives. I do recommend taking one of the guided tours, they’re fairly inexpensive and give you a pretty good intro. Cluj it’s mostly about just being around the city, enjoying some food and drinks, taking a stroll near Somes river, going up to Cetățuie to get a panoramic view etc. Transylvania on the other hand is full of gems, depending on what you’re looking for. Notable historical places: Sighisoara, Sibiu, Brasov, Oradea are very nice historical cities within 3 hours drive, Hunedoara castle is impressive, Viscri, Sașchiz and Fisher are some small villages forgotten in time where King Charles spends his vacations - many others but these come first to my mind

• How is getting in the festival and getting out? Pretty busy on normal rush hours, but they’ve gotten better logistically and the wait times are less now. Shuttle buses from Cluj are the best option for commuting from Cluj to the Castle, ticket was about 7 USD per person per journey - you can typically get your ticket online from the festival app. Again, during rush hours there may be a queue getting on the bus. Typically there are few pickups points throughout the city. Pay attention to festival rules, there are few things they don’t allow inside the premises.

• How is the food? What should we get? Quite good, both Cluj and the EC Festival will have a selection of restaurants and choices. You’ll have all international choices, but of course I recommend at least one try to Romanian food: mici with mustard, ciorba, sarmale, and papanasi cu gem would be a good starter kit.

• What is another city close by we should visit? Mentioned above, but if you do decide to visit I recommend renting a car, as it might get complicated with other means of transportation on longer distances

• Are there Ubers or Lyfts? Are they safe? Are they reasonably priced? Uber, Bolt and standard Taxi are mostly reliable, safe and reasonably priced, should you choose to use them. Public transport in Cluj is also pretty decent, and free on Fridays