I recently got back from an 8-day tour of Transylvania. Data sheets on Sibiu and Brasov will follow soon, but I'm going to share the info on what I thought was the best of the three cities I visited, Cluj (nobody says the Napoca part).
Before you read this, bear in mind that I rate my game as intermediate with western girls, but I'm closer to beginner status with girls in countries like Romania, i.e. I still have lots to learn and frequently fuck up. If you are an absolute beginner or a seasoned player, adjust your expectations accordingly.
The bottom line: Is Cluj the best city in Eastern Europe? Hard to say since there are many well-regarded places I haven't been, but for a horny player it's hard to imagine anywhere that beats this place.
City overview: Cluj is a pleasant second-tier city of 400,000 people, 60,000 of whom are students. It's not as picturesque as Brasov or Sibiu (or Prague or Krakow or Riga etc.) but you have enough nice squares, Austro-Hungarian influenced buildings and big Orthodox churches to keep your eyes happy. Where Cluj beats other Romanian cities I've been to however (including Bucharest) is the vibe. It's small enough to get around easily, but big enough to be interesting. It's busy but not too busy and the mix of ages, ethnic groups and types of people gives it a really cool atmosphere. Most importantly, being a student city it's busy every night, unlike e.g. Brasov which is jumping on Saturday but dead on Sunday. Don't worry if you're an older guy (I'm 27); you see enough older people out every night that you're not out of place. Critically, this place is definitely not on the Easyjet stag-do route so although foreigners aren't a total novelty due to foreign exchange students and backpackers, you'll receive a warmer welcome than in one of the many EE cities that have been ruined by British lager louts.
Sight seeing: Very few must-sees, but as mentioned above some nice old buildings, churches, squares, a university, botanical gardens, a few decent museums and stunning countryside a short trip away.
Girls: I hate when guys over-hype places, so I'll try to refrain. However, out of the 30 or so countries I've visited, I'd say the average Romanian girl is as pretty as anywhere I've been (including Poland, Lithuania, Brazil etc.) Not necessarily hotter, but just as decent. If the average in a UK street is a 5, in Cluj she's probably a 6.5 or 7, but this figure rises on the university campus or in many clubs/bars. Girls in Cluj are slim and petite and many are slightly lighter-featured than in Bucharest due to greater German/Hungarian ancestry. They're also friendlier than in Bucharest and as with most Eastern Europeans, very feminine in the way they dress, talk and act. Romanian culture is slightly more conservative, religious and traditional than Western culture so bear this in mind. I didn't get laid here, but if you're an advanced player here for a couple of weekends, I'd rate your chances quite highly.
Lodging:I stayed in Translyvania Hostel on St. Iulia Maniu, right in the city centre which had really helpful and cool staff. Another good hostel is Retro on St. Potaissa. If you want to rent a short-term apartment (which in hindsight may have been a better option since hostels don't allow guests) you can check out http://www.maxintermedia.ro. There are also several more upmarket hotels near the middle of town.
Day game spots: The centre of Cluj is dominated by two large squares (Piata Avram Iancu and Piata Unirii). Both are generally busy with girls sitting alone on benches reading or studying. The shops aren't great for day game in the middle of Cluj but there may be some malls further out of town. There are many good coffeeshops however. The squares are connected by two busy streets and one quieter street. The best times to daygame here are around lunchtime and between 4-6pm when most people are out of work/class. Just north of Avram Iancu is a bunch of narrow streets surrounding Piata Muzeului, where lots of students hang out for a coffee or beer between classes. Then you have the main university campus (Babes-Boylai) as well as a street called Clinicilor just outside the city centre where lots of students hang out. There is a big park near the football stadium but it's not the best for day game as there aren't many good spots to sit and most girls are on the move.
Night spots: Cluj is absolutely fucking jumping. Every night has something happening so whether you prefer to game in student bars, pubs, loud electro clubs or fancy VIP-type places, there will be somewhere for you. Since I was only there for 4 night I can't possibly give a comprehensive breakdown but I found the following venues to be pretty pick-up friendly (good guy/girl ratio, good quality of girls, areas not too loud to talk, places with traffic to stand if you're alone):
Shto College Bar (St. Memorandului)
Seven (St. Herman Oberth)
Flying Circus (St. Iulia Maniu)
Janis Club (St. Herman Oberth)
Strada Clinicilor (in general)
Obsession Club (St. Republicii - a bit snobby but not too bad)
There are obviously many other places I didn't try but I'd say all the above venues are pretty good. Being a student city, it's busy every night when the students are there so keep exploring - you don't need to go far to find somewhere decent. You can find out up-to-the-minute info at http://www.partytude.ro (Romanian) or http://www.sapteseri.ro (Romanian/English).
Other important information: While not absolutely dirt cheap, Romania is cheap by Western standards. Prices for most things are half or less than half of what I pay in the UK. Cluj is a compact city and very easy to get around via foot, taxi, bus or tram. As with the rest of Romania (even Bucharest) it is extremely safe, certainly safer than the UK or the States. Romanians are generally laid-back and non-confrontational people and cockblocking hasn't been an issue for me. In major cities (Cluj included) almost everyone under 35 speaks English, plus Romanian isn't hard to understand if you speak French, Italian or Spanish.
My personal experience: As I stated before, I don't wish to over-hype anywhere, so I'll acknowledge that my experience may have been partly down to pure beginner's luck. Out of my first 10 approaches I got 3 numbers, 2 of whom wanted to meet up with me the following night (I chose the one I thought I had a better chance of banging). In the end I didn't bang her, as detailed in this thread: http://www.rooshvforum.network/thread-7712.html but if my game/logistics were a little sharper I no doubt could (should?) have done so. All 3 girls were 20-22 years old and around a 7 for looks. For someone who considers their game to be beginner-to-intermediate, I'd say they aren't bad odds.
Since I was in a state of high confidence I approached a girl in Flying Circus club who was as close to a 10 as I've ever had the balls to approach. I was on a roll and had a very strong confident frame and she seemed pretty receptive (big smiles) until her boyfriend came up after a minute or so. It's hard to say whether she was impressed by me or just being friendly, but my confidence surged even further afterwards regardless.
In short, I'm pretty confident I could have got laid if I stayed there a few more days and I think if your game is tight you should be able to do so if you stick around there for a week or so. I'll certainly be back.
Before you read this, bear in mind that I rate my game as intermediate with western girls, but I'm closer to beginner status with girls in countries like Romania, i.e. I still have lots to learn and frequently fuck up. If you are an absolute beginner or a seasoned player, adjust your expectations accordingly.
The bottom line: Is Cluj the best city in Eastern Europe? Hard to say since there are many well-regarded places I haven't been, but for a horny player it's hard to imagine anywhere that beats this place.
City overview: Cluj is a pleasant second-tier city of 400,000 people, 60,000 of whom are students. It's not as picturesque as Brasov or Sibiu (or Prague or Krakow or Riga etc.) but you have enough nice squares, Austro-Hungarian influenced buildings and big Orthodox churches to keep your eyes happy. Where Cluj beats other Romanian cities I've been to however (including Bucharest) is the vibe. It's small enough to get around easily, but big enough to be interesting. It's busy but not too busy and the mix of ages, ethnic groups and types of people gives it a really cool atmosphere. Most importantly, being a student city it's busy every night, unlike e.g. Brasov which is jumping on Saturday but dead on Sunday. Don't worry if you're an older guy (I'm 27); you see enough older people out every night that you're not out of place. Critically, this place is definitely not on the Easyjet stag-do route so although foreigners aren't a total novelty due to foreign exchange students and backpackers, you'll receive a warmer welcome than in one of the many EE cities that have been ruined by British lager louts.
Sight seeing: Very few must-sees, but as mentioned above some nice old buildings, churches, squares, a university, botanical gardens, a few decent museums and stunning countryside a short trip away.
Girls: I hate when guys over-hype places, so I'll try to refrain. However, out of the 30 or so countries I've visited, I'd say the average Romanian girl is as pretty as anywhere I've been (including Poland, Lithuania, Brazil etc.) Not necessarily hotter, but just as decent. If the average in a UK street is a 5, in Cluj she's probably a 6.5 or 7, but this figure rises on the university campus or in many clubs/bars. Girls in Cluj are slim and petite and many are slightly lighter-featured than in Bucharest due to greater German/Hungarian ancestry. They're also friendlier than in Bucharest and as with most Eastern Europeans, very feminine in the way they dress, talk and act. Romanian culture is slightly more conservative, religious and traditional than Western culture so bear this in mind. I didn't get laid here, but if you're an advanced player here for a couple of weekends, I'd rate your chances quite highly.
Lodging:I stayed in Translyvania Hostel on St. Iulia Maniu, right in the city centre which had really helpful and cool staff. Another good hostel is Retro on St. Potaissa. If you want to rent a short-term apartment (which in hindsight may have been a better option since hostels don't allow guests) you can check out http://www.maxintermedia.ro. There are also several more upmarket hotels near the middle of town.
Day game spots: The centre of Cluj is dominated by two large squares (Piata Avram Iancu and Piata Unirii). Both are generally busy with girls sitting alone on benches reading or studying. The shops aren't great for day game in the middle of Cluj but there may be some malls further out of town. There are many good coffeeshops however. The squares are connected by two busy streets and one quieter street. The best times to daygame here are around lunchtime and between 4-6pm when most people are out of work/class. Just north of Avram Iancu is a bunch of narrow streets surrounding Piata Muzeului, where lots of students hang out for a coffee or beer between classes. Then you have the main university campus (Babes-Boylai) as well as a street called Clinicilor just outside the city centre where lots of students hang out. There is a big park near the football stadium but it's not the best for day game as there aren't many good spots to sit and most girls are on the move.
Night spots: Cluj is absolutely fucking jumping. Every night has something happening so whether you prefer to game in student bars, pubs, loud electro clubs or fancy VIP-type places, there will be somewhere for you. Since I was only there for 4 night I can't possibly give a comprehensive breakdown but I found the following venues to be pretty pick-up friendly (good guy/girl ratio, good quality of girls, areas not too loud to talk, places with traffic to stand if you're alone):
Shto College Bar (St. Memorandului)
Seven (St. Herman Oberth)
Flying Circus (St. Iulia Maniu)
Janis Club (St. Herman Oberth)
Strada Clinicilor (in general)
Obsession Club (St. Republicii - a bit snobby but not too bad)
There are obviously many other places I didn't try but I'd say all the above venues are pretty good. Being a student city, it's busy every night when the students are there so keep exploring - you don't need to go far to find somewhere decent. You can find out up-to-the-minute info at http://www.partytude.ro (Romanian) or http://www.sapteseri.ro (Romanian/English).
Other important information: While not absolutely dirt cheap, Romania is cheap by Western standards. Prices for most things are half or less than half of what I pay in the UK. Cluj is a compact city and very easy to get around via foot, taxi, bus or tram. As with the rest of Romania (even Bucharest) it is extremely safe, certainly safer than the UK or the States. Romanians are generally laid-back and non-confrontational people and cockblocking hasn't been an issue for me. In major cities (Cluj included) almost everyone under 35 speaks English, plus Romanian isn't hard to understand if you speak French, Italian or Spanish.
My personal experience: As I stated before, I don't wish to over-hype anywhere, so I'll acknowledge that my experience may have been partly down to pure beginner's luck. Out of my first 10 approaches I got 3 numbers, 2 of whom wanted to meet up with me the following night (I chose the one I thought I had a better chance of banging). In the end I didn't bang her, as detailed in this thread: http://www.rooshvforum.network/thread-7712.html but if my game/logistics were a little sharper I no doubt could (should?) have done so. All 3 girls were 20-22 years old and around a 7 for looks. For someone who considers their game to be beginner-to-intermediate, I'd say they aren't bad odds.
Since I was in a state of high confidence I approached a girl in Flying Circus club who was as close to a 10 as I've ever had the balls to approach. I was on a roll and had a very strong confident frame and she seemed pretty receptive (big smiles) until her boyfriend came up after a minute or so. It's hard to say whether she was impressed by me or just being friendly, but my confidence surged even further afterwards regardless.
In short, I'm pretty confident I could have got laid if I stayed there a few more days and I think if your game is tight you should be able to do so if you stick around there for a week or so. I'll certainly be back.