The Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania in Cluj-Napoca is one of Romania's oldest and largest museums of its kind — a living window into the rural traditions, crafts and daily life of Transylvanian villagers. It's a perfect stop for hikers wanting to connect the landscapes they've walked through with the culture that shaped them.

The museum unfolds across two very different settings: the elegant Reduta Palace in the city center, and the sprawling open-air Romulus Vuia Park tucked into Hoia Forest on the northwest edge of Cluj-Napoca. Wandering the park feels like stepping into another century — wooden churches, old windmills and farmsteads sit among the trees, especially atmospheric in autumn when the forest turns gold, or in winter under a blanket of snow. In summer, the park comes alive with visitors exploring its shaded paths between historic buildings.

How to get there

• Reduta Palace — 21 Memorandumului Street, downtown Cluj-Napoca, walking distance, easy
• Romulus Vuia Ethnographic Park — Hoia Forest, northwest of the city, reachable by public transport or car, flat terrain, easy walk

Practical information

• Museum founded on 16 June 1922
• Open-air park opened in 1929, the first of its kind in Romania
• Collection of more than 50,000 objects
• 13 traditional farms with around 90 buildings gathered from various Transylvanian regions
• 3 wooden churches and a carved wooden cemetery gate on site

The oldest exhibits date back to 1678 — a genuine step into rural history, best combined with a visit to the mysterious Hoia Forest itself, famed for its many legends.