Knowing what’s on your doorstep can be very helpful when choosing a property to live in. It’s always good to have local amenities which can help you with your day-to-day life, buying food, getting places etc. So here’s a list of some of the top things to look out for:
TRANSPORT
If you’ve just moved to Cluj-Napoca, chances are, you have no idea what transport routes take you where and how frequent the busses are. Choosing an area with good transport links is always a good idea, especially whilst you are getting familiar with the routes.
The good news is, Cluj has a modern public transport infrastructure and the local transport provider (CTP) have provided an official application for both iPhone and Android, so you can easily locate transport links.
You can download the “Tranzy” application by clicking here.
The application is available also in English, you will be able to change the language during the setup process.
TAXI STANDS
There are a number of taxi companies in Cluj-Napoca which have designated parking areas around the city and in popular residential areas. It’s especially useful if you have one of these stands near to your property and you should check access routes to ensure that the taxi driver does not need to take detours due to one-way roads which can result in larger than necessary fares.
LOCAL STORES
In most areas, there are small local stores such as “magazine alimentare” and non-stop stores for basics, but these are often more expensive that the larger, chain stores. If you can find a property located within reasonable distance of any major store, you will be in a great position to make sure you have everything you need.
The most popular major stores are:
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Also, having a good connection to your bank in your area is very useful. Considering that most banks charge commissions for withdraw from competitor ATMs, having your bank or an ATM provided by your bank on your doorstep or within walking distance is a great time-saver.
Equally important is to have an exchange service nearby or to at least have knowledge of where to get your currency converted into euro, due to the fact is pretty much all cases, your rent will be paid in euro and not Romanian lei.
POST OFFICES
Each neighbourhood will have one or more local post office represented by a number, “e.g. oficiul postal 6”. Any deliveries to your address which are provided by Posta Romana, which is the Romanian postal service, pretty much always be delivered to the local office in your area and not to your mailbox.
In the event that you receive a package or something too large to fit into your mailbox, you will receive a small postage note informing you that a package has been delivered to the local office and information about which office it has been delivered to, plus any additional information such as opening hours.
Each apartment property will have it’s own mailbox, you should ensure that the owner of the property can provide you with a key, should the mailbox have a lock.
Post offices can be busy places, you shouldn’t leave collecting any packages to the last minute, even if your post office is right next door.
