# Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu”

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Cluj County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/cluj) › [Cluj-Napoca](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/cluj-napoca)

> Cluj's historic park, laid out from 1838 on the bank of the Someșul Mic, with Lake Chios, the old Casino, the music pavilion and a central avenue between old trees; locals call it the Big Park.

**At a glance:** Parks and gardens in Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 1 – 1½ hours. Information verified on 11 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** Public park with free access; No official opening schedule is published. Boat and pedal-boat rides on Lake Chios resumed on 18 April 2026 (operator: Domeniul Public Napoca): 11–19, closed on Mondays, 24 lei for adults and 13 lei for children aged 4–14, 30 minutes; check prices and hours at the start of the season. In August part of the park is taken over by the Untold festival.
- **Ticket:** Free — public park, no ticket
- **Visit duration:** 1 – 1½ hours — a stroll with a stop at the lake
- **With kids:** Yes — boats on the lake, wide avenues
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — on the surrounding streets
- **Best season:** April – October — boats from April, leaves in autumn
- **Address:** Iuliu Hossu street, opposite the Casino, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County
- **Coordinates:** 46.7701, 23.5792
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluj-Napoca_Central_Park
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q715958
- **Categories:** [Parks and gardens](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/parcuri-si-gradini)

## About Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu”

Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu”, called the Big Park (Parcul Mare) by locals and Sétatér in Hungarian, stretches between the Someșul Mic river to the north, Iuliu Hossu street to the south, Cluj Arena to the west and the Hungarian State Theatre to the east. The site was a marshy grove, leased in 1827 by a women's charitable association for strolling, and the park was officially founded in 1838. Around 1865 a park association laid out the avenues, dug the lake and built the music pavilion; the Summer Theatre opened in 1874, and the skating pavilion and kiosk, both by the Cluj architect Lajos Pákey, date from 1896–1897. The ensemble is a listed historic monument (LMI code CJ-II-s-B-07243).

### What you can see

The axis of the park is a wide avenue between old trees, crossed by a water channel with small wooden bridges. On the bank of Lake Chios stands the **Casino**, an eclectic, Viennese-inspired palace built at the end of the 19th century to Pákey's plans; after several uses (ethnographic museum, art school, hospital, restaurant), it was restored with EU funds and has worked since 2012 as an Urban Culture Centre, with exhibitions, concerts, films and festivals. On the lake you can go out in a rowing boat or pedal boat, and on the bank stands the former skating pavilion, now with a restaurant. Nearby are the music pavilion, the artesian fountain and statues of writers and composers: Liviu Rebreanu, George Coșbuc, Octavian Goga, Sigismund Toduță, Nicolae Bretan.

### Good to know

In August part of the park is closed for the Untold festival: in 2026 the festival ran from 6 to 9 August, with traffic restrictions in the area until 17 August, and the organisers relaid the lawn afterwards; some locals call for a wider revitalisation. In 2011 the avenues were concreted and several centuries-old trees disappeared, which caused protests.

## Don't miss

- The central avenue between old trees, with its little wooden bridges over the water channel.
- The Casino on the lakeside, Lajos Pákey's eclectic palace, now an Urban Culture Centre.
- A rowing-boat or pedal-boat ride on Lake Chios.
- The music pavilion in the middle of the park, a venue for open-air concerts.
- The statues of Cluj writers and composers along the avenues: Rebreanu, Coșbuc, Goga, Bretan.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** the park is right in the centre of Cluj, ~1 km from Piața Unirii, between Cluj Arena and the Hungarian Theatre; the centre is congested, and the easiest way is to leave the car in a nearby public car park and walk. From Cluj-Napoca railway station it is ~2 km.

**Public transport:** the “Parcul Central” and “Cluj Arena” stops are nearby, served by trams and buses (check the current routes on the CTP Cluj website); during Untold the stops are suspended. From Piața Unirii it is a 10–15 minute walk.

### Where to park

The park has no car park of its own. In the area you park on the street, paid by zone, or in public car parks around the centre; spaces fill up quickly at weekends, in good weather and during events at Cluj Arena.

### Fees & discounts

Entry to the park is free. A boat or pedal-boat ride cost 24 lei for adults and 13 lei for children aged 4–14 in April 2026 (30 minutes; children under 4 free with an adult). Prices can change, so check at the landing.

### Rules

Follow the signs in the park: dogs on a lead only, do not walk on the lawn in marked areas, do not throw litter into the lake. On boat rides a life jacket is worn, provided by the operator.

### Facilities

paved paths · benches · lake with boats and pedal boats · lakeside restaurant · Casino (cultural events) · music pavilion

## Details

- **Year established:** 1838
- **Type of park:** historic park

## Frequently asked questions about Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu”

**How much is a ticket to Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu”?**

Admission to Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu” is free (public park, no ticket). Entry to the park is free. A boat or pedal-boat ride cost 24 lei for adults and 13 lei for children aged 4–14 in April 2026 (30 minutes; children under 4 free with an adult). Prices can change, so check at the landing.

**How long does a visit to Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu” take?**

A visit to Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu” takes about 1 – 1½ hours (a stroll with a stop at the lake).

**Can you visit Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu” with kids?**

Yes, Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu” is suitable for children (boats on the lake, wide avenues).

**Where can I park at Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu”?**

There is paid parking at Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu” (on the surrounding streets). The park has no car park of its own. In the area you park on the street, paid by zone, or in public car parks around the centre; spaces fill up quickly at weekends, in good weather and during events at Cluj Arena.

**How do I get to Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu”?**

Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu” is located at Iuliu Hossu street, opposite the Casino, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County. By car: the park is right in the centre of Cluj, ~1 km from Piața Unirii, between Cluj Arena and the Hungarian Theatre; the centre is congested, and the easiest way is to leave the car in a nearby public car park and walk. From Cluj-Napoca railway station it is ~2 km. Public transport: the “Parcul Central” and “Cluj Arena” stops are nearby, served by trams and buses (check the current routes on the CTP Cluj website); during Untold the stops are suspended. From Piața Unirii it is a 10–15 minute walk.

**When is the best time to visit Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu”?**

The best season for Central Park “Simion Bărnuțiu”: April – October (boats from April, leaves in autumn).

## Nearby attractions

- [Bánffy Palace in Cluj-Napoca](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/palatul-banffy-cluj-napoca) — Castles and palaces · Cluj-Napoca, CJ · 16 lei · Top 100 · 1 km
  The finest Baroque palace in Transylvania, built between 1774 and 1785 on Cluj's Union Square, with classical statues along its attic; it houses the Art Museum, with five centuries of Romanian and Transylvanian painting.
- [Alexandru Borza Botanical Garden](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/gradina-botanica-cluj-napoca) — Parks and gardens · Cluj-Napoca, CJ · 21 lei · 1½ – 2 hours · 1 km
  The botanical garden of Babeș-Bolyai University, on almost 14 hectares in the south of Cluj: a Japanese garden with a tea house on a lake, greenhouses more than 60 years old, a water tower and a botanical museum.
- [Romulus Vuia National Ethnographic Park](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/parcul-etnografic-romulus-vuia) — Museums and memorial houses · Cluj-Napoca, CJ · 10 lei · 1½ – 2 hours · 3 km
  Romania's first open-air museum, on Hoia hill: farmsteads, workshops, peasant installations and three wooden churches gathered over ~16 hectares into a scattered village.
- [Hoia-Baciu Forest](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/padurea-hoia-baciu) — Parks and gardens · Cluj-Napoca, CJ · Free · 1½ – 2 hours · 5 km
  A forest of about 300 ha on the western edge of Cluj, known for its twisted tree trunks, the Round Clearing and the "paranormal" legends that made it famous worldwide.
- [Băile Cojocna](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/baile-cojocna) — Resorts and thermal baths · Cojocna, CJ · 50 lei · 26 km
  A lido with two salt lakes formed where old salt mines caved in, 24 km from Cluj-Napoca, plus an indoor pool of warm salt water that stays open all year.
- [Lake Tarnița](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacul-tarnita) — Lakes · Gilău, CJ · Free · 28 km
  A reservoir almost 9 km long on the Someșul Cald, about 30 km from Cluj-Napoca, with wooded slopes, a 97 m arch dam and sailing or kayaking on the water.

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Last updated: 11 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania