Must-see attractions in Transylvania

  • Romania, Transylvania, Exterior

    Corvin Castle

    Transylvania

    Some castles perch on mountains, others skulk in mist-shrouded hills, but Hunedoara’s juts out from an industrial jungle. Despite being surrounded by…

  • Romania, Castelul Peles (Peles Castle), facade seen from gardens set against blue sky

    Peleş Castle

    Sinaia

    Over 40 years, dozens of builders, artists and wood-carvers brought Peleş Castle into existence. The neo-Renaissance masterpiece was commissioned by…

  • Alba Iulia medieval fortress aerial view at sunset; 
Alba Carolina Citadel

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    Alba Carolina Citadel

    Transylvania

    Alba Carolina Citadel is the crowning attraction of Alba Iulia. Within this star-shaped citadel are museums, churches and the Unification Hall that sealed…

  • Hotel Castel Dracula

    Transylvania

    One of the high points of any vampire-themed trip to Transylvania is kitsch Hotel Castel Dracula. Its blood-curdling decorations, and location on a…

  • Făgăraş Citadel

    Transylvania

    Encircled by a moat fringed with willow trees, Făgăraş Citadel is an impressively intact fortification from medieval Transylvania. The oldest part of this…

  • Culture Palace

    Târgu Mureş

    This ornate secessionist-style building, ostentatiously tiled on the outside and colourfully furnished within, is unlike anything else in Transylvania…

  • St Mary's Evangelical Church

    Sibiu

    Sibiu's Gothic centrepiece rises more than 73m over the old town. Inside, marvel at ghoulish stone skeletons, 17th-century tombs and the largest organ in…

  • Zosim Oancea Glass Icons Museum

    Transylvania

    This museum of painted icons, named after the priest who collected them, is a true hidden gem. Unlike the sombre wooden icons you’ll see elsewhere in…

  • Ethnographic Museum

    Târgu Mureş

    Ethnographic exhibitions can be humdrum, so Târgu Mureş’ hay-strewn and vividly soundtracked museum is a welcome surprise. A voiceover (in Romanian),…

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    Fabrica de Pensule

    Cluj-Napoca

    More of a living, breathing creative space than a gallery, Fabrica de Pensule teems with just-made artwork by local and foreign creators who use this…

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    St Michael's Church

    Cluj-Napoca

    The showpiece of Piaţa Unirii is 14th- and 15th-century St Michael’s, the second-biggest Gothic church in Romania (after Braşov’s Black Church). Its neo…

  • Sarmizegetusa Regia

    Transylvania

    The Sarmizegetusa Regia archaeological site is Romania’s Stonehenge. Only stones remain, enclosed by pretty woodlands, but they reveal compelling clues…

  • The medieval Castle of Bran. The castle  guarded in the past the border between Transylvania an Wallachia. It is also known for the myth of Dracula.; Shutterstock ID 114267793; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; Project no. or GL code: 56530; Network activity no. or Cost Centre: Online-Design; Product or Project: 65050/7529/Josh Vogel/LP.com Destination Galleries

    Bran Castle

    Transylvania

    Rising above the town on a rocky promontory, Bran Castle holds visitors in thrall. An entire industry has sprouted around describing it as ‘Dracula’s…

  • Citadel

    Sighişoara

    Sighişoara's delightful medieval buildings are enclosed within its citadel, a Unesco-listed complex of protective walls and watchtowers. Walking in the…

  • Windmill from Constanta County at Museum of Folk Civilisation in Astra, Sibiu, Romania, Europe

    ASTRA National Museum Complex

    Transylvania

    Five kilometres from central Sibiu, this is Europe's largest open-air ethnographic museum, where churches, mills and traditional homes number among 400…

  • Brukenthal Palace

    Sibiu

    Brukenthal Palace is worth visiting as much for its resplendent period furnishings as for the European art within. Duck beneath the Music Room’s…

  • Libearty Bear Sanctuary

    Transylvania

    Not enough time to join a bear hide excursion to see these impressive carnivores lumbering through their natural habitat? Libearty Sanctuary is the next…

  • Râşnov Fortress

    Transylvania

    Commonly paired with Bran Castle on day trips from Braşov, Râşnov Fortress might just be the more enchanting of the two. The medieval citadel, built by…

  • Fortified Church

    Transylvania

    Biertan’s late-Gothic church, ringed by concentric walls and flanked by towers, is among the largest and most impressive in Transylvania. The triple-naved…

  • Black Church

    Braşov

    Romania’s largest Gothic church rises triumphantly over Braşov’s old town. Built between 1385 and 1477, this German Lutheran church was named for its…

  • Brâncoveanu Monastery

    Transylvania

    Wondrously decorated with carved columns, apocalyptic frescoes and gardens with barely a petal out of place, Brâncoveanu Monastery is as pristine as its…

  • Salt Mine

    Transylvania

    The meadowlands and chalky hills surrounding Turda have a secret underworld: a salt mine so impressive, it could be a supervillain’s lair. Walking along…

  • Fortified Church

    Transylvania

    The whitewashed and tile-roofed fortified church in Viscri is a splendidly restored feat of medieval engineering. Its outbuildings display decorated…

  • History Museum

    Sibiu

    This impressive museum begins with re-enactments of cave dwellers squatting in the gloom and dioramas of Dacian life. Out of these shadowy corridors, the…

  • Parcul Etnografic Romulus Vuia

    Cluj-Napoca

    Traditional architecture from around Romania has been faithfully reassembled at this open-air museum, 5km northwest of central Cluj. Most impressive is…

  • Pelişor Palace

    Sinaia

    It’s hard to believe that Carol I’s nephew Ferdinand (1865–1927) could have been unsatisfied with lavish Peleş Castle; nonetheless, Pelişor Palace was…

  • Castelul de Lut Valea Zanelor

    Transylvania

    Resembling a gnome village, the Castelul de Lut complex has been created from clay, sand and pure whimsy. The self-styled 'clay castle of pixie valley'…

  • St Nicholas’ Cathedral

    Braşov

    With forested hills rising behind its prickly Gothic spires, St Nicholas’ Cathedral is one of Braşov's most spectacular views. First built in wood in 1392…

  • St Michael's Cathedral

    Transylvania

    Completed in 1291, this is Romania's most venerable Roman Catholic cathedral as well as the country's longest, at slightly over 89m. Royal tombs,…

  • Alma Vii Fortified Church

    Transylvania

    In September 2016 the ribbon was cut on fresh restoration works in Alma Vii, and this charismatic village and centrepiece fortified church have never…

  • Haáz Rezső Museum

    Székely Land

    This lacey-looking building, 1900-built Haberstumpf cottage, seems slightly lost, standing next to the roaring main road through town. But the gallery…

  • Hollywood like Brasov sign on Tampa mountain, Brasov, Romania

    Mt Tâmpa

    Braşov

    Rising 940m high and visible around Braşov, Mt Tâmpa is adorned with its very own Hollywood-style sign. Hard as it is to imagine, it was the site of a…

  • Trumpeter's Tower in Piata Sfatului.

    Piaţa Sfatului

    Braşov

    This wide square, lined with cafes, was once the heart of medieval Braşov. In the centre stands the 1420 Council House (Casa Sfatului), topped by the…

  • Birthplace of Vlad tepes Dracula, Sighisoara, Transylvania, Mures County, Romania

    Casa Vlad Dracul

    Sighişoara

    Vlad Ţepeş (aka Dracula) was reputedly born in this house in 1431 and lived here until the age of four. It's now a decent restaurant, but for a small…

  • Salt Mine

    Székely Land

    Believe it or not, boarding a bus that trundles down into a salt mine isn’t the most surreal part of visiting Salina Praid. Once inside, you’ll see ping…

  • Bánffy Castle

    Transylvania

    The manicured gardens and orchards of this 17th-century fortress once gave it the nickname ‘Transylvania’s Versailles’. The aristocratic Bánffy family…

  • Deva Citadel

    Transylvania

    Deva's crumbling citadel looms from a rocky hilltop 300m above town. A steep climb leads up behind Parcul Cetăţii at the west end of B-dul 1 Decembrie…

  • Hărman Fortified Church

    Transylvania

    From the outside, Hărman’s fortified church resembles a bright white layer cake. Enclosed by its mighty walls is a triple-naved basilica, the Church of St…

  • Old Town Fortifications

    Braşov

    Old Braşov was once enclosed by mighty fortified walls, 12m high and more than 3km-long. Built in stages between 1400 and 1650, these walls and defence…

  • City Walls

    Sibiu

    Thirty-nine towers, each protected by different guilds, watched over medieval Sibiu. See the remaining handful by walking north up Str Cetăţii past the…