Transylvania
The fairy-tale fortification in Bazna, with hefty wooden gates and portcullises, encloses a 14th-century Gothic church. Treasures include a baroque altar and organ. Entering the church relies on a caretaker answering your call; the phone number is posted outside the door.
It's a 16km drive northwest of Mediaș.
27.05 MILES
This ornate secessionist-style building, ostentatiously tiled on the outside and colourfully furnished within, is unlike anything else in Transylvania…
28.6 MILES
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…
27.24 MILES
Ethnographic exhibitions can be humdrum, so Târgu Mureş’ hay-strewn and vividly soundtracked museum is a welcome surprise. A voiceover (in Romanian),…
24.47 MILES
Sighişoara's delightful medieval buildings are enclosed within its citadel, a Unesco-listed complex of protective walls and watchtowers. Walking in the…
28.68 MILES
Brukenthal Palace is worth visiting as much for its resplendent period furnishings as for the European art within. Duck beneath the Music Room’s…
12.34 MILES
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…
28.66 MILES
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…
12.85 MILES
In September 2016 the ribbon was cut on fresh restoration works in Alma Vii, and this charismatic village and centrepiece fortified church have never…
4.14 MILES
The Gothic spire above Mediaș sprouts from 1488-built St Margaret's Church, which guards 15th-century frescoes and Romania’s second-largest collection of…
6.44 MILES
When we passed through, this early-15th-century fortified church was in need of a revamp, with a rusty clock face peeling from its tower and birds…
3. Valea Viilor Fortified Church
8.2 MILES
Standing proud in the whisper-quiet village of Valea Viilor is an 18th-century church with weighty protective walls. It’s necessary to call a caretaker to…
9.73 MILES
One of the finest fortifications in the region around Mediaș, Moşna’s 14th-century church was rebuilt over subsequent centuries, with impressive defence…
12.34 MILES
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…
12.85 MILES
In September 2016 the ribbon was cut on fresh restoration works in Alma Vii, and this charismatic village and centrepiece fortified church have never…
7. Breite Ancient Oak Tree Reserve
23.71 MILES
Escape the crowds and visit the enchanting Breite Ancient Oak Tree Reserve, 2km west of town. Its 133 hectares boast 800-year-old oaks, with…
24.35 MILES
Flowing behind the Church on the Hill, this lofty cemetery with views over Sighişoara is a suitably spine-chilling spot to ramble after visiting the…