Matt Munro
Transylvania
Transylvania’s forested valleys and Gothic castles are forever embedded in the popular imagination. Even before arriving, most visitors can picture this land of dark fairy-tales, where fog drapes like cobwebs over the Carpathian Mountains.
Explore these stirring landscapes on hikes through Piatra Craiului National Park, or the Bucegi (and tougher Apuseni) Mountains; or see them frozen over at winter sports centres Poiana Braşov and Predeal. Next, indulge your medieval fantasies among the watchtowers and cobbled lanes of Braşov and Sighişoara or venture to Transylvania’s castles: world-famous Bran, ornate Peleş, and Hunedoara’s Gothic apparition.
Deeper in the countryside, rural Transylvania's tapestry of cultures awaits: vibrant, secretive Roma communities, Székely Land hamlets where only Hungarian is spoken, and Saxon villages with crumbling citadels. Here, standstill traffic means horses and carts waiting patiently for herds of goats to scatter.
And yes, Transylvania will satisfy vampire tourists – and enthral all with its jumble of edgy cities and villages that time forgot.
Latest Stories from Transylvania
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Transylvania.
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Peleş Castle
Over 40 years, dozens of builders, artists and wood-carvers brought Peleş Castle into existence. The neo-Renaissance masterpiece was commissioned by Romania’s first king, Carol I, and its first stone laid in 1875. Today this former royal summer residence is a wildly popular tourist attraction. Visits are by compulsory 40-minute guided tour; photographing inside costs a steep additional 32 lei. Inside, not a single corner is empty of silk rugs, Murano glass, carved walnut or polished marble. In the Honorary Hallway, note the Swiss and German landscapes, fashioned from inlaid wood, to remind the king of his homeland. Beyond Iraqi carpets and alabaster Biblical scenes, you’ll enter an Arms Room brimming with armour for men and their horses (the latter weigh 100kg apiece). Even more elaborate are the weapons in the Oriental Room, while the Portrait Room and Library offer a glimpse into the distinguished life of the royal couple. The latter has a secret passageway (which you will be shown if you opt for a longer tour involving the castle's upper floor). Also impressive is the Moorish Dining Room, replete with brass lamps and walls inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Even in peak summer season, organisation of the tours can be threadbare and you may have to queue, especially if you're waiting for a tour in English or German. It’s possible to park near the castle, though large tour buses turning around can make the parking lots painful to navigate. Otherwise it’s a half-hour hike uphill from central Sinaia.
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Culture Palace
This ornate secessionist-style building, ostentatiously tiled on the outside and colourfully furnished within, is unlike anything else in Transylvania. Built 1911–13, the Culture Palace harbours busts and glass portraits of composers, glinting chandeliers, Carrara marble stairways, mirrors imported from Venice, a regally decorated concert hall, and display rooms on local history and art (all included in the entry price). The undisputed highlight is the Hall of Mirrors (Sala Oglinzi), where Székely village life and dark fairy-tales are immortalised in stained glass. The windows in the 45m-long Hall of Mirrors feature cautionary tales, odes to maternal love, and women being ravaged by the Devil, all captured in colourful stained glass. Elsewhere, a small museum of regional history is within the Dandea Hall, while the Secession Hall exhibits medals, costumes and large late-19th-century and early-20th-century paintings. Peep inside the Concert Hall to see ox-blood velvet seats and a ceiling dripping with gold decoration.
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St Mary's Evangelical Church
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 Romania, all framed by a magnificent arched ceiling. Built in stages from the mid-1300s to 1520, the church was planted atop the site of an older 12th-century sanctuary. At the time of research, the main chambers were closed for long-term renovation but it was still possible to visit the front room and tower. The tomb of Mihnea Vodă cel Rău (Prince Mihnea the Evildoer), son of Vlad Ţepeş, is behind the organ. The prince was murdered in front of the church in 1510. The four turrets on the church's tower once signified the right of the town to sentence criminals to death.
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Ethnographic Museum
Ethnographic exhibitions can be humdrum, so Târgu Mureş’ hay-strewn and vividly soundtracked museum is a welcome surprise. A voiceover (in Romanian), supplemented by a multilingual booklet, guides you through a racy story of moral dilemmas from a century ago, set in rural Transylvania. The museum is furnished with great attention to period detail. Vintage coats on hooks and discarded antique teacups allow you to imagine the characters in the story have only just left the room.
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Fabrica de Pensule
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 former paintbrush factory as a studio. Visits are by free guided tour, and depending on how you like your art, you’ll either adore visiting this artistic community in a postindustrial setting or be bemused by the work-in-progress art within boxy gallery spaces. It's 3km northeast of the centre. Walk or take the bus. Check the website for events, which include unveilings of art collections and movie screenings. It’s best to phone or email ahead to ensure tours are operating that day.
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St Michael's Church
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-Gothic clock tower (1859) stands 80m high, while original Gothic features – such as the 1444 front portal – can still be admired. Inside, soaring rib vaults lift the gaze towards fading frescoes. At the time of research, the church was temporarily closed for renovation.
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Bran Castle
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 Castle’, though connections to either the historical Vlad Ţepeş or Bram Stoker’s fictional vampire are thin. The liberties taken with Bran’s reputation are quickly forgotten on a visit: you’ll climb up its conical towers, admiring views over thick forest, and stroll through creaky-floored rooms furnished with bearskin rugs and 19th-century antiques. Noting Bran Pass’ strategic location, Teutonic knights built a citadel here in the 13th century. The structure was destroyed in battle, but fears of Turkish invasion led to a new citadel being built in the same place in 1382, as part of a 14th-century boom in castle-building. Bran Castle languished as an administrative building during the 18th century. The town of Bran was offered to Queen Maria of Romania in 1920, as a thank you for her efforts in uniting the country. Indeed, you’ll learn rather more about Queen Maria than Dracula. One room exhibits a half-hearted account of Romanian vampire lore, and rather infuriatingly shoehorns together some displays on Vlad Ţepeş – popularly, ‘the Impaler’ – and author Bram Stoker. Several displays are devoted to Maria, the castle’s former royal resident, and her belongings are lovingly displayed alongside video footage. One of the finest rooms is her husband King Ferdinand’s former bedroom, with decorated furniture and ceramic fireplaces. Bran Castle hosts atmospheric events around Halloween; check the castle's website for details.
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Citadel
Sighişoara's delightful medieval buildings are enclosed within its citadel, a Unesco-listed complex of protective walls and watchtowers. Walking in the citadel is today a tranquil, fairy-tale-like experience, but these towers were once packed with weapons and emergency supplies, guarding Sighişoara from Turkish attacks (note the upper windows from which arrows could be fired). From the 14th to 16th centuries each of the 14 towers and five artillery bastions was managed by a different town guild, and the walls extended 903m. Surviving today are nine towers and two bastions. Dating from the 16th century, the Bootmakers' Tower was a key point of defence from the northern end. Just south, the Tailors' Tower was built to guard over the back entrance to the citadel. As with many of the buildings here, the tower was engulfed in a massive fire in 1676 and rebuilt afterwards. On the eastern edge of the citadel is the Blacksmiths' Tower, a pointy-roofed watchtower dating from 1631. Finally, the southerly (and top-heavy) Tinsmiths' Tower is one of the most easily recognisable in the citadel, both for its height (25m) and its octagonal upper level. A siege in 1704 left scars in the building that are visible to this day.
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Brukenthal Palace
Brukenthal Palace is worth visiting as much for its resplendent period furnishings as for the European art within. Duck beneath the Music Room’s chandeliers to admire colourful friezes and 18th-century musical instruments, before sidling among chambers exhibiting 17th-century portraits amid satin chaise longues and cases packed with antique jewellery. Sumptuously curated.
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