Must-see attractions in Wallachia

The Endless Column, one of Constantin Brâncuşi's best-known and most celebrated works, sits at the eastern end of Calea Eroilor (20 minutes on foot from…

This small, spare museum just outside the train station contains the military barracks where former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife Elena…

The Poienari Citadel was once a powerful fortress guarding entry to a strategic pass linking Wallachia with Transylvania. The castle's vantage point was…

Curtea de Argeş was an early capital of Wallachia, and these ruins from the 13th and 14th centuries mark the spot where the court once stood. The main…

The art museum is the only real must-see in Craiova, both for the art itself, including a small but important collection of six works by internationally…

While the museum houses an ethnographic and natural-sciences section, as well as an aquarium displaying Danubian species, the highlight is a scale model…

The Princely Court was built in the 14th century for Mircea cel Bătrân (Mircea the Old) and remained a formal residence for Wallachia’s princes, including…

This is a highly informative, well-organised exhibition of folk traditions in the Oltenia region surrounding Craiova. The exhibition begins downstairs…

This cathedral and monastery complex is considered one of the country's most important ecclesiastical sights. The church was originally built by…

This museum takes you inside the massive hydroelectric power station and gives a good idea of the scale of the plant. Guided tours (in Romanian only) take…

Walk west along the central mall of Târgu Jiu's central park, from the Gate of the Kiss sculpture, to find the Alley of Chairs (Aleea Scaunelor), a series…

The Table of Silence, one of Constantin Brâncuşi's sculptures, stands at the western end of Târgu Jiu's central park on the banks of the Jiu River. The…

This small museum and memorial is dedicated to the country's most famous artist, Nicolae Grigorescu (1838–1907). Grigorescu studied in Paris with Pierre…

Severin's most striking building is this massive water tower, dating from 1910. It was one of the first buildings here to use iron in its construction…

This evocative gate stands at the entrance to Târgu Jiu’s central park and is a logical place to begin a tour of Constantin Brâncuşi's sculptures. The…

The city’s unique Clock Museum has a collection of historical timepieces owned by several famous Romanians, including King Carol I, and an 18th-century…

Just above the port and below the Hotel Continental, these restored ruins mark the spot where the mighty Fortress of Severin once stood. The fort dates…

Near the restaurants on Str Alexandru Ioan Cuza is the beautiful, partially frescoed Târgu Church. Dating to 1654, it was painted during the 17th and 18th…

Târgovişte's small zoo, in the park just north of the Princely Court, is surprisingly comprehensive, with some large cats, a hippo, lots of chimps and a…

Small collection on two floors dedicated to the natural sciences. The highlights are fossils on the ground floor that include some massive mammoth tusks…