Top Ten Places to visit in Transylvania
Aug 18 '09
The Bottom Line I highly recommend a visit to Transylvania and if you have kids with you on the trip visit some places associated with Dracula.
I have visited the Scandinavian countries (I am Swedish), the Baltic countries, Russia, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Greece, Crete, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, and I've stopped by the Benelux countries, so I think I have some idea of what there is to see in Europe. There are many places I can recommend for various reasons; however, one neat destination that is often forgotten by travelers is Transylvania.
In July/August of 2008 I visited Romania and Transylvania (region in Romania) with my oldest son and the water polo team that he used to be part of. The coach for the team is a Romanian native, a proud Dacian (Transylvania), and a former member of the Romanian Olympic water polo team. He organized this trip for the kids to give them some international water polo experience but also as a pleasure trip. He needed two parent volunteers and one of them ended up being me. We visited Bucharest and Wallachia one week, and Transylvania the next week. Because of the kids we also did all things Dracula. We visited his birthplace (Sighisoara), his tomb (Snagov), his popular castle (the Bran Castle), his real castle (Poenari Castle) and much more.
About Transylvania
Transylvania is a great place to visit for several reasons. One of the reasons to visit Transylvania is that it is historically and geographically an important place. Transylvania often acted as a buffer against invaders from the East (Mongols/Tartars, Ottoman Empire), thus protecting the rest of Europe. Transylvania was also overrun and ruled by many different kinds of conquerors, Romans, Huns, the Gepid kingdom, the Bulgarian Empire, Ottomans, the Austria-Hungarian Empire, Germans, Russians, etc. Therefore there are many historically interesting artifacts in Transylvania. Vlad III Tepes or "Dracula" is an interesting and important historical figure that was born in Transylvania. There are many "Dracula" themed places to visit in Transylvania which certainly would be interesting for kids to see.
The nature and the scenery in Transylvania are beautiful, and it has not been overrun by tourists yet. The country side is to a large extent untouched by modern development and there are villages that still look like they did in the 11th century. In Transylvania there are medieval forts, castles, fortified churches, fortified medieval citadels and cities, tall mountains and ski resorts. Below I am listing ten selected destinations in Transylvania and my ranking of them. I am only listing destinations that I've visited so, for example, Timisoara, and the Hunyadi Castle, might have been on this list if I had been there.
1. Sighisoara (birthplace of Dracula)
Sighisoara in Transylvania is considered the birth place of Prince Vlad "Tepes" III (Vlad the Impaler), or Vlad Tepes Draculea, also known as Dracula. He was born in 1431, in a three story house, at "Piata Muzeului" number 6. A portion of the building is a small but world famous hotel, "Casa cu Cerb". Prince Charles from the United Kingdom sometimes visits Transylvania and then he stays at Casa cu Cerb, and so did we. Casa cu Cerb is a wonderful little 16th century hotel and it has a very friendly owner. In the evening we ate and drank on the hotels patio right in front of the city plaza where people were dancing and playing music long into the night (to about 2AM). The hotel owner joined us and served us some fantastic Palinca (Transylvanian Plum Rum) on the house.
Sighisoara is one of the most well preserved medieval towns in the world (on the UNESCO World Heritage List). I have read, and I have been told, that Sighisoara is considered to be the most beautiful and well preserved inhabited citadel in Europe. Sighisoara has an authentic medieval architecture and it is one of the few fortified towns in Europe which is still inhabited. Most buildings inside the city walls are medieval and the Gothic ambiance of Sighisoara will take you back far in time (in your imagination). Nearby Sighisoara there is an old leper colony as well as a Gypsy village which I thought was interesting to see.
As the birthplace of Dracula, Sighisoara is often considered the Vampire Capital of the World. However, this friendly town is a fabulous experience for vampires and mortals alike.
To read more click here.
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2. Brasov
Brasov is Romania's seventh most populous city and it was named a city in 13th century. It is surrounded by tall beautiful mountains and the city center has a lot of old buildings, tourist attractions, walls, plazas, markets, and car-free streets teaming with shops, restaurants and café's. A few famous tourist attractions in Brasov is the Black Church (a large Gothic Cathedral), the narrowest street in Europe (Strada Sfiforii), the town plaza, Titulescu's tomb, and a lookout point on top of a mountain from which you can view the entire Brasov center. In my opinion Brasov was an exceedingly beautiful city that was full of surprises, good restaurants, and friendly people. However, it was the surrounding mountains that made Brasov special (in my opinion).
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3. Sibiu
Sibiu might be the most beautiful city in Transylvania. Sibiu is an old city with many beautiful churches, buildings, bridges, hotels, monuments, art institutions, and a city wall. In the middle of the city (the city center) there is a quite large area in which cars are banned. The city center has many museums, shops, plazas, restaurants, café's, ice cream parlors, hotels, art galleries, and banks. I thought it was really wonderful to have an entire city center without any cars. I loved walking around the city center and just enjoying the sights, the clean air and the ambiance. The city center in Sibiu is also very safe and it is probably one of the few city centers in the world where you can let your kids roam around on their own without supervision.
Sibiu was founded in 1190 by German settlers and transformed into a fortified city (to survive the tartar invasions) by 1350. In 2007 it was designated the European Capital of Culture together with Luxembourg.
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4. The Transylvanian Alps and Balea Lac
The Transfagarasan Mountains or the Transylvanian Alps as they are sometimes called are quite impressive. The mountains rise like a dark imposing wall over the Transylvanian landscape. The mountains are tall but the pitch is even more impressive. These mountains are very difficult to pass through; however, the so called Transfagarasan highway was built across the mountains. One of the stops along the Transfagarasan road is Balea Lac, which is a Lodge located high up in the mountains by a cool deep mountain lake. This is an exceedingly beautiful place that is used for extreme skiing in winter. In winter they also build an ice hotel here (a hotel made entirely out of ice). You can climb the mountains and if you do you will have a fantastic view of the mountains. I did not think the Balea Lac Lodge was a great Lodge, however, the surroundings and the mountains is what primarily this selection represents.
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5. Transylvanian Country Side
On the Transylvanian country side the cows and the other animals often roam free in the villages and in the towns. There are cars but also many horse carts and bicyclists. People are laid back and friendly. We visited the town of Prejmer not far from Brasov. This town has for the most part not changed since the 11th century. In the middle of the town there is a fortified church and around the fortified church there are several small farms. In Prejmer we stayed at a small bed and breakfast place called Pensiunea Diana. Even though this place was somewhat rustic and you had hens and little pigs running between your legs I still had exceptionally fast and free wireless connection. It was very peaceful and cozy.
6. Poenari Castle (Wallachia)
Well, the Poenari Castle is not located in Transylvania, it is located in Wallachia. However, it is situated close to the border of Transylvania and you may want to visit it when touring Transylvania. This castle was rebuilt/built by Dracula in the 15th century. He used slaves that he had captured (former Boyars) to complete the castle (they worked themselves to death or were tortured to death). The older and the younger Boyars were impaled before the Castle was rebuilt. It is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the world. The Discovery Channels made a TV series in which they investigated the most haunted places in the world and they visited the Poenari Castle at night. The Discovery team ended up fleeing the place in panic. It was the only, so called, haunted place that the team fled from.
To read more click here
7. The Bran Castle
The Bran Castle has been made out to be Dracula's Castle in the popular media, however, there is no proof that Dracula ever stayed here. In my opinion the Bran Castle is not the best tourist destination in Transylvania (contrary to what many will tell you). However, it is still a fun place to visit. The Castle is interesting to see and the Dracula theme they are trying to put on makes it fun for the kids. Outside the Bran Castle there is a nice village museum and a market place where they sell various Dracula themed items (vampire blood, etc.)
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8. Poiana Brasov ski-resort
Poiana Brasov is a ski resort located 7 miles kilometers (12 kilometres) from Brasov. Poiana Brasov is surrounded by four mountains Bucegi (2,505 m), Piatra Craiului (2,238 m), Postãvaru (1,799 m), and Piatra Mare (1,848 m). It is the most popular Romanian ski resort and visitors come here not only from Romania but from all over Europe. We stayed three days at a ski-resort hotel called Casa Viorel. Since it was summer we could not do any skiing, however, we took the ski lift up to the top of the mountains and the view from up there was astounding. From a distance we could see Brasov and the famous Atlas Mountain as well as the Caraiman Mountain which has a giant cross erected on its summit. This must be a very beautiful place to ski. Nearby our hotel there was a Dracula themed hotel and restaurant named Coliba Haducilor. This hotel looks like medieval castle, it has a torture chamber, and it is decorated in a style that gives it a Gothic "Dracula" ambiance. It would be really cool to stay here.
I can add that the nearby areas are undeveloped and would be perfect for additional ski slopes, so this area might provide some great investment opportunities.
9. Saxon Fortified Churches (Biertan, Prejme, etc.)
The Transylvanian country side is scattered with fortified Saxon churches. As mentioned Transylvania was very often invaded from both the East and the West and to protect themselves people built huge walls around their churches. Then when the Mongols, Muslim invaders, or some other ruthless army showed up people barricaded themselves behind the walls. They were able to bring cattle, animals and grains with them and they could therefore survive a long siege if necessary. These fortified churches were very difficult to take so the invaders typically burned the village and moved on. However, in case the invaders still got inside, the churches often had a safe room behind thick metallic doors where the villagers could assemble if needed. We stopped at Biertan and we also saw the fortified church at Prejmer. I think it was quite interesting to see these fortified churches. They are quite different from the churches in Scandinavia where such fortifications were not necessary.
10. Rasnov citadel
The Rasnov citadel is about 15km from Brasov. This is a large medieval fort that is open to visitors. It sits on top of a hill and from the fort you have a very good view of the city of Rasnov. The fort has a lot of buildings, a church, a plaza, a well, storage rooms, and a grazing area for cattle. People could survive in the Rasnov fort for decades if necessary. The Rasnov fort has a few quite interesting artifacts for example a real preserved skeleton of a woman who died in medieval times and a 460 feet deep well. Since the Rasnov fort is fairly large it takes a while to walk through it.
Practical advice when visiting Romania and Transylvania
Romanians are quite friendly towards both European and American visitors and we were treated very well. Most Romanians do not speak English so this can be a problem unless you have a translator with you. Credit Cards are often not taken, not even by many hotels. This is a cash based economy. However, there are many ATM machines and many places where you can change currency. I should add that you have to change your currency back to dollars, Euros, or what ever your currency is before you leave because Lei (the Romanian currency) is for what ever reason not traded outside of Romania. Crime is not very high in Romania and Romania is a safe place. However, pick pockets is a problem so hold on to your wallet. The best time to visit Transylvania (and Romania) is in summer (exception ski vacation). Winter can apparently be quite cold and dreadful, however, in the summer the temperature is quite perfect in Transylvania (it was in the 80's when we visited).
If you want to check out my (our) photos from Romania you can do that here. I am not on the front page (I was the photographer) but you can find me in some pictures.
http://www.texaswikmans.com/Romania2008/default.html
Final Recommendation
Transylvania is one of the less visited places in the world but we had a really great time here. Transylvania was a positive surprise to me and therefore I highly recommend visiting Transylvania. I hope my ten-top list will be helpful in selecting the places that you want to visit in Transylvania, however, you should also find out about the places that I did not see, for example, Timisoara, and the many other castles.
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