Things to see and do Transylvania & Carpathian Mountains

It is located in the heart of a district made up of elegant, quiet, tree-lined streets and beautiful homes. Founded by Dominicans in 1475, the monastery was abandoned a century later with the arrival of Protestantism. In the 18th century, Ursuline sisters settled there and transformed the place into a Catholic church and a school for girls. The complex has been restored, combining the Gothic architecture of the 15th century with the Baroque of the 18th century. Nationalized under communism, the church today hosts masses of the Greek-Catholic community.

This fortress-church, one of the most beautiful in Transylvania, was built between the 13th and 16th centuries by the Teutonic Knights and the Saxons. The main enclosure is circular, with walls 3 to 4 m thick! It comprises more than 270 cells, each of which belonged to a family from the village. Spread over 4 levels and connected by wooden stairs, they were used to store food. A parapet walk, 12 m high, allows you to walk around the structure. The Gothic church in the centre of the fortress dates from 1250.

From Şimon and Moieciu de Sus, you can win Poiana Guţanu, a refuge from which many paths go to the Smo, Babele or, further afield, Sinaia, across the Bucegi mountains.

The village of Fundata is one of the most beautiful in this valley and one of the highest in Romania. The site is superb, the architecture of some rich houses. In July there is a folk festival very popular (dances, costumes, etc.).

Its imposing silhouette stands on a rocky outcrop, at the bend of a valley winding between the Bucegi and Piatra Craiului mountains. Bran Castle, steeped in history and legend, is one of Romania's top tourist attractions. It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year to discover Dracula's supposed castle, or at least that of Vlad Țepeș, the ^15th-century Wallachian prince on whom writer Bram Stoker is said to have based his vampire character. While it resembles the count's home described in Stoker's novel, the castle has no proven connection with Vlad Țepeș. In fact, it has much more to do with Queen Marie, adored by the Romanians, who left her mark on the place between the wars.

Built between 1377 and 1382 by the inhabitants of Brașov, by order of the King of Hungary, Bran Castle occupied a strategic position. Its function was to defend Transylvania against Ottoman attacks. It also acted as a customs post between Transylvania and Wallachia until 1836. The town of Brașov, which owned the site, donated it to Queen Marie in 1920, in gratitude for her commitment to the country in the First World War. On her death in 1938, the castle was bequeathed to her daughter Ileana. Confiscated by the Communists, it was finally returned to Ileana's heirs, the Habsburg family, in 2006.
The medieval castle, built in Gothic style, has undergone several changes over the centuries, as evidenced by its convoluted architecture. From a single tower, it now boasts four. The extensive restoration work undertaken in the 1920s by Queen Marie, in collaboration with Czech architect Karel Liman, significantly altered the premises, giving them a romantic feel.
Elegant reception rooms and comfortable bedrooms were created. All nooks and alcoves, the rooms are spread over four levels, accessed by staircases that form a maze, conducive to exploration. A secret passageway has even been uncovered in the former council chamber. From the loopholes transformed into windows, the view of the surrounding countryside is spectacular.
Queen Marie also laid out a beautiful park at the foot of the château. You can enjoy a meal in the queen's former tea house, now a pleasant restaurant. The elevator built in 1937 to link the castle and the park was restored in 2017. You have to pay extra to borrow it and enjoy an interactive multimedia exhibition: in our opinion, you can skip it. A visit to the torture chamber, which also costs extra (€4), isn't essential either.
Tourists who have come for Dracula won't leave empty-handed: a number of rooms are devoted to the vampire myth and the story of his inspiration Vlad Țepeș. You'll also learn more about strigoi, the undead of Romanian folklore.

Bran Castle may be a little irritatingly draculomaniac, but it's nonetheless an exceptional monument, full of soul. However, avoid peak periods in summer and on Sundays, or aim for the early or late hours of the day: the crowds can make the visit a real pain. Signs are in English and Romanian, but a French audioguide is available for a small extra charge.

The defensive system built by the craftsmen's guilds consisted of a wall almost 1 km long, fourteen defensive towers and five artillery bastions. Today, nine towers, two bastions and part of the surrounding wall remain.

Clock Tower(turnul cu Ceas). The town's landmark, it stands 64 meters high. Built in the ^14th century, many of its features have been altered or added to, such as its Baroque roof dating from 1677. The clock, the tower's most original feature, dates from 1648 and appears on both of its main facades. On the new town side, you'll recognize the executioner and the drummer, surmounted by seven wooden statuettes representing the days of the week. On the city side, you'll see the tambourine player on the right, in charge of the quarter hours; on the lower left, Peace, holding an olive branch and a trumpet; the female statues, holding a sword and scales, symbolize Reason and Justice; finally, two figurines represent day and night. Please note that the clock mechanisms are not in operation while the tower roof is being refurbished (reopening scheduled for 2025).

Tour des Bouchers(turnul Măcelarilor): from the Tour des Cordiers, the city wall descends northeast to the Tour des Bouchers. It dates from the ^16th century. The section of ramparts between the two towers remains intact.

Tour des Cordiers(turnul Franghierilor): probably dating from the ^13th century, this tower was also part of the original fortification of the hilltop. Note that it is still inhabited!

Shoemaker's Tower(turnul Cizmarilor): destroyed in 1676 and rebuilt in 1681, this hexagonal tower is the most impressive in the town.

Tower of the Tinners(turnul Cositorarilor): 25 meters high, square at the base, then octagonal. The roof is hexagonal.

Blacksmiths' Tower(turnul Fierarilor): built in 1631, this tower is set against the surrounding wall. Its role was to protect the church and monastery in the event of a siege.

Shoemakers' Tower(turnul Cojocarilor): a few meters from the Butchers' Tower, this small, simple structure dates from the ^15th century.

Tailors' Tower(turnul Croitorilor): this tower is impressive for its simplicity and solidity. It was probably built in the ^14th century. Like the Clock Tower, it protects an entrance formed by two vaulted corridors.

Tour des Tanneurs(turnul Tăbăcarilor): square in structure, with a simple roof, this is one of the town's oldest towers.

Archaeological studies seem to show that the first foundations of the German settlers were one-storey wooden houses supported by massive oak beams. The stone and brick houses were built in stages between the 15th and 18th centuries, especially after the great fire of 1676. The citadel (cetate) is not very big and you will not get lost in it. It is surrounded by old fortifications from the 14th century, of which mainly the towers added in the 15th century remain. The pretty Piaţa Cetăţii is the centre of the city.

It took ten years (1778-1788) to build this palace, now considered one of the finest museums in Eastern Europe. In addition to its rich collections, the palace itself is well worth a visit. This Baroque masterpiece, the city's landmark, was designed by Baron Samuel von Brukenthal, Governor of Transylvania from 1777 to 1787, and a favorite of Empress Maria Theresa. Brukenthal, who was also a great art lover, asked in his will that the palace and his personal collections be made accessible to the public after his death. Opened in 1817, the museum is renowned throughout Europe for the richness and diversity of its collections, including the 1,090 paintings that belonged to the baron. These include 450 works by the Flemish school (Rubens, Van Dyck...), 500 German paintings illustrating the transition between the Gothic and Baroque styles, as well as works by Italian painters of various currents. Not to mention works by Romanian artists, Transylvanian drawings and engravings from the ^17th to ^19th centuries, and exceptional silverware.

The Baron's library has also been preserved, supplemented by the collection of Sibiu's medieval libraries. It contains 280,000 volumes, including a collection of incunabula (works printed before 1500) and the Brukenthal Breviary, written on parchment with superb miniatures by Flemish painters of the ^15th and ^16th centuries. It is no longer open to the public and is reserved for students.

A little gem! At the foot of the Făgăraș mountains, this immaculately white monastery was founded by the Wallachian prince Constantin Brâncoveanu (1688-1714). It resembles the Horezu monastery, but is of smaller dimensions. Demolished in the ^17th century, it was restored and enlarged in the ^20th century, in the purest Brâncovenesc style, and now houses a monastic community. The church boasts beautiful murals. Don't miss the museum, which features a valuable collection of icons on glass, as well as a variety of folk and religious art objects.

This ^15th-century pink-brick fortress became an important princely residence in the ^16th century. Transformed into an Italian Renaissance castle by Transylvanian Prince Gábor Bethlen in the early ^17th century, it was used in the second half of the century as a meeting place for the Sejm, and much later, between 1948 and 1960, as a prison for opponents. Today, it houses the Ethnographic and Historical Museum of the city and its region, with a fine collection of icons on glass, ceramics, costumes...

The Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj is the country's largest public institution of higher education, with 56,000 students and 111 specialties taught. It is named after two scientists: the Romanian bacteriologist Victor Babeș (1854-1926) and the Hungarian mathematician János Bolyai (1802-1860), as a symbol of the tumultuous history of the place. Following the revolution of 1848, the Minister of Education, József Eötvös, conceived the idea of a university in Romanian, Hungarian and German. Following his death, Emperor Franz Joseph did not pursue the idea. In 1872, the Franz Joseph University of Cluj was founded... with courses in Hungarian only. In 1919, following the incorporation of Transylvania into Romania, a Romanian-language university was founded. As a result, the Hungarian university moved to Szeged, Hungary. It returned to Cluj in 1940, following the annexation of northern Transylvania by Hungary. The Romanian university then moved to Sibiu and Timișoara. In 1945, it returned to Cluj and Franz Joseph University ceased operations. The authorities therefore founded another Hungarian university, János-Bolyai, and renamed the Romanian university Victor Babeș, before the two merged in 1959, hence the name Babeș-Bolyai.

Today, it is home to one of the largest university libraries in Eastern Europe, with 3.6 million books, as well as the world's only Emil Racoviță University Institute of Speleology and its museum, located strada Clinicilor.

The Orthodox Cathedral is located in the centre of Piaţa Avram Iancu. This admirable building, built in ten years, between 1923 and 1933, is a perfect example of the marriage between the Romanian and Byzantine styles, particularly visible in the domes. Forty years after its construction, in 1973, the Diocese of Cluj was established as an archbishopric, with the Orthodox Cathedral remaining its property. In front of the building, the statue of Avram Iancu, one of the leaders of the 1848 revolution, was erected in 1993. Finally, the external façade was renovated between 1996 and 1999.

Looking for a pleasant place to stroll? Head for the public gardens, which stretch along the Someșul Mic river. The central Simion Bărnuțiu Park opened in 1827, and its lake was an early encouragement to canoeing in summer and skating in winter. Part of the site is dedicated to sports. The site, listed as a historic monument, is an emblematic place for strolling. It's not far from Cetățuia Park, on the other side of the river, which overlooks the rooftops of the old town. These are just two of the many parks in Cluj.

This monumental sculpture, located near St. Michael's Cathedral, depicts Matei Corvin, King of Hungary between 1458 and 1490, on horseback, on a bastion of the city wall of Cluj, where he was born. The statue won a prize at the 1900 Paris Universal Exhibition, before being inaugurated in 1902. The end of a veritable marathon: the plans were approved in 1894, for an idea first mooted in 1882. The statue is the work of architect Lajos Pakei and sculptor János Fadrusz.

This foundation, which is very active in rural development, carries out numerous actions: participation in the creation of a Natura 2000 area, organization of events, marking of footpaths, creation of maps... The foundation has also created some 100 km of cycle paths, which link Saschiz to Viscri and Sighișoara, passing through other villages such as Cloașterf or Bunești. You can pick up a map at the tourist office. A race, the Transilvania Bike Trails Race, is organized on these trails on the third weekend in August.

Surrounding these two long squares, bordered and crossed by major roads, are a number of important administrative buildings, all erected in the ^19th or early ^20th century: prefecture, courthouse, Orthodox theological institute and finance palace. They are also home to the Orthodox cathedral and the opera house, which face each other and between which stands a statue of Avram Iancu, a figure of the Romanian revolution of 1848.

One of the best preserved in Transylvania. Atop a hill, it offers breathtaking views. Built in 1335 to protect the village from possible attackers, particularly the Tatars, it was subsequently transformed several times. Its 5-meter-high walls included nine defensive towers. In 1690, during the city's last siege, the fortress was taken by the Turks. Damaged by fire in 1718, then by an earthquake in 1802, it served as a final refuge during the revolutions of 1821 and 1848.

Stretching around the massif's highest point, at 2,238 meters, the "Prince's Stone" National Park is characterized by its steep walls and rich flora. It was here that the film Return to Cold Mountain, starring Nicole Kidman and Jude Law, was shot. The area is home to many endemic plant species, including the Piatra Craiului carnation. Birds of prey and large carnivores can also be found here. It's a popular massif for hikers and mountaineers. One of the most beautiful hikes: the one leading to Cabana Curmatura via the Zărnești gorge.

This superb open-air ethnographic museum is the best of its kind in the country. A visit is a must for anyone wishing to learn more about the riches of the Transylvanian and Romanian rural world. More than 400 houses are on display, in a magnificent park of almost 100 hectares, complete with lake, in the heart of the Dumbrava Sibiului nature reserve. Along the 10 km of paths, you'll discover the homes of the fishermen of the delta and the peasants of Maramureș... These houses with their preserved interiors will plunge you into the daily life and past traditions of peasants from all over the country. You'll also see a multitude of technical installations from all eras: wine presses, weaving looms, ovens, distilleries, farming equipment and more. You can also admire wooden churches. Finally, there's an impressive area devoted to mills of all types: water, wind, hand and horse-powered... The walk is as enjoyable as it is instructive. You can even take a boat or horse-drawn carriage ride. In addition to the open-air museum, the Astra complex includes a section dedicated to the heritage of Transylvania's ethnic minorities. The pavilion also houses a folk art gallery (perfect for buying souvenirs), a cafeteria and a tourist information center.

Numerous events and traditional festivals are held here, particularly in summer: the National Festival of Folk Traditions in mid-August, the Taraf and Brass Band Festival at the end of the same month..

To the south of Piaţa Mare, this lively pedestrian shopping street is a beautiful row of old houses with thick walls, some of which date back more than two centuries. In summer, the terraces blossom. At this time of year, you'll also notice the presence of unusual inhabitants: storks, who have taken up residence on the town's rooftops. At the beginning of the street, you'll find the striking Hotel Împăratul Românilor, housed in an imposing ^19th-century building that has welcomed the likes of Franz Liszt, Johann Strauss and King Carol ^I.

This is the heart of the old town. Council Square takes its name from the Council of One Hundred Citizens, which once governed the city and met here. Called Marktplatz by the Saxons, it's probably one of the most beautiful pedestrian squares in Romania, beautifully paved and with a fountain. It's surrounded by solid, colorful houses, each with a shop or restaurant on the first floor, some with pleasant terraces. In the center, the Council House(Casa Sfatului) dates back to 1420, but has undergone numerous alterations over the centuries. Badly damaged by the great fire of 1689, it underwent major restoration work at the end of the 18th^century , and was remodeled in the Baroque style it retains today. The 48-meter-high tower was added in 1528 and restored in 1910. This former town hall now houses temporary exhibitions, as well as the History Museum. Here, you can familiarize yourself with the town's history, through medieval documents relating to the various trade guilds, while contemplating the square from above. Back on the cobblestones, notice the vast orange medieval-style building, whose color contrasts so well with the dark green backdrop of the Tâmpa hill forest. Known as Casa Hirscher (or Casa Negustorilor, the Merchants' House), it was built in 1545 by the widow of a nobleman, Apollonia Hirscher, who turned it into the town's covered market.