Transylvania was brilliant.
I’ve just got back from my first trip to Romania: five days travelling around Transylvania. I absolutely loved it: beautiful cities, warmĀ andĀ welcoming people and fascinating and accessible culture. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I left a country so eager to return.Ā (I am already eyeing up trips to Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca…)
I will be posting plenty about my travels in the coming few months but to whet your appetites, here is a collection of the best photos of Transylvania I took during my trip and a short introduction to the cities I visited.
To read my full itinerary, click here.
Sibiu
(German) Hermannstadt
Formerly European Capital of Culture in 2007, Sibiu is a spruced-up gem waiting for tourists to take note. The old town is utterly charming, with colourful buildings, a lively cafe culture and just the right mix of Transylvanian and Saxon influences.
This was by far my favourite street in Sibiu, but impossible to photograph well thanks to all the cars. Sibiu needs underground parking desperately.Ā
Brasov
Ā (German) Kronstadt
More established on the tourist trail is Brasov – a jumping off point for trips to Bran Castle and a bustling regional hub. Though every bitĀ as attractive as Sibiu with just as many sights, Brasov is a much bigger city, combining small-town traditional charm with great restaurants, bars and even a club or too.
Is it Hollywood? No, it’s just Brasov.
Got to love that atmospheric mist on the horizon in Dracula-country….
Sighisoara
Ā (German) SchƤĆburg
Ridiculously photogenic Sighisoara is a dreamy town that looks like it’s straight out of a fairy tale, with winding cobbled streets, brightly coloured houses and a Gothic covered staircase leading to an old German church. Here is where you’ll find a lot of tourists and day-trippers, but the town is definitely worth a visit.
I may have taken approximately one thousand photos of this town.
The saturation or photos of the above photo has actually only been minimally enhanced. The town really does look that bright…Ā
This sinister-seeming photo is probably my favourite of the trip – it sums up exactly what comes to my mind when I think of Transylvania…
Targu Mures
Ā (German) Neumarkt am Mieresch
(Hungarian)Ā MarosvĆ”sĆ”rhely
Though far from the usual tourist trail in Transylvania, Targu Mures nevertheless has a handful of interesting sights, making it a lovely city to spend a day. Home to the country’s largest urban Hungarian population, the city offers a slightly different outlook to other places in Romania, with care taken to respect both cultures.
The above shows the Eastern Orthodox Romanian Cathedral and the Catholic Hungarian Cathedral on the main square.
Your photos are great, clearly I thought you well! š I am so so happy you loved it here and I hope you’ll come back soon! š
Haha, you were a great teacher Vlad š And your homeland made for a great subject!
Sighisoara is my favorite – anything that looks like a bright little fairy tale is fine by me!
A fairytale is exactly what Sighisoara is – it’s just lovely!
Great photos, really looking forward to reading all your posts and getting to know Romania!
Thanks Lucy š it’s been a bit of a mad July but will try and get the posts flowing soon!
So gorgeous! Brings back memories of my own trip.
Thanks Andrea – where did you go on your trip?
Great photos, you visited the “highlights” in Transylvania, but I think that the Saxon villages and the fortified churches are also worth visiting. That is, if you would like to see what rural Transylvania is like.
I was really hoping to get to Biertan and some other smaller villages on my trip, but my time was limited and was reliant on public transport, which made things difficult.
My dream would be to go to Maramures, so hopefully I will get to see more rural Romania soon š
Hi John – we did Romania this year. We travelled around for two weeks on motorbikes so had a fantastic chance to get to see the country from a different aspect. We entered from Hungary and travelled to Orastie – and stayed at the Arsenal Park military team building centre – slept in a tank! Then travelled on to Sibiu, Bucharest then up the Transfagarasan to Rasnov, Brasov, Bran, Sighasoara and then on to Cluj Napoca. It was a fantastic holiday – but I must say I was quite disappointed with Cluj – I would have chosen somewhere else had I known. The places in the mountains were my favourite and I would love to return – maybe fly out next time though as the road are VERY dangerous – and hazardous!! š We were very relieved to leave – alive!
I haven’t made it up to Cluj yet, but I have heard it’s not quite as beautiful as the rest of Transylvania. Sounds like you had quite a journey though! Where was your favourite place?