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, warm and welcoming people and fascinating and accessible culture. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I left a country so eager to return. (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.
Brasov
(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 bit 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
(German) Schäßburg
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…
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
(German) Neumarkt am Mieresch
(Hungarian) Marosvásárhely
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.