Sighisoara is located on the Tarnava River in Mures county,Romania. It is located in the historic region of Transylvania. German craftsmen and merchants, The Transylvanian Saxons, were invited here by the King of Hungary during the 12th century, to settle and defend the frontier. Central Sighisoara has preserved in an exemplary way the features of a small medieval fortified city and it has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Each year a Medieval Festival takes place in the old citadel in July. Sighisoara is a popular tourist destination due to it's well preserved walled old town. The landmark of the city is The Clock Tower, a 64 meter high tower build in 1556. It is presently a Museum of History.
It's such a small town that you will have no problem in going around walking. If you need any suggestion there is a tourist information office inside the Café International and Family Center or the tourist information booth, both located in the main square Piata Cetatii; they will help you reaching the fortified churches in the surrounding.
PLACE TO VISIT
Sighisoara Citadel - a 12th Century Saxon edifice, it is the historic center of the city. Still inhabited, the citadel is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Clock Tower ("Turnul cu Ceas")- Built in 1360 and standing at 60 meters tall atop the citadel hill. History museum inside, balcony with a great view on the top.
Monastery Church ("Biserica Mânăstirii") - Lutheran church in late Gothic style, located next to the Clock Tower, built starting with 1291 by the Dominican Order
Weapon Museum - next to Vlad's birthplace. Very small, but it contains an interesting selection of medieval weapons (swords, arrows, etc.).
Covered Staircase ("Scara Şcolarilor") - an old stone staircase with a wooden roof along the whole span. This leads up to the Church on the Hill, the cemetery and the Joseph Haltrich High School (a.k.a. "School from the Hill").
Church on the Hill ("Biserica din Deal")- Lutheran church in late Gothic style, contains many frescoes and a crypt. Close to the cemetery on the side of the hill, which contains many German tombstones.
Vlad Dracul House ("Casa Vlad Dracul") - allegedly the place where Vlad Tepes "The Impaler" (a.k.a. "Draculea") was born.
Bust of Vlad Tepes - located around the corner from his birthplace, within sight of the Clock Tower.
Outside the Citadel:
Orthodox Cathedral - located across the Târnava river
Corneşti Church ("Biserica din Corneşti") - oldest Orthodox church in town, built in 1797, located in the "Corneşti" neighbourhood
Vila Franka - a restaurant on a hill surveying the Târnava valley, offers an outstanding panorama point. Can be reached by car or on foot (~1 hour walk/hike from the Citadel)
WHAT TO DO
Sighişoara Medieval Festival: During the annual event, the town receives around ~30,000 tourists, doubling its population. Numerous cultural events take place during the 3 days of the festival - theatre, indoor and outdoor music concerts, handicraft demonstrations and exhibitions, painting, sculpture, seminars, film projections etc.
Pro Etnica - annual interethnic music and art festival, with indoor and outdoor performances (music, dance, film) of representatives of most ethnic groups living in Romania.
The town in itself is quite small, so one day to visit it is enough. In any case, you can consider staying more to visit the surroundings.
Hike or cycle up to the great Oak forest on the Breite plateau - a wonderful walk in nature.
A great picnic location is Vila Franka, on the hill to the south of the city directly opposite the clock tower (get your bearings from the lookout at the base before you set off). Grab some goodies from a local shop and walk up any road leading to that hill. Just keep going up and, eventually, the road will die out to grass which you can walk over (it's public land) towards the defunct communications tower on the hill. A seat up here will give you a grand view of Sighisoara and the villages beyond.
HOW TO REACH
By train: There are direct connections from and to Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca,Arad,Brasov,Sibiu etc. a few times a day. Also reachable from Budapest,Prague,Wien,Krakow every day directly. Be aware that coming from Hungary into Romania you will cross a time zone and lose one hour. Adjust your watch or risk missing the stop. Once you have arrived by train, you can get to the center just walking. Head straight from the train station exit towards the town and cross the river by the Orthodox cathedral, a prominent landmark. Head toward the churches on the hill to reach the medieval town center.
