With its enchanting medieval vibes, Sighisoara easily earns its title as one of Europe’s hidden gems. Imagine: candy-colored buildings, stone walkways, and gingerbread-house roofs nestled between fortified walls and towers.
In addition to its charming aesthetic, Sighisoara packs a punch for its size with great sights that show off the region’s history and traditional culture.
So, is Sighisoara worth visiting?
The answer is heck yes! (Did you not read my description above?) While most Transylvanian towns have well preserved medieval aspects, the entire town of Sighisoara transports you back to the medieval ages. It’s Europe’s most preserved inhabited citadel!
Because it’s also one of the more unexplored places in Europe, you’ll enjoy a crowd-free visit–even in June and July!
If you’re travelling to Transylvania, you definitely have to add it to your Romanian road trip itinerary. Let’s dive deeper: what to see there.
What to do in Sighisoara
Admire the Clock Tower
Just look up, you’ll see its multi-colored-tiled roof and wooden and metal elements shining above the rest of the city. The Sighisoara clock tower is known as one of the most beautiful and well-preserved clock towers in Transylvania.
But we’re here for the fairy tale, medieval aesthetic so don’t forget to look out for its enchanting features:
- Wooden and metal elements side by side from different centuries
- Intricate figurines that depict seven ancient gods, seven ancient metals, and seven planets
- And (best for last) Two wooden drummers that pop out every 15 minutes to tell you the time. On the hour, however, the bell tolls throughout the city (yes, y’all, this is in fact real life!).
For 15 lei, you can enter the clock tower to see the clock’s inner mechanism and a sweeping view of the city.
Roam the Multi-colored Sighisoara Castle (aka Sighisoara Citadel)
The clocktower is only the main entrance to the heart of this storybook town. Once you pass under the clock tower, you’ll be inside the Sighisoara Citadel. Here you’ll find lanes of candy-colored buildings from centuries long ago.
This living memoir is an almost 900-year-old testament to Transylvanian Saxon history and tradition. Though the Sighisoara Citadel was first constructed in the 12th century, it’s still actively inhabited.
What’s more amazing is that these Medieval German architectural features even survived Romania’s communist period, when communist leader Ceaușescu aimed to demolish and reconstruct all the cities in the country. So, naturally, it was declared a UNESCO Heritage site in 1999!
Climb the Scholar's Staircase to School Hill
How many steps would you climb to go to school everyday? In Sighisoara, that answer is 176. You can’t miss hiking up the tunnel of steps to the school and church on the hill. It’s the highest point in all of Sighisoara. Climb up at sunset to see the grounds bathed in warm, mythical sun rays.
Fun fact: The Dominican Monastery was built in the 13th century and still hosts Saxon mass!
Stroll down the cemetery
When you’re ready to leave School Hill, go down a path opposite of the stairs and into the enchanted forest that is actually a cemetery. (How many places do you know that can make a cemetery look like a fairytale?). The cemetery pathways will take you past aerial views of the town and some of the Sighisoara Citadel’s nine towers.
Wander along the Tarnava Mare River
If you’re ready to leave the Citadel, head over to the Târnava Mare River to visit the Holy Trinity Church. The church is more modern, from the 20th century, but its captivating neo-byzantine style is still worth admiring. From the church, you’ll also have a great view of the Sighișoara Citadel.
Should you visit Casa Vlad Dracul?
Ever heard of Dracula? Okay, this might be the opposite of a fairytale (though the original Brothers Grimm tales were all pretty dark), but Sighisoara is Vlad Dracul’s home town.
There is a place called Casa Vlad Dracul in town. Supposedly, Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Dracula, grew up there. The thing is this place sounded like a tourist trap if there was ever one. You pay 5 lei to see someone sleeping in a coffin. They might pop up to scare you. But, hey, maybe you’re into that, and that’s your business.
How long to stay in Sighisoara
Being off the beaten path, Sighisoara is one of the best non-touristy places to visit in Europe. You don’t have to worry about crowds affecting your visit no matter the time of year.
If you are a slow traveler, photographer, or photo-shoot lover, you can easily enjoy a full day taking in the atmosphere in Sighisoara. For many visitors, half a day will be enough, making it a great day trip from nearby Brașov, Sibiu, or Cluj Napoca.
If you are using public transportation to visit, I recommend staying overnight because the bus trip can be lengthy.
How to get to Sighisoara
Overall in Romania, I recommend renting a car and adding Sighisoara to your Romanian road trip itinerary after Brasov or Sibiu. If you’re shorter on time, it’s also a good day trip from Brasov, Sibiu, or Cluj Napoca. I don’t recommend going straight from Bucharest to Sighisoara.
How far is Sighisoara from Brasov?
How far is Sighisoara from Bucharest?
The drive from Bucharest to Sighisoara is 4 hours, and you will have to go through Brasov so we really recommend stopping in Brasov first. The trains and buses take even longer, up to 7 hours! Because this stretch is so long and there are so many great cities between Bucharest and Sighisoara, I recommend adding some stops along the way instead.
Clearly, the storybook town of Sighisoara stole our hearts. As one of the best hidden gems in Europe, we highly recommend you add it to your Romanian road trip itinerary ASAP!
Romania was one of my favorite places to see in Europe. I wish I could have spent more time there and seen more of the country side. Hopefully next year this pandemic clears up and we can travel again. Thanks for this blog. It’s been a blessing “traveling” through y’all!
Yes! It has so many untouched places that are unlike other places I’ve seen. Glad that you’ve enjoyed traveling through our content during a time we can’t travel.
Wow!!! I always thought of Transylvania as a dark and spooky place because of the Dracula association!! I had no clue it could be so colorful and lovely! It seems like the perfect place to spend the day outdoors and it’s refreshing to see a city that’s not too overcrowded, particularly in these covid times. Also these pictures are lovely and amazing!!
It’s always so hard to find beautiful places to visit during busy tourist periods like summer. That’s the one thing I hate about traveling in the summer. Definitely would add to my summer trip must-dos! The picture are so wonderful, they have an eery yet romantic and quaint feel (which I’m all about). It’s like I’m traveling during quarantine when looking at all the pictures!
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