Transylvania - a road trip through Dracula country

7 September 2022

Day one:

Leaving Bucharest, we headed straight up the autostrada towards the village of Bran (a three-hour drive) and apparent home of the legendary man himself, Vlad III the Impaler, aka Dracula.

In reality, Dracula was a pure figment of the imagination of its author, Bram Stoker, (who actually never visited Romania) and is based purely on local myths and superstitions (including the strigoi, blood-sucking spirits arising from the dead at night to seek their victims). Vlad III did however really exist and carved a reputation for himself as a ruthless and blood-thirsty ruler, including the impaling of his opponents (alive) on wooden stakes. He actually only ever visited the castle once, as a prisoner of the Hungarian Army in the 15th century.

Perched precariously on a rock high above the valley below, Bran Castle nevertheless has a long and colorful history which is often stranger than fiction. Shrouded in dark myths, its thick fortress walls have seen dark days and the love of a queen (the Romanian royal family lived here in the 1920’s before being forced out by the Communists). Walking through its cobblestone courtyards is a walk through centuries of history, from its founding by the Teutonic knights in the 13th century to its 20th-century introduction as a tourism hotspot. By day, the castle looks charming, even quaint, but I dare to suggest that few people would venture out in the dark of night to visit its secret passages alone…

Day two:

Just 30km away from Bran, lies the beautiful town of Brasov. Fringed by the peaks of the Southern Carpathian Mountains and resplendent with gothic, baroque and renaissance architecture, Brasov is one of the most visited places in Romania.

Founded, in 1211 by the Teutonic Knights, Brasov was settled by the Saxons (who were brought here to settle and help keep out the Ottomans) in the 13th century and shortly became one of Transylvania's seven walled citadels Siebenburgen. The location of the city at the intersection of trade routes linking the Ottoman Empire and western Europe, together with friendly tax regime, allowed Saxon merchants to obtain considerable wealth and exert strong political influence in the region. They built massive stone walls and bastions around the city (which also enabled them to lock out the native Romanians every night).

The highlights include Rope Street (at four feet wide; it is one of the narrowest in Europe): the Old Townhall Square (Piața Sfatului) and which is lined by colorfully painted and ornate baroque structures: and the Black Church, the largest gothic structure in Romania. Its impressive interior houses one of the largest organs in Eastern Europe and has an unique collection of antique rugs and kilims.

High above slopes surrounding Brasov proudly sits a Hollywood-like sign with the city name and further afield, there are towering mountains, rolling fields, thick forests and century-old Saxon villages. It’s as if a piece of Eastern Germany had been transplanted here long ago..

Day three:

Arriving late at our next destination, Sibiu, some 2 hours west of Brasov, we stumbled upon an attractive shabby-chic accommodation in an old converted building - the Jules Hotel, located right in the middle of the Old Town. It was the perfect base for exploring the place.

Sibiu (Hermannstadt in German) was the largest and wealthiest of the seven walled citadels of Transylvania (Siebenburgen). The town was built starting in the 12th century by the Transylvanian Saxons. The riches amassed by its rich and powerful guilds (which dominated regional trade) paid for the construction of both impressive buildings and the fortifications required to protect them.

Sibiu's Old Town retains the grandeur of its earlier days and like Sighisoara and Brasov, it has a distinctly Germanic feeling. Sections of the medieval wall still guard the historic area, where narrow streets pass steep-roofed 17th century buildings with gable overhangs before opening into vast, church-dominated squares such as Great Square and Little Square.

First mentioned in a written document in 1411 as a grain market, the Great Square has been throughout the centuries a quiet witness to the town's lively merchant activity, assemblies and even public executions. It was designated an architectural monument by UNESCO and features some of the most impressive buildings in Sibiu.

For the best viewpoint of Sibiu Old Town, we climbed to the top of the Evangelic Church Tower and had to withstand mild attacks of vertigo when looking down.

Sibiu is a pedestrian-friendly city and other highlights we saw there on our walking tour around the Upper Town and Lower Town include the Council Tower, the baroque Roman Catholic Church, Brukenthal Palace (housing an art gallery), the Bridge of Lies, various museums and the three remaining towers from the 15th century.

Day four:

On the way to our next destination, Sighişoara, we stopped off at Biertan, one of the most visited villages in Romania due to its imposing fortified church, of which there are numerous other examples in the region.

The Transylvanian Saxons who settled here were constantly under the threat of the Ottoman and Tatar invasions, and so they built fortifications of different sizes. The most important towns, such as Sibiu and Brasov, were fully fortified, while the smaller communities, such as in Biertan, created fortifications centred on the church, where they added defensive towers and storehouses to keep their most valuable goods and to help them withstand long sieges.

Sighisoara, a UNESCO-listed citadel was originally built into a rock face in 1280. We wandered through its cobbled streets, at one edge of the citadel we reached the Biserica din Deal, an understated church with a hillside Lutheran graveyard which, perched 1,407ft up from sea level, enjoys a pretty good view over the Greater Tarnava Valley.

Day five:

Leaving Sighişoara, we continued on to the final destination of our road trip and its most northerly point, the city of Cluj. One of Romania’s biggest cities, Cluj used to be Transylvania’s capital, but it didn’t look like much as we drove through it - more 1960 concrete blocks than 1260 medieval stonework.

We spent the evening in the Old Town, a mix of medieval and fussy Baroque facades. The real scene stealer here is St Michael’s Church. Dark, Gothic and imposing, it is the obvious centre of Cluj, and the cafés in the surrounding Unirii Square are a good place to get a beer.

Day six:

Now we began a leisurely drive all the way back to Bucharest, some 500km away. We left the motorway and travelled on beautiful roads with views over wild flower meadows to castles and churches. Our last stop on the way was at Corvin Castle, a fairy-tale gothic masterpiece with a dark history of murders, ghosts and tortured prisoners, including Vlad III the Impaler (yes, him again).

We were now ready to see the Carpathians up close. This was the most scenic drive of the trip. Ascending the mountains in a series of hairpin bends through fir forests, we gawped at the views as made our way along the Transfagarasan Highway, Romania’s most spectacular and best-known road. Fully open only from June to October, the road’s highest point is at 2042 meters and is 150km long. We even saw brown bears on two occasions scavenging for food on the side of the highway and were suitably impressed.

Day seven:

Arriving back in Bucharest, we returned the rental car and made our way to the airport for the next stop on our travels, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

We had thoroughly enjoyed our road trip, discovering many hidden gems on the way, medieval towns rich in history and culture amidst stunning landscapes, flowered meadows, rolling green hills and dark forests. We had also met and talked to many kind and interesting people there and we came away with a very positive image of this country, so often derided in the West.