I had been planning a tour of Transylvania for a long time, with a special focus on Székely Land. Finally, this year it became a reality: we managed to visit 18 places, including many well-known locations.
Four of us traveled by car, departing on Friday and returning home the following Friday. Since we had to travel a lot, we spent the last evening in Szeged, which allowed for a short city visit as well. We were able to spend six full days in Transylvania.
Table of Contents
Day 1: travel and Sebeș
Since we started from Pápa, we had a long journey ahead of us both ways. Because of this, we booked accommodation in Sebeș for the first night. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much available in Sibiu, as there was a big Saxon gathering that weekend.
In Romania, not only are highways toll roads, but everyone needs to buy a so-called „Rovienata”. It cost €3.30 for 10 days, valid for all roads. You can buy it in person after the border control or through the TPark mobile app (you need to enable the SIM card in the settings to receive the confirmation SMS). You can also pay for parking with TPark, so it’s worth downloading in advance.
Although there’s almost a continuous highway from Nădlac, there’s a small section where it’s not yet complete. A huge traffic jam forms here: plan for at least half an hour of crawling.
Sebeș is a small town next to the A1 highway, an important transport hub. The downtown area is around a beautiful Lutheran church, it’s a pleasant town. If you want to eat well, I recommend the restaurant of Hotel Leul de Aur Sebes (almost opposite the church).
Day 2: Alba Iulia, Sibiu, Făgăraș
For the next two nights, we had accommodation booked in a village near Sfântu Gheorghe, in Arcuș, at the Vasalóház. If you like staying in a real Székely place, it’s a perfect choice!
Alba Iulia
It’s about 15 minutes from Sebeș, which was the center of the Principality of Transylvania during Turkish rule. In the downtown area is the fortress, within which we can see many beautiful, renovated buildings. The St. Michael’s Cathedral is especially noteworthy, where the graves of several of our notable historical figures are located. Entry is free, so we can see, for example, János Hunyadi’s sarcophagus.
Sibiu
We went on the A1 highway, where there was a big Saxon gathering. There were lots of people, music was playing in several places already at noon. It’s no coincidence that the city was the center of the Saxons. It really feels like you’re in a German city.
The Main Square (Piata Mare) was completely set up with a stage and vendors, so unfortunately we couldn’t see it in its full glory. However, the already charming downtown was even more enjoyable this way.
Făgăraș
In the center of the town stands a beautiful castle. Fortunately, it’s in very good condition and its surroundings are well-maintained. We walked around the castle along the moat, you can take very good photos. The Orthodox church next to the castle makes this area even more beautiful.
Day 3: St. Ana Lake, Târgu Secuiesc, Sfântu Gheorghe
We planned to meet bears on Sunday. 🙂 You can see them at St. Ana Lake and along the road leading from there to Târgu Secuiesc. At the latter, there are the begging bears.
(We also planned Brașov for this day, but it rained there in the afternoon, so we skipped it.)
St. Ana Lake
Unfortunately, they predicted cloudy weather with small showers for this day, which is quite a broad concept around here. On the way to the lake, there’s a large parking lot with a barrier: it issues a ticket when you enter, which you can pay at the machine before leaving (or at the counter if it’s not working). 50 lei for 3 hours, which is plenty.
It’s about a 15-minute walk to the lake, bears can already be here. Unfortunately, it started raining, which seems to have kept them away, because we didn’t see any. The lake itself is in a very beautiful environment. There’s a buffet down there where you can also buy chimney cake. We waited until the rain eased a bit and went back to the car.
We hoped there would be bears in the Bálványos area, but we didn’t see any even in the distance. They must have taken a day off because of Sunday. :/
Târgu Secuiesc
In this small town, inhabited mostly by Hungarians, we felt almost at home. The downtown area is around a large, flowery square, don’t expect much else. However, it’s a really charming small town with beautiful buildings.
Sfântu Gheorghe
We missed exploring this, so it was the program for the afternoon. We visited the Székely National Museum, which was recently renovated. It’s set up on three floors, with a couple of interactive games, and a large Székely gate in the courtyard. However, you can go through it quite quickly, there could be more to see.
Since we used to be active in football, we went out to see the new stadium of Sepsi OSK as well. The restaurant we looked at for dinner was a few hundred meters away, so we ended the day with these two. By the way, I can highly recommend the Hunyadi Restaurant here!
Day 4: Miercurea Ciuc, Odorheiu Secuiesc, Transylvanian Model Park, Corund
We spent the next three nights in Praid, so there was plenty to see on the way.
Miercurea Ciuc
It’s an important hub, four major roads converge here. We took a tour of the downtown area, here too we heard Hungarian speech almost everywhere. The most famous building in the city is the Mikó Castle, which houses the Csíki Székely Museum.
Odorheiu Secuiesc
Our next stop was the center of Székely Land. The downtown is located around a large square, and a few streets away is the Székely Támadt Castle. We couldn’t take a good picture of the latter because fortunately, renovation work was in progress. However, we can see many beautiful Székely gates in the streets. It was a joy to see that almost every building had been renovated, so it’s very nice to walk in the Székely center.
But the erratic weather showed itself here too. We sat down for lunch and in a few minutes, the sunshine turned into heavy rain. After 10-15 minutes, it was bright sunshine again. So it’s worth preparing for such changes.
Transylvanian Model Park
A few km after Odorheiu Secuiesc towards Lupeni is the Mini Transilvania Park. We can see miniature models of many Transylvanian buildings and parts of settlements. You can easily spend an hour here with a slow walk. There’s also a playground for younger ones.
Corund
The village is actually a big fair. There are many vendors along the road, we can buy beautiful painted ceramic objects. If you want to bring home gifts, this is a great place for shopping.
Day 5: Praid Salt Mine, Sovata
Our accommodation was a few minutes from the entrance of the salt mine, so after breakfast, we walked there.
Salt Mine
Tickets can be bought at the information building in the center, you can’t miss it. After buying the ticket, we have to get on the bus, which leaves when it’s full.
In the salt mine, after getting off, you have to validate your ticket at a turnstile and after a few minutes of stairs, we arrive at the mine. Well, the complex is not small. There’s a café, gift shops, and even an adventure park down there. We spent nearly two hours down there, of course with good deep breaths. 🙂 We have to go up another staircase, there’s a restaurant on the way with delicious food.
Sovata
In the afternoon, we popped over to Sovata, but we didn’t plan to swim. The weather was just right for walking, the water – as we heard from the screams of the bathers – must have been quite cold.
We walked around the lake and the sights around it. There are a few smaller lakes and a salt mountain too. The salt layer formed on a rock section, which can be seen in a beautiful shape.
We also walked up to the Turnul Belvedere lookout, which starts from the promenade around the lake. There’s a great panorama from here, it’s worth the approximately 15-minute uphill hike.
Day 6: Lacul Roșu (Red Lake), Bicaz Gorge, Gheorgheni
The last full day was left for the wild lake and gorge, which can be considered the eastern edge of Transylvania.
Lacul Roșu (Red Lake)
It really lies in a beautiful environment, with a large rocky mountain behind the lake. You can walk around it, although at the lookout point you have to cross either in the stream or on a fallen tree for a few meters. But this makes the already exciting hike even more interesting.
There are several restaurants and gift shops, you can buy souvenirs here too. There’s a paid parking lot (15 lei), where parking attendants direct the drivers, but many people also parked along the road.
Bicaz Gorge
A few minutes east from here and we reach the gorge. It’s truly a monumental gorge, you can move between huge rock walls. Of course, we also parked and walked along the road and the powerful stream. You shouldn’t miss this experience either!
Gheorgheni
We drove back to Praid, but stopped for half an hour in the town. Here you can see that it’s further from a big city, most of the buildings and roads are in very poor condition. But you must rest on the bear bench and take a photo. 🙂
Day 7: Târgu Mureș, Hunedoara Castle
Originally this day would have been about the journey home, but we decided to spend the night in Szeged, so we could easily fit in two more sights.
Târgu Mureș
We chose this direction for our way home, so it was obvious to stop and explore the downtown. The castle and the Rose Square (and its surroundings) are indeed very beautiful.
You can enter the castle for free, it’s worth taking a walk. Around the square, the Palace of Culture and the building of the Mureș County Council stand out.
Hunedoara Castle
From here, a longer highway journey led to Deva, from where Hunedoara is about a quarter of an hour away. You shouldn’t miss the castle here! Tickets can be bought in the booth next to the entrance bridge.
The exterior is already impressive, and the interior has been renovated, so it’s become a wonderful complex. We can visit many rooms and can also climb up the towers. There’s a lot of stairs to climb, but believe me, it’s worth it!
From here we went non-stop to Szeged, with an eventful week behind us.
Summary
I think we made the most of what we could from this tour. Of course, there were many places we didn’t visit (e.g., Ghimeș), that would have required more days. Next year we plan to visit the northern and western parts (Rimetea, Cluj-Napoca, Maramureș), which would make our exploration of Transylvania almost complete.
Financially, Transylvania is cheaper than here at home. We ate fantastic food every day, everywhere we paid at least 20% less than at home. The situation is similar in the shops, but it’s not surprising, we’ve already caught up quite a bit with the West in terms of price levels…