From Bucharest, trains carve their way north through the spectacular Carpathian mountain range into the heart of Transylvania. The Carpathians is dotted with caves, alpine meadows, dense forests and lowland valleys with quaint villages. Transylvania is home to some of Europe’s best-preserved medieval towns, of which Brasov and Sibiu are just two of beautiful medieval towns that I visited while traveling around Romania.

Sibiu is a town with German influence due to the large number of German population living here in the past. It even had a German name ‘Hermannstadt’. Instantly charming with a maze of cobbled streets and baroque squares undulating downhill, Romania’s cultural gem has a magic all of its own. In fact, the country’s first hospital, school, library and pharmacy were all established here, so there must be a spirit of enterprise in the air. The narrow streets and old houses with traces of German influence in Sibiu’s old town make it appear as a setting of a fairytale. It was the European capital of culture in 2007. It was raining when we arrived in Sibiu on a Thursday afternoon, so we went to a bar for some beer. We stayed in Welt hostel (Str. Nicolae Balcescu nr. 13) which is conveniently located near the town square; the rooms are newly furbished and comfortable.

Most months have myriad things going on, from festivals (more festivals here than any other city in Romania), exhibitions, theatre and opera, as well as plenty of cafes to people-watch in the city’s three main squares. Sibiu has a bohemian yet stately ambience, which is perhaps what makes it so appealing; its back streets of wilting pea-green houses with their distinctive eyelid windows, watching a cast of artists, visiting guildsmen and buskers bustle below them, just as they did back in the 18th century when the city really blossomed.

On the other hand, Brasov also has a beautiful town square with the famous Black church. It is a church built in Gothic style and a major symbol of the city because it is the tallest structure. Bran castle, home to the famous legend of Dracula, is just 28km away from Brasov and accessible by minibus. I visited Bran castle on a cold, gloomy day in January this year. I was impressed with the castle sitting atop a hill and overlooking the small town of Bran. There were not many tourists, so I could wonder around the rooms without feeling the squeeze. Some rooms gave me the shivers, not sure if it was due to the weather of the spine-chilling stories that I read. Actually, Dracula is a legend, created by an Irish writer. In the past, the ruler of Transylvania region was renowned for piercing his enemies through a stick and leaving them to die a slow, painful death. His nickname was Vlad the Impaler. Since Transylvania was not part of any empire at that time, the town became rich by collecting transit money from traders who passed through the mountains to travel between the Ottomans and the Balkans.

Do visit Brasov during summer because the weather is much better and when you see the mountains forming a backdrop against the town and the name “Brasov’ on top of the hills, it’s a beautiful sight. I also liked Sibiu for its Germanic feel and old town heritage. The surrounding area of Sibiu is nice to explore, especially if you are coming by the Transfăgărășan highway which I will talk about in the next post.

Hermannstadt (old name), Sibiu (new name)