Transylvania
The 15th-century Hungarian Apafi Manor House, painstakingly restored to its 18th-century layout, is now a heritage guesthouse with a princely air. Rooms are decorated in a palette of bright white and pastel blue. By sliding into baroque-style chairs, admiring decorative rugs, and sleeping soundly in shuttered bedrooms, you can almost imagine yourself one of the moneyed Apafi family of centuries past.
Breakfast costs an extra €5 per head, and you can pre-book lunches and dinners (€11 per meal).
24.17 MILES
Encircled by a moat fringed with willow trees, Făgăraş Citadel is an impressively intact fortification from medieval Transylvania. The oldest part of this…
10.33 MILES
Sighişoara's delightful medieval buildings are enclosed within its citadel, a Unesco-listed complex of protective walls and watchtowers. Walking in the…
6.26 MILES
Biertan’s late-Gothic church, ringed by concentric walls and flanked by towers, is among the largest and most impressive in Transylvania. The triple-naved…
29.85 MILES
Wondrously decorated with carved columns, apocalyptic frescoes and gardens with barely a petal out of place, Brâncoveanu Monastery is as pristine as its…
21.58 MILES
The whitewashed and tile-roofed fortified church in Viscri is a splendidly restored feat of medieval engineering. Its outbuildings display decorated…
29.42 MILES
Resembling a gnome village, the Castelul de Lut complex has been created from clay, sand and pure whimsy. The self-styled 'clay castle of pixie valley'…
11.07 MILES
In September 2016 the ribbon was cut on fresh restoration works in Alma Vii, and this charismatic village and centrepiece fortified church have never…
10.34 MILES
Vlad Ţepeş (aka Dracula) was reputedly born in this house in 1431 and lived here until the age of four. It's now a decent restaurant, but for a small…
6.26 MILES
Biertan’s late-Gothic church, ringed by concentric walls and flanked by towers, is among the largest and most impressive in Transylvania. The triple-naved…
2. Breite Ancient Oak Tree Reserve
9.81 MILES
Escape the crowds and visit the enchanting Breite Ancient Oak Tree Reserve, 2km west of town. Its 133 hectares boast 800-year-old oaks, with…
10.13 MILES
Flowing behind the Church on the Hill, this lofty cemetery with views over Sighişoara is a suitably spine-chilling spot to ramble after visiting the…
10.15 MILES
Don't miss hiking up the covered stairway to 'School Hill' (418m) to admire this evocative late-Gothic, triple-naved church. Originally a 13th-century…
10.24 MILES
From Piaţa Cetăţii, turn south up Str Şcolii to reach the 176-step covered stairway, which has tunnelled its way up the hill since 1642. With light…
10.24 MILES
The top-heavy Tinsmiths' Tower is one of the most easily recognisable, both for its height (25m) and its octagonal upper level. A siege in 1704 left scars…
10.32 MILES
This tower was built to guard over the back entrance to the citadel. As with many of the buildings here, the tower was engulfed in a massive fire in 1676…