Tour of Transylvania's Countryside: Sighisoara Citadel & Fortified Villages
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What you need to know about this tour in Transylvania from Cluj-Napoca:
- A day trip with a focus on culture and history starting from Cluj-Napoca with a customisable itinerary. Duration: 10 hours
- Included: transport (around 350km), English-speaking guide with a degree in history, water for the road and a coffee. Not included: lunch
- First we drive to Medias to visit the impressive and fortified town centre. We stop for a quick coffee break, stories and legends
- Then we head to the village of Biertan and Sighisoara Citadel, both part of UNESCO heritage, to learn about medieval times, Saxon traditions and architecture
- You will see beautiful landscapes which made Transylvania's countryside so famous and how village life looks like!
- Instead of Biertan and Medias, we can visit a typical Rroma family in their home to learn about their culture and lifestyle. Also called gypsies, this ethnic minority is subject to huge discrimination and prejudice all over Europe. So take this unique opportunity to learn about the people behind the preconceptions
- We can replace Medias and Biertan with a visit to Turda Salt Mine (12 Euro ticket not included). Please mention this in your booking request
Additional information
No meal is included but depending on your preference we can stop for lunch or sandwich - I know some very good places on our route!
Moments to expect during the tour to Sighsoara Citadel and Transylvania:
City of Medias - part of Siebenburgen
Our first stop will be in the Saxon town of Medias which has a tower 69 m tall - tilted like the Leaning Tower of Pisa! We'll spend 1 hour here to go for a walk and coffee while learning some fun stories and legends about the history of this important settlement part of the Saxon Siebenburgen.
The 500-year-old church in Biertan
Saxons colonists came to South Transylvania in the 12th century and their heritage, culture and way of life is still with us today. The fortified church in the village of Biertan is massive, impressive and jaw-dropping! It's where an original couples' therapy was practiced 400 years ago - maybe you want to try it? :)
Attractions included
Medieval Sighisoara Citadel
Finally, we visit Sighisoara Citadel, the best preserved and few remaining still-inhabited medieval citadels in Europe! We go on a tour of the old cobbled streets and main squares, admire colorful and built-to-last medieval houses and learn about the impressive history and cultural importance of the citadel, now part of UNESCO heritage. We can also stop for lunch in a traditional Saxon guesthouse.
Attractions included
OPTIONAL - Visit to a Rróma family in Brateiu
You have a unique opportunity to visit a typical Rroma family. Victor, the head of the family who is a traditional artizan, will tell you more about their history, culture and lifestyle, including some personal stories. He will show us his workshop and products made of copper, brass or silver. You will also meet his wife and children. This is a perfect stop for those who want to learn about this heavily discriminated ethnic minority in Europe, wrongly called gypsies, subject to many prejudices and mis-conceptions.
[Extra price of 25 Euro/person, min. 2 people needed]
Cancelation & refund policy
EasySends us or the guide an email 24h before the tour informing us you can't make it and you'll get a full refund of your payment, no questions asked.
Location details
- Starting point: Cluj-Napoca
- Nearest airport: Cluj Napoca International
- Nearest train station: Cluj-Napoca Train Station
- Landscape: Landscapes, Countryside, Urban
Reviews from travellers
great trip with a super knowledgeable guide, we had a very very good time and learned so much about Romania. thank you!
Romanian friend gave us a great introduction to the country. Florin was thoughtful, friendly, informative and relaxed company on our day out with him. Wish we had time for more.
The tour was excellent! Such a brilliant introduction to Transylvanian history and culture. The villages were really pretty and Sighisoara was fascinating. Florin was a really interesting and knowledgeable guide.
This was our second tour with Florin and he is exceptional. We drove through the beautiful Transylvanian countryside to World Heritage Sighisoara and another nearby fortified city. Florin carefully explained hidden details that gave us insight into the life and times of those who built, lived and worshiped in the cities. It was a beautiful and memorable day!
Florin is a lovely and great guide. We really enjoyed our tour around Sighisoara and Salina. Florin's insight about these destinations are so valuable that I've come to love Transylvania. Highly recommend this tour!!!
We loved our tour with Florin. He was so knowledgable and friendly. Couldn’t recommend him highly enough!
Florin was a superb guide, punctual and very knowledgeable and proud of his country's history. We spent a fantastic day with Florin and would have no hesitation in recommending his services and Romanian Friend. First class.
Wonderful tour, not to be missed! I am an avid trip-preparer, buying guidebooks, doing research, Googling driving distances, etc., but honestly the best thing I did for this trip was to find Romanian Friend and put ourselves into the able hands of Marius and his guides (in all, we spent four days with guides). You visit some main attractions of Transylvania on this day trip, and it's great to have a friendly and knowledgable guide along. Aside from the fascinating information we got from him, it was a pleasure not having to navigate the logistics ourselves (like figuring out where to park to visit a historical citadel). Our favorite parts were seeing the beautiful cemetery-in-a-forest atop Sighisoara and walking inside the clock tower. We traveled in autumn, beautiful foliage too. Alex, who filled in for Florin, was really knowledgeable and competent, but his style is informal. We enjoyed that. Alex had the special touch of a great tour guide -- providing us with background info, answering the hundreds of questions we threw at him, but also knowing when to take a back seat and let the sites speak for themselves. I was traveling with my mother and we loved hanging out with Alex but also felt that we had quality time with each other!
I did the "Tour of Transylvania's Countryside" with Florin in the beginning of November. We visited the salt mine in Turda, the fortified church of Biertan and Sighisoara Citadel. Florin picked me up at my accommodation in Cluj in the morning and dropped me off there in the evening. It was a wonderful, informative day, and thanks to Florin's broad historical knowledge, I learned a lot and saw many beautiful buildings and sights. Florin also gave me many interesting anecdotes about the country and the people of Romania and had an answer to all of my questions. Of course, you can visit all those places on your own, but the background information, which I received on the tour with Florin, are invaluable and probably not retrievable in a travel book. Since I was travelling alone, I was a bit worried before the ride – will we have something to talk about in these 10 hours? Will it be awkward to sit in a car with a complete stranger? But these concerns were totally unfounded! I recommend the tour without restrictions; it was definitively the highlight of my whole trip!
We had an amazing tour with Florin! He showed us around and had so much interesting information to share and soon he felt more like a Romanian friend than a tourguide! He was very thoughtful, friendly and open. We just had an amazing tour with him!
Tour was great. Relaxing. Easy enough and informative. Florin was amazingly helpful with whatever we needed. Even pointing out to us some amazing swimming zones and lakes. Romanian Friend helped us plan the trip for our group even with short notice., thanks! Will be back to Romania ;)
Excellent Tour Guide, Excellent Tour. Florin is a very competent, enthusiastic guide who obviously loves his work and he's a really nice, personable guy. It was my pleasure spending the day with him visiting, Mediaş, Biertan and Sighişoara and I appreciate that he talked me into visiting the Turda Salt Mine because it was spectacular! You really couldn't ask for a better guide. Thanks Florin and Romanian Friend!
I spent a very enjoyable day with Florin seeing an interesting selection of places in Transylvania. The guide was on time, spoke excellent English and was knowledgeable about all things Romanian, particularly the history and politics of the country. He was a careful driver who made sure the trip took in any particular needs and requests. Five stars out of five - grateful I chose to book through Romanian Friend!
My tour with Florin was brilliant and I was the only passenger. Florin has a history degree from Cluj University. He is very knowledgeable about Romania and its history and speaks excellent English. Our drive from Cluj to lovely Sighisoara took 2 hours 30. We stopped to see the fortified Saxon church at Biertan, where we also had a coffee. Lunch in the open air in Sighisoara. I found Florin really good company and he is also the safest of drivers. I would unconditionally recommend him to anyone who wants to book a tour from Cluj - thank you Romanian Friend for making my trip so easy to plan!
The whole experience from booking stage to the tour itself was immensely satisfying. Marius at Romanian Friend immediately replied to all questions and concerns and the tour options he recommended were amazing. Out tour guide, Florin, is described on the RF website as “passionate, optimistic, dedicated and passionate about Romanian culture”. This is absolutely true. He was punctual, very fluent in English and very polite. At all times during the day he stayed aware of our needs and wishes and was very flexible to accommodate us. We felt very comfortable, safe and well-cared for at all times of the day. It was evident that he had planned all the small details and despite the hours of driving, he never looked tired. It was impressive that he never even used his mobile. Very difficult to find a better and more professional tour guide! I highly recommend Romanian Fried for all types of tourists of all ages, and look forward to other tours with them in the future! And all of this in addition to the beauty of the places visited in Romania!
We went on the Turda Salt mine, Biertan Fortified Church and Sighisoara tour with our guide Florin. Florin is a passionate historian with a background in mountain rescue. You can tell he truly loves what he does and this shows through in his work. We had a great time and would highly recommend. Romania is a beautiful country with friendly people and I'm very glad we discovered Romanian Friend!
Our trip to Sighisoara citadel and Turda Salt mine was a great adventure. Florin’s knowledge of history was the highlight of this tour. For a couple of gals from London who love history and facts, he kept us truly entertained. None of this is in the guidebooks. We really did feel we got a true local experience and we are very happy to recommend Romanian Friend tours to anyone wanting a local experience in Romania. And thank you Marius for all the help and suggestions!
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