Intro

Sighisoara is a city in Transylvania, Romania. It is located in Mures county and it is the home of about 32000 inhabitants.

The city used to play a strategic and commercial role for Central Europe for a couple of centuries. That’s how it became one of the most important cities in Transylvania. During the 16th and 17th century, Sighisoara hosted 15 guilds and even more, 20, handicraft branches.

One of the most famous persons born in Sighisoara was Vlad Tepes in 1431. He’s the one who issued the first document in which the city was called by its Romanian name, Sighisoara.

Sighisoara was the victim of fires and plague during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Location

Sighisoara is situated 40 km southeast of Targu Mures, the capital of Mures County in Transylvania and 300 km northwest of Romania’s capital, Bucharest.

The Tarnava river crosses through the town and splits it in two.

Getting to & around

The easiest way to reach Sighisoara is by train. There are regular train routes both from Bucharest and Budapest, the city being on the train patch between these two cities.

Another way to reach the city is through the Targu Mures International Airport, 40 km northwest of Sighisoara. The airport has regular routes to and from Budapest as well as fares between Targu Mures and major European destinations especially in southern Europe and Germany.

Works are underway on the Transylvania Highway which will link Brasov with the western Hungarian border and that’ll pass near Sighisoara. The highway should be fully functional in 2013 and you’ll have to do with the regular national or European roads passing through the city in the meantime.

Attractions

The central part of Sighisoara hosts one of the most impressive medieval fortified cities in Europe, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. It’s main attraction is the Clock Tower, 64 m high, built in 1556. It is used to host a history museum.

Another attraction in town is the annual Medieval Festival taking place in the citadel in July.

The House of Vlad Tepes is another tourists magnet. It is located near the Clock Tower and serves nowadays as a restaurant.

Accommodation

Please visit our page of Sighisoara hotels to get further information on Sighisoara accommodation or to comment or rate a specific hotel.