Sibiu is a fortified medieval city in Transylvania, with similarities to that of Sighisoara and Brasov. Sibiu, however, has an airport with direct flights from the UK and other European destinations, which makes it a much easier destination to pop over to for a weekend. The city is best known for its classic old town with cobbled streets lined with colourful buildings, historic towers and hidden passageways. There may not be loads of big things to do in Sibiu, but it makes for a lovely and relaxing weekend break.

The upper part of town has had restorations, but the lower part where the medieval peasants used to live, has not. This is where you’ll find real life: wonky doorways, flaking paint revealing brickwork underneath, well-worn house facades.

A strong courtyard culture is still present in the lower town; huge wooden doors off the main street open up into shared areas with buildings split into apartments and communal balconies (a similar but smaller version of that found in Tbilisi, Georgia). Sibiu has so much charm and character, and you’ll end up wanting to explore every nook and cranny of this medieval old town. Get your camera at the ready. Keep reading to find all our top things to do in Sibiu.

How to Get to Sibiu

Sibiu airport (SBZ) is largely serviced by budget airline, Wizz Air, which flies to cities all around Europe. You will likely be able to find very cheap flights on Skyscanner.

The trains that we got in and out of Sibiu are below:

Cluj-Napoca to Sibiu: cost 55.4 RON and took four hours, leaving Cluj at 10am. This requires a changeover at Copsa Mica station, which I was concerned about because the time for us to switch between trains was only five minutes!

I was convinced that this was a risky move but the woman at the ticket desk said it would be fine. 10:00 – 12:44 into Copsa Mica, 12:49 – 14:00 into Sibiu. Squeaky bum time. I was stressed the entire first journey, especially as I could see our first train becoming further and further behind schedule. We ended up getting into Copsa Mica about ten minutes late, but the train to Sibiu had waited for our train! They knew we were coming and so waited for us and a few other passengers doing the same route. You’d never get that back home.

Sibiu to Bucharest: cost 82.9 RON and took six hours, leaving Sibiu at the awful time of 3:55am.

Find out more tips on train travel around Romania here.

Things to to in Sibiu

Watch Out for the Houses with Eyes

Walk down the streets of Sibiu (particularly the lower town) and you will see all the houses staring back at you. Sibiu’s unique architecture means that the small ventilation windows in the rooftops look like shifty eyes spying on you.

Carefully Cross the Bridge of Lies

Legend has it that the bridge will collapse if someone standing on it tells a lie, so be careful, folks! There are some interesting buildings around here, but the real reason to come here is because of the legend.

Marvel at Holy Trinity Cathedral, and the Hidden Painted Archway across the Road

A beautiful building with intricate artwork and stained glass windows, and some really fancy doors. (I love a good door.) Cross the street from the church and you will see an arched entrance way, almost like a tunnel. The painting inside is so bright and detailed. Don’t miss it.

Wander through Piața Mare and Piața Mică (Big Square and Small Square)

Both squares are lined with grand buildings and restaurants. Piața Mică has market stalls where you can buy souvenirs, trinkets and food, whereas Piața Mare has benches and water features and tends to be where people congregate. Both are usually bustling with people, so it creates a nice atmosphere to walk around.

Explore the Streets of the Lower Town

Literally, the part of the town that is lower, as in the bottom of the steps. Back in medieval times, the peasants lived in the lower town, and this is really where you can feel and see the history in its atmosphere and architecture. This is where real life happened. It is full of colourful and characterful buildings: well-worn and a bit wonky.

Search for the Medieval Towers

Sibiu has several of them. Much like Sighisoara, the towers were named after a guild (or craftsmen skill) of the townspeople. You will find some dotted throughout the old town, but also several close together along the city wall: carpenters’, potters’, tinsmiths’ etc.

Walking along the city wall is really peaceful. Just a little bit back from the main squares and there are benches overlooking the medieval towers. Both times we have visited Sibiu, we have brought either covrigi or gogosi (more on that later) and sat on the benches here for a little picnic.

Our Favourite Vegetarian Food Recommendations

We didn’t eat out too much in Sibiu because we had an apartment where we could cook. These are the few things we did try.

Gogosi

Similar to a filled donut, gogosi is deep-fried dough with a variety of sweet or savoury fillings. Buy them from any of the bakeries in town. Our favourites are the salty cheese filling and the cherry filling.

Covrigi

A soft pretzel that is served plain, topped with seeds etc. or filled with something sweet. Again, you can buy these from any bakeries in town.

Shaka Bowl Restaurant

Serves poke-style bowls with tofu, edamame, loads of great vegan staples.

Sighisoara old town looks like it was used as the set for Beauty and the Beast. Pastel-coloured buildings, a tall clock tower with colourful tiling and puppets, cobble-stoned streets, medieval archways. An absolute treat for street photography lovers, I was in my element, camera in hand at all times! I’d say it is my favourite place that we visited in Romania. There aren’t loads of things to do in Sighisoara, but wow, is it pretty!

You know that old cliché of ‘it’s like you’ve stepped back in time’, it genuinely is like time has stood still here. This is a proper authentic medieval fortified town and you can’t help but feel it when you’re there. Even if you only have time to visit for a half-day, add this to your Romania itinerary (and then you’ll be wishing you stayed longer!). Keep reading to find our top things to do in Sighisoara.

A Little about Sighisoara

As with Brasov, Sighisoara has been around since the 12th century when German Saxon craftsmen were invited to settle here. They came, created the settlement and built the surrounding fortifications and towers; each tower named after the crafting skill that they brought with them. This location was strategic due to the natural barrier of the Carpathian mountains between the town and the invading Ottomans. Today, the medieval fortified town is so well-preserved that it is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

How to Get to Sighisoara

From Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu and Bucharest, there are direct trains. Rome2Rio is reliable in Romania for public transport. For our top tips on using the train system in Romania, read this post.

Trains that we took in and out of Sighisoara:

Brasov to Sighisoara: cost 45.85 RON and took three and a half hours, leaving Brasov at 08:47.

Sighisoara to Cluj-Napoca: cost 72 RON each and took three and a half hours, leaving Sighisoara at 12:00.

There are also buses, but these tend to be a little more expensive.

Where to Stay in Sighisoara

Right by the train station, Lightning Vacation House is a really comfortable double room ensuite and a TV. It is a little out of the centre, but you can easily walk there in ten minutes. The host family is so friendly!

We would also love to stay at Casa Lia, Gloria Apartments, and Casa Adalmo!

Things to do in Sighisoara

Get Lost in the Colourful Backstreets

Look out for all the exquisite details of these historic streets and buildings. The BEST thing to do in Sighisoara is just to get lost in the backstreets. Grab your camera and put on some sturdy shoes to walk over the uneven cobbles.

Spot the 14th Century Clock Tower

The clock tower can be seen from almost anywhere within Sighisoara old town with its brightly coloured tile roof and pointed spires. Make sure you spot the small puppets by the clockface and the original painting and writing. For a 16 RON fee (or 8 RON for students), you can climb the stairs to the wooden balcony at the top for views across Sighisoara.

Hunt Down All the Characterful Guild Towers

Towers around the Sighisoara fortifications were built, maintained and used during siege by each individual guild. You will find towers of the butchers, tinsmiths, ironsmiths, tailors, furriers, boot makers and ropemakers surrounding the old town.

Wander Down Culoarul Bătrânelor Doamne Walkway

Now, this feels like it’s straight out of Disney’s Notre Dame. This archway takes you under the clock tower and is so atmospheric. Walk a little further down and you will get some great views of the clock tower from the other side too.

Climb the Steps Through the Covered Walkway to the Church on the Hill

175 steps lead up from the centre of the town to the church at the top (Biserica din Deal) and its cemetery. Climbing up the covered walkway is a rite of passage when visiting Sighisoara and was used to shield church-goers during the winter months. You can get some great views over the town from here and it’s worth exploring the church, cemetery and ropemakers’ tower while you’re up here too.

See the Holy Trinity Church (Biserica Sfânta Treime) and the Church of Unitarian Universalism (Biserica Unitariană)

The Holy Trinity Church is just on the other side of the river from the main part of town, whereas the Unitarian Universalism Church is about another five minute walk from here. Both are very different. Holy Trinity is very grand with black domes, while the Unitarian is very small and narrow, yet tall with a pointed orange roof. We were unable to enter either: they were either locked or hosting ceremonies. If you manage to get inside, let us know how they are!

Explore the Citadel Square (Piața Cetății)

Citadel Square is surrounded by beautiful old buildings. Stop here for a drink, see the souvenir shops or explore the alleyways leading off the square. Keep an eye out for the Stag House.

Stop by the Birthplace of Vlad Dracula

Not necessarily a top thing to do in Sighisoara, but the city’s claim to fame is being the birthplace of Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler. The building where he lived up until the age of four has been converted into a restaurant. You could stop for lunch (but it is pricey, so we skipped it) or just wander upstairs to see some paintings of him. Maybe pop your head out the first floor window for a great photo taken from the cobbles outside. If you pay a fee, you can enter the second floor, where it is said that Vlad used to stay.

Eat Lángos and Papanași

Genuinely one of my favourite things to do in Sighisoara! Probably not best to eat both in one sitting though: you will explode.

Lángos is basically a flattened, savoury donut. Deep fried to create a crunch on the outside but a soft and chewy centre. Get the classic which is smothered in sour cream and topped with cheese, but don’t forget to ask for extra garlic. Grab your lángos from Nuvela.

Papanași is a cream cheese donut that is smothered in a sweetened sour cream and topped with sour berry jam. Beautiful. Grab yours from the hole-in-the-wall vendor to the right of Vlad Dracul’s birthplace.

Top Spots for Coffee Stops

The Bean Speciality Coffee

Great coffee and an even better view. Snag yourself a spot outside overlooking the staircase up towards the clock tower. Spot on!

Atelier Speciality Coffee

Really good coffee and you get a beautifully presented little set. The interior is really cute, or sitting outside on the cobbles is great too. Check out this door while your sat there. (I have a thing about doors and this one is a stunner.)

UP Speciality Coffee

Again really good coffee presented nicely, but a less exciting outlook on to a car park.