Sibiu Transylvania Medieval Romanian stories
So, you’re a young Western European in your 20’s and you just realized that Europe feels too much of a familiar place to you. You cross borders but and you realize there are no major differences – same people, same places, same architecture, same music, same old Europe. Maybe it’s time to try something new this time. Because there’s a place in EU – probably less than 2 hours flight from your city – that will make you realize there’s so much left unseen in Europe. I’m talking about Romania.
The youngest EU member is still uncharted territory for most Europeans. The largest country in South-Eastern Europe, Romania is one of the places in Europe that will really surprise you – and the best part: you don’t even need to leave the safe ground of EU to do get that.
Just as a teaser, think about it: the largest river delta in EU is in Romania: Danube Delta. The richest wildlife anywhere in EU is there. One third of this country’s territory is mountains – The Carpathians, the largest mountain range in the Union. Half of Romania’s population is rural; therefore you’ve got the chance to discover extraordinary villages where life goes on like centuries ago. And the best thing: it’s 2 to 4 times cheaper to have a tour of Romania than, let’s say, Italy.
A good place to start explore Romania is Sibiu, the former Cultural Capital of Europe (in 2007). The old Transylvanian town has a rich Saxon heritage and a great Old Town. If you still wonder where is Transylvania, the region represents the North-Western third of Romania. Check out for low-cost flights to Romania: Sibiu is an option; Cluj – the capital of Transylvania – is the other option. You’ll see that Romania is so much closer and considerably cheaper than you thought. You can begin with a weekend; it will probably cost you less than 150 euro to fly to Sibiu and back, spend a couple of nights there, visit a couple of villages and try the excellent Romanian food. You’ll love it and I’m sure you’ll be back soon.
The Old Town of Sibiu was built centuries ago by Transylvanian Saxons. It is still in excellent condition and if you’re lucky you can enjoy the Old Town during one of the 10 annual festivals that take place in Sibiu every year. If you want to get in touch with the Romanian traditions and ancient Romanian crafts, the place to go is Astra Museum, Europe’s largest open-air museum. It is just a preview of Romanian rural life, which you can further explore in the lovely villages around Sibiu.
Sibiu is not one of the largest cities of Romania but it is definitely one that has a very distinct personality. If you start your trip from Bucharest, capital of Romania, you can get to Sibiu in less about 5-6 hours. On the way to Sibiu, you also have the chance to explore some of the most amazing Romanian castles (like Peles Castle or maybe Bran Castle). It would be a good idea to rent a car in Romania, so you can move freely and let yourself carried away by the beauty of the Romanian Carpathians.
BestRomania.com is the leading source of information for travellers interested to visit Romania. Almost 200 Romanian destinations are covered, as well as Romanian maps, cheap flights to Romania or information about accommodation in Romania.
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