Sighisoara: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Sighișoara was built by German settlers, the Transylvanian Saxons, who came here in the 12th century, and its walled hilltop is one of the few medieval citadels in Europe where people still live. In a small space it holds a clock tower, a prince's birthplace, two Gothic churches and a covered stairway climbed by schoolchildren for centuries. The walk is short, about a kilometre and a half, but steep in places on cobbles. Come early or late in the day; at midday in summer the tour buses fill the square.

A short history of Sighisoara

Sighișoara was founded in the 12th century by German settlers, the Saxons, whom the Hungarian king invited to Transylvania to defend the frontier. On the hill they built a walled citadel, and each craft guild kept a tower of its own; nine of the towers still stand, the most prominent being the Clock Tower. Vlad III, 'the Impaler', was born in the town around 1431; his role as the inspiration for the character of Dracula came much later. In 1999 the old town was declared a World Heritage Site, and it is considered one of the best-preserved inhabited citadels in Europe.

The ten best sights in Sighisoara

1
Clock Tower
The gate of the citadel and its history museum; climb to the gallery for the roofs below
2
Vlad Dracul House
The house where Dracula's father lived, now a restaurant; a small room upstairs for visitors
3
Monastery Church
The old Dominican church beside the Clock Tower; summer organ concerts
4
Church on the Hill
The Gothic church at the top of the Scholars' Stairs; quiet and cool inside
5
Sighișoara Synagogue
Below the citadel on the lower town side; usually seen from outside
6
Biertan Fortified Church
The grandest of the Saxon fortified churches, 40 minutes west
7
Saschiz Fortified Church
On the road to Brașov; its tower is a copy of the Clock Tower
8
Viscri Fortified Church
A white church in a village at the end of a rough road; worth the drive
9
Mălâncrav Church
Medieval frescoes in a remote Saxon village; ask in the village for the key
10
Citadel Square
The old market square, now cafés; the medieval festival takes it over in late July

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Tours in Sighisoara →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Sighisoara:

Free walking tours in Sighisoara

Inside the citadel

Clock Tower · The tower is 64 metres high and was the main gate and the seat of the town council. Its clock has two sets of figures: Peace, Justice and Law face the town, and on the other side seven figures, one for each day of the week and named after the old planetary gods, turn at midnight.
Vlad Dracul House · Vlad II lived here from 1431, the year he was made a knight of the Order of the Dragon, which gave him the name Dracul. His son Vlad III, later called the Impaler and the model for Dracula's name, is believed to have been born in this house around that time.
House with the Stag · The 17th-century house takes its name from the stag's head on its corner, carved and fitted with real antlers. It is one of the best-preserved burgher houses in the citadel, and it shows how the Saxon merchants built: thick walls, vaulted ground floor for goods, living rooms above.
Monastery Church · It was the church of a Dominican monastery until the Reformation, when the Saxons became Lutheran and the friars left. Inside is a bronze baptismal font cast in 1440, and Anatolian carpets hang from the galleries, as in many Saxon churches.
Scholars' Stairs · The covered stairway was built in 1642 so that pupils could reach the school on the hilltop in winter. It had about 300 steps then; today it has 176, still roofed in wood.
Church on the Hill · Built over nearly two centuries, from about 1345 to 1525, it stands on the highest point of the town, beside the school the stairs lead to. Behind it is the old Saxon cemetery, where many of the German names have no living descendants left in town.

The towers and the town below

The citadel was defended not by soldiers but by the craft guilds: each one built, manned and paid for its own tower. This walk goes round the walls past the guild towers, then down into the lower town, where the Orthodox Romanians, the Jews and the Hungarians lived outside the Saxon walls. It is about three kilometres, mostly downhill. Do it in the late afternoon and end by the river.

Blacksmiths' Tower · The citadel once had fourteen towers, each in the care of one guild — blacksmiths, tailors, shoemakers, tinsmiths, ropemakers, butchers and others; nine still stand. The blacksmiths' tower guarded the Monastery Church.
Shoemakers' Tower · Rebuilt in 1681 with a hexagonal top and baroque roof, it is one of the most photographed towers on the walls. The lane behind the ramparts, between it and the Tailors' Tower, is the quietest walk in the citadel.
Tailors' Tower · The tailors guarded the second gate of the citadel, and their tower has a double passage wide enough for carts. The great fire of 1676 destroyed much of the citadel, and most of the houses you see were rebuilt after it.
Saxon Cemetery · Most of the Saxons left Transylvania for Germany in the years around 1990, after the fall of communism, and the community that built this town shrank to a few hundred. The cemetery on the hill, with its German inscriptions, is cared for by the Lutheran parish and volunteers.
Sighișoara Synagogue · Jews settled in Sighișoara mainly in the 19th century, outside the Saxon walls, and their synagogue was built at the turn of the 20th century. Most of the community emigrated to Israel after the war, and the building is one of the last signs that they lived here.
Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral · The Romanians, who lived outside the walls for centuries, built their cathedral on the bank of the Târnava Mare in the 1930s, in a Byzantine style that answers the Gothic towers on the hill. From the footbridge beside it you get the classic view of the citadel.

The fortified churches

Around Sighișoara the Saxon villages each turned their church into a fortress, with walls, towers and storerooms where the whole village could shelter from raids. Seven of these villages are on the UNESCO list, and the best of them lie within an hour of town. This is a long car day of about 200 km, partly on rough village roads, or two easier half-days east and west. Keys are often kept by a villager; a note on the church door says who.

Saschiz Fortified Church · Its bell tower, built around 1500, is a deliberate copy of Sighișoara's Clock Tower. Above the village on the wooded hill stand the ruins of a peasant fortress, and the village is also known for its blue-glazed Saxon pottery.
Viscri Fortified Church · The white church and its walls are among the oldest in the region, with parts from the 12th century. King Charles III, when still Prince of Wales, bought and restored an old Saxon house in the village, which drew attention to the whole area.
Rupea Fortress · The fortress stands on a hill of basalt above the town and is first mentioned in 1324. It grew in rings as the town needed more refuge, and it was restored and reopened to visitors in the 2010s.
Biertan Fortified Church · From 1572 to 1867 Biertan was the seat of the Saxons' Lutheran bishop. Inside the walls is a small 'marriage prison', where couples who wanted a divorce were locked up together with one bed and one plate; the story goes that very few divorces followed.
Mălâncrav Church · The village belonged to the Apafi, a Hungarian noble family, rather than being a free Saxon village, and its church holds one of the most complete cycles of 14th-century Gothic wall paintings in Transylvania.
St Margaret's Church, Mediaș · Mediaș is the town where the rocket pioneer Hermann Oberth lived and taught, and its church has a famous fault: the 68-metre Trumpeters' Tower leans more than two metres off true.

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Getting to Sighisoara and getting around

Sighișoara Station · On the Brașov-Cluj line, a 15-minute walk from the citadel; slow trains, but scenic
Târgu Mureș Airport · About an hour north by road; budget flights from a few European cities

Cheap eats in Sighisoara

Food here is Transylvanian: Romanian, Saxon and Hungarian at the same table. Expect sour soups, sarmale, pork with polenta, goulash, langoș on the street and Saxon cakes in the cafés. Restaurants inside the citadel charge for the view; the lower town around Hermann Oberth square is cheaper and less touristy. Lunch is served from noon and most kitchens close by ten.

Mister Langos · On the citadel square; a langoș with cheese and sour cream about 15-25 lei
Gigi covrigi · Warm covrigi from the window in the lower town, about 2-3 lei each
Casa Cositorarului · Café in an old house in the citadel; coffee and cake about 20-30 lei
The Shaorma Store · Romanian shaorma in a wrap on Hermann Oberth square, about 25-35 lei
Cafe Beraca · Coffee and a pastry in the lower town, about 12-20 lei
Gasthaus Alte Post · Set lunch of soup and a main about 40-55 lei

Museums in Sighisoara

History Museum, Clock Tower · Guild objects, the clock mechanism and a view from the top
Vlad Dracul House · A small exhibit room upstairs; the ground floor is a restaurant
Venetian House · Look up at the Gothic window frames that give it its name
Viscri church museum · Saxon village life displayed in the church tower

Holy places in Sighisoara

Church on the Hill · Lutheran; small entry fee, may be closed in winter
Monastery Church · Carpets, the 1440 font and summer concerts
Sighișoara Synagogue · In the lower town; open on occasion
Biertan Fortified Church · Climb the covered stairs to the church; see the sacristy door
Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral · Byzantine-style cathedral by the river; services daily

Nature and day trips near Sighisoara

Breite Oak Reserve · Hundreds of old oaks in pasture; walk up from the town in about 40 minutes
Saschiz hill fortress · A short forest climb above the village to the ruins
Rupea basalt hill · Basalt columns and the fortress on top
Viscri countryside · Hay meadows and horse carts; walk out of the village at sunset

Where to eat in Sighisoara

Casa cu Cerb · Hotel restaurant on the square; Transylvanian dishes on the terrace
Vlad Dracul Restaurant · Eat in Dracula's father's house; touristy, but the room is the point
Casa Wagner · Hotel restaurant in a Saxon house in the citadel
Mimoza Wine & Dine · Romanian wines in the lower town; book on weekends
Concordia · Big menu on Hermann Oberth square, open late

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Frequently asked questions about Sighisoara

What is there to see in Sighisoara?

The top sights in Sighisoara are Clock Tower, Vlad Dracul House and Monastery Church. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Sighisoara?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Sighisoara without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Sighisoara?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Sighisoara, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Inside the citadel.

How do you get to Sighisoara and get around?

The main ways are Sighișoara Station and Târgu Mureș Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Sighisoara, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Sighisoara that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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