Inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage center in 1999, the town of Sighisoara is worth the visit for your family. Take the time to explore this town, as there are many things to see in Sighisoara. The fortified Saxon citadel, which sits in the center of the town, is the highlight of a visit. The citadel rises above the rest of town showcasing its history and strength. Our kids loved exploring every inch of the citadel, and here we’ll highlight what we saw while visiting, and how you can have a successful visit to this historic town with your kids too.
Location
Sighisoara is a town in Romania. It is located in the Transylvania region of Romania which is an area that is like a real-life fairytale land. Sighisoara is in the center of the Transylvania area, making it an excellent place to stop if you are exploring that region of Romania. It became one of our favorite places to explore on our road trip around the Romanian countryside.
We visited in the summertime, when the farmland was bursting with crops and the woodlands were at their lushest.
Sighisoara is a town of about 25,000 people. It is small enough that it does not have its own airport, so in order to get there by plane you would want to fly into the nearby larger city of Brasov. From Brasov expect it to take about 2 hours to drive to Sighisoara. When we visited in the summer, the drive was beautiful, and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Romanian farmlands.
The Tarnava Mare River runs through the town with several bridges to cross from one side to the other. Once you are outside the town area, you feel rural very quickly. We were amazed how quickly we drove into forests once we got off the main highway leaving the town!
Getting To Sighisoara
Trains
Trains arrive to Sighisoara from various towns around Transylvania. There also are trains connecting from Bucharest, Romania and Vienna, Austria. Trains from around Romania are an efficient way to travel, not to mention fun for the kids. Check out the Romanian train website for all the information on times of departure and arrival to Sighisoara.
The train station is located at the north edge of town. You need to cross the river to get to the citadel, about a 20 minute walk with kids.
Buses
Buses are a really simple method of transportation around Eastern Europe with bus stations located in the center of towns, making it the most convenient type of public transport. The bus station in Sighisoara is located a few minutes walk from the train station, so either option will get you to the same place in town.
TIP
When traveling with a family it is important to secure bus tickets before the day of travel. Whether that is buying them online on Flixbus or by purchasing seats the day before at the station. You want to make sure they have enough available seats for your whole family. It is easy to buy last minute tickets for a solo traveler, but finding multiple available seats last minute is harder.
Buses come in from all over the country. Buses also stop in Sighisoara from international destinations as well. There are many bus companies that operate in and through Sighisoara, so researching where you are coming from and how to connect to Sighisoara will not be difficult. You can start by looking at the Sighisoara bus schedule.
Our children enjoy both training and busing around Eastern Europe.
Self Driving
Driving into Sighisoara gives you the option for visiting more spots around Sighisoara without the extra walking. We will warn you that the citadel is a lot of walking for kids, so keep that in mind. We drove to Sighisoara because we were doing a camping road trip through the area and had a rental car.
Parking
There are several different parking lots open to visitors around the bottom of the citadel. It will cost to park in these parking lots. Many cars were parked on the street during our visit, but it was very full, so we wouldn’t recommend expecting to be able to park there. The parking lots have very ample parking.
The public parking spots around town, like in supermarkets, are free parking, but be ready for a hike up to the citadel if that is where you are expecting to go (and please patronize the public place where you park!).
We chose to park at a grocery store a short walk away, purchased some small snacks to eat while we hiked around, and went off to explore the citadel.
History of Sighisoara
Transylvanian Saxons settled in Sighisoara in the 12th century. They defended the area for the King of Hungary at that time against Turkish attacks. The Saxons also helped the economy of the area grow. During that time, they invited many craftsmen into the city in order to booth commerce. As a result Sighisoara became a major hub for handicrafts. It is still clear to see the impact of the craftsmen and handicrafts even to this day. Walking around the citadel walls you can still see the different craftsmen shops found inside the castle walls. (More on what you will see when you visit later).
While it grew as a handicraft center for the region the city grew in wealth. As it grew in its wealth so grew the fortifications, transforming the town into the walled citadel that you see today.
Very often when you visit historical places with kids they are not all that interested. History often becomes something of the past that you learn about. But Sighisoara is different. Sighisoara has made an effort to keep their citadel in its original condition and authentic. How they have kept up their town to look like it might have hundreds of years ago made the history come alive to our kids. They could so easily imagine the Turkish attacks because of the fortifications they saw through the towers and walking along the walls.
Visiting Sighisoara with kids, we truly felt that we were transported back to medieval times while we were within the walls of the citadel. Being able to walk around this castle town while it is still being lived in, and have it look like it did in a different era, is special.
Sighisoara is a Citadel – But What is the Difference Between a Citadel, Castle, and a Walled City?
Before we visited Sighisoara we had to actually learn what a citadel was! We knew there were walls, but we didn’t understand the difference between a castle, a citadel, and a walled city. After all, we had seen a lot of different castle type things during our trip around Romania.
Explore different castles around Transylvania.
A citadel is a fortified center of a city where the city can withdraw into if they are under siege. In the case of Sighisoara, that center was at higher ground than the rest of the city, making it easier to defend against attacks.
A castle is a fortified residence, which may or may not be inside a city.
A walled city is a city that has provided walls surrounding the inhabitants. The main difference to a citadel is that the residences would not have to retreat into the protected area if there were an attack.
Why You Should Add Sighisoara to Your Itinerary
Transylvania has so many castles to visit that you might wonder if it’s worth adding this citadel to your itinerary. But when UNESCO made Sighisora citadel a protected heritage site in 1999, it made the area continue to restore and retain its original medieval look. Changes are no longer allowed to be made to alter it away from its medieval look.
The stone alleys, the colorful buildings, the historic churches, and the craftsmen’s towers all work together to create a feeling of walking through history. And they do a fantastic job.
We also recommend Sighisoara for learning about early handicrafts and being able to visualize what a city center would have looked like in Europe centuries ago. It broadened our understanding of this time period in a way that no other single castle has been able to do.
Weather and Seasons
When is the best time to visit Sighisoara with kids? Of course this depends on your purpose of visiting Romania. Your experience during the summer will be vastly different than your experience during the winter. I am sure a winter visit to Sighisoara would be beautiful and magical, but our family prefers warm weather. We recommend visiting during the summer time!
Transylvania has gorgeous weather in their summertime, between June – August. Temperatures can get to 28 degrees celsius (just over 80 degrees fahrenheit), so not too hot for exploring on foot. We also found there was a slight wind in the citadel which made it delightful weather. Our kids could walk around most the day and not get overheated or tired.
If you are coming in the wintertime, it does drop well below freezing, so be aware that the difference in visiting in summer and winter will be extreme.
Layout of Sighisoara
In the center of the beautiful medieval town lies the walled-in citadel. This old town is a UNESCO-protected area teeming with restaurants, hotels, and souvenir shops. But the charm of the colorfully painted buildings, restored towers, and cobblestone streets is still there.
Sloping down and away from the citadel, you will find shops, restaurants, and cafes. These are all great and fun to explore on their own. Once you leave the hilly area of the citadel you come to the modern town, most of which is built along the river on flat land.
From the citadel, you can continue to walk up the hill into the town’s old cemetery and the Church on the Hill.
Things to See in Sighisoara’s Citadel
The Citadel
By far the main attraction in town is the citadel itself. It is the first place to go and explore when you arrive in Sighisoara. This one attraction houses many of the other things to see in Sighisoara.
We spent about 2 hours walking with our map through the citadel, reading history, and visiting all the different spots on the map.
The Walls
Honestly, some of the best views of the surrounding area are found as you walk along the citadel wall. Our boys loved walking along the wall, which helped them to understand how the citadel’s walls were used as a fortress. You have a good vantage point from high above the city.
The Different Unique Gates
There are actually many entrances into the walled area. As the walls are at the top of the hill, you must walk uphill before you can enter. If you want to walk around the outside of the walls at their base, it is possible to do so and along the walkways. As you walk around you will see the different entrances into the old town.
The main entrance into the citadel would be through the clock tower entrance. You enter into a large open area that feels like a town square. It is set up street vendors, benches, and a water fountain.
Piata Cetatii Square
The Piata Cetatii is a large open space down the road from the clock tower. It is the main town center within the citadel. This is where you can find the market for large events held inside the citadel. While we were there, there was lots of outdoor seating for the different restaurants. There were also many shops set up there where we could look through their handicrafts to buy things.
Piata Muzeului Square
The Piata Muzeului is the small square that sits right inside the Clock Tower entrance to the citadel. It is now a lovely cobblestoned space with benches, trees, and a spigot. My kids loved the spigot being in the center of the square. We were able to fill up our water bottles and drink as much as we wanted on a warm summer day!
We also found a Langos food truck in this small square. Langos is a traditional fried dough of the area. The food truck had plenty of different sweet options as toppings for the dough which the kids loved. Nothing cheers up kids like sweet fried dough!
Petofi Sandor Park
The Petofi Sandor Park is found in the space between the Bootmaker’s Tower and the Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church. Inside the park you will find a bust of Petofi Sandor, Hungarian’s national poet, in the park as a memorial.
We enjoyed resting in this park after having walked up and down alleyways. With the picturesque Bootmaker’s tower on one side, a park full of flowers, and the church on the other, we felt we were sitting in a magical place.
Enjoying the open spaces around the citadel helps to slow you down and take in the medieval surroundings and historical significance of being in a restored citadel.
The Clock Tower (turnul cu ceas)
The clock tower is the largest tower in the citadel and stands above the main entrance into the walled area. While all the other towers in the citadel are owned and operated by a specific trade (bootmakers, butchers, etc.), the clock tower is not the property of a trade. It was kept as the property of the city council.
It is a fun walk up the cobblestone through the clock tower, as the tower is so much taller than the rest of the buildings in the citadel. While you are at the clock tower don’t forget to take some time and look up closely. Next to the signature clock are little wooden people that switch out based on the day of the week, moving each day like a mechanical cuckoo clock would.
Today, you can go inside the clock tower and climb up to look at views of the city. At the top you will find a small museum inside. It was closed for renovations while we were visiting, but the current opening hours and days are:
Clocktower Hours
Weekdays: 9:00am - 3:30pm
Weekends: 10:00 - 3:30pm
Closed Mondays
Besides the clocktower, other towers are found around the wall of the citadel. Each tower is attributed to one type of craftsman who used it and fortified it against attacks. These towers come in different shapes and sizes. Pay attention to how they built the windows and doorways. Each one is unique.
There is a small sign on each tower with the name of the tower in Romanian. We have given both the English and Romanian names here so that you can know which trade each tower belonged to.
Here are our top ones to go look for:
Furrier’s Tower (turnul cojocarilor)
The Furrier’s Tower (turnul cojocarilor) was our favorite tower to visit by far. A furrier is one who uses furs and leather to make finished goods, while a tanner is one who processes the hides into leather. The Furrier’s Tower was built by the furriers and stands adjacent to the butcher’s tower (turnul macelarilor). Together these two towers form and help keep watch over the citadel’s Torle Gate which is between them.
The tower has a great view of the people entering and exiting through the gate, which helped provide protection to the citadel.
We loved this tower, because it was the only tradesmen’s tower that was open in the citadel while we were visiting. There were a lot of renovations going on when we were there. We walked up to the second floor and saw a leathermaker working. We were able to watch and see the different tools that they use in their trade.
Then we went to the third floor and looked at a small museum with different historic documents from Sighisoara. We definitely suggest checking to see if it is open on the day that you visit.
Bootmaker’s Tower (turnul cizmarilor)
Bootmaker’s Tower (turnul cizmarilor) was the most picturesque in our opinion. For the fun ‘magical’ photos, head to the bootmaker’s tower. The outside staircase and landing makes a great place to take pictures of the family.
Tailor’s Tower (turnul croitorilor)
Tailor’s Tower (turnul croitorilor) is a large tower with a double gated entrance. It is found on the back side of the citadel from the clock tower, making it essentially the main ‘back entrance’. It is very unique with its double opening gate which allows entering and exiting vehicles.
The gates two openings were built large enough for today’s vehicles to drive through. This is how vehicles can get in and out of the citadel. There is very little car traffic within the citadel, and walking about is relaxing with kids. While you walk through this gate you should be careful with your children and watch out for vehicles.
In 1676 Sighisoara citadel was hit by a large fire that destroyed and damaged a lot. The marks from this huge fire in the citadel can still be seen on the gate to this day! We loved this little peek into that history.
Each tower throughout the citadel offers a different glimpse into the history of the place. All the towers were built along and into the wall, so if you walk the perimeter of the wall you will hit all the towers. Some of the other towers you will come by are the, Ironsmith’s Tower (turnul fierarilor), Tinsmith’s Tower (turnul cositorarilor), and the Ropemakers Tower (turnul frânghierilor). All in all there are 9 different towers that were used for different trades. You can see the map that shows their different locations here.
Beautifully Painted Alleys
As we moved between towers, we were able to explore the different alleyways. The kids loved imagining the olden days on the cobblestones before cars and other modern conveniences.
With lots of winding pathways that do not follow a pattern, you can easily get lost inside the walled area. It was a fun adventure for us to try to follow our map through the streets and figure out where we were.
The alleys are full of shops and hotels. Each building is painted a different color creating rows of brightly colored buildings contrasted with the gray cobblestone. You truly will feel like you are in a fairytale land!
There are a number of churches around the citadel that we enjoyed looking at. Each has its own personality. Each one also has its name posted on the front of the church with some useful information..
Church of the Dominican Monastery (Biserica Mănăstirii Dominicane)
Right around the corner from the clock tower stands the large Church of the Dominican Monastery. This church has been around since the 13th century, but has been rebuilt several times throughout the centuries.
Saint Joseph’s Church (biserica romano-catolica sfantul-losif)
This church is a much more recent addition to Sighisoara. It was built in the 1890’s. It was built to replace a Fransiscan nun monastery that had been demolished.
Church on the Hill (biserica din deal)
This church is found above the citadel overlooking the whole town. Wind your way through the alleys going upwards and you will find this beautiful church, along with an old Saxon cemetery.
Places to Eat in Sighisoara
There are many options for food and drink inside the citadel. However, they tend to be priced high as it is more geared towards tourists. As a general rule with a large family, we eat at local restaurants or out of supermarkets. We do this to keep the cost down. Traveling with a larger family can cost a lot!
Sighisoara has two supermarkets to find meals at – both Lidl and Kaufland. Lidl has a playground next to the parking lot with park benches. Our kids enjoyed playing on the playground and eating lunch. It might not seem like a supermarket parking lot playground would be a good place for a family lunch, but it was actually quite pleasant.
Kaufland is one of our favorite supermarkets to eat at in Romania, as they have ready made hot food that is cheap and delicious! Totally a go to stop on our Transylvania Road trip.
During our time in Sighisoara, we also chose to try a local restaurant in the town. Colt din Ardeal is a bar and grill that has a lovely outside seating area. They have a menu of local dishes that they prepare for the day. You can check their facebook post each day to see what they are serving for the day. We loved the opportunity to try local cuisine.
Accommodations in Sighisoara
If you are able to stay within the citadel itself, then we recommend you explore Boutique Hotel von Graf. It is located within some of the cutest alleys and just beautiful.
Another option within the citadel would be the Casa Saseasca which is located near the central main square.
We were on a camping trip around Transylvania, so we opted to stay in a camp ground called Camping Curtea Larga. It was about a 15- minute drive away from the citadel. It had great picnic tables and facilities like showers and a communal stove that we could use.
Another option outside the citadel, but in the newer part of town, would be the Hotel Villa Franca.
Is Sighisoara Worth Visiting with Kids?
Sighisoara is a well-kept secret of a fairytale town that is very worth a visit. Although there is a lot of walking involved for children, the magical feel and history of the place makes for a great day of exploration. From the teenager, “It’s like walking into a Disney movie. You expect something magical to happen around every bend.”
Our Experience
We initially walked around the outside of about half of the citadel on the pathways that run adjacent to the city wall. We enjoyed the view looking out at the town beneath us. We then entered the walled-in citadel by the Bootmaker Tower and began to explore the alleys and other towers.
As we had been exploring Romania for some time and had been visiting castles, my three boys had gotten very interested in knights. So, even though we were backpacking through Eastern Europe, we decided to splurge and buy them wooden swords and shields. Their imaginations went wild after this and we had a wonderful time imagining what the town must have been like back in the days of Vlad Tepes (known today in folklore as Dracula) when he was fighting off the Turkish invasions.
After exploring churches, alleyways, and finding all the major towers around the citadel, we ended our visit by the clock tower. We found a bench to sit on and enjoyed trying Langos, a fried dough flatbread. The Langos food truck had a variety of choices for sweet toppings. We also found a water fountain there to fill up our water bottles, which was wonderful after so much walking on a warm July afternoon.
Each different castle, walled city, or citadel throughout Romania offers a different experience. Whether left to ruin, or modernized and commercialized, each one tries to tell the story of its history. Sighisoara was, for us, a really great option to visit with kids.