Sighișoara

Sighișoara is small, but everything happens on a hill. The medieval citadel — UNESCO since 1999 — has nine surviving towers (the Clock Tower is the icon), a fortified school on the upper terrace, and a yellow corner house where Vlad Dracul lived in 1431. It is the most photogenic small town in Romania, with a guesthouse tradition that goes back to the Saxon merchant guilds. Sleep inside the citadel walls if you can — at night it is yours.

Why come here

A perfect one-night stop between Brașov and Sibiu — or as a base for two days exploring Biertan, Mălâncrav and the smaller fortified churches. The festival weekends in late July (Medieval Sighișoara) fill the citadel; pick a quieter weekend.

Things to do

• Climb the Clock Tower — 64 steps, the painted figures on the clock, and the view over the citadel rooftops.
• Find Vlad Dracul's house — now a restaurant (ignore the kitsch upstairs).
• Take the covered Scholars' Stair (175 wooden steps) up to the Church on the Hill and the school behind it.
• Walk the inhabited cobblestones at dusk when the tour groups have left.
• Day-trip to Biertan and Mălâncrav fortified churches — both UNESCO, both under 40 minutes.
• Eat at Casa cu Cerb (Stag House) for a long candlelit dinner — the oldest still-running guesthouse-restaurant in the citadel.

When to come

May–June for green hills, late September for harvest light. Avoid the last weekend of July (Medieval Festival weekend) unless you actively want a costumed crowd.