Saxon Heritage in Transylvania: Day Trip from Cluj-Napoca

Spend a day in the capital of the historical region of Transylvania, the city of Sibiu. There you'll admire one of the most beautiful medieval cityscapes in Romania, as evidenced by the city's title as "European Capital of Culture". On the drive down, you'll find out more about the Saxons roots, their colonization in Transylvania and their cultural impact on the country. In Sibiu, you'll start off by seeing the city's walls and the three main squares. Then, you'll visit two of the most important churches. Climbing up to the top of the Council Tower will give you a beautiful overview of the old city.

We visit the fortified church in Cristian to learn of local saxon traditions and way of life in this village. It all looks like time stood still in the 19th century here.

In the afternoon, we will take a short excursion from Sibiu to visit two villages that seem to be stuck in time: Sibiel and Fântânele. Here, the population lives from what it produces locally and horse-drawn carriages are a daily occurrence. You'll taste a local made schnapps (țuică) and then visit the glass paintings museum in Sibiel. In the afternoon, you'll head back to Cluj-Napoca.