Today is the first time we time traveled
Time travelling is thought to be impossible but not when one of your favorite cities is hosting a medieval themed festival.

Each year since 1992, Sighişoara becomes a time travelling machine that gives tourists the chance to live in a long gone era: the Medieval Age. Once you’ve entered the gates of the Citadel all you’ve known from before just fades away. Instagram is replaced by the brushes of the painters, the uproar and constant murmur inside the Citadel walls makes Facebook obsolete and Google Maps becomes invisible in the shade of the all-seeing Clock Tower.
During three days, the Citadel of Sighişoara becomes the home of: knights, minstrels, princesses, monks and wizards, all to relive a glorifying period of our past. The atmosphere can’t be described using pictures and words, not even sounds, but we’ll try to paint an image of the city’s highlights in hope that our experience will convince you to go time traveling at least once (Also we we’re forced by the routiers to share our story or we’ll end up in the Chamber of Torture).
Shall we begin? (subtle GOT reference)
Main attractions
- The Clock Tower
The Furries Tower is one of the top ten attractions in Transylvania, built in the second half of the 14th century with a height of 34m, it stands as the sole guardian of the Citadel.
Today, you can visit all the five floors of the Clock Tower, each floor keeping well preserved a different exposition from Roman vessels and scythes to pieces of furniture from the 17th century and ancient medical equipment that will surely creep you out. The climb can be difficult because of the spiraled, narrow staircase and the growing number of tourists, however the panorama view from the top is breathtaking, enabling visitors to follow the tournaments from above the city.
The admission fee is:
- 2 dollars\adult (8 RON)
- 1 dollar\student (4 RON)
Although we’ve heard some rumors regarding their photography policy, we were able to take pictures freely during the festival (museum expositions included).
2. Main square
Once you exit the Clock Tower, the paved roman street will lead you to the Main square where you are greeted by singing minstrels, swinging swords and dancing court ladies. The atmosphere here is depicted from a fairytale, making it impossible to distinguish tourists from locals: men drinking ale and wearing knight helmets, ladies dancing to Celtic songs, waving their medieval dresses and merchants selling trinkets. Once in a while, a band of drummers would pass through the main square taking people on guided tours across the .citadel.

On our first night in the main square, we also experienced a unique musical journey with the help of Truverii, a local band that brings legendary songs back to life. During their three hours concert, children, parents, elders and youngsters were transported between different eras from the 13th century chants to 15th century Italian Renaissance songs.
3. Blacksmith workshop
The special events took place all over the Citadel, from tower to tower you could find tents where different activities were organized. Behind the old church there was a weapon exposition organized by the Knights of Medias. This is where we met a very brave and loyal knight that was teaching visitors how to forge & swing a sword, how to sharpen an axe and how to properly wear knight gear.

He told us about his utterly immense pride to be a knight and how he always loved Transylvania and its history. We even had a chance to try on a knight’s helmet which made our medieval journey complete.

Medieval gourmands
All the visiting, dancing and touring consumed our energy, leaving us famished, so we had to try the local Transylvanian cuisine. We walked alongside the fortress walls until we found a path that took us to the foothills of the Citadel. We ate at a local terrace, where everything was simple but deliciously cooked right in front of our eyes. A lunch for two persons costs from 10 to 20 dollars. The meals range from pork skewers with baked potatoes to traditional sausages and homemade pickles. You can also try many hungarian street dishes such as: lángos, kürtőskalács and goulash.
If you are looking for something ‘’fancier’’ yet authentic, we would recommend a little restaurant near the wooden Scholars’ Stairs in the city center. It has a little terrace right next to the old walls of the Citadel and it’s surrounded by green grape vines. Although it’s right in the middle of the action, this hidden restaurant can be a oasis of tranquility thanks to its captivating atmosphere.

The restaurant is called “Casa Cositorarului” and it serves the best desserts in town. We ate “Melba” which is a fruit salad with different flavors of ice cream and “purée’’ of chestnuts with whipped cream. The desserts were delightful and the atmosphere was enchanting, the only thing that we wish was different is the serving (really slow, we waited one hour for the desserts). The average dish ranges from 4 to 10 dollars and they have a tasty homemade wine.

Merchants and merchandise
Merchants from all corners of Romania gather in Sighisoara to sell pottery, glass knick-knacks, traditional blouses, flowery ribbons and medieval trinkets. You can recognize them easily just by looking at how they’re dressed, they usually wear loose, baggy clothes with traditional embroidery.
We wanted to buy some gifts to bring home apart from the usual fridge magnets, kendamas and fidget spinners which seemed quite popular. This is how we ended up in a small boutique near the Main Square called “Haus Klein & Klemenzy”, hidden away from the crowds with a lovely terrace and high quality Transylvanian products. We bought handmade soap wrapped in embroidered wool and ended up drinking one of the best beers in town.

Besides “Lăpuşna” they have the best homemade chocolate with unusual flavors, just perfect for a sweet evening stroll in Sighişoara.
Overall experience
Being part of the story, being urged to discover the mysteries of this Carpathian city and harnessing the local history and culture made us feel like we were characters in a medieval play. All in all, it was an amazing experience, worth trying at least once in a lifetime.
The “Medieval Sighişoara” is a never ending series of festivals: the actors’, the streets’, the towers’, the markets’, the churches’, but most importantly, the people’s festival.
