| Transylvania | |||
Weapon & Flag
| |||
| Surface | 103 600 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 7 221 733 | ||
Transylvania (room. Ardeal, lazy. Transylvania, ung. Erdély, ty. Transylvania el. Transylvania) is an area in the north and west Romania. It is the country's most prosperous region, and together with Bucharest the probably most famous.
Regions
Northwest region (Crişana), located around the cities of Zalău and Oradea.
Southwest region (Banat), with cities Timisoara and Arad.
Northern region (Maramureş), with Baia Mare.
Central region, located around Cluj-Napoca.
Southeastern region, with Sighisoara, Sibiu and Braşov.
Eastern region (Secuime), with the counties of Harghita and Covasta.
Cities
Other destinations
Facts about Transylvania
Although many may associate Transylvania with bloodthirsty vampires, Transylvania is actually also known as one of the most beautiful regions in Europe, with its picturesque, fortified medieval castles and monasteries, and lively cities with baroque architecture and with a modern tourist-adapted service at prices far cheaper than in, for example. Germany or France.
History
Transylvania has all the historical and multi-ethnic culture one could wish for. Today it is admittedly part of Romania, but the history of Transylvania has more to do with Germanic Saxons and the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Locals
However, the majority of the population is Romanian.
Climate
Language
Today, the majority of Transylvanians speak Romanian, however, many of the ethnic Hungarians - about 20% of the population, but far more in the surrounding areas - have Hungarian as a mother tongue. There are also a few German-speaking inhabitants, but in all the major cities it is no problem to find someone who speaks decently English, French or German.
Getting to Transylvania
With its relatively large economic prosperity, developed tourism industry and proximity to Central Europe, it is quite easy to get to Transylvania.
By plane
There are three main airports in the region.
- Cluj-Napoca International Airport[1], is located close Cluj. It is Transylvania's largest airport and an important point for the region.
- Sibiu Int'l Airport is located close Sibiu. Last year, it underwent a major modernization, which, however, has not yet been completed.
- Transilvania Int'l Airport[7] is located close Targu-Mures. It has daily flights to and from Budapest with MALEV [8] and to / from Bucharest with TAROM.
By train
There are several daily train journeys to choose from:
- Dacia Express - links Vienna with Bucharest (via Budapest); it passes through a number of cities in southern Transylvania (Deva, Alba Iulia, Media, Sighisoara and Brasov;
- Easter Express - a faster night train running between Budapest and Bucharest, running the same route as the one above;
- Pannonia Express - go between Prague and Bucharest (passes Bratislava and Budapest and the Transylvanian cities mentioned above);
- Corona Express - a night train running between Budapest and Brasov, passing through Cluj and the eastern parts of Transylvania;
- Ady Endre Express - goes between Budapest and Cluj (departs early in the morning from Cluj, arrives in Budapest around 12 noon during the day, then returns to Cluj and arrives in the evening);
- Maros / Mureş Express - runs between Budapest and Targu-Mureş;
Regular trains run between the cities of Transylvania and Bucharest and the other major cities in Romania. See timetable at infofer.ro.
Relocation in Transylvania
Transylvania is a must-see destination for people traveling in this part of Europe. Trains are usually the best way to get between the major Transylvanian cities and the most common tourist destinations. However, many of the region's landmarks are far from the major transport routes, so it is recommended to either rent a car or take a bus to get to these places.
Good and detailed road maps are available at all petrol stations in the country, as well as at railway stations and most newsagents. These maps can help one get everywhere, without having to constantly stop and ask for directions. However, be careful when traveling on substandard and old roads that are not well marked, here you often have to ask for the road. The people are mostly friendly and will help you find where you are going.
By bus
Buses are becoming an increasingly popular mode of transport in Transylvania. They usually depart from the railway stations in the larger cities, and stay in the central locations in the smaller ones.
To see
To do
Food and drinks
- Sarmale
- Mici
- Ciorba de Burta - soup made from coma. Tastes better than it sounds!
- Ursus - black beer
- Bergenbier - a light lager beer, popular in Romania.
- Stejaröl - A 7% strong beer
- Lacrima Lui Ovidiu - a sweet Romanian wine, available in supermarkets for around 20 lei.
- Dracula beer - a beer mainly aimed at tourists. Sold around Branslottet and in supermarkets.
- Ciucöl - A lager beer produced by Heineken.
Security
Transylvania is not a place where dangers lurk around every corner. On the contrary, there are quite a few police stations here, so help is always close at hand.
Probably the biggest danger in Transylvania, however, has something to do with vampires: captors who trick tourists into buying useless, Dracula-related junk.