4Equestrian Statue of Mihai ViteazulB2
5Forks HillB3
6Former Princely PalaceB2
7Michael the Brave ChurchB3
8Muzeul PrincipiaB2
9National Union MuseumB2
10St Michael's CathedralB2
11Union HallB2
12Uprising MemorialC2
2Activities, Courses & Tours
13I'VeloA1
4Sleeping
Hotel MedievalB2
14Hotel ParcD1
15Villa PreciosaC2
5Eating
16GavrocheA1
17Pub 13C1
3Entertainment
18Changing of the GuardB2
1Sights
It's worth timing a stroll inside the citadel for the daily changing of the guard ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Str Mihai Viteazul; hnoon) ceremony, in which uniformed guards trot on horseback between the old gates, while solemn drumrolls and brass boom out.
oAlba Carolina CitadelCASTLE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP )F
Alba Carolina Citadel is the crowning attraction of Alba Iulia. Within this star-shaped citadel are museums, churches and the Unification Hall that sealed the union of Transylvania with Romania in 1918. Originally constructed in the 13th century, the present fortification dates mostly to the 18th century. If you're short on time, focus on the dazzling Coronation Cathedral and National Union Museum. Ideally, spend a full day strolling museums, posing at grand gateways, and idling in cafes. The citadel is free, but the museums carry entry charges.
Str Mihai Viteazul runs up from the lower town to the first gate of the fortress, adorned with sculptures inspired by Greek mythology. From here, a stone road leads to the third gate of the fortress, dominated by a horseback statue of Carol VI of Austria. Above the gate is Horea’s death cell (Celula lui Horea), a reproduction of where Horea, the leader of the 1784–85 peasant riots, awaited his unpleasant end. He and fellow revolutionary Cloşca were crushed to death on wheels on Forks Hill (Dealul Furcilor; MAP GOOGLE MAP ) in 1785; Crişan killed himself in prison to avoid this fate. A nearby 22.5m-high granite column, the Uprising Memorial ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Str Mihai Viteazul), was erected in 1937 to commemorate these events. It also offers a superb panorama over the surrounding hills.
Just before you enter the third gate, a footpath leads 500m south to out-of-sight Michael the Brave Church (Biserica Memorială Sfânta Treime; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.biserica-mihai-viteazul.ro; Str Mitropolit Simion Stefan 5; h8am-7pm). The wooden church, brought to Alba Iulia in 1992 from Maramureş, stands on the site of a former Metropolitan cathedral built by Mihai Viteazul in 1597 and destroyed by the Habsburgs in 1714.
Inside the gates, about 200m west, is the Custozza Monument ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ). This obelisk was raised in 1906 to commemorate soldiers and officers of the 50th infantry regiment of Alba Iulia, who were killed while fighting in the Habsburg army against Italy in the Battle of Custozza in 1866. Close by is the Muzeul Principia ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0258-813 300; www.castrul-apulum.ro; Str Unirii; adult/child 10/6.50 lei; h10am-9pm Tue-Sun); archaeologists unearthed the largest fort in Roman Dacia at this site, and you can admire the old walls and old hypocaust (heating system) within.
Just west is the Union Hall (Sala Unirii; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Str Muzeului). Within this 1900-built hall, the union between Romania and Transylvania was signed and sealed on 1 December 1918. Facing the hall from the south is a large equestrian statue of Mihai Viteazul (Michael the Brave; MAP GOOGLE MAP ) (Michael the Brave), ruler of Wallachia, then Transylvania and Moldavia, in the late 16th century; this union crumbled after his execution in 1601. Behind the statue is the Former Princely Palace ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; hnot open to public), once residence of John Sigismund of Transylvania, built in several stages from the 16th century onwards. Mihai Viteazul stayed here briefly too.
Immediately west is St Michael's Cathedral ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; h9am-6pm), Romania's most venerable Roman Catholic cathedral, as well as the country's longest at slightly over 89m. Royal tombs, including Queen Isabella and her son (the first prince of Transylvania) are inside, plus a 2209-pipe organ framed by baroque and Gothic decorations.
On the other side of the road is the impressive National Union Museum (Muzeul Unirii; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0258-813 300; Str Mihai Viteazul 12; adult/child 8/4 lei; h10am-7pm Tue-Sun summer, to 5pm Tue-Sun winter), which celebrates the 1918 signing of the union between Transylvania and Romania. Close by, near the western entrance of the citadel, rises the highly impressive Coronation Cathedral ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Str Mihai Viteazul 16; hhours variable), built in 1921–22 and designed in the shape of a Greek circumscribed cross. A 58m-tall bell tower marks the main entrance.
2Activities
A 5km cycling trail and pedestrian path wends through woodlands between the Miceşti and Pâclișa neighbourhoods, via lofty hilltop views. It's best accessed via a rental bike from I'Velo ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Parcul Unirii; per hour/day 4/15 lei; hApr-Oct).
4Sleeping
Alba Iulia's accommodation choices range from sumptuous guesthouses and themed hotels to barebones pensions. Finding lodgings within walking distance of the citadel is easy on all budgets.
Villa PreciosaBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0258-814 033; www.preciosa.ro; Str Lucian Blaga 10; s/d from 150/220 lei; pW)
This refined and romantic guesthouse, on a quiet residential lane a 10-minute walk from the citadel, is Alba Iulia's most stylish place to stay. The columned exterior sets the tone, with chandelier dangling within, while rooms are plump of pillow and very clean.
The attached restaurant serves a medley of European cuisine with a standout wine menu.
Hotel ParcHOTEL$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0258-816 642; www.hotelparc.ro; Str Primăverii 4; s/d/apt 240/260/360 lei; paWs)
Looking like a '70s cruise ship on the outside, this businessy hotel has art deco aspirations with a spangly lobby and bright crimson dining room. Rooms are decorated either in trim monochrome or a fetching shade of mustard, and there's a heated pool and two saunas to toast in.
oHotel MedievalHOTEL$$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0374-079 990; www.hotel-medieval.ro; Str Militari 13; d/apt from €110/170; pW)
Housed in former 18th-century barracks within the citadel, this five-star belle beguiles guests with carved hardwood furnishings, occasional antiques and gleaming modern bathrooms with clawfoot tubs.
5Eating & Drinking
The dining scene in Alba Iulia has been lifting its game in recent years, with choices that span country fare in medieval-style surroundings, French brasseries and Italian trattorie. Options within the citadel are touristy but good, and there's a sprinkling of restaurants across town (though opening hours can be erratic outside summer).
oPub 13ROMANIAN$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0728-444 415; www.pub13.ro; Aleea Capistrano, 3rd gate, Citadel; mains 20 lei; hnoon-midnight)
If you want to face down a suit of armour while gnawing on steak, or swirl a fork through cheesy polenta beneath coats of arms slung across brick-lined walls, this medieval restaurant will delight. This is no cheap theme restaurant: Pub 13 is built into the wall of the citadel and bedecked with historic regalia, ambiently lit by chandeliers.
GavrocheEUROPEAN$$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0358-401 203; www.restaurantgavroche.ro; B-dul 1 Decembrie 1918; mains 16-25 lei; h8am-midnight Mon-Thu, 9am-1am Fri-Sun)
Though it takes inspiration from French brasserie chic, Gavroche's satisfying menu spans burgers, curry and deep-fried cheese, alongside well-executed pasta dishes. Gourmet options include duck in sour-cherry sauce and mustard-glazed pork (30 to 35 lei).
8Getting There & Away
Direct bus and maxitaxi services from Alba Iulia’s bus station ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0258-812 967; Str Iașilor 94) reach Bucharest (60 lei, six hours, six to eight daily), Cluj-Napoca (20 lei, two hours, hourly), Deva (18 to 20 lei, 1½ hours, 10 daily), Sibiu (15 lei, 1½ hours, hourly), Târgu Mureş (32 to 35 lei, 2½ hours, three daily
) and Timişoara (44 lei, 4½ to six hours, four daily).
From Alba Iulia's train station ( GOOGLE MAP ; Str Maramureşului), there are daily runs to Cluj-Napoca (35 lei, 2½ hours, five daily), Deva (9 to 22 lei, two hours, four daily), Timişoara (67 lei, five hours, three daily) and Sibiu (12 lei, 2½ hours, two daily). One daily train reaches Bucharest (94 lei, 11 hours), with more via Deva and Simeria.
8Getting Around
Local buses 103 and 104 run between the train station and citadel (single fare 2.50 lei; buy from ticket machines and validate on the bus). Otherwise Alba Iulia is easy to explore on foot.
Deva
Pop 61,125
Deva is crowned by its 13th-century citadel and Hollywood-style sign. Apart from grabbing a pizza or popping into a handful of museums, Deva does little to warrant an extended stay. That said, if you're on a castle hunt headed to Corvin Castle, stopping in Deva is definitely preferable to staying in Hunedoara's industrial sprawl.
1Sights
Deva CitadelFORTRESS
(Cetatea Deva; GOOGLE MAP )F
Deva's crumbling citadel looms from a rocky hilltop 300m above town. A steep climb leads up behind Parcul Cetăţii at the west end of B-dul 1 Decembrie 1918. Alternatively, take the funicular ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0254-220 288; adult return/one-way 10/6 lei, child return/one-way 5/3 lei; h9am-9pm May-Sep, 8am-8pm Oct-Apr) (hang on tight). At the top there are plenty of stone walls to ponder and 360-degree views of the surrounding hills. There are no opening hours to access the ruin.
Work started on the stone fortress in the mid-13th century. In 1453 Iancu de Hunedoara expanded the fort, just in time to imprison Unitarian activist Dávid Ferenc (1510–79), who died here. In 1784, during the peasant uprising led by Horea, Crişan and Cloşca, the fortress served as a refuge for terrified nobles fearful of being killed by militant peasants. In 1849 Hungarian nationalists attacked Austrian generals held up in the fort. The four-week siege ended with the mighty explosion of the castle’s gunpowder deposits, which left the castle in ruins.
4Sleeping & Eating
Budget and midrange hotels are dotted around Deva, though few will lure you to stay longer than a night.
Pensiunea Sub CetatePENSION$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0254-212 535; http://devacazare.ro; B-dul 1 Decembrie 1918, 37B; s/d 100/120 lei; paW)
On a leafy residential lane, this exceptionally friendly guesthouse has clean, homely rooms, some with balconies.
Hotel SarmisHOTEL$$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0254-214 731; www.unita-turism.ro; Str Mareşal Averescu 7; s/d/apt 163/220/356 lei; pW)
This queasy green-and-white Aztec-style colossus has 118-rooms decked in dark wood and biscuit-coloured bedspreads, with reading lamps and en suites. Reasonable value. Breakfast is an extra 16 lei.
Restaurant CasteloINTERNATIONAL$
( GOOGLE MAP ; cnr B-dul 1 Decembrie & Str Aurel Vlaicu; mains 15 lei; h9am-midnight)
This restaurant near the park could do with a refresh to its decor, but it serves a satisfying set of schnitzels, sandwiches and grills.
8Information
Raiffeisen Bank ( GOOGLE MAP ; B-dul Iuliu Maniu; h9am-1pm & 1.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri) Near the train station.
Tourist Information Centre ( GOOGLE MAP ; Str Stadion; h9am-9pm summer) Right next to the funicular up to the castle, this info kiosk has maps and English-speaking staff.
8Getting There & Away
Bus
The bus station ( GOOGLE MAP ; Calea Zarandului) spills across the parking lot in front of the train station. Frequent buses and microbuses go to Hunedoara (7 to 10 lei, 40 minutes). Other services include Timişoara (28 to 35 lei, 3½ hours, eight daily) and Sibiu (20 to 30 lei, 2½ hours, six daily).
Buses and private maxitaxis to Cluj-Napoca (40 lei, three to 3½ hours, nine daily) and Târgu Mureş (40 lei, 3½ to four hours, two daily) leave from in front of the train station.
Numerous private direct coach services reach Budapest (€25 to €50, seven hours).
Train
Direct services reach Bucharest (92 lei, 8½ to 9½ hours, two daily), Sibiu (35 lei, 3½ to 4½ hours, two to three daily), Timişoara (50 to 60 lei, 3¼ hours, four daily) and three nocturnally timed services make their way to Cluj-Napoca (25 to 53 lei, 4½ to five hours).
WORTH A TRIP
HUNEDOARA’S CORVIN CASTLE
Some castles perch on mountains, others skulk in mist-shrouded hills, but Hunedoara’s juts out from an industrial jungle. Despite being surrounded by steel mills, Corvin Castle ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0786-048 718; www.castelulcorvinilor.ro; Hunedoara; adult/student 30/5 lei; h9am-7pm Tue-Sun, 10.30am-7pm Mon) is Transylvania's most spellbinding fortress. You’ll be thunderstruck the moment you walk over the drawbridge, with pointed turrets rising above, into the stone courtyard. Alternatively, download the app for a self-guided walk (8 lei; buy the code with your ticket).
Built atop a 14th-century stone fortress by Ioan of Hunedoara, new elements and fortifications were later added to Corvin Castle by Matia Corvin and Gabriel Bethlen. Turkish prisoners performed much of this back-breaking work. The castle well is thought to have been cursed by three Turkish prisoners when they were condemned to death in spite of a promise that they would be freed after its completion. Equally chilling is the Bear Pit, where prisoners were thrown to animals after their usefulness expired.
Architectural highlights include the late-Gothic Knights Hall, with armour, cannonballs and a bulky bronze of Ioan of Hunedoara, and the 1440-built Mace Tower. Look out for the faint checkerboard design painted on the tower, and lift your gaze to see a bronze of a medieval knight, placed at the top during a 19th-century restoration.
From Hunedoara’s bus or train station, the castle is about 1.5km southwest, but it's easier to take the bus to the old centre (2 lei) then walk the short distance from there. Hunedoara’s bus and train stations are off the main road, roughly opposite Str Avram Iancu.
Retezat Mountains
Bejewelled by 80 glacial lakes and with peaks towering above 2000m, the Retezat Mountains are a spectacular stretch of the southern Carpathians. Retezat National Park ( GOOGLE MAP ; www.retezat.ro), the oldest reserve in Romania, is the primary draw as much for its wildlife as its dizzying walking trails. The town of Haţeg, north of the park, is a good place for hikers to circle their wagons before embarking on trails. Haţeg is an equally good base for road trippers to explore intriguing sights such as a small bison reserve, some minor monasteries and fortresses, and Sarmizegetusa Regia, ancient Dacian remains that bring to mind a Romanian Stonehenge.
1Sights
oSarmizegetusa RegiaARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
( GOOGLE MAP ; adult/child 5/3 lei; h9am-8pm May-Sep, to 6pm Mar-Apr & Oct-Nov, closed Dec-Feb)
The Sarmizegetusa Regia archaeological site is Romania’s Stonehenge. Only stones remain, enclosed by pretty woodlands, but they reveal compelling clues about the region’s pre-Roman Dacian civilisation. The site grew into a commercial centre around 1st century BC, thanks to rich iron ore, and the outlines of houses, granaries and workshops can be seen here. Most intriguing are the remains of limestone temples, oriented according to the solstice. Its destruction by the Romans in AD 106 was a symbolic end to Dacian spirituality.
2Activities
Walkers are spoilt for choice with 516km of marked trails, most of them substantial five-plus hour treks. Excellent hikes begin from Râușor, northwest of the park, to Cabana Pietrele and deeper into the park. Cabana Gura Zlata is another key entry point. Retezat Park Administration Centre ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0254-779 969; www.retezat.ro; Nucșoara 284; h8am-4pm Mon-Thu, to 2pm Fri) is a superb first port of call for hikers.
Worthy trails include the following. Approximate durations are one-way, and vary according to fitness levels.
Râușor to Lake Ştevia (three to four hours) This medium-difficulty trail follows red markings past spruce forests to a glacial lake.
Cabana Codrin to Poiana Pelegii (5½ hours) Start at Cârnic north of the park towards Cabana Pietrele alon
g the blue trail, peaking at Lake Bucura (total elevation difference is more than 1200m) before a descent to Poiana Pelegii.
Cabana Pietrele to Lake Bucura (6½ hours) The challenging yellow trail hoists hikers to 2041m-altitude Bucura, the largest glacial lake in the Retezat Mountains. The lake is also reachable by seven-hour hike from Cabana Gura Zlata.
4Sleeping
Choose between no-frills hiking huts within the park, and simple pensions on its outskirts. Sleeping options in the Retezat Mountains aren't usually luxurious, or indeed charming, but the scenery amply compensates. Haţeg is a good base if you have a car and want access to restaurants, supermarkets and other amenities.
Vila SilvaGUESTHOUSE$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0760-938 844; www.silva.cazareinhateg.ro; Str Carpați 3, Haţeg; s/d 100/125 lei; pWs)
This pointy-eaved guesthouse on the outskirts of Haţeg has white-walled rooms with colourful accents. Though simply furnished, it's a convenient base if you prefer digs in town to sleeping out in the Retezat wilds. Breakfast costs an extra 15 lei.
Cabana CodrinCABIN$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0742-793 620; www.codrin.ro; Cârnic; d with shared bathroom 80 lei, camping per person 5 lei, half-board per person 45 lei; p)
These simple cottages and guestrooms are located on the road between Nucșoara and the edge of Retezat National Park.
Pensiunea IrisPENSION$
( GOOGLE MAP ; %0744-605 262; http://geraico.ro/pensiunea-iris-bradatel; Valea Riului Mare; d/tr from 90/120 lei; hMay-Sep; p)
Lonely Planet Romania & Bulgaria Page 23