Eddex Travel Blog

Transylvania, the land of legends, mythology, vampire stories and Count Dracula. If you will visit Transylvania, you will see it is about this, and way more.

The land of Transylvania was once part of the ancient state of Dacia, the ancestor of today's Romania. Then, the history of Transylvania was quite turbulent. Thus, it was part of the Roman Empire, Kingdom of Hungary, and for more than 170 years an autonomous principality under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. Then, Transylvania was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and after The First World War part of Romania.

Transylvania  - The Land Beyond the Forest

As a form of relief, Transylvania is a charming high plateau (a hilly plateau) located inside the arc of the Carpathian mountains. And, yes, in the past, in order to reach Transylvania, travellers had to cross dense forests populated with many wolves and other animals. Not so welcoming I guess, especially travelling late evenings 🙂 Nowadays, more than half of Romania's forests are in Transylvania. Some of these forests are protected as nature reserves, some others are just "special".

The Hoia Baciu Forest

This forest is considered one of the scariest in the world, by a British newspaper. Its name is given by the story of the shepherd Hoia who allegedly disappeared here together with all the 200 sheep he was tending. Many other strange and paranormal phenomena, ghost stories and urban legends are related to this forest. Also, some believe that the souls of those who lost their lives in the forest turned into trees with strange shapes.

How to visit Transylvania

If you intend to visit Transylvania and plan a tour, the natural attractions are a must. And here we talk about these charming hills, beautiful rivers and lakes, caves, deep forests, impressive mountains, many nature parks and reserves, rich wild life and more.

Transylvania  - The Land of Superstitions and Beliefs

Our mythology abounds in supernatural creatures, which can be good but mostly evil. We don't have vampires - the placement of vampires in Transylvania is due exclusively to foreign writers and "specialists" - but some of these creatures are very similar and just as bad. The most famous and perhaps "dangerous" of these creatures is the Undead (Strigoi). The belief in the Strigoi and what they could do was always very strong in Transylvania, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries. Even nowadays some people still believe in these evil creatures and phenomena. Moreover, they sometimes might follow various rituals of protection or destruction against these creators.

Except our Strigoi, there are other terrifying creatures such as:  Muma Padurii (The Mother of the Forest), Stafia (The Ghost), Ielele (The Bad Fairies) etc.

How to visit Transylvania

Before your Transylvania tour or during your visit, please read a bit about our mythology, or ask the tour guide about it. You could do a day-trip from Bucharest to Transylvania - which is good enough, or a multiple day tour. In 2 days,  3 or 4 days in Transylvania you will have a more relaxing, meaningful and comprehensive tour.

Transylvania  - The Land of Multiculturalism and Multiethnicity

Due to several factors throughout its ancient, medieval and post-medieval history, Transylvania is today a multicultural and multiethnic land. The main contributors to this were the numerous migrations of various populations to Transylvania, Transylvania's belonging to the Hungarian Kingdom, to the Austrian Empire and the colonization of the Saxons in Transylvania. Today, the main populations on the territory of Transylvania are Romanians and Hungarians. However, in the not-so-distant past, Transylvania hosted significant populations of Germans (Saxons), Jews, Gypsies, and others in small numbers.

Cultural heritage

Besides the Romanian cultural elements that are the majority and present everywhere, the German (Saxon) and Hungarian ones are very valuable.

The Saxons were colonized starting with the 12th century, especially in southern Transylvania, to help fortify this border area. It is believed that Hungarian populations began to settle in Transylvania starting with the 10th century.

How to visit Transylvania

If you are already planning your tour in Transylvania, maybe it would be good to consider visiting certain places or participating in certain events that represent Transylvanian multiculturalism.

Thus, in a very simplified way,

You could explore some of the Romanian traditions, by going on the "Cheese Road" from Marginimea Sibiului. Also, a visit to Astra Museum in Sibiu will show you the traditions of Transylvania's rural life. Then is the local cuisine, and you should have a nice portion of Bean Soup in Bread Crust.

Next is the the German cultural heritage in Transylvania. Here you could visit some Saxon villages and their fortified churches or maybe attend Sighisoara Medieval Festival.

Of course, Hungarian culture is very present, beautiful and valuable. Thus, enjoying a portion of Hungarian Goulash (Gulyás), in any good restaurant in Transylvania it is almost mandatory.

Transylvania  - The Land of Castles, Fortresses and Fortified Churches

Transylvania boasts the most beautiful castles in Romania and some of them are famous worldwide. Being always exposed to numerous raids of robbery and looting, Transylvania permanently has strengthened its defense structures. Therefore, here we find an impressive number of fortresses, citadels and fortified churches.

How to visit Transylvania

For any tour in Transylvania, you should consider visiting some of these beautiful places.

Bran Castle is maybe the most famous castle in the world. Corvin Castle is considered the largest medieval monument in southeastern Europe, and one of the most beautiful and romantic castles in Romania. Then comes Sighisoara Medieval Citadel, a unique (UNESCO) site in Romania. Also Biertan, Prejmer and Viscri are famous Transylvanian villages. Here you will find beautiful and valuable fortified churches, part of the UNESCO heritage. And this is not all, more than 150 fortified churches are preserved in Transylvania, 7 of which are part of the UNESCO heritage.

If you like to visit Transylvania with me, you could book one of my Transylvania Tours here or ask for a fully customised one.

Thank you!