Full Description
Transylvania is a wild, wooded, intensely romantic region, filled with mountains, gorges, myths and legends, dragons, wolves and vampires. This new edition of the hugely popular and personal guide to the romantic Transylvania region covers a whole range of attractions from creepy castles to medieval landscapes populated by vampires, bears and wolves. Updated throughout with all the practical information that the independent traveller needs, Transylvania is an invaluable companion for anyone wanting to explore its breathtakingly beautiful nature reserves, forest reservations and parks, as well as its historic castles, medieval towns and preserved folk villages.
Contents
Contents Introduction viPART ONE GENERAL INFORMATION 1Chapter 1 Background Information 3Geography 3, Climate 5, Natural history and conservation 6, History 16, Government 30, Economy 30, People 32, Language 36, Religion 38, Education 41, Culture 42Chapter 2 Practical Information 48When to visit 48, Transylvania highlights 48, Itineraries 49, Tour operators 52, Tourist offices 56, Red tape 57, Embassies and consulates 58, Getting there and away 58, Health 65, Safety 68, Women travellers 69, Travelling with children 70, Disabled travellers 70, Gay travellers 70, What to take 71, Money 72, Budgeting 74, Getting around 76, Accommodation 83, Eating and drinking 87, Public holidays and feast days 94, Shopping 103, Arts and entertainment 105, Castles, fortresses, palaces and ruins 107, Spas 108, Sports and activities 109, Media and communications 113, Maps 116, Business 117, Buying property 118, Public toilets 121, Cultural etiquette 121, Travelling positively 124PART TWO THE GUIDE 127Chapter 3 Braov County 128Braov 129, Places to visit en route from Bucharest to Braov 137, Entering Braov County and Transylvania 139Chapter 4 Covasna County 151Sfantu Gheorghe 151, Around Sfantu Gheorghe 154 Chapter 5 Harghita County 162Miercurea-Ciuc 162, Around Miercurea-Ciuc 166, From Praid to Bicaz Gorges 172, From Gheorgheni to Borsec 173Chapter 6 Mure County 175 Targu Mure 175, Heading east 181, Heading north 182, Sighioara 184, Around Sighioara 189 Chapter 7 Sibiu County 193 Sibiu 193, Heading south and west 202, Heading north 206, Heading east 212 Chapter 8 Hunedoara County 218 Deva 218, Around Deva 222 Chapter 9 Alba County 232 Alba Iulia 232, Around Alba Iulia 236, Heading north from Alba Iulia 243 Chapter 10 Cluj County 247 Cluj-Napoca 249, Heading west 254, Heading north 257, Heading southeast 259 Chapter 11 Bistria-Nasaud County 262 Bistria 262, Around Bistria 267 Chapter 12 Salaj County 271 Zalau 271, Around Zalau 273 Appendix 1 Language 275 Appendix 2 Further Information 284 Index 292
