Sighișoara is one of those Transylvanian towns where the Middle Ages seem to have paused and never quite restarted. The citadel sits on a steep hill above the Târnava Mare river, with its walls, nine surviving towers and a covered wooden stairway of 175 steps climbing to the church on the hill. It was settled by Transylvanian Saxons, German-speaking merchants and craftsmen invited by the Hungarian kings in the twelfth century, and the guilds each looked after one of the towers. The clock tower, with its painted figures, is the symbol of the town.
The old citadel is also associated with Vlad Dracul, the father of Vlad the Impaler, who lived here for some years, and the yellow house where he is said to have lived is now a restaurant. The connection to the Dracula story is slender, since the novel was written by an Irishman who never visited, but locals have learned to enjoy it. The citadel is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the pastel houses along the cobbled lanes are a fine sight in evening light.
The countryside around is the real prize for riders. Rolling hills, wooded ridges and long valleys surround the town, with villages where horse carts are still common, haystacks dot the meadows and storks nest on the roofs. Roads outside the main routes can be rough, with patches, gravel and potholes, and you should expect animals and slow vehicles, particularly in summer. Saxon villages nearby, such as Biertan with its fortified church, are protected too, and the fortified churches of the region are a fascinating part of the story.
Sighișoara is a town of about thirty-five thousand, with fuel stations, supermarkets and plenty of places to eat. The food is hearty, with stews, sausages, polenta and sour soups, plus a local plum brandy, țuică, which is strong and generously offered. Smaller villages have little in the way of services, so fill the tank when you can.
Late spring and early autumn are the best seasons. Summers are warm, with afternoon thunderstorms, and winters are cold and snowy. Stay inside the walls if you can, for the quiet streets after the day-trippers leave.