Transylvania

Born and educated in the UK, Lucy Mallows worked for 12 years in Budapest as a reporter and editor. She first worked as a 'bilingual reporter' in the Hungarian Parliament, getting the inside scoops from the heart of Hungarian politics, often dealing with Hungary's relations to its neighbours; Romania and Slovakia and the rights of the many ethnic Hungarians living beyond Hungary's modern borders. She then spent seven years exploring the region as the cultural editor at The Budapest Sun, and simultaneously wrote about Hungary and the entire Central European region for Bradt Travel Guides, Rough Guides, Time Out, Zagat restaurant guide and DK Eyewitness. In 2003, she became editor-in-chief at Where Budapest, an international travel magazine and in 2005, she moved to Brussels where she reported from the EU Commission. She is an expert on Central European culture and speaks six foreign languages including Hungarian, Czech & Russian. She also made a valiant attempt at learning Romanian to interview local Transylvanians and get a real understanding of the complex region. Recently, she moved to Brighton where she works as a freelance photojournalist and Hungarian-to-English translator. She first visited Transylvania in 1997, but her links with Romania go back to the late 1980s when she worked as a volunteer for Operation Romanian Villages, and to an early childhood fairytale The Lost Princess, written in 1924 by Queen Marie of Romania. Lucy is a fluent Hungarian speaker and Bradt recognised the usefulness of Hungarian language skills in many parts of Transylvania when they commissioned her to write the very first UK-published guidebook to the enchanting, undiscovered region of Romania. Lucy is also the author of the Bradt guides to Bratislava and Slovakia, both also exciting publishing 'firsts'.

Contents Introduction vi
PART ONE GENERAL INFORMATION 1
Chapter 1 Background Information 3
Geography 3, Climate 5, Natural history and conservation 6, History 16, Government 30, Economy 30, People 32, Language 36, Religion 38, Education 41, Culture 42
Chapter 2 Practical Information 48
When 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 124
PART TWO THE GUIDE 127
Chapter 3 Braov County 128
Braov 129, Places to visit en route from Bucharest to Braov 137, Entering Braov County and Transylvania 139
Chapter 4 Covasna County 151
Sfantu Gheorghe 151, Around Sfantu Gheorghe 154
Chapter 5 Harghita County 162
Miercurea-Ciuc 162, Around Miercurea-Ciuc 166, From Praid to Bicaz Gorges 172, From Gheorgheni to Borsec 173
Chapter 6 Mure County 175
Târgu 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