Things to do in Sibiu
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Sibiu
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring blossom and uncrowded museums, late May is best, lamb season and hiking opens.
Festival city at full tilt, terraces late, Transfagarasan open, busiest and hottest.
Golden forests and harvest markets, many call September the best month, road still open.
Cold and often snowy, Christmas Market and skiing, January to February is quietest and cheapest.
What's on
- Sibiu Jazz Festival May
Jazz festival in spring, as shepherds take sheep to the mountains.
- Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS) Late June each year, ten days
One of Europe's largest performing arts festivals, book everything months ahead.
- ARTmania Festival late July
Rock and metal festival in Piata Mare since 2006, with art exhibitions.
- Feeric Fashion Week July
Fashion shows in citadel, industrial and square locations.
- Sibiu Medieval Festival / Citadels Festival late August
Re-enactment, crafts and music in the centre and at ASTRA.
- Cheese & Brandy Festival, Rășinari late August
Village cheese and brandy festival in Rășinari.
- Shepherds' Feast, Tilișca mid-August
Shepherds gathering in Tilișca in Marginimea Sibiului.
- Sibiu Opera Festival September into mid-October
Opera and vocal symphonic productions across venues.
- Descending of the Sheep, Mărginimea September
Sheep are brought down from the mountains in Marginimea villages.
- ASTRA Film Festival Usually mid to late October
Romania's longest running documentary festival, book screenings and rooms ahead.
Best things to do in Sibiu
ASTRA National Museum of Traditional Folk Civilization
Europe scale open air museum of Romanian village life rebuilt in forest and meadow around lakes.
Piața Mare
Grand baroque main square ringed with cafes and palaces, the centre of festival life.
Piața Mică
Smaller arcaded merchants square with the best restaurant terraces and the Bridge of Lies.
Huet Square
Quiet oval square enclosed by the Lutheran Cathedral and Saxon houses, the overlooked peaceful one.
Turnul Sfatului
Best value viewpoint in town, a panoramic gallery over red roofs and cathedral towers.
Brukenthal National Museum
Romania's first museum, with European painting in the palace of the Habsburg governor.
Lutheran Cathedral of Saint Mary
Gothic hall church with a 73 metre tower and the largest organ in south eastern Europe.
Historic Centre of Sibiu
Lived in Saxon old town of guild squares, roof eyes, the Passage of the Stairs and Lower Town lanes.
Where to stay in Sibiu
Upper Old Town
first trip, all-round base
Walk to every sight, restaurant and concert in minutes, waking up in the postcard.
Lower Old Town
best value inside the walls, repeat visitors and longer stays
Smaller colourful houses, local bakeries and bars, five to ten minutes up to Piata Mare.
Just outside the walls - Piața Unirii / Bulevardul Victoriei
drivers and business comfort
Large hotels with parking and lifts a short walk from Piata Mare, easier for daily car trips.
Dumbrava / South
resort, family and spa stays
Leafy forest edge with pool and spa and easy parking, a ten minute drive from the Old Town.
Think twice about
- Gara (main station) immediate blocks
Shabby, transient and noisy, the least attractive arrival streets. Pass through, do not base there.
- Far residential districts - Hipodrom, Vasile Aaron, Ștrand outskirts, Broscărie
Soviet era blocks and industrial streets, safe but soulless, with a bus ride to everything.
- Șelimbăr / Shopping City mall strip
Chain hotels by the mall and highway traffic, car only, mall food and no Sibiu character.
- Cisnădie road / airport highway sprawl
Scattered pensions on busy roads with no pavement joy. You will drive for coffee.
Best restaurants in Sibiu
Crama Sibiul Vechi
Traditional benchmark cellar for sarmale, bean soup in bread, grilled meats and papanasi.
La Cuptor
Where Sibiu food people send you for the best meal, modern Romanian cooking in a small room.
Kulinarium
Small Square terrace where the food holds up, refined Romanian dishes from Transylvanian produce.
Benjamin Steakhouse & Bar
Sibiu's steak address, Black Angus matured 21 days and cooked in a Josper charcoal oven.
Pivnița de Vinuri Weinkeller
Romantic brick wine cellar and garden courtyard with one of the centre's best wine programmes.
Hermania
Calm, refined dining room for Saxon influenced and Romanian traditional cooking near Thalia Hall.
Kombinat
New generation gastropub cooking Marginimea and small producer ingredients, with craft beer.
Pasaj
Contemporary restaurant with seasonal tasting leaning menus and natural leaning wine.
Best bars in Sibiu
Café Wien
Austrian cafe culture on the main square, cakes and coffee for an afternoon pause.
Outdoor things to do in Sibiu
Transfăgărășan
Famous alpine road climbing to 2042 metres, with hairpins, Balea Lake and Balea Waterfall.
Păltiniș
Oldest Romanian mountain resort and trailhead for Cindrel Peak, glacial lakes and forest loops.
Arena Platoș Păltiniș
Modern small ski area with night skiing, schools, sledging and a snowpark near Sibiu.
Mărginimea Sibiului
Cluster of shepherd villages known for cheese, transhumance customs and village lunches.
Biertan Fortified Church
UNESCO late Gothic fortified church inside three rings of walls, with a famous sacristy lock.
Sighișoara
UNESCO inhabited citadel and birthplace of Vlad Tepes, with a clock tower to climb.
Viscri Fortified Church
White fortified church village championed by conservation projects, a calm add on day trip.
Corvin Castle
Romania's most spectacular Gothic castle, with a drawbridge, Knights Hall and Diet Hall.
Best hotels in Sibiu
Hilton Sibiu
Sibiu's only international five star resort hotel, with balconies over forest and a full spa.
Hotel Împăratul Romanilor
Historic grand hotel on the pedestrian boulevard where emperors and composers stayed.
Noblesse Boutique Hotel
Small design led boutique in the centre with stylish interiors and personal service.
ART Hotel Sibiu
Reviewer favourite four star boutique a stone's throw from Huet Square and Piata Mare.
Ramada by Wyndham Sibiu
Large reliable four star with parking and mountain views, best for drivers and families.
Continental Forum Sibiu
1912 historic monument hotel on the old town edge, five minutes to Piata Mare with parking.
Casa Luxemburg
Small hotel in a 15th century merchants house on the Small Square, overlooking the Bridge of Lies.
Cetatea Medievală
Small exceptional rated old town guesthouse with few rooms, owner hosting and courtyard breakfasts.
Is Sibiu expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | RON 225 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | RON 475 a person |
| Splurge | RON 950 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Thalia Hall: a few days ahead
- Radu Stanca National Theatre: a few days ahead
- Transfăgărășan: a few days ahead
- Arena Platoș Păltiniș: a few days ahead
- Biertan Fortified Church: a few days ahead
- Sighișoara: a few days ahead
- Viscri Fortified Church: a few days ahead
- Corvin Castle: a few days ahead
- Old Town hotels months ahead for Theatre Festival, ARTmania, Astra Film and Christmas Market weekends.
- Dinner at La Cuptor, Weinkeller, Benjamin and Kulinarium two to four days ahead in season.
- Private Transfagarasan, Biertan and Sighisoara and guided Cindrel tours three to seven days ahead in summer.
- Theodora Golf tee times and lessons ahead, especially weekends.
Is Sibiu safe?
- Sibiu is very safe, use normal city care on festival terraces and at the Christmas Market.
- Never feed or approach bears on the Transfagarasan, stay in the car.
- Give shepherd dogs at sheepfolds a wide berth and follow your guide.
- Emergency and mountain rescue services are strong, but rescue is not free for the uninsured.
Sibiu travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Bridge of Lies alone is a two minute walk over, not an hour or a midday selfie queue.
- Piața Mare laminated menu terraces with touts and photos of every dish.
- Bran Castle as a Sibiu day trip is 2.5 hours each way and crowded, Corvin is the better castle day.
- Doing all Brukenthal satellite museums in one day causes museum fatigue, palace plus History is the sweet spot.
Getting around Sibiu: public transport and more
- Walk the centre, everything except ASTRA is within 15 minutes.
- Use Tursib buses for ASTRA, Paltinis, the station and Binder Lake, buy via app or contactless before boarding.
- Bolt and licensed metered taxis are easy for ASTRA, the station and the airport.
- Rent a car for Transfagarasan, fortified churches, Corvin Castle and golf days, and budget for a public lot.
Who Sibiu suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Sibiu your trip
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