After the Cluj-Napoca Marathon: Sighișoara

The Route: Cluj-Napoca → Sighișoara → Cluj-Napoca → Cluj Avram Iancu Airport Logistics: Train or bus from Cluj to Sighișoara, one night in the citadel, the same route back. The airport bus completes the trip. Marathon Month: April Duration: 1 night

Cluj-Napoca ──(about 2h45 CFR train or bus)──> Sighișoara citadel
                                                      │
Cluj Airport (CLJ) ◄──(about 26 mins bus A1)── Cluj-Napoca ◄──(about 2h45)──┘

The Cluj-Napoca Marathon finishes on a Sunday, and Sighișoara is a walled medieval citadel, and it is built on a hill and paved with cobbles. A marathoner with 24 hours of recovery behind them will not enjoy either fact, so this itinerary is built around the flat parts.

April in Sighișoara: April is early in the tourist season, and evenings in Transylvania are cold. Check opening times for the places below before you go, as some venues keep shorter hours in spring.

Getting there

The CFR train from Cluj-Napoca to Sighișoara takes about 2 hours 48 minutes, with around three departures a day. Fares run from roughly £6 to £20 depending on the train and the operator. Transferoviar Călători runs one train a day on the line. Trans Olteanu Tour runs a bus on the same route in about 2 hours 45 minutes. Book the train through the CFR planner at bilete.cfrcalatori.ro and check the day's departures, because there are not many.

Night One: Sighișoara

The citadel sits on a hill above the lower town. Plan on leaving your bags at the hotel and walking only what is on the level. The main square, Piața Cetății, and the streets immediately round it are cobbled but fairly flat. The Clock Tower stands over the square at 64 metres, and the climb inside is by stairs. Check the opening hours and price at the door.

The Covered Stairway has 175 steps and dates to 1642. It leads up to the Church on the Hill, built in 1525. Going up 175 steps two days after a marathon is a poor trade, and going down is worse. Look at the stairway from the bottom and ask your hotel about the longer, shallower approach to the church.

Allow five to six hours for the main sights at an ordinary pace. After a marathon, aim for the square, one museum and an early dinner.

The house traditionally linked to Vlad Dracul, father of the Vlad later called the Impaler, stands on the square. It holds a small weapons museum and an on-site restaurant. The connection to Stoker's novel is a tourism one, but the building is worth a look.

Where to stay

Casa cu Cerb and Casa Wagner are both in the old town. Casa Wagner is at 7 Piața Cetății on the main square, so bags and legs stay close to the door. Book ahead, as old-town rooms are limited.

Where to eat

The restaurant at the Vlad Dracul house is the obvious option, with the usual Transylvanian dishes of soups, grilled meat and polenta. Your hotel can book a table and will know which kitchens are open on the night.

Getting Home