TravelswithCharie

Sighişoara, Romania (on Fodor's Europe Go List 2024) Have you decided yet where you’re going for vacation or R&R in 2024? If not, here are a number of lists for you to browse and mull over. Hope it helps you make a decision. Afar Magazine Where to go in 2024 The readers of Afar Magazine are seeking destinations that  offer “ample opportunities for sustainable exploration” . With this in mind, their editors have compiled a list which includes Fiji, Bhutan, Lamu in Kenya, Sidney and Seattle. Check out the full list here:  https://www.afar.com/magazine/where-to-go-2024 American Express  2024 Trending destinations - Off the beaten path The American Express list provides alternative places to the most popular destinations in response to their customers’ preference to travel somewhere they’ve never been before. So instead of the Maldives, go to Seychelles or switch Sedona with Santa Fe and Istanbul with Bodrum. You’ll find it all here:  https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/travel

Bran Castle or Dracula’s Castle The most popular touristic destination in Romania is undoubtedly Bran Castle, more commonly known as Dracula’s Castle. Dracula is a work of fiction by a 19th century Irish novelist named Bram Stoker who had never been to Romania, let alone to Dracula’s Castle. Yet, Dracula haunts many of us so much so that we follow the pilgrims’ path to Transylvania to be where this fictional character supposedly lived and bit his victims to drink their blood. Fiction aside, the family of the real Dracula lived in the picturesque hilltop town of Sighisoara, under the shadow of the 14th century clock tower. Find out more about Sighisoara here:  https://www.travelswithcharie.com/2023/08/sighisoara-medieval-town.html Vlad Dracul, the father of Vlad III,  the Impaler, also known as Vlad Țepeş (and perhaps the inspiration behind the novel, Dracula) supposedly lived in this yellow house from 1431-1435. (There are studies that point otherwise.)  Vlad Dracul was so called becau

Strada Tamplârilor (Carpenter’s Street) When I was planning a trip to Romania, the place I wanted to visit the most was Sighisoara (pronounced see gui sho ara; the ghi is the same sound as gui in guild ). It was the one place that called to me among all the pretty little towns in the country. Perhaps it was the image of colorful houses and the rustic ambience that appealed to me the most. I knew how much farther away Sighisoara is from the capital, Bucharest, and I studied all the options of getting there on my own. I just couldn’t imagine going to Romania without seeing Sighisoara. Citadel or Town Square ( Piața Cetății) Sighisoara sits on top of a hill surrounded by medieval fortifications. It is like a fairytale village with its storybook setting, cobblestone streets, towers, a covered stairway, an intriguing history complete with an evil prince and an impressive clock tower. Clock Tower (Turnul cu Ceas) The 64-meter Clock tower is perhaps the first thing you see as you approach th