top of page

Guilds, Towers and Dracula Self Guided Tour of Sighisoara

4.8

( 26 reviews )

$6.99

WhatsApp Image 2025-02-18 at 10.33.58.jpeg
WhatsApp Image 2025-02-18 at 10.39.09.jpeg
building-6145831_1280.jpg
WhatsApp Image 2025-02-18 at 14.17.16.jpeg

Step into Sighișoara on a short self-guided walk through colorful medieval streets, ancient towers, and one of Europe’s best-preserved fortified towns.

Highlights


  • Stand before the yellow house where Vlad the Impaler was supposedly born and the name Dracula was forged

  • Climb a covered wooden staircase built so children could reach their school through deep winter snow

  • Decode a centuries-old clock whose two faces hide Roman gods, alchemical metals, and a midnight ritual

  • Trace the guild towers whose stored gunpowder turned one fire into the disaster that remade the town

  • Read the German graves of the Saxon community that built this citadel over thirty generations and then vanished

Preview Stop

Shoemakers' Tower
00:00 / 01:04
This pentagonal tower is the Turnul Cizmarilor, the Shoemakers' Tower. And it is time for me to finally tell you about the Great Fire of sixteen hundred and seventy-six which I have already mentioned so many times. Here is what happened. In late April that year, a widow in the lower town left a fire burning unattended while she was doing the laundry. The fire spread to her house, jumped to the neighbours, and very quickly began moving up towards the citadel. Most of the houses at that point were made of timber and so the fire spread and raged on.By the time it was finally put out, much of the lower town was in ashes, and many of the guild towers were damaged or ruined. It is said that almost seventy percent of Sighișoara burned that day. Houses were rebuilt afterwards in brick and stone instead of wood, which is the reason the lower town today looks the way it does. Now, the Shoemakers' guild had stored gunpowder inside this tower. When the fire reached here, it ignited, and this tower was so badly damaged that it had to be completely rebuilt. The shoemakers, by the way, were one of the substantial guilds in Sighișoara. Footwear in the medieval and early modern town was a serious craft. Most people walked everywhere, on rough cobblestones and unpaved tracks, in all weather, year after year. A pair of well-made boots was an investment. A poorly made pair was a slow disaster for the feet. Master shoemakers passed their skills from father to son for generations, and the guild controlled who could open a shop, what materials they could use, and what they could charge. Today, this tower houses Radio Son Sighișoara, a local radio station, which is a wonderfully twenty-first-century use of a medieval defensive structure. Now, follow the map to the next guild tower, which was affected by the Great Fire.
About this activity 



Free Cancellation 

  • Cancel up to 2 hours in advance for a full refund 

Valid 365 days 

  • Tour is valid for 1 year and can be used multiple times 

Language Options  

  • English | French | German | Spanish | Italian | Dutch | Polish | Russian | Portuguese

Duration  

  • 1 hour and 30 minutes

Starting point


Tinsmiths' Tower -   Google Maps

OR

Download app for instant tour access

Screenshot 2025-02-24 at 5.10.26 PM.png
Screenshot 2025-02-24 at 5.10.32 PM.png
Itinerary
The Tinsmiths' Tower
Begin waar één enkele toren vier keer van vorm verandert terwijl je omhoog kijkt, en ontdek waarom.
Sighisoara Clock Tower
Kijk omhoog naar een klok met twee verschillende wijzerplaten waarvan de figuren om middernacht draaien.
Casa Vlad Dracul
Ga naar het gele huis waar een prins werd geboren en waar de naam van een vampier voor het eerst ontstond.
Stag House
Vind de hertenkop aan deze hoek en hoor hoe een inwoner eeuwen eerder dan verwacht Amerika bereikte.
Casa Venekiana
Bekijk de ramen die lijken op het paleis van de Doge en ontdek wat ze stilletjes aankondigden over de eigenaar.
Turnul Cizmarilor
Ontdek waarom een toren vol buskruit en een brand veroorzaakt door de was van een weduwe deze hele stad veranderden.
Tailors' Tower
Vraag je af waarom de toren van het rijkste gilde explodeerde terwijl armere buren dezelfde brand overleefden.
The Butchers' Tower
Ontdek waarom de eenvoudige slager een gildefunctie had die kon bepalen of een belegering eindigde met overgave.
The Covered Stairway
Beklim een overdekte houten trap die werd gebouwd om één bijzondere reden met kinderen en Transsylvanische sneeuw.
School on the Hill
Loop naar een school die al vijf eeuwen bestaat en ontmoet de directeur die verdwijnende volksverhalen redde.
Saxon Cemetery
Lees Duitse namen en uitgehouwen gereedschappen op de graven van de verdwenen gemeenschap die hier elke steen bouwde.
Full Description
Walk through one of Europe's last living medieval citadels, where Saxon guilds built the towers, a future Dracula was born, and the people who raised every stone have nearly all gone.
Important Information 


  • Instructions with link to app and how to access the tour will be sent to your email post checkout  

  • You can gain instant access to the tour by downloading the app and buying the tour on the app

Frequently asked questions

bottom of page