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Voykit pocket guide · Romania
Sibiu
Give Sibiu 2 nights: one full day for the old town squares and towers, one for the ASTRA open-air museum or a Saxon-village drive.
Sibiu is a compact, walkable Saxon old town in southern Transylvania, 280 km by road from Bucharest, with three linked squares, a climbable council tower and a large open-air village museum 5 km out. It works as a 2-night stop between Brașov and the Saxon churches, or as a base for the Transfăgărășan and Păltiniș.
- Country
- Romania
- Best months
- May–Oct; early Sep for the music festival
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, short days); Jul–Aug weekends are the busiest
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- RON
- Money
- Currency is the Romanian leu (RON, plural lei); Romania does not use the euro. About 5 lei to €1 in 2026 — check the live rate.
- Daily spend
- Budget 150–250 lei excl. bed · Mid 250–450 lei excl. bed · High 450 lei+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Orange, Vodafone and Digi sell prepaid SIMs in their shops and at the airport; Digi is the cheapest. Passport ID is required to register a SIM — check.
- Emergency
- Police, ambulance, fire, mountain rescue 112
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Standard European round two-pin; Schuko (F) sockets take C plugs.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: About 10%, left in cash even when paying by card.; Café or bar: Round up or leave a few lei.; Taxi or Bolt: Round up; app tips optional.; Guesthouse host or driver-guide: RON 20–50 per day for good service.; Hotel porter: RON 5–10 per bag.
- Water
- Tap water in cities is treated and generally safe; many locals prefer bottled mineral water (apă plată = still, apă minerală = sparkling). Avoid untreated wells in villages.
- Toilets
- Use cafés, malls, museums and fuel stations; some stations and parks charge RON 1–3. Village and monastery toilets can be basic — carry tissues.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee in the old town | 8–15 lei |
| Ciorbă or a plate of sarmale | 25–45 lei |
| Two courses with drinks for two people | about 150 lei |
| Beer, draught in a pub / bottle from a shop | 10–18 lei / 4–8 lei |
| City bus single ride (contactless card) | 3.50 lei |
| Taxi, 5 km in townTaxi, 3.1 mi in town | 20–30 lei |
| Council Tower entry | about 2 lei |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SBZ · Sibiu International Airport
- 6 km west of the centre; bus route 11 to the centre (fare and journey time check), taxi about 25 lei daytime3.7 mi west of the centre; bus route 11 to the centre (fare and journey time check), taxi about 25 lei daytime
Typical fares
- Airport SBZ → centre, bus 11
- about 4 lei, about 20 min
- Airport SBZ → centre, taxi
- about 25 lei daytime, 30 lei late night
- Sibiu → Bucharest by bus
- about 100 lei, 5 h
- Sibiu → Cluj-Napoca by bus
- about 30 lei, 4 h
Get around
The old town is compact and largely pedestrian: Piața Mare, Piața Mică and Piața Huet are 5 minutes apart on foot. City buses take contactless bank cards on board and print a ticket; a single ride was 3.50 lei in 2026. Bus 13 runs to the ASTRA museum. Taxis meter normally; ask the total before a long ride.
See and do
Known for
- Piața Mare and Piața Mică
- Council Tower (Turnul Sfatului)
- Brukenthal National Museum
- ASTRA open-air folk museum
- Saxon fortified churches nearby
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Păltiniș | Car or bus up the road past Rășinari | About 45 min |
| Ocna Sibiului | Bus or car 15 km NE (check)Bus or car 9.3 mi NE (check) | About 30 min (check) |
| Biertan | Car about 1 h 15 min; public transport is slow and indirect | 1.5 h |
| Mediaș | Train or car about 1 h | About 1 h |
| Dumbrăveni | Train toward Sighișoara, then walk (check) | About 1 h 30 min (check) |
| Sighișoara | Train, infrequent, about 2 h 30 min | About 3 h |
Sleep
- Piața Mică and Piața Mare
- In the pedestrian old town: bars, restaurants and sights on foot. Priciest, and cars cannot reach most doors.
- Around the railway and bus stations
- 500 m NE of the centre; cheaper rooms, easy arrival by train or bus, 10 min walk to Piața Mare.
- Lower Town (Orașul de Jos)
- Cobbled streets below the Iron Bridge; quieter, still walkable to the squares.
- West side toward the airport
- Only for a very early flight; the airport is 6 km out and there is little to walk to (check).Only for a very early flight; the airport is 3.7 mi out and there is little to walk to (check).
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bună ziuaBOO-nuh ZEE-wah |
| Thank you | Mulțumescmool-tsoo-MESK |
| How much is it? | Cât costă?kuht KOS-tuh |
| Can I pay by card? | Pot plăti cu cardul?pot pluh-TEE koo KAR-dool |
| Where is the toilet? | Unde este toaleta?OON-deh YES-teh twa-LEH-tah |
| The bill, please | Nota, vă rogNO-tah vuh ROG |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and eye contact; 'bună ziua' by day, 'bună seara' in the evening; avoid: First names with older people before they offer them
- Visiting a home: Take shoes off at the door; bring flowers (an odd number), chocolate or wine; avoid: Even numbers of flowers — they are for funerals
- Churches: Cover shoulders and knees; women may cover their hair in monasteries; stand quietly at the back during services; avoid: Crossing in front of the altar area or photographing people praying
- Conversation: Food, football, travel in Romania and family are safe topics; avoid: Dracula as the country's identity, calling Romanians Slavs, and careless talk about Roma or Hungarians
- Hospitality: Accept at least a taste of what you are offered; thank the host by name; avoid: Refusing all food and drink outright
- Queues and transport: Give seats to older people and parents with children; avoid: Loud phone calls in train compartments
Scams and watch-outs
- Old town is one-way and partly closed to cars: ask your hotel for exact driving directions before arrival.
- Watch for horse-drawn carts on rural roads if you drive to the villages.
- Zero alcohol tolerance at the wheel in Romania.
- The Lutheran cathedral and some museums close for renovation at times: check before you go.
- Card payment on buses works, but keep some cash for small village stops and markets.
Sibiu is a calm, walkable city and feels safe day and night in the centre. Real risks are pickpockets in crowded festival weekends, uneven cobbles after rain, and unlit village roads if you drive after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Sibiu yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Piața Mare and Piața Mică
- Council Tower (Turnul Sfatului)
- Brukenthal National Museum
- ASTRA open-air folk museum
- Saxon fortified churches nearby
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Sibiu, revision 5288482 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5288482
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Sibiu
La această adresă, vă rog
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, ambulance, fire, mountain rescue112
No embassies in Sibiu; most countries keep embassies in Bucharest, with honorary consulates in Transylvania (check).
Tipping is about 10% in restaurants, in cash; round up taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/sibiu). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.