Timisoara to Corvin Castle: Private day trip

Corvin Castle rises from the Transylvanian foothills as one of the largest and most elaborately detailed Gothic-Renaissance fortresses in Europe — a 14th-century military stronghold rebuilt as a residence of extraordinary architectural ambition by the Hunyadi family, whose power shaped medieval Hungary.

What to see

• The Knight's Hall — the castle's great ceremonial room, 27 meters long with vaulted ceilings and the family coat of arms carved into the stone
• The Chapel — a Gothic chapel of considerable quality, its spire visible from the valley below
• The drawbridge and the Bear Pit — the original drawbridge mechanism and the pit below the eastern tower, associated with local legends of Vlad the Impaler's imprisonment here

What to eat

• Sarmale (cabbage rolls stuffed with minced pork and rice in tomato sauce) and mămăligă (polenta) at the restaurants in Hunedoara town at the foot of the castle

Take note

• The castle is open year-round; guided tours are available in Romanian and English; the surrounding valley walk gives the most dramatic exterior views