Hunedoara is home to one of southern Transylvania’s enchanting gems – the Corvin Castle, rising in a series of spiked turrets, crenulated bulwarks, and Game of Thrones-esque spires. The ancient Roman quarries and undulating green hills of the surrounding Poiana Rusca Mountains add to the charms of the city.

Start your tour with the castle. Called both Corvin and Hunyadi, it is hailed as one of the wonders of Romania and dates all the way back to the 1300s, packing in opulent feast halls and striking defensive turrets that loom high and ghostly above the Zlasti River. You will likely need help from a qualified Hunedoara tour guide to learn more about the rich history, including tales of Vlad the Impaler and his imprisonment in the dungeons. Once the castle has worked its charms, you can turn to the other aspects of this delightful Transylvanian city. The mountains are the obvious place to look - they herald the beginning of the Carpathian chain to the southwest, a landscape of green valleys and rock-ribbed cliffs where villages stuck in the past, await.