This industrial Romanian city has a 15th-century Gothic castle, Corvin Castle, rising above its steel mills. The surrounding Poiana Ruscă mountains have hiking trails and caves.
Hunedoara sits in western Romania's Transylvania region, where the 15th-century Corvin Castle dominates the cityscape with its Gothic spires and Renaissance windows. The city center has wide boulevards with 100-year-old chestnut trees, and paths lead to Cinciș Lake, a water body surrounded by the rocky peaks of Poiana Ruscă Mountains.
Getting to Hunedoara
The main transport hub for reaching Hunedoara is Simeria, located 13 km north. Regular trains connect Simeria with major Romanian cities including Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, and Timișoara. From Simeria, buses run to Hunedoara every 20 minutes during weekdays, with the journey costing 12 lei. If you're driving from Bucharest, take the A1 motorway to Sibiu, then follow E68 through Sebeș and Simeria before turning onto DJ687 toward Hunedoara.
Inside Corvin Castle
The castle's stone walls rise above a deep moat, which you cross via a wooden bridge. Inside, you can explore three main areas: the Knight's Hall with its white marble columns, the Diet Hall where medieval frescoes cover the walls, and the spiral staircases leading to observation towers. Visit Monday from 12:00-17:00 or Tuesday through Sunday from 09:00-17:00. During peak season (May-August), admission costs 35 lei for adults and 7 lei for students. English-speaking guides charge 65 lei per group.
Walking Through City Parks
Central Park runs along the main boulevard, where century-old chestnut trees create natural shade. In the municipal gardens near the castle, you'll see geometric flower beds and active water fountains from April through October. Corvin Park comes alive in the evenings when locals gather around chess tables and children play in the designated playground areas.
Sports and Recreation
Two indoor pools serve swimmers throughout the year: a 25-meter pool with 1.90-meter depth and a 15-meter training pool for beginners. The city's bowling center, which hosted the 2002 Bowling World Cup, has 8 lanes with electronic scoring systems. Tennis players can use six red clay courts from April through November.
Cinciș Lake Activities
Located 15 kilometers south of Hunedoara, Cinciș Lake covers 867 hectares. Walking paths circle the shoreline, with signs pointing to viewpoints of the Poiana Ruscă Mountains. You can rent boats and fishing equipment on the eastern shore. The lake has an unusual past - beneath its waters lie the original Cinciș village, its cemetery, and two churches, relocated in 1962 when the dam was built.
Day Trips from Hunedoara
Several sites are within an hour's drive. The medieval fortress in Deva sits 15 kilometers north, with views across the Mureș Valley. Retezat National Park, 40 kilometers south, has hiking trails leading to Bucura, Romania's largest glacial lake. At the Hațeg bison reserve, 20 kilometers south, you can take daily guided tours to see European bison in their breeding grounds.
