Deva, Romania Photography | Clever Tourists

Photographing Deva

Deva is a Mureș-valley city crowned by a ruined fortress on a volcanic hill, with a Renaissance palace at its foot and the Hunedoara castles within day-trip range.

Where to shoot

Deva Fortress — the ruin on the volcanic hill above the city, reached by cable car or a 45-minute forest climb, with the best view in Hunedoara county.
Magna Curia — a 16th-century Renaissance palace in the city park, now the county museum, with an arcaded facade that rewards a slow look.
Corvin Castle at Hunedoara — eighteen kilometres away, one of the great Gothic-Renaissance castles of Eastern Europe and an easy half-day from Deva.
Bulevardul 1 Decembrie 1918 — the pedestrian spine of the city, where the cafes and the evening crowd are.

When to go

Late September to October, when the beech woods on the hill turn and the summer heat has gone out of the climb.

What to eat

Order ciorbă de burtă or a plate of mici with mustard and bread at one of the terrace restaurants on the pedestrian street; the county is also good for plum brandy, taken as a small glass before the meal.

Where to stay

Near the pedestrian street in the centre, within walking distance of both the park and the cable car station.

Take the cable car up and walk down, not the reverse — the descent through the forest is pleasant, while the ascent on foot is an unshaded slog in anything but cool weather.