Sarmizegetusa Regia
Grădiștea de Munte, Hunedoara County · Transylvania
About Sarmizegetusa Regia
Sarmizegetusa Regia was the political, military and religious capital of the Dacians for the last century and a half before the Roman conquest. The settlement grew high up in the Orăștie Mountains, far from the open valleys, and reached its peak under King Decebalus. After two wars with the Roman Empire, Trajan took it in AD 106; the Romans kept a garrison here for a while, then the place was abandoned, and its name passed to the new capital of the province, Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, some 40 km away in the Hațeg Country — a different site, and one it is often confused with.
The site has three parts: the fortress itself, an enclosure of about 3 ha behind 3 m thick walls built in the murus dacicus technique (dressed limestone blocks tied together with timber beams); the civilian settlement, spread over artificial terraces along the ridge; and, east of the fortress, the sacred area. Some of the best-known Dacian objects were found here, such as the vessel inscribed "DECEBALVS PER SCORILO".
Since 1999 Sarmizegetusa Regia has been the main component of the "Dacian Fortresses of the Orăștie Mountains", inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List together with Costești-Cetățuie, Costești-Blidaru, Luncani-Piatra Roșie, Bănița and Căpâlna.
What you can see
From the ticket office you enter the fortress between moss-covered walls and old beech trees, then walk down the road paved with limestone slabs, several metres wide, to the sacred area. In a broad clearing, rows of column bases mark the rectangular sanctuaries, in limestone and andesite, and next to them stand the two circular sanctuaries: the large one, with its posts restored in a ring, and the small one. Alongside is the "Andesite Sun", a disc of slabs with rays, thought to have been an altar. The routes are waymarked and have information panels in Romanian and English.
Good to know
In 2026 restoration work is under way on Terrace X and inside the fortress enclosure, so the site opens at weekends only and some areas may be fenced off. The last 850 m or so, from the car park to the entrance, are walked uphill.
- The large circular sanctuary, with its andesite posts restored in a ring, in the middle of the clearing in the sacred area.
- The "Andesite Sun", the disc of slabs with rays next to the sanctuaries.
- The road paved with limestone slabs that runs down from the fortress gate to the sacred area.
- The fortress walls in the murus dacicus technique, among the old beech trees along the enclosure.
- The drive up the Grădiștea valley, with stops at the Costești-Cetățuie and Costești-Blidaru fortresses, also on the UNESCO list.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: leave the A1 motorway at Orăștie and follow county road DJ705A through Beriu, Orăștioara de Sus and Costești, then up the Grădiștea valley through Grădiștea de Munte to the car park at the end of the road: ~40 km from Orăștie, the last ~19 km from Costești through almost uninhabited country. The road is paved all the way to the car park; the Orăștie–Costești section was upgraded in 2024–2025. Orăștie is ~30 km from Deva, ~40 km from Alba Iulia and ~85 km from Sibiu on the A1. Cars are not allowed beyond the car park: the last ~850 m to the ticket office are on foot, up a path through the forest (10–15 minutes). In winter the road may be covered in snow or ice.
Public transport: we found no regular service to the site. The nearest railway station is Orăștie, from where you continue by car or taxi.
- Where to park
Free, spacious car park at the end of the paved road; from there it is ~850 m on foot, uphill, to the ticket office. Cars are not allowed beyond the car park.
- Fees & discounts
Adults 30 lei; pupils, students and seniors 10 lei; people with moderate or mild disabilities 10 lei, with severe disabilities (and their companion) free. Photography fee 15 lei (private individuals). Audio guide in Romanian, English, French, German and Hungarian: 30 lei for 90 minutes. Specialist guided tour for groups of up to 30 people: 100 lei in Romanian, 150 lei in English. Annual pass: adults 200 lei, family 300 lei, pupils/students/seniors 100 lei. Single ticket for all the sites of the Museum of Dacian and Roman Civilisation, valid for 7 days: adults 150 lei, children 50 lei, family 300 lei (2 adults + 2 children) or 200 lei (1 adult + 2 children). Commercial filming or photography: 300 lei per hour.
- Rules
Photography is charged separately (photo fee), and commercial filming and photography have their own rate. Cars stay in the car park. The site is guarded and monitored at all times; do not climb on the walls or the sanctuary posts, and keep to the waymarked routes, especially near the works. Wear hiking or sports shoes: the paths are earth and stone, sloping and slippery after rain.
- Facilities
Ticket office at the site entrance · toilets next to the ticket office · audio guide for hire · information panels in Romanian and English · mountain gendarmerie post · no shops or petrol stations on the last ~19 km (stock up in Costești) · guesthouses and restaurants in the Grădiștea valley
Reviews
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