# ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Sibiu County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/sibiu) › [Sibiu](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/sibiu)

> Romania's largest open-air museum, in the Dumbrava forest outside Sibiu: over 300 houses, mills, workshops and wooden churches brought from across the country, along ~10 km of paths.

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**At a glance:** Museums and memorial houses in Sibiu, Sibiu County. Opening hours: daily 08:00 – 18:00. Ticket: 50 lei. The visit takes 2½ – 3 hours. Information verified on 22 September 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily 08:00 – 18:00 — Hours of the main entrance (gate 1) from 21 September to 26 October 2026; last ticket at 17:45. Gate 2, by Cârciuma din Bătrâni, is open daily 10:00–18:00, and the gate by the zoo Wednesday–Sunday 09:30–17:30. Hours are longer in summer and shorter in winter (winter 2025–2026: 08:00–17:00) — check the official website.
- **Ticket:** 50 lei — seniors 20 lei, pupils 10 lei
- **Visit duration:** 2½ – 3 hours — ~10 km of paths
- **With kids:** Yes — a lot of walking
- **Parking:** Yes, free — next to gate 1
- **Best season:** April – October — come in the morning
- **Address:** Strada Pădurea Dumbrava 16, gate 1, Sibiu, Sibiu County
- **Coordinates:** 45.75519, 24.11612
- **Phone:** +40 756 085 794
- **Website:** https://muzeulastra.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muzeul_Civiliza%C8%9Biei_Populare_Tradi%C8%9Bionale_%E2%80%9EASTRA%E2%80%9D_din_Sibiu
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15107077
- **Categories:** [Museums and memorial houses](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzee-si-case-memoriale), [Villages and traditions](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/sate-si-traditii)

## About ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation

In the Dumbrava forest, on the southern edge of Sibiu, lies a Romanian village made of buildings brought from every corner of the country: peasant farmsteads, workshops, water mills and windmills, sheepfolds, wayside crosses and wooden churches. Each was taken apart in its home village and rebuilt here together with its interior, so a walk through the museum is a journey through how people lived and worked in the countryside before industrialisation.

The museum was founded in 1963 by a team led by the ethnologist Cornel Irimie, under the name Museum of Folk Technology, and opened to the public in 1967. At first it focused on peasant crafts and tools; from the 1970s, and again after 1990, homes and community buildings were added, such as the church, the school and the inn. Today it belongs to the ASTRA National Museum Complex, named after the Transylvanian cultural association that had opened Sibiu's first ethnographic museum in 1905.

### What you can see

The museum covers ~96 hectares, with ~10 km of paths through woods and meadows and a lake in the middle. On the lakeshore stand the windmills from Dobruja and the fishermen's farmsteads from the Danube Delta, with a floating mill on the water. Along the forest paths you come across water mills with wooden wheels, houses with tall thatched or shingle roofs, workshops for working hemp or timber, and the wooden church from Bezded (Sălaj). Many houses have their interiors open, with period furniture, textiles and pottery.

Next to the main gate, the Multicultural Museum Pavilion hosts temporary exhibitions. The museum also has two places serving traditional food, Cârciuma din Bătrâni and Hanul din Tulgheș.

## Don't miss

- The Dobruja windmills on the lakeshore, reflected in the water.
- The floating mill on the lake and the fishermen's farmsteads from the Danube Delta.
- The water mills with wooden wheels on the stream in the forest.
- The wooden church from Bezded, brought from Sălaj.
- The interiors of the peasant houses, with their original furniture, textiles and pottery.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** the museum is on the southern edge of Sibiu, on the road to Rășinari, ~8 km (~15 minutes) from Piața Mare. Brașov is ~145 km away (~2 hours 40 minutes), Cluj-Napoca ~185 km (~2 hours 30 minutes, on the A10 and A1) and Bucharest ~270 km (~4 hours, through the Olt Valley).

**Public transport:** Tursib bus 13 leaves from outside Sibiu railway station, runs through Piața Unirii and terminates at the Muzeul Astra stop, by the main gate (~20 minutes).

### Where to park

Park in the museum car park or in the spaces along the road opposite the entrance, subject to availability. The car park next to gate 1 is free. Cars are not allowed inside the museum.

### Fees & discounts

Adults 50 lei, seniors 20 lei, pupils and students 10 lei. Groups of at least 20 people get reduced tickets (adults 40 lei). Adults with mild and moderate disabilities pay 10 lei. Annual passes, valid at all ASTRA Museum sites, cost 150 lei (adult), 300 lei (family: 2 adults and 3 children) and 40 lei (pupils and students). Guided tours on request, booked in advance: 150 lei per hour in Romanian and 250 lei per hour in another language, plus tickets. Special events have separate tickets. Tickets are sold at the machines at the entrances (card payment recommended) or online.

### Rules

Dogs are allowed in the open-air museum only on a short lead and accompanied by an adult, but not inside the houses (except guide dogs). Bicycles are allowed for adults only in the first and last two hours of opening, and may be banned on busy days; children under 12 may ride bicycles or (non-electric) scooters only under supervision. Photography and filming for personal use are allowed, without flash indoors; professional cameras and drones require separate fees. Open fires are forbidden and smoking is allowed only in signposted areas. Food and drink are to be consumed in the designated areas.

### Facilities

restaurants in the museum (Cârciuma din Bătrâni, Hanul din Tulgheș) · ticket machines at the entrances · guided tours on request · ASTRA Museum App · pushchairs allowed

## Details

- **Collection type:** ethnography, folk architecture
- **Guided tour:** Yes
- **Local character:** folk architecture

## Frequently asked questions about ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation

**How much is a ticket to ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation?**

A ticket to ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation costs 50 lei (seniors 20 lei, pupils 10 lei). Adults 50 lei, seniors 20 lei, pupils and students 10 lei. Groups of at least 20 people get reduced tickets (adults 40 lei). Adults with mild and moderate disabilities pay 10 lei. Annual passes, valid at all ASTRA Museum sites, cost 150 lei (adult), 300 lei (family: 2 adults and 3 children) and 40 lei (pupils and students). Guided tours on request, booked in advance: 150 lei per hour in Romanian and 250 lei per hour in another language, plus tickets. Special events have separate tickets. Tickets are sold at the machines at the entrances (card payment recommended) or online.

**What are the opening hours of ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation?**

Opening hours at ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation: daily 08:00 – 18:00. Hours of the main entrance (gate 1) from 21 September to 26 October 2026; last ticket at 17:45. Gate 2, by Cârciuma din Bătrâni, is open daily 10:00–18:00, and the gate by the zoo Wednesday–Sunday 09:30–17:30. Hours are longer in summer and shorter in winter (winter 2025–2026: 08:00–17:00) — check the official website.

**How long does a visit to ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation take?**

A visit to ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation takes about 2½ – 3 hours (~10 km of paths).

**Can you visit ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation with kids?**

Yes, ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation is suitable for children (a lot of walking).

**Where can I park at ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation?**

There is free parking at ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation (next to gate 1). Park in the museum car park or in the spaces along the road opposite the entrance, subject to availability. The car park next to gate 1 is free. Cars are not allowed inside the museum.

**How do I get to ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation?**

ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation is located at Strada Pădurea Dumbrava 16, gate 1, Sibiu, Sibiu County. By car: the museum is on the southern edge of Sibiu, on the road to Rășinari, ~8 km (~15 minutes) from Piața Mare. Brașov is ~145 km away (~2 hours 40 minutes), Cluj-Napoca ~185 km (~2 hours 30 minutes, on the A10 and A1) and Bucharest ~270 km (~4 hours, through the Olt Valley). Public transport: Tursib bus 13 leaves from outside Sibiu railway station, runs through Piața Unirii and terminates at the Muzeul Astra stop, by the main gate (~20 minutes).

**When is the best time to visit ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation?**

The best season for ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation: April – October (come in the morning).

## Nearby attractions

- [Sibiu Zoo](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/gradina-zoologica-sibiu) — Zoos and aquariums · Sibiu, SB · 20 lei · 2 – 2½ hours · 1 km
  The zoo in the Dumbrava forest, opened in 1929 and considered the first in Romania, with tigers, lions, jaguars, white wolves, bears and lakes where you can go boating.
- [Brukenthal Palace](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/palatul-brukenthal) — Castles and palaces · Sibiu, SB · 50 lei · 1 – 1½ hours · Top 100 · 7 km
  The Baroque palace of Governor Samuel von Brukenthal on Sibiu's Great Square has housed Romania's oldest museum since 1817: a gallery of European painting with van Eyck, Titian and Bruegel.
- [Grand Square (Piața Mare)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/piata-mare-sibiu) — Monuments and historic sites · Sibiu, SB · Free · 45 min · 7 km
  The main square of old Sibiu, about 140 by 90 metres, enclosed by merchants' houses with "eyes" in their roofs, by the Brukenthal Palace, the Jesuit church and the Council Tower.
- [Cisnădie Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-cisnadie) — Monasteries and churches · Cisnădie, SB · 45 min · 7 km
  A 13th-century Romanesque basilica turned Saxon fortress, 10 km from Sibiu: a bell tower with a clock dating from 1425, double walls and a small museum.
- [Cisnădioara Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-cisnadioara) — Monasteries and churches · Cisnădioara, SB · 10 lei · 8 km
  A Romanesque basilica from the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, left almost unaltered, on the rocky top of St Michael's Hill, ringed by a defensive wall and looking out to the Făgăraș Mountains.
- [Ocna Sibiului](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/ocna-sibiului) — Resorts and thermal baths · Ocna Sibiului, SB · 35 lei · Top 100 · 18 km
  A spa resort 15 km from Sibiu with salt lakes formed where old salt mines caved in: in summer you swim in water that keeps you afloat, between white banks of salt.

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Last updated: 22 September 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania