Sightseeing
The first stop on any visit to Illyefalva must be the Reformed castle church. The 15th/16th-century church is surrounded by the pentagonally shaped castle, the walls of which offer a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside. A museum operates in the loft of the Séra Mansion, preserving the memory of Hungarian novelists Mór Jókai, Kálmán Mikszáth and Dezső Szabó. The first two represented the riding in the National Assembly in the 1880s, while the latter wrote a well-known novel based on his experiences in the village. Statues of the three writers stand in the centre of the village, in front of the museum. Besides the Séra Mansion, restored thanks to the efforts of the Reformed church, there are a good number of heritage properties worth visiting in Illyefalva, such as the Bornemissza Mansion and the Bakó House. In the community of Aldoboly, which belongs to this village, the Hollaky Mansion draws the interest of visitors: the considerably neglected building is accessible free of charge, and one of its walls boasts a fresco depicting the settlement of the Magyars, painted by Nándor Lajos Varga. In Sepsiszentkirály not only is the Unitarian church highly recommended, but also the wooden bridge at the end of the village, which, although discretely situated among the hills and dales of its surroundings, stands as a monument to the community’s solidarity.
Leisure
In the community of Sepsiszentkirály, a part of Illyefalva, there is an active horse farm where national and international races are held. But there is no need to engage in the sport competitively in order to enjoy a few hours of leisure in the company of the horses. Experts at the Szentkirály stables help you take your first steps on horseback, or, if you prefer, to enjoy a ride in a horse-drawn carriage.
Next to the KIDA conference centre in Illyefalva there is a sport centre which guests are welcome to use. The village of Aldoboly boasts a number of nurseries – with their several hundred species of plants, they delight our visitors with veritable botanical gardens. If you should spend a longer period in Illyefalva, you can also sample the holdings of the unsually well-stocked library.
Shopping
Looking for some local Illyefalva specialties to take home? In this era of multinational corporations, when you find the same products on the shelves of supermarkets the world over, Illyefalva offers its guests local items not available anywhere else. The reputation of the custom-designed clothing made at the Rustica house has spread far and wide, as the carefully stitched dresses inspired by the traditional wear of Transylvanian nobles and burghers capture the heart of many a woman looking for something to wear for that special occasion.
