Built atop a rocky perch, Dracula’s Castle (Bran Castle) stands tall with white brickwork, exposed beams and is topped with orange rooftiles and tall spires. You can see exactly why it has its associations with Dracula: it feels ominous and imposing, maybe even intimidating (or is that just psychological?). The castle evidently has plenty of stories to tell and has been associated with Romanian myths and legends. This really is an intriguing spot to add to your Romania itinerary.

We visited as a half-day trip from Brasov, and so have put together this guide on how to visit Dracula’s Castle.

A Little of Bran Castle’s Back Story

A castle has been on this site since early 1200s, however, the stone castle of Bran was built in the late 1300s. Used as a defence against the invading Ottomans and a checkpoint along a trade route, it wasn’t until after the Austro-Hungarian rule in 1920, that the Romanian royalty were handed the property.

Queen Marie was particularly fond of the castle and instigated renovations to bring it into the condition that we see today. Communism came in, the royal family were expelled, and their property taken. After the fall of communism, properties were redistributed to their rightful heirs and Bran Castle was turned into a museum.

Did Dracula actually live here?

Ok, so first thing to clear up is that, quite upsettingly, this isn’t actually anything to do with the fictional character from Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula. Fictional Dracula is very often mixed up with the very much real Vlad Tepes (or Vlad Dracul or Vlad the Impaler as you may know him) who was a ruler of the Wallachia region of Romania in the 1400s. Even fictional Dracula is not believed to have been set here.

So it seems that the imposing castle is a place where people could picture Dracula living and so it stuck? Disappointing, eh? Nevertheless, the castle is an amazing piece of architecture with a museum inside dedicated to Queen Marie of Romania, that is worthy of a visit.

Where is the castle?

Dracula’s Castle or Bran Castle is located in the village of Bran in Transylvania, about 25km southwest of Brasov. It makes an easy day or even half-day trip from Brasov on a public bus that only takes about 50 minutes.

How do I get to Bran Castle from Brasov?

Head to Autogara 2 in Brasov city where a public bus leaves this station every half hour. You can’t pay for your ticket in advance, so just turn up, jump on and pay 13 RON (price in 2022) in cash to the driver. We got there about ten minutes early and were able to buy tickets and grab a seat without problems.

It is a straight forward journey and will get you there in about 50 minutes. The bus will drop you right outside the castle entrance. Walk through the market stalls selling Dracula souvenirs and enter the castle. Maybe stop for a Turkish coffee cooked over sand by this guy.

How much does it cost?

Tickets cost 70 RON, so they’re pretty pricey for a backpacker budget. You buy your ticket at the gate and then have to scan the barcode when you enter the castle itself, so make sure you hold on to it until then. You can actually enter the grounds of the castle, wander round, have a picnic by the ponds, take photos of the castle etc. without paying any fee. It is only entering the castle that requires payment.

Is it worth paying to go inside?

It depends on your interests. As someone who really appreciates unique and historic architecture, I would say yes! You get to enter several rooms which have been laid out with traditional furniture and paintings etc. There are rooms that have more of a museum feel about them with information on the castle’s history, Queen Marie and even Romanian folklore and legends. You get to climb the stairs through a secret passageway, stand out on the balcony for some great views of the surrounding area and the internal courtyard.

When we visited Romania, I felt like it was something that I really wanted to do: it’s probably Romania’s biggest claim to fame around the world! I think it was worth the entrance fee.

How long should you spend there?

We spent about an hour walking around the castle, reading the info on the exhibits and taking pictures. After visiting the castle, wander around the outside also. Maybe find a spot in the sunshine for a drink or a picnic.

Does it get busy?

Yes! Queuing to get into a tourist attraction is THE worst, however, there are some instances where it is necessary, and this is one of them.

My advice is to get the first bus from Brasov that leaves at 8am to get you to the castle before the 9am opening. We arrived about ten minutes before opening and there were maybe twelve people waiting in the queue.

Get in and visit the castle first as this is where the backlog of people is created. The secret passageway and stairwells are narrow so it could easily cause a queue. If we didn’t arrive first thing, I probably would have struggled with the sheer amount of people.

How do I get back to Brasov?

Jump on the same bus on the other side of the road. The bus stop is right by a langos stand so you could always grab one of these while you’re waiting. It’s the same deal on the way back: you shouldn’t have to wait more than 30 minutes.

Where to Stay in Brasov

I wouldn’t really recommend the accommodation that we stayed in. There was no window, which is one of my absolute non-negotiables, but we didn’t realise until we got there. If we were going back to Brasov, we would book either Dinicu Residence – Central Location or MagicB up instead!

Train travel in Romania turned out to be the best way for us to get around the country. Hiring a car was not in the budget, and buses seemed to be more expensive and often only a little quicker than the train.

Train stations tend to be located more centrally in cities than the bus stations, which means that you can just walk to your accommodation and not have to fork out for taxi. So, for us, train travel was a no-brainer, but it completely depends on many factors and your style of travel.

If you’re looking for budget friendly travel with decent leg room, train travel in Romania is your best bet.

Train travel in Romania turned out to be relatively straight forward, though it did have some quirks. We used a lot of trains during our Romanian trip so decided to pull together all the information that we thought would be useful to you too.

Buy your Tickets at the Machines

You get a discount for not bothering the people at the ticket desk (and if you’re at Gara de Nord in Bucharest, trust me, you don’t want to talk to them anyway!)

Book Tickets in Advance if Possible

Try to buy your tickets a few days in advance, especially if travelling at peak times. We didn’t manage to book on to a morning train to Bucharest, and so had to take a train leaving at 4am instead.

Double Check your Carriage and Seat Number

Tickets have assigned seat numbers. The carriages are not always marked on the trains correctly, and are also not necessarily in the right order, so it’s not always logical. I recommend double checking with a ticket controller as you get on to the train.

Hold on to that Ticket

Your ticket could be checked multiple times throughout the journey, so hold onto it for the whole journey.

Luggage Storage is Overhead

Luggage storage is generally on metal racks above the seats. So if you have 20kg backpacks like us, get training to lift that bag above your head!

Trains are Owned by Different Companies

Trains are run by different companies, so double check your train number on your ticket matches that on the digital displays at the stations. Our train from Sinaia to Brasov was delayed and another train run by a different company taking the exact same route turned up just before our delayed train. We (and others, not just us!) got on this wrong train, and then got kicked off a few stops into the journey!

Don’t Worry about Tight Train Connections

If you have a connecting train that you miss because of a delay to your first train, you will be able to get your ticket switched to the next train. Make sure you get this new ticket at the ticket desk though. Don’t just jump on the next train with the ticket for the earlier train you missed. The ticket controllers are more than happy to kick you off a train.

We had a tight train connection of five minutes! Squeaky bum time. The first train ended up being ten minutes late, but the connecting train waited for the passengers from the late train. So, if you have the connection booked already and the train can wait, they likely will.

Trains are Generally Pretty Slow

A lot of train journeys go all around the houses, traipsing through monotonous fields for miles on end. Don’t expect to get there quickly.

Tell Them that You Don’t Need a Seat

If the person at the ticket desk tells you that there are no seats available, tell them that you are ok to stand. They might huff and puff a bit, but will likely still sell you the ticket. Chances are that you will find an empty seat for at least part of your journey; just be ready to stand up if someone has that seat reserved.

Ask about Last Minute or Late Release Tickets

For longer journeys, five hours for example, they will likely not sell a standing ticket. However, they do hold on to a small number of tickets to sell on the day. They are released at a certain time before the train departs. If your train is sold out, ask when the late release is and get in the queue for bang on that time!

Facilities on Trains and at the Stations

Most stations have toilet facilities, a small shop and a café. Smaller stations might not have the ticket machines, so you will need to buy your tickets from the desk (and unfortunately not get your discount).

Trains are pretty comfortable and have basic toilet facilities.

Romania was a culture shock and a half. We had spent the last (nearly) three months in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo, and suddenly we were venturing into the EU. The general feel was just different, but I couldn’t place my finger on what it was. Let’s just say that first impressions weren’t the best…

We were trying to get the bus from Bucharest city centre to the main train station (maybe fifteen minutes). Last time we got on the bus, we just tapped our Starling cards on the machines on board, and our ticket was paid. This time round, the machine wasn’t doing anything. I walked down to the other machine on board, and it was the same thing. Almost like the machines just weren’t working or maybe switched off? So unsure what to do, and needing to catch our train, we just sat tight.

Guess who jumps on board at the next stop … bloody Bucharest bus ticket controllers.

They came straight to us because we looked like tourists, and asked us about our tickets. I explained, and they told us that we had to pay a fine. Because your machines are switched off, we’re being fined?! I asked if we could pay for the ticket now by card or cash: we had both at the ready (bear in mind it is a flat fee for one tap and costs 3 RON). No, was the answer. They told us that we were on camera on the bus and demanded payment of 80 RON each. The two of them were standing over us and were pretty intimidating. We were being mugged off 100%. But what could we do?! We paid the fine by card and they left.

What a warm welcome to Romania! We had gone from the amazing hospitality of our previous countries and then arrived into Romania where we were slapped in the face.

160 RON down, we did make it on to our train out of Bucharest. We got chatting to the Romanian woman sat opposite us and she was THE loveliest!

She was giving us tips of where to visit, which restaurants and day trips were best. She offered to walk us to the bus stop for the next part of our journey once we got off the train. Then she gave us a packet of tissues when we discovered our bananas had gotten squashed all over the inside of our bag (rookie error, never pack bananas loose!). And even gave us a bus card for Bucharest for when we returned that she thought had some money on it.

Literally, we went from the most awful people to the nicest in about ten minutes. And I am so glad that we were able to even out the nice to not nice ratio, because it was looking pretty rough!

The moral of the story is to not let one bad experience tarnish your opinion of a place. Wait til you have at least three bad things…I’m joshing! Our bad experience was balanced out with a good one straight away (yin and yang and all that). Welcome the rough, welcome the smooth, and remember that if everything was plain sailing, there’d be nothing much to talk about!