July 2022

One cannot come to Transylvania and not visit Bran Castle – Dracula’s castle. The gloomy hilltop castle seems like a perfect vampire’s lair. It is not, though. And it was not. Vlad III the Impaler (Vlad Țepeș, Vlad Dracula) and Bram Stoker’s Dracula are loosely connected and neither of them lived in Bran castle. Dracula means “son of Dracul (Dragon in medieval Romanian)”. And that Dracul (Dragon) was Vlad II as a member of the Order of Dragon. The real Vlad Dracula is a national hero in Romania and has nothing to do with vampires.

The castle exposition is mostly dedicated to Queen Marie – the last queen of Romania. 

Of course, there is a room dedicated to Count Dracula the vampire and his appearances in popular culture. Several installations introduce Transylvanian superstitious creatures including nosferatu. Since it is a medieval castle, we believe there must be a torture chamber as well.

There are two ways out of the castle: walk back to the gates (boring) or take the elevator to the underground gallery at the base of the hill and then walk to the park surrounding the castle. You will have to pay a separate fee for the elevator, though, but believe us, it is worth it. And it comes with its own story.

Bran castle is a popular tourist attraction, therefore the line at the ticket booth may be quite long. You can save time by purchasing tickets to Bran Castle online. Also remember that medieval castles were built without accessibility in mind. Visitors must be fit enough to walk up that hill and the stairs inside the castle. Long stairways in dark and narrow corridors, where flocks of bats fly straight into your face… Just kidding.