A Week in Romania – Part 2: Transylvania and Dracula’s Castle

In Part 1 of our posts about our week in Romania we focused on Bucharest and the wonderful experiences we had in the city. In today’s post we will be sharing our trip to Transylvania, including our visit to Bran Castle (AKA Dracula’s Castle) near the town of Brasov.

Unfortunately a lot of tourists associate a visit to Transylvania as a foray into the land of the vampires. There are even quite a few tours available that cater to the horror genre. But we noticed that a lot of Romanians do a sort of an ‘eye roll’ when tourists mention vampires, garlic and stakes through the heart. And who can blame them? Yes, Dracula’s home is interesting and fun to visit, but there is so much more to appreciate about Transylvania than Dracula. It is anything but spooky, and we hope to share a broader view of this beautiful part of Romania.

While in Transylvania, we visited Peles Castle, Bran Castle and the city of Brasov. Conceivably you could visit all these spots in one, very long day. However, we recommend spending one night along the way, so that you can enjoy your visit and not feel so rushed.

Where is Transylvania?

Transylvania encompasses 40,000 square miles in the center of Romania, and nearly 7 million people make their homes there. The word Transylvania is derived from Latin and literally means ‘on the other side of the woods’. It is aptly named since Transylvania is surrounded by both the Carpathian and Apuseni Mountains and thus most approaches to Transylvania will have you crossing over one of these mountain chains.

Transylvania is one of Europe’s most beautiful areas and is also considered to be the most developed region in Romania. Modern cities coexist with medieval fortresses and quaint villages where people live a lifestyle more reminiscent of the turn of the 20th century. This area is also quite diverse in terms of its culture, since Hungarians, Germans, Slavs and others migrated to this region over hundreds of years.

Transylvania is an outdoor lover’s paradise. Of Romania’s 14 national parks, 5 of them lie within the borders of Transylvania. Some of these parks contain the last virgin forests in all of Europe. There are numerous opportunities for hiking, camping and wildlife sightings. We did not get the opportunity to do any hiking while we were there, but that does give us a good reason to go back at some point in the future.

Even if you do not have the time or inclination to do any hiking, just driving through Transylvania with its beautiful green mountains and valleys will allow you to take in some breathtaking scenery. In addition to dramatic scenery, be on the lookout for the abundant wildlife that lives throughout the region. This area of the country is home to Europe’s largest population of wolves and bears.

Getting There

Tourists can fly directly to Transylvania by way of 3 international airports. However, since we were in Bucharest, we opted to drive to Transylvania. You can make the 4-hour drive by either renting your own car or taking one of the many tours that will transport you to the main tourist sites.

We had heard that the roads in Romania were not the best, so we opted for a private tour in order to avoid driving ourselves. However, in retrospect, Highway 1 from Bucharest to Brasov was just fine and once we were outside of Bucharest the traffic was actually very light.

TIP: Consider stretching you legs in the town of Ploiesti, located about 90 minutes north of Bucharest. If you do not want to drive to the city center, the Ploiesti Shopping City is located right off Highway 1. It is a nice, little mall with shops, a grocery store, restaurants, and most importantly clean and free restrooms!

Continuing north from Ploiesti on Highway 1, you will begin to see the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains on your way to your first stop, Peles Castle.

Peles Castle

Peles Castle is located just north of the town of Sinaia about an hour north of Ploiesti. This ornate, beautiful castle is built in the Neo-Renaissance style and looks like something out of a fairytale. Romania’s first king, King Carol I, constructed the castle as part of a compound that he and his family used as a summer residence.

The palace is quite large at over 34,000 square feet. It contains some 170 rooms, all lavishly decorated true to the period. Although the castle was constructed in the late 1800’s, the home was built with many modern conveniences including electricity, hot and cold running water, central heating and even a central vacuum system. A large stain glass ceiling in the foyer even opens for ventilation purposes.

The castle is also a museum, containing porcelain and bronze statues, tapestries, rare books, stained glass and over 2,000 paintings. Each room is decorated in a different style with priceless furniture from all over the globe.

All tours of the castle are guided and various tour combination tickets are available. Note that only lei are accepted, so do not rely on using your credit card. Depending on the tour you decide to take, plan to spend at least 2 to 3 hours to see the castle and its surrounding gardens. The castle is closed on Mondays and is generally open from 9:00AM to 5:00PM on most other days. Tours can get a little backed up, so try to arrive early and be prepared for a wait to enter the castle. However, this impressive palace is worth the wait!

After leaving Peles Castle, continue north on Highway 1 to the lovely city of Brasov.

TIP: There are quite a number of restaurants in the town close to Peles Castle. The area is a little bit touristy, but there are plenty of good food options all the way from pizza to gourmet dining.

Brasov

Brasov is a picturesque, 13th century city that is now home to more than 250,000 people. Often referred to as the gateway to Transylvania, it is an excellent base from which to tour the surrounding area. We were only able to spend one day in this charming town, but we found plenty of sites and activities to pique our interest.

• Tampa Mountain

When you first arrive at the city center, called Council Square, you will see a Hollywood-type sign high upon the mountain overlooking Brasov. This mountain is called Tampa Mountain. (We found that name interesting since we are originally from Tampa, Florida.) You can spend an hour hiking to the top or elect to take the cable car for 18 RON. The mountain is home to a lot of wildlife, so if you have the time, hiking to the top is the way to go. Either way you get to the top, the view is phenomenal and provides panoramic views of the entire city.

• Council Square

Council Square itself is a hubbub of activity, especially on weekends. There is a stage where various singers and dancers perform for the appreciative crowds, who are often themselves singing and dancing, adorned in local costumes. All around the square are numerous cafes and restaurants that offer wonderful spots for relaxing with a beverage or having lunch. We found it a delightful spot for people watching.

• The Black Church

Adjacent to Council Square is the Biserica Neagra, or Black Church. The church was completed during the 15th century and was originally a Roman Catholic Church until Lutheran services replaced Catholic ones during the Protestant Reformation. The structure was partially destroyed by fire in 1689 and was henceforth called the Black Church since its exterior was blackened by the fire. This name persists, even though today most of the blackened exterior has been washed away by rain and snow.

The interior of the church is quite impressive with its numerous statues, huge collection of Turkish carpets, 6-ton bell and 4,000 pipe organ that is still in use for periodic concerts. The church is closed to visitors on Monday year round. During summer, it is open from 10:00AM to 7:00PM Tuesdays through Saturdays. On Sunday the church is open from Noon to 7:00PM. There is a 10 Lei fee to enter the church and photography is not permitted.

• Places to Stay

As mentioned, we spent one night on our trip to Transylvania and Brasov is where we stayed. You can find a lot of hotels in the city center, but most of them tend to be older. The prices for all hotels in Brasov are quite reasonable by U.S. standards. The Bella Muzika and Casa Rozelor are two that looked nice and are located close to Council Square.

We opted to stay at the Kronwell Brasov Hotel, a beautiful, contemporary hotel that is located a short ride away from the city center. The hotel was full of modern conveniences along with a pretty good restaurant and bar.

Bran Castle

Those of us who are fans of the old horror movie genre remember Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee who so frequently portrayed the iconic Count Dracula character. That evil vampire who inhabits his Transylvanian castle, frequently shapeshifting into a bat, draining the blood of innocents and infecting them with the scourge of vampirism. Not really a very nice guy when you think about it, but one that has nonetheless become one of the most famous characters in pop culture.

The real story about Bran Castle is much less dramatic. There are a couple of the common myths surrounding the castle and Bram Stoker (the author of the 1897 novel Dracula). First is the idea that Stoker modeled his Dracula character after Vlad the Impaler, whose real name was Vlad Dracula III. Second is the notion that Stoker used Bran Castle as the archetype for his fictional castle. Sadly, neither of these commonly held tenets is true.

Stoker did in fact borrow from some local Transylvanian tales for his book, but there is no evidence that he actually saw Bran Castle. And after finding out about the atrocities committed by Vlad Dracula III, he used his name for the title character. However, these relationships are the only real connection to the story. It seems that most of the commonly held beliefs about the relationship between Dracula and Bran Castle has emerged from Hollywood movies.

OK, now that that bubble has been burst, the real history of Bran Castle is still very intriguing. The castle was first constructed in the late 1300’s and was used as a defensive fortress against the Ottoman Empire. As such, the castle was not occupied by any nobility, but was strictly used as protection for the local population.

Over time, the castle passed through several hands including Hungarian kings, but continued to play a vital military role until the middle of the 1700’s. Eventually the castle became a home for Romania’s royal family and was a favorite of Queen Marie of Romania, who completely renovated the castle in the early 1900’s. The communist government seized the castle after World War II. However, after the fall of communism, ownership was returned to the Hapsburg family and in 2009 the castle was opened to the public as a museum.

The castle is located at the top of a hill, with gorgeous views overlooking the village of Bran. On the way up to the castle visitors will find many different shops with all sorts of souvenirs. There are several shops dedicated to the macabre and they looked like great places to shop for Halloween décor.

Inside the castle, visitors will be able to tour many of the castle’s 57 rooms. Throughout these rooms are all manner of armaments and furnishings from the 1300’s through the 1800’s. Visitors will also need to negotiate several steep and narrow stairways, some of which are connected by secret underground passageways.

The castle is open every day of the week, but the hours vary so be sure the check the website for details. Adult admission is 40 Lei. There are discounts for folks over 65, students and children. There is an additional 10 Lei fee for the audio guide system which is available in several languages, including English.

TIP: Purchase your tickets to Bran Castle online prior to arrival. Definitely arrive as early as possible to avoid the huge lines that queue up later in the day.

TIP: After your visit to the castle, you may want to have lunch at one of several restaurants in Bran. It is definitely touristy, but lunch there is very inexpensive. We enjoyed a pizza and 2 beers for $12.50!

So that is a wrap on our week-long visit to Romania. We hope you enjoyed these posts and that they will inspire you to consider a trip to this wonderful country. Let us know if you have been there and if you have any thoughts to share. As always, feel free to contact us if you have any questions!