Last week I returned from visiting my 63rd country of Romania and I had an incredible time and whilst I was there, top of my list of places to visit was Bran Castle (Castelul Bran in Romanian) in the Transylvania region also known to many as Dracula’s Castle. Bran Castle is the most popular tourist attraction in the whole of Romania and I had wanted to visit for as long as I can remember.

As always I will absolutely say that you do not need to do an organised tour to visit Bran Castle as it is very easy to visit independently – in fact if doing a tour, you will probably end up visiting during the worst and busiest times of the day when the castle is most crowded which would make your visit a pretty miserable one. I took a lot of photos whilst visiting Bran Castle to help me write this blog and travel guide from my trip, which includes up to date information, what to expect, tips, advice and all you need to know to make the most of your visit.

Bran Castle is located a short thirty minute drive from the city of Brașov and this was where we decided to stay for the first two nights of our trip to Romania. Whilst it is possible to visit Bran Castle on a day trip from Bucharest (you can take the train from Bucharest North Station to Brașov), it will be a long and tiring day so staying in Brașov even just for one night is definitely recommended – you can then easily take the local bus from Brașov to Bran if you do not have use of a car.

As we had rented a car for our entire stay in Romania, the drive from our hotel in Brașov to Bran using the DN73/E574 route was quick and easy and it was so exciting to finally see the castle as we arrived in the village. It was very quiet so parking our car was very easy as there are reasonably priced manned car parks close to the castle entrance as well as plenty of metered street parking available everywhere. To get to the entrance of the castle, you walk through a very touristy area filled with plenty of market stalls as well as a haunted house!

At the entrance to the castle grounds, we were able to use the brand new machines to buy our tickets which were very simple and easy to use. You can purchase all of the different tickets that you need before pressing “Add to Cart” as well as adding any extras like tickets for the Time Tunnel and the Medieval Torture Instruments exhibit which are a small extra charge. The ticket machines will only accept credit cards for payment however they do not take American Express. There is also a ticket window if you only have cash with you however it was not open when we arrived though it was later that morning as we left the castle after our visit.

As of May 2023, tickets for Bran Castle cost:

Low Season (1st January – 30th June / 1st September – 31st December)

Adults – 55 Lei (£9.60 / US$11.90)
Seniors – 40 Lei (£7 / US$8.70)
Students – 30 Lei (£5.20 / £6.50)
Children – 15 Lei (£2.60 / US$3.25)
Medieval Torture Instruments – 10 Lei (£1.70 / US$2.20)
Time Tunnel – 20 Lei (£3.50 / US$4.35)

High Season (1s t July – 31st August)

Adults – 60 Lei (£10.50 / US$13)
Seniors – 45 Lei (£7.80 / US$9.75)
Students – 35 Lei (£6.10 / US$7.60)
Children – 15 Lei (£2.60 / US$3.25)
Medieval Torture Instruments – 10 Lei (£1.70 / US$2.20)
Time Tunnel – 25 Lei (£4.35 / US$5.40)

You are now also able to buy your tickets online in advance on the official Bran Castle website which I would definitely recommend doing if you are visiting in the busy summer months as this could potentially save a lot of time waiting in line and give you a head start in getting inside the castle before anyone else.

If you need to access mobile data whilst visiting Romania, you can purchase a travel E-Sim through Airalo. If you would like to use my referral code NIKKI8866 when signing up, you will receive £2.50 / US$3 off your first purchase.

The best time to visit Bran Castle is as soon as it opens each day as it will be very quiet for the first hour or so until all of the tour groups arrive – you can check the opening times on the Bran Castle website – and it is definitely worth getting out of bed early to beat the crowds! This advice is especially important if visiting during the very busy summer months as it will be very crowded and could be the difference between enjoying your visit and hating every second of it.

We visited Bran Castle in May 2023 which was perfect as it was shoulder season so everything was open, the weather was pleasant and there was only a small handful of other people inside the castle at the same time as us. In fact it was so quiet when we first arrived, I did wonder if it was actually open yet as there was no one to be seen anywhere! However it was a lot busier as we were leaving the castle later that morning.

To enter Bran Castle you will first need to walk approximately 100 metres uphill however it is important to note that the castle itself is not accessible at all if you have any mobility issues as there are many narrow staircases that go both up and down throughout.

Once at the top of the hill there was one more staircase to walk up before we scanned our tickets at the turnstiles to get inside the castle. The first room that we entered was all about the different residents of Bran Castle over the years.

Bran Castle was originally built as a fortress and in 1920 after extensive repairs and renovations became the favourite residence for Queen Marie when Transylvania became part of Greater Romania. The castle was inherited by her daughter Princess Ileana before it was seized by the communist regime in 1948. However in 2009 ownership of Bran Castle was rightfully returned to the children of Princess Ileana – Archduke Dominic, Archduchess Maria Magdalena and Archduchess Elisabeth.

Visiting as early in the day as we did really made a huge difference as we were easily able to explore the castle in our own time in peace and quiet without any crowds. It honestly shocked me how few people I saw there that morning but that is also another advantage in visiting in the off season – I would not have wanted it any other way as it would definitely affect your enjoyment if it was packed full of people. It is very easy to explore Bran Castle as you simply follow the arrows from room to room in a set route.

If you visit Bran Castle expecting full-on Dracula, vampires, and over-the-top gothic decor everywhere you turn, you will be very disappointed. All of the rooms are presented to look exactly how they would have done when Queen Marie lived there with furniture and artwork on display that belonged to her.

We also walked up a very steep and narrow “secret staircase” from the first floor up to the music room on the third floor – this staircase was discovered for the first time during the renovations in 1920 and had originally been built as an escape route. If you suffer from claustrophobia, be warned as it is very cramped.

One of the prettiest views at Bran Castle is the overlooking the interior courtyard and another advantage of visiting early in the day is that you are able to get all of the photos you want without anyone else in them which would be impossible at busier times. It really was one of my favourite places inside the entire castle.

Close to the top of the castle is an outdoor terrace where you can get a beautiful view looking across the Bran Gorge. It was from here that soldiers would pour hot tar onto any attackers down below.

The next rooms that we visited inside the castle covered Transylvanian myths, legends and the supernatural including the Sântoaderi (Half Man/Half Horses), the Lele (Floating female creatures who appear at night singing and dancing), the Grim Reaper, the Strigoi, the Solomonari and Werewolves – this is the only area of the castle where Dracula is mentioned.

It was fascinating to read about the Strigol who come alive at night and suck blood from the living in order to gain strength. To find out if a dead person was a Strigol, people checked for any holes in their graves and if there was one, they poured garlic sauce over it – the body could also be exhumed and a stake driven though the heart if needed. To protect themselves from the Strigol, people also placed garlic in their windows and doors. Sound familiar?

The character of Count Dracula was created by Bram Stoker in 1897 and even though he never actually visited Romania in person, it is said that Bran Castle perfectly fits the description of the count’s castle in the novel as it is located in Transylvania and stands high above a valley on the edge of a cliff overlooking a river gorge.

Whilst Dracula is a fictional character, he is thought by many to have been inspired by the historical figure Vlad Țepeș also known as Vlad the Impaler (as well as Vlad Dracula) who was born in nearby Sighișoara (you can visit the house in the town where he was born) and who used to punish his enemies by impaling them on stakes.

The next rooms featured King Ferdinand’s Bedroom as well as the Royal Dining Room where the current owners of the castle used to play as children. King Ferdinand was also known as “The Unifier” and was the first king of all Romanians.

There is also a collection of armoury and weapons dating from the 14th to the 17th centuries on display as well as other historical outfits.

The final part of the tour inside the castle was walking around the entire Defence Corridor that surrounds the interior courtyard.

When we purchased our tickets, we also paid an additional 10 Lei each to visit the Medieval Torture Instruments exhibit which is situated off the Defence Corridor before you exit the castle. The exhibit is spread across several rooms (I believe some people only think there is one room) and there are a lot of items on display and the descriptions are very detailed and will make you wince and shudder at the thought of them.

To exit the castle when you have finished your visit, you can either use the normal route or go via the Time Tunnel which is an extra charge. The Time Tunnel is an elevator ride down the old well shaft where Queen Marie had an elevator installed to reach an access tunnel which would allow her to easily travel between the castle and the gardens without having to walk uphill or downhill. There is now a much more modern elevator which takes you from the castle courtyard down to the same tunnel which is thirty metres underneath the castle but is actually on the ground level as the castle is situated on top of a cliff. They say that it is the only elevator that climbs into history and descends into the future.

The walls of the elevator are glass screens which show different graphics and as you walk though the tunnel towards another gift shop and the exit, different images of people from the history of the castle as well as some of those previously mentioned Transylvanian myths appear on the screens and are projected on the walls along with a light and sound show. However I honestly did not think that the Time Tunnel was worth the extra cost and it really was a case of “Is that it?!” We could have easily skipped it and not missed out on anything – however one thing in its favour is that it does save you walking back down the hill!

After exiting Bran Castle you are free to explore all of the gardens at your leisure and you can also find the grave in the side of the cliff where Queen Marie’s actual heart is buried.

After leaving the Bran Castle grounds, if you walk along the main road behind the castle and across a small footbridge, you will reach an area of grass where you can get one of the best views of the castle itself. If looking on Google Maps, search for “Panorama View of the Castle Hill” or “Park View Bran Castle” to find the exact spot.

I absolutely loved my trip to Romania and finally visiting Bran Castle really was a dream come true for me. I have read so many stories of people being disappointed after visiting as they were simply expecting so much more and something completely different to what they actually got but just by doing a little bit of research in advance (and knowing that it is not wall to wall Dracula), you will have a great visit and a wonderful trip to Transylvania.

Since this blog post was written back in 2023, some of the information may no longer be accurate or up to date. Be sure to do your own research and check official websites for the latest details before making any of your own travel plans.

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