My Experience Visiting Count Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania

Since Bram Stoker’s Dracula was published in 1897, people have wanted to visit the castle that started it all. Maybe we just like ghost stories or exploring ideas about love and death.

Dracula was a real person, and he wasn’t very nice. To be fair, he was fighting a serious war against groups who would enslave his people. Perhaps he felt he didn’t have a choice.

Regardless, the castle is real, but there aren’t any vampires or ghosts. You can come to see it yourself if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

Dracula’s Castle

Bran castle is on a hill in the city of Bran in Romania. As you walk up the hill you’ll see the orange-tiled turrets slowly rise out of the trees.

It’s a major tourist attraction with parking lots, crowds, and sidewalks, so you’ll need to suspend your disbelief a little if you want to imagine vampires in the dark.

Getting To The Castle

You can take the bus to the castle, but there are parking lots if you have a car. The walk up to the castle isn’t very long, but there might be a lot of tourists, depending on the season.

You’ll have to pay 45 lei to go inside, which is about $10. You can also spend a few extra dollars to see medieval torture instruments or the time tunnel. The castle itself is big for a house but seems smaller when filled with people.

The house is decorated in the style of Queen Mary, who was the last occupant before the Communists took power. It’s filled with expensive furniture, but it’s homely and livable, very different from other European castles.

Supplies for the Trip

It’s a park, and it can be hot in the summer. Don’t forget to pack some water and a hat. You can buy things from the museum, but it’s probably better just to order stuff from Amazon.

If you’re wondering whether Amazon ships to Romania or not, well we tried it, and the results might surprise you.

The Tourist Experience

The castle was turned into a tourist attraction by the former royal family of Romania. Tourism helps pay for maintenance costs and provides an economic boost to the town.

The castle has all of the usual things you’d expect from a tourist attraction, including lots of souvenirs. They’re mainly tourist trap things like t-shirts and mugs.

You can take amateur photography, although you need to pay to use it professionally. I think most travel bloggers will probably ignore this restriction, though.

Final Thoughts

Dracula’s castle is a fun day trip. If you like medieval castles, you’ll like Dracula’s castle, even though it’s decorated in an early 20th-century style.

You can feel the former royal family’s presence in the decorations and furniture. Seeing the home of almost modern royals might be just as mesmerizing as seeing Dracula.

We don’t even know if Dracula lived in this castle, but it’s an old Romanian fortress with a rich history. It’s interesting architecturally, and the stories are a fun way to experience the culture.