Visit Bran Castle in Romania – Dracula’s Castle Photos

Bran Castle is one of many nice castles to visit in the Transylvania region of Romania and is a great day out. The castle is more commonly known as Dracula’s Castle and is popular with fans of Count Dracula. It’s a great place for sightseeing and to take some beautiful pictures of the castle and nearby countryside.

Disclosure! Keep in mind that some links in these posts are affiliate links. If you click one of them, I may earn a small commission (for which I’m extremely grateful) at no extra cost to you. Thanks for visiting!

There are lots of facets to a visit to Bran Castle, including learning about its history from the early days through to today. Visiting the castle for many is usually as part of a tour of Transylvania or part of a castle tour. As we live nearby, we travel directly from Brasov to enjoy Bran for a day trip.

There are also many places to dine out for lunch, either before or after visiting the castle. There are other tourist attractions to see after, too, or a wander in the nearby mountains. We have visited twice, once in the winter and once in spring. Both visits were excellent, but I preferred it when it was a bit warmer and not so slippery in springtime.

Bran Castle in Romania – A Brief History

Bran Castle has an interesting history dating from the 11^th century until the present day. Inside the castle, you will learn about this.

• 1211: The Teutonic Knights built a fortress to enable them to defend the southeast border of Transylvania.
• 1226: They drove the Teutonic Knights out of the area.
• 1377: Louis the Great, a Hungarian king, commissioned the people of Brasov to build the castle.
• In 1388, they completed the castle’s construction on the steep cliff you see today. Its primary role was for customs, and they took 3% of goods going in or out of Transylvania. The castle was also used to stop the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.
• In 1407, they gave the castle to Sigismund of Luxembourg as a reward for his loyalty.
• In 1441, the Turks attacked Transylvania; however, John Hunyadi defeated them at Bran.
• 1459, during his first reign, Vlad the Impaler was allied with Bran and was involved in resisting the Ottomans at the border. He subsequently attacked the Saxons of Brasov.
• In 1498, the Saxons of Brasov purchased the rights to use the castle for the next decade. This lease was extended many times. Eventually, the castle was sold in 1651.
• In 1723, the castle was renovated after years of wear and tear caused by sieges and lack of maintenance.
• In 1836, the relocation of the border of Transylvania and Wallachia into the mountains caused the castle to become less important. It lost its customs and military significance in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
• In 1920, after the reunification of Romania, the castle was given to Queen Maria. It became her favourite residence, and she restored it to become a royal summer residence. It was eventually passed down to her daughter, Princess Ileana.
• In 1946, Princess Ileana was forced to leave the country by the post-war communist regime. However, in 1956 the communists turned it into a museum.
• In 1993, restoration of the castle was completed, and it became a tourist attraction. They have subsequently returned the castle to the heirs of Princess Ileana.
• In 2021, RJ on Tour visited for the first time.

What to See & Photos of Bran Castle

There are many interesting things to see while visiting the castle on the clifftop. This includes a detailed history of the castle, some Dracula exhibitions and relics of bygone eras.

Path to the Castle

There is a steep path up to the castle with views of the park below and a marvellous view of the castle. This path was rather slippery because it had snowed the day before.

Near the entrance of the castle is a stone cross, carved with motifs and the united coat of arms of Moldavia and Wallachia. This cross dates back to 1751. There are toilets and some great viewpoints just outside the entrance, which are worth a mooch around. To enter, you need to scan your ticket at the turnstile.

Inside

Once inside, there are many things to see. They labelled everything in Romanian and English, and there are signs to guide you through the entire castle. The rooms of the castle surround a courtyard area. Many of the rooms have views of the courtyard.

Ground Floor Interior

The first section covers the history of the castle and its former residents, which is rather interesting. Throughout the inside are many nice artefacts, including tools, outfits, furniture and other features. Keep an eye out for the doors. Some of these are rather decorative and impressed me.

After passing the edge of the castle’s courtyard, you reach Queen Marie of Romania’s bedroom. There are two iron doors which are the oldest part of the interior; these date back to 1693. The room is lovely and is rather lavish, with some significant features to see. You also pass through the Gothic room, which has some rather decorative dark wood furniture.

The stairs to the next floor are rather narrow and steep.

1^st Floor

On the first floor, you can see the Dominic collection, which has some rather interesting glassware. The room it’s in is rather interesting too, with some great furniture. There is also a lounge area which looks like a great place for a queen to relax.

Next up was a balcony to see views of the turrets and courtyard of the castle. This was lovely to see with a snow-covered roof on a sunny day.

Top Floor

On the top floor is a terrace with a fantastic viewpoint over the Bran Gorge. This highlights why it was such a great defensive position. The terrace has a crenellated rampart and old firing holes, through which the soldiers would pour hot tar onto attackers of the fortress.

The views are splendid, and there are information boards showing what’s in front of you. From here to the south, you can see the Customs House, the old commercial route, and the defensive walls.

Myths & Legends of Transylvania

From the terrace, the next part of the tour covers Transylvanian myths and legends. This includes information about werewolves, the Grim Reaper, and Iele. The displays are rather informative and are interactive, with ghosts projected onto the walls and more.

Count Dracula’s Rooms

The next room is rather fascinating and covers the movies that Count Dracula has featured in since the book was published. There have been lots, of which you can see brief clips of some.

The castle is famous for its links to the fictional character Count Dracula. Dracula was the main character in Bram Stoker’s book Dracula, about a Transylvanian count who lived in a castle on a cliff. Stoker never visited Romania; however, he based the character’s castle on the one described to him.

The castle has a few interesting exhibitions on Dracula, including details of every film Dracula has been in. Some of the town’s other tourist attractions also feature the character.

Ferdinand I, Greater Romania’s King

The next section covers King Ferdinand I, or “The Unifier”, who was the first king of all the Romanians. King Ferdinand accomplished the Great Union in 1918, the most important act in the history of the Romanian people.

They crowned King Ferdinand and Queen Marie in Alba Iulia on 15 October 1922 as sovereigns of all Romanians. In the following years, they focused on rebuilding the country, implementing reforms, and unifying the administration. You can learn about the king here and see some artefacts relating to him, including his crown in his bedroom.

Military Kit

Next, you can see suits of armour and weapons from the castle’s history. You can also see historical outfits here, which are fascinating.

Terraces Inside The Courtyard

Next, you can take in splendid views of the castle and its courtyard from the terrace. This is a popular spot for photos because the views are great. These terraces used to be defence corridors that connected the towers. This allowed soldiers to move positions efficiently to defend the fortress.

Torture Chamber Museum

There is also an optional section of the castle, the torture chamber museum. This is much like other torture museums and shows the history of medieval torture methods and what they used them for.

It was fascinating to see the artefacts, and some make you wince at the cruelty that they used to inflict on others. This is well worth visiting if you’re interested in this topic.

Time Tunnel

Finally, the time tunnel is an add-on part to the visit. This is an interactive display of the castle’s history, with lots of screens depicting parts of history, including battles, myths, and more.

You can also get your photo taken at the end with historical characters as the backdrop. You can also buy a souvenir copy of this in the shop at the exit.

Gardens

After touring the castle, you can explore the gardens or enjoy a meal at the restaurant there. The gardens are a great place to photograph the castle. As a bonus, the late sun really lights up Bran Castle, and it looks like a great spot for sunset.

Logistics

Travel from Brasov to Bran Castle

Bran is in Transylvania, about 20 miles from Brasov or 110 miles from Bucharest. Getting to Bran from Brasov is a bit of a mission, with plenty of options. We hired a private driver for our trip, as we had to get back to the dog. The driver cost 150 lei, which translates to about £30. Other options include the following.

• An Uber trip costs roughly 130 lei each way.
• Take a bus from Brasov bus station, near the railway station.
• A train to Zărnești, then switch to a taxi from there.

The Rome2Rio website has other suggestions and all the up-to-date information on travel between Brasov and Bran.

Tickets

There are a few ways to buy tickets for Bran Castle. First, you can buy at the gate when you arrive. They offer a few options, including add-ons like the torture museum and the time tunnel.

Alternatively, you could book a tour of the local castles, which takes you to 3 of them in a day with a guide. They sell tickets for special events on their website. The basic entry for an adult costs 45 lei at the gate, which is less than £10. Sadly, they don’t allow dogs in the castle. However, quite a few strays mooch around.

What else to see in Bran, Romania

Bran is a pleasant town with a few other things to see. Other sights include the national museum and some great hiking.

Market

The market at the entrance to the castle has many stalls, including many artisan products and souvenirs. You can also buy refreshments, including street food and drinks.

Castle Of Horror: Tourist Attraction

The Castle of Horror, or Castelul Groazei, is basically a haunted house you walk through. The premise is to scare customers who choose to go through. Some parts were rather freaky, and it impressed me.

They put a lot of thought into scaring participants. I enjoyed our wander through the haunted house attraction.

Walk in The Countryside

There are options for some pleasant walks in the mountains and countryside from Bran. You can find many of these on the Komoot app.

Bars & Restaurants

Bran also has many restaurants to choose from. Most were within walking distance of the castle, including some in the gardens. If you’re on a budget, the market has street food options.

Burg Bran

We opted for lunch out at Burg Bran, which was rather nice. They served some great options for traditional Romanian food. This included traditional soups and a generous portion of pork steaks.

They have a warm dining area, which is nice on our winter visit. The service and food were good too. On a second visit to the castle, we dined here again and enjoyed their mici.

Is Bran Castle Worth Visiting?

I thoroughly enjoyed all of my visits to Bran Castle, and it was a great day out. Learning about the region’s history and seeing the fun stuff, including the Dracula exhibit, both appealed. However, Corvin Castle remains my favourite castle in the country. It’s well worth visiting, and I enjoyed exploring the castle in both spring and winter. I usually opt to revisit when we have visitors over for a stay.