Best Brasov Castles Tour 2023

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Greetings, Internet Stranger! and welcome to the best Brasov castles tour! Have you ever wanted to step inside a vampire novel? Wear a gown of white or a dramatic cape and become one with the creatures of the night? Then Brasov, Romania is for you! After all, it is just by the former castle of Vlad Tepes, the inspiration for Dracula.

Most tourists who visit Romania in search of the vampire will spend at least a night or two in the Transylvanian city of Brasov. I enjoyed my time in Brasov itself, but the vast majority of visitors to that city are not there to check out the fire-blackened Saxon church, one dollar ice cream, and violinists playing theme songs from a PBS documentary.

No, they are there to visit the nearby Bran Castle, aka Dracula’s Castle.

Bran Castle is absolutely a highlight of any trip to Romania, but there are many other wonderful things to do on a Brasov castles tour so don’t ignore the city just to go gallivanting with bloodsuckers. Join me for 24 hours in Brasov and we will see that Brasov and Bran Castle go together much better than vampires and garlic.

Brasov castles tour

Where To Stay?

Brasov is a decent-sized Romanian city, and it’s a very popular tourist attraction because of its proximity to the “Dracula Castle”. So you have quite a few hotel options here. I strongly recommend the Casa Wagner. It is both affordable and located right on the main square.

Also there’s a delicious breakfast spread included every morning, so you can start your 24 hours in Brasov with meat and cheese like a proper Romanian. (They have more Western options as well.)

Click here for a great deal on this hotel.

And if you’d rather explore other fantastic hotel options in Brasov, click here.

This search engine will help you find the perfect place to stay during your time in Brasov. With so many options to choose from, I’m sure you’ll find something in your price range. (Even if you’re undead and don’t need to sleep.)

Brasov castles tour

Morning and Early Afternoon: Visit Bran Castle

So we’ve just settled into our adorable hotel in Brasov, and yet I’m telling you to head out already. What is wrong with me? So many things, we wouldn’t even know where to begin.

But I’m not wrong when I say that visiting Bran Castle is the most popular of all the Brasov castles tour, so we really can’t pass it up. We’re going to spend the morning and early afternoon exploring here, and then we’ll head back to Brasov in time to see some of the gems of that town. Let me get you prepared for the wonders of Bran Castle with…

Three Fun Facts: Bran Castle (MWAHAHAHA!)

1) How do I get to Bran Castle from Brasov?

The easiest way to get from Brasov to Bran Castle is to take a guided tour. Your driver will make sure you explore all of the Dracula-related history at Bran Castle and get you to and from Brasov safely and easily. Plus you won’t have to wait in the brutal sun in the summer waiting for the bus.

You can book this tour for yourself easily by clicking here.

That’s doing things the easy and it’s by far the better way.

If you’d rather do things the hard way, the best way for a non-driver to get to Dracula’s Castle from Brasov is to take a bus departing from the austerely named Bus Station No. 2. The buses leave once every half-hour on weekdays and once every hour on weekends.

This doesn’t make sense to me because you’d think more people would want to go on weekends, but this is probably why I am not Chief of Romanian Buses. You can find the most up-to-date info on getting to Bran Castle on the official website here.

The only problem I had was figuring out how to get to the bus station, which I knew was 3.5 km away from my hotel.  At this point in my life, I didn’t have GPS that worked internationally, so that was no help. I just figured that I would start walking and eventually I would find the station.

Word to the wise, this was a horrible idea. 3.5 km is about 2 miles. This isn’t that long, unless you have absolutely no idea where you are going. I wandered around in the brutal Romanian sun feeling as if I was about to pass out at any moment.

I began to suspect that I was secretly a vampire and the sun was turning me to dust. However, once I arrived at the station, it was easy to locate the bus to Bran and I soon forgot my woes.

24 Hour Tip

You can always just ask the driver which bus goes to Bran if you are not sure. Remember that in Romanian da means yes and nu means no. I paid one dollar for the ticket. This was precisely the same amount I paid for a snack of dough filled with sweet cheese that I purchased from a vendor at the bus station. Never forget that all Romanian snacks are just carbs filled with cheese.

The whole bus trip itself is a painless 45 minutes, but I think anything would have seemed painless after the lost two hours I spent baking on the streets of Brasov.

This is why I suggest taking the guided tour bus if you can afford it at all.

Check rates and availability right here!

2) What is there to do in Bran Castle?

Well, there’s always shopping! Bring cash because you can never know when people will accept credit cards in small Romanian towns. Because the Castle is such a popular tourist attraction, there is a swarm of tchotchke salespeople outside hawking their wares.

I did not buy anything except for a can of a Brazilian soda called Guarana Antarctica, and that’s only because I was so surprised to see it in Romania. But you might want to buy a little souvenir here. Just don’t expect it to be made locally.

24 hour tip

Check the Bran Castle website for the most up-to-date info on hours and price of admission here.

3) OK, what’s this about a Dracula?

According to the Bran Castle website, this place became known as Dracula’s Castle because it is the only castle in Transylvania that fits the description of Dracula’s abode in Bram Stoker’s novel.

I want to know whose job it was to go around and classify all the castles of Transylvania according to whether or not they resembled the description in a horror novel. Anyway, apparently the historical model for Dracula, Vlad Tepes, was kept prisoner at Bran Castle for a couple of months by the King of Hungary, but it was never Vlad’s actual castle.

But far be it from me to let the truth get in the way of a good legend. It’s very disrespectful to go to a vampire’s home and act like vampires aren’t real. Dracula’s Castle it is called, and it is Dracula’s Castle that everyone wants to see. So just give them your money, and let’s go inside. It’s Dracula hunting time!

Once your attendant takes your admission fee, you can enter the Castle and explore it at your leisure. The castle is pretty crowded, so those around you and their elbows will probably encourage you to move along quickly. Nevertheless, even with all the peer pressure, I did manage to collect several interesting photos for your enjoyment.

I really don’t know why there is a quote from It’s a Wonderful Life in Dracula’s Castle. Is Clarence the angel secretly a vampire? After all, we only see his character at night…

Fun Fact

Romania is a very young country, about 100 years younger than the United States. It used to be three separate areas: Moldavia, Wallachia, and Transylvania. Bran is in Transylvania, which used to be part of Hungary, but Vlad Tepes was actually a prince of Wallachia, so that sort of explains why he would be kept prisoner in Bran Castle.

Old Vlad apparently got a bad reputation in Transylvania because he burned parts of it to the ground and murdered hundreds of locals without the benefit of due process. Locals are very sensitive about things like that.

4) Check out the instruments of torture

You simply can’t say you’ve seen all the best things to do on a Brasov castles tour without seeing all the various medieval weapons and torture devices, right? After all, if you weren’t into that sort of thing, why would you bother coming down here in the first place, Internet Stranger? There’s no need to play coy with me.

Voila! Now you can say that you’ve seen Dracula’s Castle. If your friends try to tell you that vampires aren’t real, just tell them you have a sudden craving for a rare steak and then laugh maniacally before turning into a bat. That will show them!

I hope I’ve convinced you to check out Bran Castle!

Check rates and availability of this excellent tour right here!

Brasov castles tour

Late Afternoon: Finally Get to Explore the Best Things to Do in Brasov

24 Hour Treasure: Attend a concert at the Black Church

We’ve had a full day at Bran Castle, but our Best things to do on a Brasov castles tour guide isn’t even close to being done. After exiting the Dracula Castle, just take the one dollar bus back to Brasov. It leaves from the same place that you arrived, only on the other side of the street. We want to get back in time to see the evening concert at the Black Church.

This house of worship is not called the Black Church because something horrible happened here, but rather because this 15th-century beaut was sadly blackened in a conflagration. Actually, that is a terrible thing that happened at the church, so strike what I said initially.

I was surprised to learn that this was a German Lutheran church. I did not know that there were Germans in Romania. I feel that Romania doesn’t get enough credit for being a multicultural nation. It’s actually possible that Romania doesn’t get enough credit for anything, except vampires. MWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Anyway, you are in for a special treat this evening because not only will you get to look at a Gothic church that had been partially burned, you will also get to hear an extremely inexpensive Bach concert.

Apparently the Black Church frequently gives budget Bach and other priced-to-move classical music concerts, so be sure to see what’s on during your time exploring the best things to do in Brasov after a Brasov castles tour.

Brasov castles tour

Evening: Dinner at Bistro del Arte

No guide to the best things to do in Brasov including a Brasov castles tour is complete without dinner. Bistro del Arte is a cute little bistro just a few blocks off the main square in Brasov. (As a side note, aren’t bistros by definition cute and little? Is it possible to have a severe, over-sized bistro? This is the problem with travel writing, too many cliches.)

Anyway, musicians often come here in the evening to serenade the diners. Children of the night, listen to them! What music they make! MWAHAHAHA!

I suggest ordering the mamaliga cu ragu (Romanian polenta with meat sauce) and chocolate torte with ice cream. Remember, a torte is not a tart put together by a pastry chef who can’t spell, it is a very thin layer cake.

You really can’t leave Romania without eating mamaliga; it’s the national dish. You’ll feel at one with centuries of Romanian peasants warning stupid Englishmen to not stay at the Dracula castle when you eat it.

The most memorable thing about the evening was the violin player and his accordionist buddy. (I’m making assumptions; they didn’t say they were friends.) Their musical choices seemed split between presumably Romanian music that I didn’t know and American standards.

At one point in the evening, they played “Ashokan Farewell”, aka the Ken Burns Civil War music. I realized that I had been on the road for almost a month. Suddenly I felt very homesick for the United States. This was the first, but not the last time I would cry in a restaurant.

Brasov castles tour

Tools For Travel

• A cell charger so that you’ll be able to keep taking photos of the best Brasov castles tour.
• The best international travel adapter because if you’re American like I am, you’ll need one to be able to plug in electronics while you explore the best Brasov castles tour
• I always get good advice from Lonely Planet’s guide to Romania. They divide the guide into sections by region, which is very helpful.
• The most reliable travel umbrella that is small enough to fit in my purse, but strong enough to stand up to powerful winds
• These great TSA approved clear toiletries bags, so I can always keep spare toothpaste and travel sized toiletries in any carry-on.
• My book Get Lost, that I wrote myself with all my best travel tips. This book will show you how travel can take you on a journey of self-discovery.

That’s the best Brasov castles tour

What would you do on a Brasov castles tour? Are you ready to start booking your hotel in Brasov now? Email me at stellajane@aroundtheworldin24hours.com and let me know!

Note: Keep in mind that while each article is about how to spend 24 hours in a place, that doesn’t mean you should ONLY spend 24 hours in Brasov. There is so much to do in Brasov, and in the surrounding area, and I want to help you see it all.

If you get to Moldova, add a Transnistria day trip. You might also want to try a 24 hours in Bucharest itinerary. Experience a wonderful Danube Delta tour from Tulcea. Enjoy the best things to do in Moldova itinerary. You can try the best things to do in Sinaia Romania.