Without a doubt the medieval castles they are something worth visiting. Many have come to our days but in truth over the centuries many more have disappeared. Time, ruin, battles or simply neglect have killed many of them.
But a few have survived thanks to legends, historical events and tourism. In Romania, for example, there are several of these old fortresses but you will find one of the most famous medieval castles in the world: the Bran Castle. Is he Dracula's castle? Yes, the character from Bram Stoker's novel.
Where is Bran Castle
This imposing castle It is at the entrance of the Rucar - Bran passage located in turn on the route that connects the cities of Brasov and Campulung. The landscape is decorated with the high peaks of the Piatra Craiului and Bucegi Mountains.
The distance between Bran and Brasov does not exceed 30 kilometers and between Bran and Bucharest there are less than 200 kilometers so you can really get there fast. The visit to the castle is just one part of a tourist route that should emphasize the nature of the area, with mountain ranges, green forests outside the winter, plains, valleys carved by rivers ...
You can get there by car, train, taxi and bus. If you visit the official website of Bran Castle you will see the routes by car Bran-Brasov and Bran-Bucharest on maps. It specifies the number of the route to use, the number of kilometers to travel and the approximate time of the trip. In case you use the train you can go from Bucharest to Brasov using the national trains from the Nord Gara A station. The train leaves by the hour, in the Intercity Regional CFR, the ticket costs about 10 euros more or less and fares about three hours and a half.
The train only arrives in Brasov and from here you will have to take a bus or a taxi. In no more than 45 minutes you reach Bran. There are regular buses every half hour and every hour on weekends. The ticket costs 1, 50 euro. Obviously you can also take a taxi both from Bran to the castle and from Bucharest. In the latter case, the trip is two and a half hours and you will have to pay around 80, 90 euros. From Brasov the trip is cheaper, about 20 euros.
Visit Bran Castle
En high season (from April 1 to September 30), the castle's hours are Monday from 12 to 6 pm and Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm. The last entry is at 6 pm. On low season (from October 1 to March 31), closes two hours earlier, at 4 pm.
Castle opened renovated in 2009 and together with the village of Bran, they were the protagonists of a tourist boom in the region that greatly helped the development of the local economy. The Ceausescu regime had confiscated property and with the beginning of the new century many of the traditional Romanian families petitioned the state for their return. Bran Castle was then handed over to members of the Habsburg family.
Today the castle it is a private museum with a rich collection of art and furniture belonging to Queen Mary. Thanks to the continuous restorations, the castle can shine today in all its splendor. Queen Maria called it her "little fortress" so it is something really impressive: compact, with ramps, towers and walls. All framed by the beautiful Carpathians and obviously, the legend of Dracula does a lot to build his aura.
The village at its feet also functions as a Outdoor museum. It exhibits some 18 examples of traditional Roma houses, many made of wood, a couple of water mills and more. It's a nice walk through history.
We must say that while the castle is associated with the historical ruler of Wallachia there is nothing reliable that unites Dracula with the castle. He must have been here sometime but there is no record of his visits. And we must remember that Bram Stoker, the Irish author of Dracula, never actually set foot in Central Europe and all the development of his character is fictional.
To finish I tell you that you can spend Halloween at Bran Castle and it's a great idea. The tour is commanded by a man dressed as Vlad, the Impaler and it is he who takes you inside this ancient castle telling you about his conquests, battles and yes, impalements. All the interior plus the patio where vodka and wine are served while in the distance the wolves can be heard howling.
The thematic visit ends with something more modern, a kind of after party in a large tent set up at the foot of the fortress, the place to socialize with the rest of the people who went to spend Halloween there, all dressed up. Werewolves, Draculae everywhere, mysterious widows and whatever you can think of. Of course, if you don't go in October there are other eventsYou just have to look at the website to see what event is scheduled.
For example, for these Easter there is an event that started on March 12th and will end on April 16th. Or, another event is the so-called Tunnel of Time with a great multimedia show.
Practical information about the visit
Tickets cost LEI 40 per adult, 30 for people over 65, 25 for students and only 10 for school students. Audio guides (in English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Hungarian and Spanish) cost LEI 10 and after you pay extra for the entrance to any of the exhibitions specials. For example, 10 LEI extra for the Exposure of Torture per adult.
La buy tickets you can do it online throughout the year.
Do not forget to visit the Tea House, an elegant and refined building and if you are interested in Halloween party I tell you that you should hurry because it is the sea of popular and you have to know how to dress up. The party, as it has grown in popularity, has diversified: today it offers a Horror Tour until midnight that costs LEI 70 per adult and the huge party that starts afterwards and ends at dawn. The party is only for people over 18 years old and costs 180 LEI, but the price includes the night tour of the castle.
And if you want to dine, the menu price is 450 LEI more. The Horror Tour starts at 7 pm and the party starts at 9 pm in the restaurant of the Tea House. You just have to pay and wear your best costume. Unforgettable!!