The Dracula Castle in Transylvania is the most overrated tourist attraction I’ve ever visited in Romania. There I said it. I’m going to be as brutally honest about it as I can on this article. Maybe I can save you the horror, not from seeing a vampire, but from wasting your time in Bran Castle.
What I’m going to say here will likely fall on deaf ears because you’ll likely visit Bran Castle anyways. But bear with me and hear me out for a minute; I’ll be your guide and advisor for this article and will provide pictures and facts so that I may just save you from wasting your time in Bran. I believe there are so much more intriguing castles and citadels in Romania that you should be visiting instead of Bran.
Bran Castle Exterior
Fact #1
Bran, a Transylvania Castle, is universally known as the Dracula castle. Bram Stoker, who’s never even heard of Bran, popularized it with his novel Dracula. The place Bram Stoker essentially had in mind for the cast is Mount Izvorul Călimanului, in the Transylvanian Călimani Alps close to the previous border with Moldavia.
There’s no castle on this mountain at all. It’s still a mystery as to why Bran Castle owns the label as the Dracula Castle. Tourist stalls and tents selling Dracula knick-knacks and vampire paraphernalia line the street leading to the castle. They’re making a killing selling fake plastic vampire fangs.
There are several theories competing for the Dracula castle and Poenari Castle is probably the more legit because Vlad spent more time there than any other competing castles. Another castle often mistaken as the Dracula castle is Corvin Castle. But unlike Bran, Corvin is actually creepy with its dungeons full of medieval torture machines and can hold a candle to the vampire myth.
Fact #2
Bran Castle Courtyard
Bram Stoker’s titular character is often confused with Vlad Tepes (aka, The Impaler). For some reason, some historians depict this guy as a bloodthirsty despot who drank the blood of his victims. The truth of the matter is, Vlad is a national hero in Romania. The dude kept the Turks, the enemy, at bay and protected his kingdom with religious zest.
Sure he impaled people but they were mostly conquering Turks and criminals that deserved punishment. He did it to scare off his enemies and to keep law and order for his subjects. It’s been rumored that thieves wouldn’t even touch a pouch of gold left on the streets because they were too afraid of being impaled.
The fact is, people in the middle ages were all fucked up. They did all sorts of weird shit like boiling people alive and encasing them in a coffin full of sharp nails. Impaling was probably a normal everyday thing back then.
Fact #3
What’s a castle without a medieval torture contraption?
Bran Castle was not where Vlad lived. In fact, it may have served as his prison for just a few days. The Hungarian king at the time ignored Vlad’s transgressions because his kingdom was in Wallachia (the area where Bucharest is today) and it served as a buffer zone between the Hungarians and Turks.
The stone water well was the coolest part of the castle.
Vlad got too overzealous with his impaling addiction and started impaling German merchants in Brasov for not paying taxes and not abiding by his commands. The merchants started complaining to the Hungarian king and hence Vlad got into a scuffle with the much more powerful kingdom of the Hungarians.
Vlad the Impaler spent a couple of months or maybe even just a couple of nights in Bran Castle from being captured and imprisoned there. That’s it. It doesn’t give credibility to Bran as the true Dracula Castle. The Wallachians, whom Vlad ruled, built the Poenari Citadel nearby and Vlad did spend more time there. This makes it likely that Poenari is the true Dracula Castle.
At least they got medieval armors and weapons!
Fact #4
Vampires don’t exist in Romanian mythology. Bram Stoker might have based it on Romanian “Strigoi” which are people who live normal lives during the day but then turn into evil creatures during the night.
They seem more like the glow in daytime fairies from the Twilight series than the ones in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. What about the legend of Vampires being scared of garlic? Just about every Romanian dish has garlic. Vampires are screwed when they’re sucking on a Romanian’s blood because is coursing with garlic.
Crosses don’t scare Vampires. Castles do.
All this wouldn’t have been bad if Bran Castle was the only castle in Transylvania or the whole of Romania, but that’s not the case. Transylvania is home to many castles and citadels dwarfing Bran in both history and grandness. There’s Peles castle, Corvin Castle, Rupea Citadel, and the Rasnov Citadel just a few kilometers from Bran Castle.
Bran is bland inside and bland outside, it’s like eating All-Bran cereal with water instead of milk. Although Bran Castle can’t compare to any of Romania’s other great castles and fortresses, it somehow made its way to the top as the most visited tourist attraction in Romania.
Fact #5
Very touristy castle.
The Dracula Castle sucks. No not with long fangs to suck the blood out of your neck. Despite how boring it is, it brings busloads of tourists that you’ll be bumping shoulders to shoulders with on its cramped and narrow stairways. I went to Bran during the off-season and it has insane crowds. I can only imagine how crazy it will be during the high season. Whoever came up with this castle as the Dracula castle is a marketing genius, thousands if not millions of tourist flock to this castle every year.
You’re probably going to ask, well why did you go then genius? Well, nobody wrote this anti-Bran piece but me (I googled it). Bran Castle’s legend fooled me. Don’t let it fool you.
These stairs are barely a shoulder’s width. Imagine sharing these stairs with thousands of tourist.
If I could take back the money spent and the 2 hours of my life back, I’d gladly do it. If you still don’t agree, then go ahead, find out for yourself, bite me (pun intended) and drive a stake through my chest (not literally because I’ll rise from the grave and haunt you forever). Romania has so much more to offer; full of verdant hills, amazing countrysides and beautiful mountains that will make you swoon and forget about vampires.
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What makes the whole thing frustrating is that it’s not responsible for tourism. Not even one bit. It’s literally shitting on the culture and history of Romania to proliferate this sort thing. There’s actually really cool and interesting history around Bran as long as it’s separated from Bram Stoker’s novel. The whole vampire and Dracula myth have nothing to do with Vlad or Romania. It’s sending out the wrong and incorrect message and tourists are just buying into the whole thing likely thinking it’s fact.
Regardless of all the controversies, it’s still worth visiting the Dracula Castle simply because of the interesting facts I’ve covered above. If you want to make your visit more interesting, check out Halloween at Dracula’s Castle!
THE LEGEND OF DRACULA IS ALLURING BUT HERE ARE A FEW CONTENDERS
- The number 1 contender for the Dracula Castle title is Corvin Castle. In fact, Vlad the Impaler spent time as a prisoner on its creepy dungeons.
- The Poenari Castle deserves the Dracula Castle title because Vlad used it as a residence. The Wallachians also built it.
- Peles Castle, which is really a palace, deserves more attention than Bran. It’s more interesting and visually more pleasing.
- The fact is, no one really knows where the “real” Dracula castle is. The Dracula Castle sits somewhere in an empty mountain in Transylvania, based on handwritten notes by Bram Stoker. So use your imagination!
A DAY IN BREAKDOWN:
- Bus from Brasov to Bran and back – $4
- Entrance Fee – $8.5 (not worth it)
- Breakfast at hostel – free (included)
- Hostel in Brasov – $14
- Lunch at a touristy restaurant in Bran – $7
- Cooked dinner in Brasov – $1.5
- TOTAL: $35
STILL, WANT TO GO TO BRAN THE “DRACULA CASTLE?”
PIN IT
We were planning to head here in September and I am almost a little disappointed. How far is Corvin from Cluj do you know?
Corvin Castle is closer to Cluj than Bran :) It’s about a 6-hour bus ride. Alba Iulia is on the way too and it’s a nice little town worth a half a day’s visit. September is just about high-season so if you do go to Bran, be prepared going shoulder to shoulder with tourists.
Thanks for your honesty. I’ve had the same with the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, I found it such a tourist trap. I’ve never been to Romania before but I heard nature there is stunning so who knows in the near future …
Oh yeah definitely! Transylvania especially is an awesome place to visit!
I went to Brasov in the means to go to either Peles or bran castle…but then I loved Brasov so much I didn’t leave at all. I hear in reviews people prefers Peles castle as it is bigger. Pictures of the Bran castle made me bit disappointed in the size of it :P
Thanks for sharing!
You didn’t miss much by skipping Bran :)
Thanks for the honest review! Honestly, it’s probably something I would have skipped anyway because I had heard that there were many more amazing castles to visit and prioritize – thanks for providing a list of those to see instead! Totally agree with you – was probably a very brilliant marketing person who managed to make the label of “Dracula’s castle” stick!
They marketed Bran really well!
Definitely an opinion I haven’t read about yet, but not unjustified! I have not been there myself, but I’m glad to be more aware of its shortcomings. The Corvin castle sounds a lot more interesting now.
Corvin Castle is amazing! Much more interesting than Bran by a mile!
Thanks for providing your insights into Bram Castle – as a traveller who really dislikes being part of a mass of tourists, I think I would definitely prefer to visit the less well known castles when I ultimately visit Romania…
Rasnov citadel just a few kilometers from Bran Castle is much more appealing. Check it out instead :)
Looks like an interesting place with a fascinating history. Great post!
I had no idea that Romania was full of so many beautiful treasures in the form of medieval castles. Your photos are incredible and I would definitely love to explore.
Most interesting country I’ve been to in the Balkans :)
I reached the same conclusion about Bran, so instead of visiting Bran I went to Peles. I have often wondered whether I should have gone to Bran anyway, but it seems like I didn’t miss much! I’m sure it is nice enough by itself, but – as you said – it is not really linked to the Dracula myth in any meaningful way. In fact I think I once read that they marketed Bran as Dracula’s castle to appease American tourists who came to Romania looking for Dracula’s castle and were disappointed to find out that Stoker (who never visited Romania) had not based it in any particular place. I LOVED Peles though, it was very pretty there. And I managed to appease my Dracula wanderlust by visiting Snagov monastery where it is said Tepes is buried :-) It was remarkably non-touristy and I was the only person there!
Exactly! The whole Dracula Castle myth is perpetuated by somebody who’s not from Romania :)
Interesting article.
Never having visited the place, I still think Bran castle is still one of the more beautiful castles, though. When I was reading the Stoker novel, I couldn’t help but imagine pictures of Bran castle.
Anyway, it is correct that it is probably wrong to market Bran castle as “Dracula Castle” because, as you said, Poenari castle (only a ruins now) is the true Dracula castle.
I’m more impressed with the Corvin castle as I think it is the largest castle in Romania. It’s said that 1800s architects gave it a more gothic look – what additions where these, I wonder?
It’s an interesting castle on its own right but nowhere near the grandiose expectations I had. I would check it out during winter when there’s less crowd and perhaps the winter backdrop would make it really interesting :)
It is desirable that the visitors of Bran Castle distinguish between the historical reality of Bran and Count Dracula’s character in Bram Stoker’s novel. Dracula was and remains an imaginary character …