Bran Castle is mostly known as the castle of Dracula.

Well, who is this Dracula? Was he real? What did he do? When and where did he live? And why is he called Dracula (Dracul = Devil, in Romanian)?

Dracula was a Romanian prince (who became later king), called Vlad Tepes (or Vlad the Impaler). In sign of recognition for the battles he faught against the turks, Vlad's father was titled the order "The Knight of the Dragon". Now the Romanian word "Dracul" comes from the latin "draco", meaning dragon. So the people nicknamed prince Vlad as Vlad Dracul. Later, the meaning of the word changed and became "devil" but the nickname of Vlad remained "Dracula". Now you know a little about the name. If you want to know more about king Vlad, click HERE.

Now lets get back to the castle. Bran Castle was built by Brasov City residents (not by Dracula!) between 1377 and 1382 with both military and commercial purposes, as it was possitioned on the border line between Wallachia and Transylvania (both hystorical provinces of Romania).

Bran castle has all the ingredients a castle need to become famous: miths with blood thirsty vampires, secret stairways, frescoes of princesses and so on. All it needs is only you beeing there at least once in your lifetime.

Why to go?

Because Bran castle has all the ingredients a castle need to become famous: miths with blood thirsty vampires, secret stairways, frescoes of princesses and so on. All it needs is only you beeing there at least once in your lifetime.

When to go?

Opening hours in summer (1st of May to October 31st): Tuesday - Sunday: 0900 to 1800; Monday: 1200 to 1800.

Opening hours in winter (1st of November to May 30): Tuesday - Sunday: 0900 to 1600; Monday: Closed.

How to go?

By car: 168 km from Bucharest and 27 km from Brasov.
Within walking distance from the city of Bran.

Address: Muzeul Bran, Str. Gen. Traian Mosoiu, nr. 498, Bran, Jud. Brasov, 507025.

Where to stay

See a list of hotels in Brasov County, HERE.

See other Romanian castles