Visit Bran

Why visit Bran

Bran is the storybook Transylvanian village famous for one extraordinary building — Bran Castle, the dramatic 14th-century clifftop fortress that has been marketed since the 1970s as 'Dracula's Castle' (Bram Stoker's actual 1897 novel never names the castle directly, and the historical Vlad the Impaler probably only stayed here once, briefly, as a prisoner; but the silhouette is undeniably the most cinematically Dracula-esque in the Carpathians). The castle was originally built by the Saxons of Brasov in 1377 to defend the strategic Bran Pass between Transylvania and Wallachia, and was later given to Queen Marie of Romania (the British-born granddaughter of Queen Victoria) in 1920 as a royal summer residence. The wonderfully atmospheric interior — lit by narrow windows, with original royal furnishings, secret passageways, and a small permanent exhibition on the medieval Wallachian prince Vlad III Țepeș ('the Impaler') who likely inspired Stoker's vampire — makes for a great hour's wander. The wider village of Bran has the small medieval church, a tradition of family-run pensions for overnight stays, and access to brilliant Bucegi Mountains hiking. Combine with Râșnov Citadel (15km away, dramatically restored hilltop ruin) and the nearby ski resorts of Preăl and Poiana Braşov.