As big fan’s of all things that inspired Dracula, in January we had a short break booked to Bucharest with a day trip to Transylvania. Unfortunately, at the last minute flights were changed meaning that our time in the Romanian capital was restricted – therefore we only had time to fit in the day trip – but what a day it was.

Setting off early in sub zero temperatures, we met our guide from a central location in Bucharest for our first of three stops of the day.

Peles Castle
Situated near Sinaia, in the Carpathian mountains, is the Neo Renaissance Peles Castle. The castle was built by the first King of Romania, Carol I of Hohenzollern – Sigmaringen, to be used as a summer residence. The complex is composed of three monuments – Peleș Castle, Pelisor Cast and the Foisor Hunting Lodge.

With its secluded location, high in the mountains it is clear to see why it was built as a summer residence.

Visiting in the height of winter – covered in several inches of snow – the castle was like something out of a Disney movie. In my opinion seeing it during the winter months was something quite magical – even if I did slip, slide and have rather cold feet.

Brasov
Next stop on our day tour, and conveniently timed for a lunch break, was the historical centre of Brasov. Here we had a short walking tour – learning about the city council square that dated back to 1520. Dominating the square is the Council Hall building, which now acts as a museum with permanent exhibits related to Brasov’s history.

The Black Church (Biserica Neagra), Brasov’s most historic monument, can be found a short stroll from the city square. The church, one of the biggest medieval churches from this part of Europe, has an unmissable gothic construction.

In 1689, a blaze destroyed many parts of the town of Brasov. As a result the roof of the church caught fire and collapsed, burying the interior in a blanket of rubble and ash. Legend says that the flames and smoke turned the walls black – dubbing the church as The Black Church as it is known today.

After the walking tour of the town we had some time to wander and get some lunch. We stopped at La Ceaun for some traditional Romanian cuisine – myself opting for a vegetarian polenta dish followed by a Strudle and the other half consuming one of the many meat dishes they had on offer. Should you find yourself in Brasov – I would thoroughly recommend stopping by for some exceptional food with friendly service.

Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle)
Our final port of call for the day, and the one we have been waiting for the most, was Bran Castle. As many will well know, the castle got its fame from Dracula’s legend written by Bram Stoker.

The imposing castle lived up to all expectations, allowing all visitors to explore the wonderful surroundings, myth and magic that it showcases.

Despite the castle being most known for the legend of Dracula, it is steeped in history dating back to 1918 when Transylvania became part of Greater Romania. In 1920 the citizens of Brasov offered the castle to Queen Maria of Romania and it soon became her favourite residence. Queen Maria restored the castle and arranged it to be used as a residence of the royal family.

Bran Castle was where we spent most of the allocated time during our day trip and with so much history and rooms to view it is easy to see why. If you plan to visit I would recommend adding the torture chambers to your ticket – whilst not for the faint hearted – it was an interesting addition to the entry.

As with most of the day, being in the middle of winter, the whole area was covered in snow. Whilst I imagine the castle is an absolute delight in summer – there was something quite magical visiting off season with a snowy backdrop. If you are planning to visit – don’t let wintery weather put you off.

Soon after our visit to Bran it was time to head back to the city centre ready for our early morning flight home the next day.

With the flight time changes we do feel we were cut short, and after having such a wonderful experience we would expect to head back to Bucharest and explore more of the city and the surrounding areas in the future.