Castles and the border they were built to hold
BrașovKultur & GeschichteLeicht7 hFamilienEinsteiger
Dauer7 h
GradLeicht
Geeignet fürMax. 12Ab 6 Jahren
Wie der Tag abläuft
Bran and Râșnov without the vampire nonsense — the actual border history, told properly.
Bran gets called Dracula's castle. It has essentially nothing to do with Vlad Țepeș and rather less to do with Bram Stoker, who never visited Romania. What it actually was is more interesting: a customs post on a mountain pass, holding the border between Transylvania and Wallachia.
Both castles
Bran first, before the crowds, then Râșnov — a peasant fortress rather than a lord's castle, built by the villagers to hold out until relief arrived.
What we will not do
Vampires. If that is what you are after, this is the wrong tour and we would rather say so now.
Der Tag, Stunde für Stunde
09:00Pickup in Brașov
Half an hour to Bran through the pass.
09:45Bran Castle
Inside before the coaches arrive. The real history of the pass, the customs post and the Queen Marie restoration.
12:00Râșnov fortress
On the hill above the village. A different kind of building entirely, and the better view of the two.
14:30Lunch in the village
Not included. An hour, somewhere unpretentious.
16:00Back in Brașov
Late afternoon.
Was enthalten ist
Wir stellen
- Entry tickets to every site on the route
- Transport from Brașov and back
Sie bringen mit
- Comfortable shoes — the streets are cobbled
- Something for rain
Treffpunkt
Pickup from your Brașov accommodation
Häufige Fragen
Is Bran actually Dracula's castle?
No. Vlad Țepeș may have passed through; he certainly never held it. Stoker never came to Romania at all and described a castle in a different place. The real border history is better than the marketing.
How busy does Bran get?
Very, from about eleven. We start early specifically to be ahead of it.