Over the centuries Bran has been a place of confrontation, a customs house, a royal residence and then a museum. It stands at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains, 30 km (19 miles) from Brașov, on the pass between Transylvania and Wallachia, and the whole world knows it as Dracula's Castle.
Bran Fortress dates from a privilege granted to the city of Brașov by King Louis I of Anjou on 19 November 1377, to watch over the trade route through the pass. Its construction was completed in 1388, on the steep cliff between Măgura and Dealul Cetății, with a view over the Moeciu Valley and Țara Bârsei.
Bran had two jobs at once. It was a customs post, keeping 3% of the value of goods entering and leaving Transylvania, and a fortress on Transylvania's eastern border against the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.
At the beginning of 1459, during Vlad the Impaler's second reign, his army passed through Bran and attacked Brașov. Two centuries later, on 25 April 1651, the people of Brașov concluded a deed of sale for the castle with Prince George Rákóczi II.
On 1 December 1920 the people of Brașov gave the castle to Queen Marie of Romania, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, who made it her favourite residence and restored it for the royal family.
From 1920 to 1932 the castle was turned into a royal summer residence, in works coordinated by the Czech architect Karel Liman, who had also designed the Peleș and Pelișor castles. Marie added a spiral staircase connecting the upper floors, brought in hand-carved furniture from local Saxon and Romanian craftsmen, and filled the rooms with stained glass, ceramics and textiles gathered on her travels.
Outside, the grounds became an English park with two ponds and a Tea House, and a lift was installed so that the queen could move more easily between the castle and the park. The castle's well is 57 m (190 ft) deep.
After Marie's death in 1938 her daughter, Princess Ileana, inherited the castle. In 1940 the queen's heart was brought to Bran from the Stella Maris chapel at Balchik, on the Black Sea coast, and placed in the crypt of a chapel carved into the rock beyond the castle valley.
In 1948 the new communist government forced Ileana and her family to leave the country. When the castle became a museum in 1956, it had three departments: the castle with pieces from the royal family's heritage, the medieval customs, and an ethnography section of traditional houses in the park next to the castle. It was returned to Princess Ileana's heirs in 2006.
Count Dracula is a fictional character from Bram Stoker's novel, published in 1897. Stoker never visited Romania; Bran is called Dracula's Castle because it is the only castle in Transylvania that matches his description.
Vlad the Impaler, ruler of Wallachia, is linked to Bran through the trade route over the pass, but it is not known whether he ever conquered the castle: written documents do not attest it.
From 1 April to 1 November the castle opens from Tuesday to Sunday at 9 am (09:00) and on Mondays at noon (12:00), with last entry at 7 pm (19:00). From 2 November to 31 March the last entry is at 6 pm (18:00). Children up to 5 years old enter free.
Besides the Standard ticket, the castle sells a Royal Tour Plus Fast Pass, which adds entry to the Torture Rooms and the Time Tunnel and a separate entrance lane, and a Guided Royal Tour Plus Fast Pass, with a guided tour in English or Romanian every hour, on the hour.
Animals are not allowed in the castle or on the paths leading to it, except service animals. Smoking is forbidden in the castle and the Royal Park, and visitors are asked to keep luggage to a minimum because of enhanced security.
The castle's Halloween event, The Legend of Dracul, runs from 24 October to 1 November 2026, and no guided tour takes place during this period. From 24 to 30 October the castle sells New Moon tickets for a daytime Halloween tour. On 31 October the New Moon tour runs from 9 am (09:00) to 5 pm (17:00), and in the evening three packages, Blood Moon, Full Moon and Eclipse, combine a Halloween tour with a party. On 1 November the Blue Moon ticket is a Halloween tour designed for families.
By road, Bran is about 160 km (99 miles) and 2.5 hours from Bucharest. Trains from Bucharest go only as far as Brașov; from Brașov's Bus Station No. 2, buses run to Bran every 30 minutes on weekdays and every hour at weekends, and the bus stop is in the centre of Bran, near the castle's main entrance.
Choosing between the trips? The article compares them: Bran Castle Tours (2027): Which Trip to Dracula's Castle to Choose. Every trip that stops in Bran is also on our Bran destination page.
Staying in the city? See our Brașov guide, with the Black Church and Râșnov.
Only in fiction. The count is a character from Bram Stoker's novel, and Bran took the name because no other Transylvanian castle fits the book; no document shows that Vlad the Impaler ever took it.
Soldiers and customs officers for centuries, while it was a fortress, then Queen Marie of Romania, who received it in 1920 and made it her favourite residence, and after her, her daughter Princess Ileana.
Building work ended in 1388, eleven years after the royal privilege of 1377.
Yes, with the Guided Royal Tour Plus Fast Pass, whose tours start on the hour. There are none during the Halloween event of 2026.
Take a local bus from Bus Station No. 2 in Brașov (twice an hour on weekdays, hourly at weekends) or join a tour from the city.
Facts from Bran Castle's official website (bran-castle.com), checked on 10 October 2026.
