When visiting Bucharest Romania it is practically mandatory to do a tour into Transylvania. We took a 12 hour tour called Romania’s 2 Most Popular Transylvania Castles in 1 Day. What we discovered was so much more than what we had anticipated.

2 Best Castles in Transylvania Romania

We booked this tour on our number 1 tour booking platform GetYourGuide.com. The cost of the tour was AU$328 for two adults and one 11-year-old child. On this tour you get to see the 2 best castles in Transylvania Romania, with a bonus tour of Brasov.

Here are the main stops:

• First Stop: Peles Castle
• Second Stop: Brasov Town
• Third Stop: Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle)

Tour Start in Bucharest

The meeting point was the Atheneum, just near Bucharest Revolution Square. This is a fairly central location to Bucharest Old Town, and cost us just 10 Romaina Lei catching an Uber to get there.

The tour duration was supposed to be 12 hours leaving at 8 AM and returning at 8 PM. In reality we arrived back in Bucharest at about 9:30 PM, and didn’t really experience any delays during the day. That makes it a very long day, about 14 hours.

Extra Costs on the Tour

The tour was all inclusive, but we did spend extra on the following which were not included.

• Snacks and coffee at a roadside stop along the way.
• Drinking Water throughout the day.
• Lunch in Brasov.
• Photography pass at Peles Castle.
• Tips for the tour guide and driver at the end of the day.

This means the entry fees and guided tours were all included in the tour, which was super handy.

Tour Bus

The bus was a 21 seat Mercedes bus, fairly spacious and modern. There were USB chargers at each seat, which didn’t work. The only form of entertainment on the bus was the music playing,and the tour guide talking to us through the microphone throughout the day.

Peles Castle

First stop was Peles castle, about a two hour drive from Bucharest. Actually we stopped at a service station about half way for 15 minutes for snacks and coffee, which was technically our first stop.

When we arrived at Peles Castle, we started with a short five minute walk to the castle, and then we had an opportunity to purchase the photography pass. You’re not allowed to take photographs castle unless you pay 30 Romanian Lei for the photography pass. It sounds ridiculous, but I strongly advise purchasing this pass.

The Peles Castle tour takes about one hour, not including line up time. And the tour was simply stunning. This is not your traditional medieval castle, instead is the most modern European royal palace of the 19th century. Peles Castle was home the royal monarchy from around 1893 until it was seized by the Communist rulers in the 1940s.

Some Fast Facts About Peles Castle

• It was the first castle in Europe to be fully lit by electric lighting.
• To achieve this it had it’s own power station.
• It was the world’s first castle to be powered by locally generated electricity.
• Peles Castle houses it’s own 60 seat theatre.
• The very first Romanian movie projection was screened here in 1906.
• In the Hall of Fame there is a huge glass ceiling which is driven by electric motors.
• The whole castle even has central heating.

Entering Peles Castle

As you enter the castle you’re required to put plastic over your shoes and also drop off your backpack, no backpacks are allowed in the castle. There’s also an airport style metal detector to go through.

The tour takes visitors through about castle 20 rooms, and you’re treated to a dazzling variety of art and museum pieces. This ncludes a weaponry display of over 4,000 medieval weapons and armour exhibits.

Brasov Old Town

After Pales Castle it’s back in the bus for about a one hour drive through some spectacular mountain country on towards Brasov, in Transylvania Romania. Brasov is a medieval town dating back to the 13th century. Actually it’s been in existence since about 1 century BC, however the current town centre was built in the 13th century.

We enjoyed about two hours of free time to enjoy lunch and stroll around the authentic medieval Town Square. After that we had a half hour guided walking tour which was complimentary, and was led by our bus tour guide.

The main attractions surrounding Brasov Town Square are the Black Church and the Town Square Hall, both dating back to the 14th century. The square itself is surrounded by brightly painted medieval buildings and a large variety of dining options.

Bran Castle

The next stop was the famous Dracula‘s castle, a.k.a. Bran Castle. This is an authentic medieval castle built in the 13th century. It’s known as Dracula‘s Castle due to the famous novel Dracula, written by Bram Stoker back in the late 19 century. The castle did you send that this is the castle used to bases character.

The real story is slightly different, as there are no less than three potential Dracula‘s Castles is in Romania. It is is somewhat doubtful that Bran Castle is the real Dracula’s Castle. Anyway, it’s largely irrelevant since Count Dracula was a fictitious character.

There is no denying that Bran Castle is an amazing castle to visit. After parking the bus in a nearby car park, the walk to the castle is about only 15 minutes. The first five minutes is along a public road, and the you must walk through about 100 m of souvenir shops.

Then there is a long cobblestone path going up the hill with a moderately steep grade. This takes about five minutes to get to the top of the cliff where Bran Castle is built.

Self Guided Tour of Bran Castle

I’m not sure what the entry cost into Bran Castle is, because ours was included in the tour. But you do have to enter through a ticket turnstile and entry gate into the castle. Guided tours are not the norm here, all the visitors just go on a self-guided tour.

Basically there is one route which winds all the way through the castle up to the third-floor, and then back down again. You can take as long as you want, we were given about two hours to do a self paced tour which leaves plenty of time for photos outside of the castle, and for some souvenir shopping.

Our bus tour guide gave us the hot tip that the best photo location is across the other side of the lake, at the front of the castle. On the way back we tried it out with the castle reflecting across the lake. But it was quite difficult to do because of the later afternoon sun, which was almost directly behind the castle.

Driving Back to Bucharest

Then we had about a 3 hour drive back to Bucharest. There was one point of interest on the way, and that was a huge citadel on top of a hill, about 15 minutes into the drive. But we didn’t slow down or stop, we just had a chance to get a quick snapshot from about 1 km away.

The drive back to Bucharest was fairly uneventful and traffic was light. They say that on weekends there can be a traffic jam as you approach Bucharest, but we had a fairly clear run. We were even on Saturday afternoon in peak season. I guess it’s the luck of the draw.

Arriving in Bucharest

Drop off point was the same as the pick up stop at The Atheneum. Here you have the option to going to the concierge of the Hilton hotel to request a taxi, or just hail an Uber on your phone. We just went for an Uber, which cost a respectable 10 Lei back to our Old City apartment. I’m not sure how it works every Uber in Bucharest city cost us exactly 10 Lei, which is remarkably cheap in my books.

Tour Review

Overall it was a long day, but an excellent too. All 3 attractions were awesome, but we rated Bran castle was the best of the three. This is mainly because of the the somewhat obscure a link to Dracula, and also the medieval historical value.

One other point to note on the bus was that it has free Wi-Fi, which were used for most of the day which we utilized for most of the day.. It was fast even through the mountains and reliable meaning it never dropped out. The bus comes equipped with USB charging ports on Every seat, but for some reason it was not working on our bus.

So if you have more than a couple of days in Bucharest, these 2 castles are definitely must see attractions. Make that a trio of attractions, including Brasov. Do yourself a favor and see these 2 famous Transylvania castles in 1 day.

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