Transylvania Castles: Explore Dracula's and Peles Castles from Bucharest
4.7
190 Ratings
Bucharest
Embark on a private day trip from Bucharest to explore the legendary Transylvania castles of Dracula and Peles. Discover the enchanting Carpathian Mountains and the cities of Sinaia, Bran, and Brasov.
Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Bucharest - The tour guide will collect you from your hotel or accommodation in Bucharest.
  • Peles Castle - Situated in Sinaia, 44 km from Brasov, Peles Castle is often regarded as one of the most stunning castles in Europe. Nestled against the natural backdrop of the Carpathian Mountains, it is a masterpiece of German Renaissance architecture.
  • Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle) - Also known as ‘Dracula’s Castle,’ Bran Castle is one of Romania’s most renowned landmarks. This medieval fortress dates back to the 14th century and is linked to the legend of Dracula, inspired by the life of Vlad Tepes/Vlad the Impaler (1431-1476). Vlad is celebrated by Romanians for his resistance against the Ottoman Empire and his strict enforcement of laws, often through impalement.
  • Brasov Historical Center - Brasov Walking Tour: Surrounded by the Southern Carpathian Mountains and adorned with gothic, baroque, and renaissance architecture, Brasov boasts numerous historical attractions, making it one of Romania’s top destinations.

Tour highlights: Black Church, Citadel of Brasov, Ecaterina’s Gate, White Tower, Black Tower, Council Square, Palace of Justice.

  • Piaka Sfatului - The central square of Brasov.
  • Black Church (Biserica Neagra) - The largest Gothic church in Romania.
  • Rope Street - Strada Sforii - The narrowest street in Romania.
  • Catherine’s Gate - A former entrance to the Brasov fortress.
What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • English-speaking licensed guide and driver
  • Assistance during the entire tour
  • Transportation by air-conditioned car/van
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Gratuities
  • Entrance & Photo fees
Additional Information

Embark on a private one-day excursion from Bucharest to explore the famed Dracula’s Castle and Peles Castle.

Supposedly, the infamous Count Dracula resided in a fortress in Transylvania. With its mystique and positioning high on a crag, Bran Castle gained renown due to the associations with Bram Stocker’s ‘Dracula’ and its imposing tower. Uncover the captivating mountainous area of the Carpathian Mountains along with the towns of Sinaia, Bran and Brasov.

  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • PLEASE NOTE!
  • On the dates when Peles Castle is closed this site will be substituted for Pelisor Castle (if open on your travel date) or Rasnov Fortress, a fascinating medieval peasant citadel from the 14th century.
  • Peles Castle is closed on the following dates: ​
  • 27 Sep 2021 - 10 May 2022. Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays
  • 11 May 2022 - Sep 2022. Closed on Mondays with below exceptions for the holidays: ​
  • Orthodox Easter 2022
  • 24 April - Peles Castle is Closed
  • Travel safely with us!
  • Traveling with us means that you are taking a 100% private tour! It will be only you and your family / friends.
  • Our vehicles are thoroughly sanitized after each tour.
  • You will have one person (guide/driver) guiding you in order to minimize risks. The health of our guides is verified daily and they all wear protection masks and gloves.
Location
Bucharest
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(190 Ratings)
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Paula_d
Jun 3, 2024
Castles in the mountains - Peles Castle-arriving close to opening time, so we missed the long line. Also 2 hours in Brasov to eat and shop. Bran Castle was also fabulous.
Review provided by Viator
K3559hxsallyh
May 29, 2024
Brasov, Bran Castke and Peles - Fabulous trip, brilliant tour guide Claudiu. Very flexible on timings and ensuring we got ahead of the crowds. Brasov was a real highlight.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Georg_g
May 4, 2024
Great tour. - This was a great tour. Those two castles and the city of Brazov are a must see if you are in Bucharest. The tour is well paced and leaves you enough time alone to explore these beautiful places. Our guide Christian was great.
Review provided by Viator
Relax45384738465
Nov 11, 2023
Fantastic trip and guide (Cristian) highly recommend - Firstly, a big thank you to Cristian who looked after us very well. He commenced commentary from the get go, pointing out different buildings and lots of story telling on the way. He gave us plenty of time to explore Bran castle, called ahead to find out how busy places were so he could do the sights in reverse. Well done, we skipped the crowds. Next stop Brasov for lunch, again plenty of time then on to Peles castle. We’re weren’t sure about visiting the castle, but we trusted his judgement and so glad we did. All stops 100% worth it, I will be recommending to my friends.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Courtneysw340ez
Sep 20, 2023
Wonderful tour! - Christian was a great driver! We had a wonderful time on this tour. If you are in Bucharest and looking for an excursion out of the city, we definitely recommend this one!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joseph_r
Sep 11, 2023
Both castles are... - Both castles are beautiful….it was also great to hear the history of these two iconic castles. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable
Review provided by Viator
H6617szalexandraw
Mar 17, 2024
interesting insights - Very nice and committed tour guide, unfortunately it was not clear from the description that the tours take place without a tour guide. That's why it was only very good instead of excellent.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
T5518fhtimothyw
Oct 14, 2023
Castled out, but good to see more of the country. - Although we found Bran Castle a relative disappointment, we did enjoy getting out of Bucharest and seeing some countryside. Pele Castle was much more interesting than Bran Castle. Our driver, Claudio, was accommodating and took us on an alternate route back, visiting the site of the Ceaucescu’s execution. We appreciated the alternate site visit. Claudio is a skilled driver, if a bit fast and fearless. Our taxi ride from the airport was similar, so perhaps that’s driving in Romania.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
West_h
May 17, 2024
Lovely castles - I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery on my drive to Transylvania. The castles were both lovely and different and feeling and style. I would have enjoyed a little more information on the castles from my guide however, he was pleasant enough.
Review provided by Viator
A7055exsarahw
Oct 22, 2023
Castles in Transylvania and Brasov - Didn’t get off to a good start, picked up a message the evening before we were due ti leave, that the trip would start at 10.30 (rather than 7.30 am) due to a road closure. Who knows if this was true? Bearing in mind this was supposed to be a 12 hour tour, travelling 3 1/2 hours to the first destination, my husband and I were worried that the 3 visits on the itinerary would be rushed, considering sunset around 6.30 pm. Our guide messaged to say that it wouldn’t affect our itinerary. We ended up doing the tour ‘back to front’, which wasn’t a problem, it’s just he didn’t mention this until we had nearly arrived at the first destination. We did feel a bit rushed (although he kept saying we could take all the time we needed), but we knew we needed to get around quickly to fit in the other two visits whilst it was light. There were big road queues when we left Peles castle, which obviously was not our guides fault, but made us later to Bran castle. In Peles, we only had a ticket for the ground floor, we hadn’t been offered the opportunity to visit the other 2 floors, but there wouldn’t have been time anyway. We again felt the need to rush our tour because of the time/light. Both castles were amazing, but we had expected a tour guide as we had paid for a private tour, not just a driver, but we were left largely to our own devices to self guide ourselves inside the castle. Our next stop was Brasov, again beautiful, but arrived very late in the afternoon. Our driver was just going to drop us off and arrange to meet us later, when I reminded him that our itinerary included a walking tour. He willingly spent 20 mins or so with us and had some great knowledge on the town to share and then arranged to meet us 30 mins later. Our drive back to Bucharest was something of a white knuckle ride to say the least, it was beyond scary. Too fast on non highway roads in residential areas, whilst our drives was talking on his mobile phone frequently, one call lasted about 20 mins. Not sure what the laws are in Romania about using mobiles whilst driving (that aren’t hands free), but it’s not safe and a distraction. At one point in Brasov, the driver was taking a photo on his mobile, whilst driving, when my husband shouted look out… which stopped us rear ending the car in front. Ironically he told us he was driving his kids to the coast the next day, which he could reach in a couple of hours, but would drive more slowly than he usually does as he would have his kids in the car. He was a nice guy, but more a driver (fast) than a tour guide. When you’re spending this kind of money on a private tour, with entrance fees on top, you would expect more. We had a small group (7) tour the next day, the Transfagarasan road to see wild bears, the guide was knowledgable, safe driver, kept us informed of everything, quite a contrast
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