Bran or Râșnov? The castles near Brasov, without the crowds

Half an hour south of Brasov, the road to the mountains passes two castles. One is famous for a story that has nothing to do with it. The other is a fortress most visitors drive past on the way to the first. Both were built to hold the same border, and seen together, in the right order, they make one of the best half days around Brasov.

Bran: a customs house, not a vampire's home

Bran is sold as Dracula's castle. It is not. Vlad Țepeș may have passed through, but he never held it, and Bram Stoker never came to Romania at all. The castle in his novel stands somewhere else entirely.

What Bran really was is more interesting. In the 1370s the Saxons of Brasov were allowed to build a stone castle on the pass to Wallachia, and for centuries it worked as a fortified customs post: goods went through, duties were paid, and the border was watched. In 1920 the town gave it to Queen Marie, who turned the fortress into a home. Most of what you see inside today is her house, with its narrow stairs, low wooden ceilings and small rooms built into the rock.

• Go at opening time. The coaches arrive from about eleven, and after that the narrow corridors move at the speed of the queue.
• Allow: an hour and a half inside.
• Skip: the souvenir market at the gate, unless you need a fridge magnet.

Râșnov: the fortress the villagers built

Râșnov stands on a hill above the village of the same name, on the way back to Brasov. It is first mentioned in the 1330s, and it was not built by a lord. The villagers of the plain built it themselves, as a refuge: when raiders came, the whole village went up the hill with their animals and waited inside the walls until help arrived.

Inside are small houses, a school and a chapel, the rooms of people who expected to stay for a while. In the middle is the well. The story goes that the fortress fell only once, in 1612, when the attackers found the path the villagers used to fetch water, and that the well was dug through the rock so it could never happen again.

• Good for: the view. From the walls you see the whole Bârsa plain, with Brasov at the far end.
• Allow: an hour, more if you walk up from the village instead of taking the lift.
• Watch for: the paving inside the walls is uneven. Wear proper shoes.

Which order, and when

Bran first, early. Râșnov second, around midday. Râșnov is quieter all day, and its view is better in the light of the early afternoon, so the order that avoids the crowds is also the one that shows you more.

You can do both by bus: regular buses from Brasov's Autogara 2 stop in Râșnov and Bran. Check the times the day before, especially for the way back.

Is Bran worth it at Halloween?

If you want a costume party, yes, and book early. Bran has hosted Halloween events in recent years, and they sell out. If you want to see the castle, choose another day. At the end of October the crowds are at their worst for the whole autumn, and none of what makes Bran interesting has anything to do with vampires.

If the border is what draws you, read about the Saxon fortified churches as well. They were built for the same raids, by the same people.

If you would rather hear the real story on site, come with us. The castles day picks you up in Brasov, gets you into Bran before the coaches, and Mara brings the archive photographs.