It is a spooky October, and everyone is thinking about costumes and Halloween. But what about some Dracula-related tourist attractions? We put together a list to get you out of the house and explore some creepy places, as well as learn more about the infamous Dracula’s castle.
When you first hear of Bran Castle, the notorious home associated with the Dracula myth, you might anticipate a chilling tale. However, as you learn more about its history, you realize it is merely a border crossing point. What lies beneath Romania’s titular toothy villain is more of a story that Romanians are not really excited about… (we are more excited about the inspiration behind the Dracula myth.)
Bran Castle
For individuals gearing up for Halloween, the story of Dracula is just child’s play, and there are darker things awaiting in the shadows.
Location: Google Maps
There is also a scary amusement park near Bran Castle in case you are there and you are looking for a thrill: The Castle of Horror
Poienari Castle
Well, the inspiration for Dracula is Vlad the Impaler, or Draculea (origin of the name Dracula). He was the ruler of 15th-century Walachia in what is modern-day Romania. He was a truly terrifying ruler!
He was notorious for his cruel and sadistic methods of punishing his enemies and those he perceived as threats. His preferred method of execution, impalement, was particularly gruesome and involved skewering victims on long, sharp poles and allowing them to die slowly and agonizingly.
This fortress is where Vlad the Impaler hid from the Ottomans and prepared his incursions. Right now, it is decorated with impaled bodies, but this place was meant to be a military operations hub and a place to hold valuable prisoners. We don’t know what Vlad did to those prisoners.
Sounds like a Halloween trip!
Location: Google Maps
Sighisioara History Museum – Go inside the dungeon
Under the Sighișoara History Museum, a chilling and historically significant find awaits visitors: a medieval torture chamber, equipped with all the gruesome instruments and methods that were infamously employed during Vlad the Impaler’s reign. This eerie exhibit allows one to step back in time and experience the macabre atmosphere of that dark era, shedding light on the terrifying practices that characterized that period of history.
It may not be the vampire you were looking for, but it does strike fear into your bones, as the descriptions in the exhibits can be quite intense.
Targoviste – The scene of the Night Raid
During a major Ottoman assault on Wallachia, a force of 100,000 troops gathered with the intention of besieging the fortified city of Targoviste. However, upon reaching the city, they were met with a harrowing sight: the landscape was adorned with a forest of impaled corpses, the numbers of which were inaccurately estimated. These lifeless bodies were the result of night raids, and some unfortunate survivors were still enduring unimaginable suffering.
Why not scare your friends for Halloween by telling them this story. Targoviste is also a great day trip destination!
Location: Google Maps
Turn on captions on YouTube and watch this historically accurate account of where Vlad the Impaler lived:
Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula put Romania on the map, but here are some other books you might be interested in:
Or maybe some alternative fashion to be just as trendy as Dracula:
Dracula's Guide to Romania 
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