Go back in time by visiting these castles in Romania

If you are planning your next trip for this year, visiting Romania might be a great choice especially if you like old buildings like me.

From old villages, amazing architecture, great food to decent prices, and mesmerizing sceneries, this country offers them all!

THE BRAN CASTLE

Find the place here.

Commonly known outside Romania as Dracula’s Castle it is often erroneously referred to as the home of the title character in Bram Stoker‘s Dracula.

The castle is now a museum dedicated to displaying art and furniture collected by Queen Marie. Tourists can see the interior on their own or by a guided tour. At the bottom of the hill is a small open-air museum exhibiting traditional Romanian peasant structures (cottages, barns, water-driven machinery, etc.) from the Bran region.

If you ever head about Dracula then you will for sure want to add this castle on your list. It is located in a beautiful little village called “Bran”, in which you can find a lot of traditional things. From food, clothes to decorative objects you can find it all in the outside shops near the castle.

If you want to visit a bit more, head over to “Brașov” for some good food, The Black Church (that is worth the visit), narrow beautiful streets, and a great city view for above. To see the city from above you need to climb to “Tâmpa” at 1000m altitude.

THE PELEȘ CASTLES

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By form and function, Peleş is a palace, but it is consistently called a castle. Its architectural style is a romantically inspired blend Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival similar to Schloss Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. A Saxon influence can be observed in the interior courtyard facades, which have allegorical hand-painted murals and ornate fachwerk similar to that seen in northern European alpine architecture. Interior decoration is mostly Baroque influenced, with heavy carved woods and exquisite fabrics.

The “Peles” castle is located in “Sinaia”, a beautiful town situated at about 45 km from “Brașov” so you can really do both in one day. The Peleș castle is surrounded by an amazing park that can also be visited and if you decided to go inside be prepared for some mesmerizing interior decorations.

THE CORVIN CASTLE

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It is one of the largest castles in Europe and figures in a list of the Seven Wonders of Romania. In the castle yard, near the 15th-century chapel, there is a well 30 meters deep. According to the legend, this fountain was dug by 3 Turkish prisoners to whom liberty was promised if they reached water. After 15 years they completed the well, but their captors did not keep their promise. It is said that the inscription on a wall of the well means “you have water, but not soul”. Specialists, however, have translated the inscription as “he who wrote this inscription is Hasan, who lives as slave of the giaours, in the fortress near the church”.

THE BÁNFFY CASTLE

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Bánffy Castle is an architectural monument situated in Bonţida, a village in the vicinity of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, with construction phases and stylistic features belonging to Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical and Neogothic styles. It is owned by the Hungarian Bánffy family.

This Castle is also the place where the well-known festival called Electric Castle takes place every year. In case you don’t know anything about Electric Castle yet you can visit their site here and maybe buy some tickets for next year.

THE CANTACUZINO CASTLE

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The building, whose construction was completed in 1911, was conducted by the architect Gregory Cerchez at the request of Prince George Grigore Cantacuzino. It is built in Neo-Romanian style; the total surface of the estate is over 3,000 square meters. The estate is surrounded by a park with paths that lead to a waterfall grotto and artisanal fountains. In the central pavilion is a collection of unique Romanian heraldry representing the families allied with the Cantacuzino family, as well as portraits of the family members.

THE RÂȘNOV CITADEL

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The fortress was built as part of a defence system for the Transylvanian villages exposed to outside invasions. A decisive aspect for building the fortress at its location was the route of the invading armies which were coming from the Bran pass and were passing through Râșnov, on their way to Braşov and other parts of the Burzenland region. The only chance of survival for the inhabitants of the area, including from Cristian and Ghimbav, was the refuge inside the refuge castle at Râşnov. Compelled to stay there for decades, the people of Râșnov and the nearby villages turned the fortification into their long-term place of residence.

Ok, so this one is not really a castle but if you are in the area it is definitely worth a visit. Most of the time you have to go on foot to see it but it definitely worth the trip. If you are hungry when you get down, there is a good restaurant nearby and I strongly suggest to order the well known Bean soup in bread (Ciorbă de fasole în pâine).

Let me know if you have ever visited one of these castles or if you are going to plan a trip soon to Romania!

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