When it comes to memorable Halloween parties, getting dressed up and celebrating all things ghoulish and grim at the creepy Bran Castle in Romania’s Transylvania region would arguably be hard to top. This year, tour company G Adventures is making that eerie option a reality with two tours that include an October 31st fete at the 14th-century fortress made famous by Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
The three-day “Dracula’s Halloween Party in Transylvania” tour (priced from $389, not including airfare), and the seven-day “Halloween in Transylvania” tour (from $1,499, not including airfare) both include traveling to Bran Castle in the Romanian region of Transylvania to celebrate All Hallow’s Eve. Travelers will be allowed to roam the castle’s ancient interiors and can learn more about the imposing fortress that has come to be associated with the former bloodthirsty Wallachian ruler Vlad Tepes, also known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracul.
A depiction of Vlad Tepes, who inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Courtesy of Shutterstock
Vlad Tepes inspired the famous Bram Stoker character Dracula, but he was no vampire and he likely never even lived at Bran (although his rule included numerous conflicts in Transylvania). The craggy castle has become known as “Dracula’s Castle” because it is the sole royal estate in Transylvania that fits Stoker’s description of the iconic vampire’s crib.
The castle’s symbolic creepiness has made it a mainstay among travelers visiting the region, and G Adventures’s Halloween tours are no exception. The tour company has rented out the entire property for the spooky celebration, and in addition to providing a visit of the estate, will be setting up a party tent just outside that will be serving food, drinks, and dance music for costumed revelers to enjoy into the night.
The three-day tour continues on to the medieval, cobblestoned city of Brasov, before returning to its starting point, the capital city of Bucharest. The seven-day tour also includes a visit to the culturally vibrant Transylvanian town of Sibiu, as well as the nearby city of Sighisoara, a UNESCO World Heritage site that dates back to the 16th century. In addition, it features a visit to the ruins of Poenari Castle, an actual former fortress of Vlad the Impaler’s, and a tour through the Rupea Citadel, situated on a hilltop near the Carpathian Mountains.
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