Romania is a highly underrated travel destination. This place has everything you need to satisfy your wanderlust. From the rolling mountains to the many castles and monasteries that stretch out across this eastern european country, it’s a wonder why more people don’t choose to come here. The lack of large crowds, however, made this place that much more of a treasure.
The only area we ran into tourists was of course the Bran castle, which is also deemed as the infamous “dracula’s” castle. In truth, the real story that inspired author Bran Stoker originated from Poenari Castle, which now lies in ruins. The castle was a fortress to Vlad the Impaler (aka Dracula) and his guards against adversaries to the Draculesti family. Vlad III gained his reputation of brutally punishing his enemies. He had a figurative thirst for blood, which sparked the world of vampires that has progressed immensely throughout the years in film and in literature.
Poenari Castle
Bran Castle
It costs 30 lei for entrance into the Bran Castle, while it only costs a whopping 5 lei for the lesser known Poenari castle. 10 Lei is equal to approximatley 2.50 USD at the moment. That’s another reason to visit this country. It is very budget friendly for the foreign traveler.
Be warned, the trip to the top of Poenari castle is not for the faint of heart. There are 1480 steps, but there are resting points with benches along the way.
Even though most of what I have covered has been on dracula’s castle and history, there is more to Romania than that. For example, there are hundreds of monasteries that each have their own unique character spread out all over the country. One really notable one that we visited was the Curtea De Arges Monastery. The architecture, in my opinion, had an immense likeness to that of the Taj Mahal in India.
Curtea de Arges Monastery
Another thing I loved was being able to access and explore the bell towers. I felt like Quasimodo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
bell tower
Romania was once under Bavarian control, which is why there is such a great German influence. However, unlike Bavaria many of the houses were painted these bright shades of color. I was mesmerized as we drove past them in our rental car.
The city of Sighisoara was full of these colorful houses. This area is also home to the last remaining occupied citadel. This is where we stayed one of the nights and it was a really nice experience to be able to wake up and drink coffee in the square. It was really peaceful until the tour groups started rolling in around 10 am as this is also close to where Bran castle is located and it holds part of the history of Vlad the Impaler.
sighisoara
Last but definitely not least, we ended our trip with a visit to Peles Castle. Located in the Carpathian mountains, this place pleased my fairytale fantasies. All that was missing was a dashing prince.
meditating at Peles Castle
So add Romania to the list when planning your next adventure. You won’t be dissappointed!
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