Brasov Day Trip: Bran Castle, Peles Castle & more!
What you need to know about this Transylvania castles tour
- This is a small group tour (8 people max) that starts from Brasov [can also be done in private mode]. Duration 8:30 am - 6 pm
- Included: transport with modern car or minibus, English guide, 3 entrance fees (standard tickets). Not included: lunch, souvenirs or other expenses
- You will visit 2 major tourist attractions in Romania: Bran Castle and Peles Castle. Learn about their history through interesting stories!
- We'll go the typical Saxon medieval village of Cristian to visit its impressive fortified church
- You can replace Cristian village with a visit to Valea Cetatii Cave in Rasnov
- You will see local life and beautiful landscapes of Bucegi and Piatra Craiului Mountains on this tour
- IMPORTANT: our guide-partner requires full payment of tour price in advance. Fully refundable if canceled with 3 full days in advance of tour date
Additional information
Please wear comfortable shoes and clothing.
Peles Castle is CLOSED on Monday
- on Monday during summer season (May-Sept)
- Monday + Tuesday during the winter season (Oct-Apr)
If you book for these days you can only visit Peles from the outside and instead we can visit Pelisor, a smaller castle also part of the royal estate.
Rasnov castle is closed for restoration works and CAN'T be visited. We may tour the outside of the fortress and learn more about it.
Moments to expect in the Transylvania castles tour
Cristian Fortified Church
This Roman-Catholic church was built in 1480 and is representative of typical Saxon villages of Transylvania: fortified with 2 defence walls and 5 guard towers. Built in open fields, the Church was meant to protect villagers against Ottoman invaders but also serve as a place of worship and community. It's beautiful and worth visiting!
Bran Castle - any vampires around?
Next, we move to Romania's #1 tourist attraction, Bran Castle also known as Dracula Castle. We cut through all the touristy stories so you learn about this imposing 650-years-old castle perched almost impossibly on top of a cliff overlooking a crossing of the Carpathian Mts. There's a lot of history and legends in this place and we'll see what's the connection with Bram Stoker's famous novel.
A superb royal residence: Peles Castle
This gorgeous castle was the summer residence of the Romanian Royal family. Built in the late 19th century in a German Neo-Reinnassance style, the castle is also an engineering masterpiece with an interior worthy of a museum - a proper royal residence! Peles Castle is one of Romania's top attractions that you shouldn't miss for its beauty, history and views!
[Peles is closed on Mon + Tue but we will see it from the outside and visit Pelisor Castle instead]
[Alternative] Valea Cetatii Cave
If you don't want to visit the Fortified Church in Cristian, then we can go to Valea Cetatii Cave in Rasnov. Opened in 2010, besides the superb sculptures and rock formations created by Mother Earth, the cave is famous for its impeccable acoustic in the "Great Hall" where the Brasov Philharmonic group holds concerts!
![[Alternative] Valea Cetatii Cave](https://www.romanianfriend.com/uploads/media/valea-cetatii-cave-frontend-thumbnail.jpeg)
[Alternative] Pelisor Castle
If Peles Castle was built for the heads of the royal family, its 'small brother' Pelisor Castle was built for the heirs. Similar yet different and with its own history and legends, Pelisor Castle is worth visiting. During the normal tour you will see it from the outside, but when Peles Castle is closed we'll also go inside!
![[Alternative] Pelisor Castle](https://www.romanianfriend.com/uploads/media/pelisor-castle-frontend-thumbnail.jpg)
Cancelation & refund policy
EasySends us or the guide an email 24h before the tour informing us you can't make it and you'll get a full refund of your payment, no questions asked.
Location details
- Starting point: Brasov
- Nearest airport: Bucharest, Sibiu
- Nearest train station: Brasov
- Landscape: Hills, urban, cobbled stone
Reviews from travellers
Our tour guide was very personable. He learned everyone's names and where they were from. He was very knowledgeable about the castles we visited and the places we passed through. We were allowed time to eat wherever we wanted at Bran Castle, and to decide as a group the route we would take back to Brasov. I appreciated that he stopped the van so we could take the best iconic photo of Bran Castle in the distance on the hillside! Our guide obviously loves his job and he made our experience richer because he does love to show off his country.
We had an amazing day with our guide Charlie. The tour was very extensive, we visited a lot of sights in just one day, everything was organized really well and we felt that we were in great hands. Charlie is a very knowledgeable and fun tour guide. I absolutely recommend this tour.
We had a packed day with Charlie, who was a friendly and very knowledgeable local guide / driver. He dispelled many myths about Romania and gave us a history lesson about Vlad Tepes - where he was and where he wasn't! Castles, monasteries, a fortified church (Lutheran - another surprise) and glorious views of the Carpathian Mountains - Charlie made sure that we saw what we wanted to. By the time we got back to Brasov we were exhausted but happy. Thanks for a memorable day!
Charlie was a fantastic guide! Very knowledgeable and fun. He was great with our 8 year old daughter who loved the day! We visited all the sites and in addition we visited caves! We had a very enjoyable day and learnt a lot. Would highly recommend!
Our guide was EXTREMELY knowledgeable which is great because I'm quite a curious traveler. He had the wisdom of someone who not only has been a guide a very long time but also an informed citizen of the world. Tiberius was also quite careful to avoid crowds ensuring we got there ahead of time to beat the crowds. For this reason alone, the tour was very much worth it. I enjoyed his stories and learned a lot.
Everything went perfectly. The guide was on time and he guided us very competently through the attractions.
We really enjoyed our tour of Bran Castle & Peles Castle. Charlie, our tour guide, was fantastic. He was so friendly and knowledgeable about the castles and the region. And he made it so easy to change our lunch timing so we could eat a little earlier than he had planned. In general, I'm glad we did this tour because we got to Peles Castle earlier than most of the tour groups and only had to wait a few minutes in line to get in, and at Bran Castle, having the tour meant we already had tickets and we could easily get in. The crowds waiting to buy tickets looked bad, definitely worth booking the tour to avoid that. We had Charlie for 2 full days of private tours for our group of 4 people, and it was a really great experience.
We found the Castles tour through Romanian friend and could not be any happier! Karoly was an exquisite guide who was so knowledgeable and made the whole experience 100x better! Karoly knew the castles so well and could easily predict how busy they would be, so planned the day perfectly to make sure we could beat the crowds at all sites! He also takes amazing photos as a bonus! Karoly also was very willing to go off route slightly to show us a few extra highlights, we could not recommend enough!
Unfortunately I can't remember the name of my guide but he was "" THE BEST "" I have difficulties to decide which was more impressive: his knowledge of history and the sights we visited or his singing !!! and the place he took us for our lunch was amazing, their food and the view of the castle ( bran ). I was truly happy with this tour, thanks romanias friends !!!
Wonderful experience with and experienced knowledgeable guide. He knew all about Romanian history as well as Europe. Highly recommended!
Our guide was very knowledgeable about all three of the sites that we visited. The sites were all so different. Peles-ornate, over-the-top, Bran-much more simple but decorated for Halloween, and Rasnov-ruins with a great hilltop view. Our guide knew several spots from which to take some pretty cool photos and drove us down side streets to find these spots. Just be aware that you need to pay extra to take pictures inside of Peles. We bought postcards instead!
A very enjoyable trip, and doing it with a guide and transport certainly makes life easier to include these 3 sites into just one day. I enjoyed all 3 of the castles, but Peles was my favourite - it is extremely beautiful inside, and has interesting history behind it. Bran of course a must-visit in Transylvania, and despite being very touristy and busy I would say it was enjoyable. Rasnov contrasted well with the other castles, it is a very different style built by the Saxons.
Our tour of the Medieval castles of Transylvania was worth every Lei! We were picked up at our hotel and spent almost 9 hours with our guide. He continually provided us with history about the area and the site we were visiting. He was very passionate about Romania and we learned a lot! He obtained tickets to the sites with no effort by us and was well known in the area by people who were always happy to see him. The tour is something anyone visiting this area should experience. We were able to see two castles, one palace and a fortress in one day - and enjoy a nice lunch with local food in a non-touristy restaurant. He also shared stories about the mountains and Romanian Orthodox churches. The distance between the sights would not be easy for someone not familiar with the area - so thanks for the tour Romanian Friend!
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