One of the things I knew I wanted to do when we planned our trip to Bucharest was get out of the city for a day and see a little more of Romania.

And, naturally, when you’re a horror lover visiting Romania, Dracula was always going to make an appearance.

We booked a day trip from Bucharest visiting Bran Castle, Brașov and Peleș Castle, and it ended up being one of the highlights of our trip.

It was a long day, with an early start, plenty of travelling and a lot packed into twelve hours, but it gave us the chance to see three very different sides of Romania.

The Day Trip

We booked our day trip through GetYourGuide, choosing the Dracula’s Castle, Peleș & Brașov Day Trip from Bucharest. It was advertised as a 12-hour trip from Bucharest, taking us to three of Romania’s most famous destinations in a single day.

The tour started early, with a 7am departure, so this was definitely not a day for a lie-in.

For two adults, the day-trip tickets cost just £45 in total.

There was an additional, optional cost of approximately £130 for the two of us for the combo tickets to enter the castles.

That distinction is worth mentioning because, if you’re trying to keep the cost down, you don’t necessarily have to pay the additional entrance fees.

The Coach & Our Guide

The coach itself was incredibly comfortable, which made a huge difference on what was a long day with quite a bit of travelling between destinations.

But one of the real highlights of the tour was our guide, Emanuel.

He was absolutely fantastic. He made the journey enjoyable, was knowledgeable and engaging, and really added to the experience rather than simply getting us from one stop to the next.

Having a good guide can make or break an organised tour, and we genuinely couldn’t have asked for a better one.

Bran Castle

Bran Castle was probably the stop I was most excited about.

As a horror lover, visiting Romania without seeing the castle associated with Dracula would have felt slightly rude.

The castle has exactly the sort of gothic energy you’d expect from somewhere with such a strong Dracula connection.

There’s something particularly fun about standing in front of it knowing how much mythology and popular culture has built up around the place.

Of course, the real history of Bran Castle and the fictional story of Dracula are two very different things, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable to experience it through the lens of the story.

For me, this was the stop that delivered the Dracula experience I’d been hoping for.

Brașov

Our second stop was Brașov, giving us the chance to explore one of Romania’s most beautiful cities.

After the gothic atmosphere of Bran Castle, it was lovely to have a change of pace and simply wander around the city.

Brașov has that wonderful mixture of historic architecture, colourful buildings and winding streets that makes exploring on foot so enjoyable.

It gave us a chance to step away from the castles and simply experience another Romanian city.

With only one day, we obviously couldn’t see everything, but it was enough to make me want to come back and spend much longer there.

Peleș Castle

Our final stop was Peleș Castle, and it couldn’t have been more different from Bran.

Where Bran felt dark, historic and atmospheric, Peleș felt like something out of a fairytale.

The architecture is absolutely beautiful, and the contrast between the two castles was one of my favourite things about the day.

It’s easy to imagine Peleș belonging in a fantasy film, complete with elaborate interiors, beautiful details and the surrounding mountain scenery.

It was a lovely reminder that Romania’s castles aren’t all about Dracula and dark folklore. There is an incredibly romantic and fairytale side to the country’s architecture too.

How Much Did It Cost?

For two adults, our costs were:

Day trip: £45

Optional combo castle tickets: approximately £130

Total with castle entry: approximately £175

That’s around £87.50 per person if you choose to purchase the castle tickets.

However, the castle entry was optional, and knowing what we know now, I’d actually make a different choice if we did the trip again.

Would I Pay to Enter the Castles Again?

No.

And that’s not because I didn’t enjoy seeing inside them.

I actually think the interiors are worth seeing if you’re particularly interested in the history and architecture. But if I were doing this exact day trip again, I’d skip the optional entrance tickets.

The day is already packed, and there’s a lot to see.

I’d much rather have had additional time to explore the gardens, grounds and surrounding areas of the castles instead of spending quite so much extra on entrance tickets.

For us, I think skipping the interiors would give us the best of both worlds.

We’d still get to see all three destinations, see the castles themselves, photograph them, enjoy the scenery and explore the grounds, while also saving approximately £130 for two people.

That’s quite a saving.

Would I Do the Trip Again?

100%.

Despite the early start and the long day, I would absolutely do this trip again.

Bran Castle gave me the gothic, Dracula-inspired experience I was hoping for. Brașov gave us the opportunity to explore somewhere beyond Bucharest, and Peleș was completely different again, with its beautiful fairytale atmosphere.

The comfortable coach and fantastic guide also made the long day of travelling much easier, and Emanuel genuinely deserves a mention for making the whole experience so enjoyable.

I also really liked that the tour allowed us to see three very different places in a single day.

Would I recommend spending the extra £130 on the castle entrance tickets?

For us, probably not.

Would I recommend taking the day trip?

Absolutely.

If we went again, we’d take the same basic trip, skip the optional castle entry, and use that extra time to explore the gardens and grounds properly.

Because sometimes you don’t need to go through every door to appreciate a castle.

Sometimes standing outside it, surrounded by mountains, trees and centuries of history, is more than enough.

Our verdict: 100% would do it again

For £45 for two adults, the day trip itself was excellent value, and it was easily one of our favourite experiences outside Bucharest.

If you’re visiting the city and have a spare day, I’d definitely recommend getting out into the countryside and seeing this side of Romania for yourself.

Just set that alarm early. Very early.

One of my favourite parts of travelling is discovering where to eat and drink, and Bucharest certainly didn’t disappoint. From enormous portions and delicious Mexican food to cocktails with a view and some seriously beautiful interiors, we managed to squeeze quite a few meals, drinks and sweet treats into our five days.

I wanted to put together a little roundup of everywhere we ate and drank in Bucharest, including what we ordered, how much we spent and, most importantly, what we actually thought.

Prices are based on what the two of us spent, so hopefully this gives you a realistic idea of what eating and drinking in Bucharest might cost.

Big Ben Pub

£52 | Shared starter, 2 mains, 1 beer & 1 cocktail

Our first proper stop was Big Ben Pub, which has lots of outdoor space, making it a lovely place to sit and watch the world go by.

The absolute star of the meal was the nachos. They were so good and, to be completely honest, substantial enough that in hindsight we probably didn’t need to order two mains as well!

So if you’re heading here hungry, the portions are definitely worth bearing in mind. Those nachos were absolutely a meal in themselves.

Latin Pizza

£8 | 2 slices of pizza & 2 soft drinks

Sometimes you just want something quick, easy and delicious, and Latin Pizza was exactly that.

The pizza was delicious, arrived really quickly and was perfect for eating on the go while exploring the city.

At just £8 for the two of us, it was also one of the cheapest food stops of the trip, making it a great option when you don’t want to sit down for a full meal.

Grand Cafe Van Gogh

£10 | 1 beer & 1 cocktail

Gorgeous!

Honestly, this is one of those places where the aesthetics are reason enough to visit.

The interior is beautiful and full of character, and we really enjoyed simply sitting there and taking it all in while having a drink.

If you’re anything like me and will happily choose a café because it looks like it belongs on Pinterest, this one is definitely worth adding to your Bucharest itinerary.

Chocoloco

£28 | 2 desserts, 1 beer & 1 cocktail

If you have a sweet tooth, Chocoloco needs to be on your list.

There was so much choice, which made choosing what to have considerably harder than it should have been. We went for two desserts alongside a beer and a cocktail, and everything was delicious.

Definitely one to keep in mind when you’re craving something sweet after a day of exploring.

Trattoria Colosseum

£57 | 2 starters, 2 mains, 2 cocktails, 1 beer & 1 soft drink

Situated right in the middle of Umbrella Street, Trattoria Colosseum is aesthetically gorgeous before you’ve even looked at the menu.

The portions were massive, so come hungry or be prepared to take your time! Thankfully, the food was also incredibly fresh and delicious.

The combination of the colourful umbrellas, the atmosphere and the generous portions made this one of the more memorable places we ate during our trip.

Rose’s Mystery House

£36 | Shared starter, 2 mains, 1 cocktail & 1 beer

Rose’s Mystery House had amazing vibes.

The menu is quite small compared with some of the other places we visited, but everything we had was delicious. Sometimes a smaller menu is no bad thing, especially when it means the focus is on doing a smaller number of dishes really well.

It was a lovely place for a relaxed meal and definitely somewhere I’d recommend checking out.

Caru’ cu Bere

£11 | 1 alcoholic frappe & 1 soft drink

STUNNING.

Caru’ cu Bere is an absolute must-visit, even if you’re only popping in for a drink.

The architecture alone is incredible, but what really makes it special is the combination of the history, beautiful surroundings and traditional atmosphere.

We were also fortunate enough to experience a live traditional performance while we were there, which made the visit even more memorable.

This was definitely one of those places where the building itself becomes part of the experience.

Mexikanos

£27 | 2 mains & 4 soft drinks

Hands down, my favourite meal of the trip.

The staff were SO friendly and the food was probably the best Mexican meal I’ve ever had, which is really saying something because tacos are my absolute favourite.

Everything about the experience was fantastic, and this is the one place from our trip where I immediately knew I’d happily go back.

If you love Mexican food, put this one on your list.

Old Habits

£28 | 3 cocktails & 1 soft drink

Old Habits had such cute, relaxed vibes.

It was the sort of place where we could sit back, enjoy our drinks and take a little break from wandering around the city.

The drinks were delicious and the staff were really friendly, too. A lovely spot for a few cocktails without it feeling overly formal or stuffy.

NOMAD Sky Bar

£12 | 1 cocktail & 1 soft drink

We visited NOMAD relatively early, so it was actually quieter than we’d expected.

Rather than being a downside, though, it gave us the chance to sit back, take a breath and properly enjoy the view without the usual hustle and bustle you might expect from a sky bar.

Sometimes a quieter moment is exactly what you need after a busy day of sightseeing.

Kilkenny Irish Pub

£8 | 1 Guinness & 1 soft drink

This one was a massive hit with my husband, largely because they had a dart board.

Sometimes you don’t need anything particularly complicated. A Guinness, a soft drink, somewhere relaxed to sit and a dart board apparently ticks all the boxes.

It made for a nice, casual stop towards the end of our Bucharest adventures.

So, How Much Did We Spend?

Across all 11 places, we spent a total of:

£277

That’s for two people and includes everything from quick slices of pizza and full meals, desserts, cocktails and drinks.

And that’s probably one of the things I loved most about eating and drinking in Bucharest. There was plenty of choice whether we wanted something cheap and quick, somewhere beautiful to sit for a cocktail, or a proper meal.

Bucharest gave us a surprisingly brilliant food and drink scene, and we barely scratched the surface. Between the traditional Romanian restaurants, colourful cafés, cocktail bars and wonderfully random little pubs, there was always somewhere else around the corner to try.

Month: Aug 2026

CHASING DRACULA: OUR DAY TRIP TO BRAN CASTLE, BRAŞOV & PELEŞ CASTLE