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Small Group Tour: Bucharest to Transylvania Castles
4.6
871 Ratings
Sinaia
This is a small group full-day tour from Bucharest to Transylvania on a very picturesque route through the Carpathian Mountains allowing you to discover two of the most beautiful Romanian castles - Peles Castle & Bran (Dracula’s) Castle - as well as the city of Brasov in south Transylvania.
This is a small group full-day tour from Bucharest to Transylvania on a very picturesque route through the Carpathian Mountains allowing you to discover two of the most beautiful Romanian castles - Peles Castle & Bran (Dracula’s) Castle - as well as the city of Brasov in south Transylvania.
Duration:
12 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Peles Castle - Our first visit is to Peles Castle, the former residence of the Romanian Royal Family and the most visited castle in Romania.
-
General Exhibition standard tour 1 hour (on Mondays you will visit Peles Castle from outside because it is closed on Mondays, and you will spend more time in Brasov city)
*Please be aware that Peles Castle…
- Peles Castle - Our first visit is to Peles Castle, the former residence of the Romanian Royal Family and the most visited castle in Romania.
- General Exhibition standard tour 1 hour (on Mondays you will visit Peles Castle from outside because it is closed on Mondays, and you will spend more time in Brasov city)
*Please be aware that Peles Castle will be closed between 12th and 25th of February 2024 for refurbishment. In this period we will see Peles Castle from outside and visit Pelisor Castle instead.
- Bran Castle (Dracula’s Castle) - The second visit will be at the famous Bran castle, also known as Dracula’s castle; It is considered that Bram Stocker’s novel was inspired by Bran Castle and Vlad the Impaler, one of the cruelest rulers of the Walachia region of Romania.
- Brasov Historical Center - As we arrive in Brasov city, you will have a short guided walking tour of Brasov downtown and some free time to explore yourself and have a lunch break.
What's Included
- Live commentary on board, professional English speaking tour leader
- Guide assistance with ticket purchasing
- Short walking tour of Brasov downtown
- Transportation by modern air-conditioned minivan or minibus with wifi on board
- Guided tour inside of Peles Castle and Bran Castle only in English
- Audio guides in Spanish, Italian, French & Hebrew on your phone with general info about each place
- Live commentary on board, professional English speaking tour leader
- Guide assistance with ticket purchasing
- Short walking tour of Brasov downtown
- Transportation by modern air-conditioned minivan or minibus with wifi on board
- Guided tour inside of Peles Castle and Bran Castle only in English
- Audio guides in Spanish, Italian, French & Hebrew on your phone with general info about each place
What's Not Included
- Entrance fees
- Entrance fees
- Entrance fees
- Entrance fees
Additional Information
- Minimum age is 7 years
- Please note that we operate this tour with small groups (maximum 16 people)
- Please put a note in your reservation if you require an audio guide (Italian, Spanish or French)
- The order of the visits depends on the season, weather & the opening hours.
- Tickets to Peles Castle are not included in the tour price. If you wish to…
- Minimum age is 7 years
- Please note that we operate this tour with small groups (maximum 16 people)
- Please put a note in your reservation if you require an audio guide (Italian, Spanish or French)
- The order of the visits depends on the season, weather & the opening hours.
- Tickets to Peles Castle are not included in the tour price. If you wish to visit the interior, please purchase your tickets in advance directly from the official Peles Castle website. We recommend booking only the first or second time slot available on your selected date. Ticket availability is limited daily, so please book as soon as possible after confirming your tour.
- Not recommended for people with impaired mobility.
Location
Peles Castle
Str. Pelesului 2
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(871 Ratings)
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D_n
Jul 12, 2025
Fab tour would highly recommend - our guide Serban was excellent gave us loads of information even before the tour by whats app, checked in with us while on tour (free time) that we were happy and all was well, very attentive, also very informative on the places we visited, couldn't fault it
Our driver Peter was a very good driver felt very safe
Would highly recommend
Review provided by Viator
Bernard_j
Jul 7, 2025
Escapada in Transiilvani - The price doesn't include the entrances of the castles, Peles, Pelisor, Bran.
Is the price of the trip (138 €) also valid for another day ?
Review provided by Viator
Nicholas_l
Jul 7, 2025
Brilliant guide - Long day to visit the three sites but worth it both for the beauty of the castles and the city of Brasov. What really made the day was our outstanding guide Ioana, who filled our time with her passion, humour, authenticity and knowledge.
Review provided by Viator
Haroldt691
Jul 6, 2025
Very Satisfied - Well run. Very long day but worth it. I wish we had more time to spend in Braşov. A very charming town.The tour delivered exactly what was described.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Angela_b
Jul 3, 2025
Well worth the visit - Our tour guide was a lovely very knowledgeable young lady(sorry her name I didn’t catch) the day was a long day from 8am until after 9pm but well worth it. Both the castles were interesting I preferred peles castle for the beauty inside. Dracula castle has a lot of steep steps in narrow corridors not an issue for most people but if you have any mobility issues it would be a challenge. There is a cafe at both castles the one at peles gets very busy but if you just step outside the entrance (where the bus drops you off) you will find a few local restaurants where it’s not as busy. We were given time at both castles to get a drink and snack. Braşov was a beautiful little town where you will have approx one hour to
have a wonder and get a drink. On the way home we drove through some beautiful countryside in Transylvania we even saw bears. The drive is a long drive home over 3.5 hours you do stop for a comfort break. Please bear in mind that you are high up so take a jacket depending on the time of year.
Review provided by Viator
Flora_p
Jul 7, 2025
Long but good - This is a long day but the castles are worth seeing. Laura and Bogdan were great. Laura was so good others joined our group to listen at Peles Castle. The negatives were that the vehicle was uncomfortable (tight) and we wished the guide would’ve been able to be with us and speak about Bran’s castle too - we were left on our own due to the amount of stairs and everyone having a different pace but we missed learning so much as a result.
Review provided by Viator
Deborah_m
Jul 5, 2025
Very pretty - Very pretty but don't do draculas castle if you have health issues it may be to much
Everything else was very easy to get around and our tour guide was amazing
Review provided by Viator
Robert_b
Jun 29, 2025
Two castles and a city in a day! - 1. This is a long day. Be prepared to leave your pick up point before 8AM and return to Bucharest around 9PM.
2. Bus ride is comfortable but wear your seat belt. You will be going on a lot of switchback roads in the mountaIns.
3. There is a lot of walking, steps, and inclines to navigate. Some of the spaces in the castles are narrow walkways and doorways.
4. Two castles: Peles Castle was the highlight. Bran Castle is good but not as good as Peles. The Dracula stuff in Bran Castle is kind of cheesy.
5. You have to go on the websites for Peles and Bran Castle ahead of time and buy entry tickets. They are not included in the tour payment. We had two people on our tour that did not get to go in Peles because they did not have prepaid entry tickets.
5. When you buy tickets for Bran, buy castle entry and torture exhibit tickets. DON’T BUY THE ELEVATOR TICKETS. The elevator is a tourist trap kid thing.
6. The order of the events if Peles Castle, Brasov city center, and Bran Castle. Be ready for the last two to be swapped depending on traffic.
7. We bought a slice of pizza, a beer, and a water at Peles for $11. There is stuff to eat at the other two places but it seemed touristy expensive.
8. Be sure to have all tour guides show you bathroom locations at all places.
9. Don’t wait until the very end of the leave times to buy food, souvenirs, or use the bathroom. Do all this 15 minutes before your tour guide says to be back and ready to leave.
10. Our guide was very knowledgeable about all locations. She even made an unscheduled stop on the last stretch back to Bucharest for bathroom and snacks because it was a long ride home.
Review provided by Viator
Jweb2017a
Jul 6, 2025
Not a small group tour - This is not necessarily a small group tour. Small group just means that your bus can be divided into small groups, and all the groups tour the attractions together. The tour is pretty fast paced and hurried. I had a problem with my headset, so essentially I paid for transportation to the different attractions.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jac1886
Jul 11, 2025
Not worth the price - I want to be clear that this review is primarily about the quality of the tour and the guide, both of which I found to be seriously underwhelming. While the natural beauty and historic significance of the sites could have carried the experience to some extent, the tour itself fell flat — especially given the high price tag compared to similar offerings.
The guide provided very little in terms of information or storytelling. There was a noticeable lack of historical context, interesting anecdotes, or any effort to create an engaging experience for the group. Instead of feeling like we were on a thoughtfully curated journey through Romania’s rich and often turbulent history, it felt more like we were being herded from one location to the next on a rigid schedule. The guide seemed more like a timekeeper than a storyteller, which made the whole experience feel impersonal and mechanical.
Considering that this tour is marketed at a premium price point, I expected a much higher standard of engagement and insight. Romania has an incredibly complex and fascinating past — from its Roman roots and medieval battles to the influence of the Ottoman Empire and the communist era — and none of that came through during the tour. This was a real missed opportunity to bring the sites to life.
As for the castles themselves, while they are picturesque in photographs, they didn’t offer much beyond that. Without the necessary historical background or emotional framing from the guide, they felt somewhat underwhelming and even tourist-trappy at times. The experience really needed a knowledgeable and passionate guide to elevate it, but unfortunately, that was completely lacking here.
All in all, this was a disappointing experience that I wouldn’t recommend — especially when there are better, more informative, and more engaging tours available for a lower cost.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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