The best hikes from bus stations in Romania

You can slip off the rocks! Be very careful on the descents! I cut my elbow when I took a curve.

The Șurii de Piatră mountain stream plunges spectacularly 58 meters into the Seven Ladders Gorge (Canionul Șapte Scări) over seven steps carved into the Jurassic limestone. Visitors, who are literally within touching distance of the waterfalls, negotiate the stone steps, which are between two and a half and fifteen meters high, using steel ladders connected by metal mesh walkways. The most dramatic ladder is the third: it rises fifteen meters almost vertically and is secured with bars to prevent anyone from falling backward. But that's the only safety feature in the gorge. Right next to the left handrail, the water roars impetuously into the depths. An experience!

Entrance tickets are available at this hut, just before the entrance to the gorge. A large signboard explains in several languages the potential dangers that can be expected when climbing the ladders. Once you've hiked this far, you won't be deterred by them.

Bran Castle's current appearance, with its dramatic location and ominous atmosphere, has been created through numerous additions and modifications to the medieval fortifications. It provides the perfect backdrop for tourists who want to imagine Dracula's castle here.

In September 1940, Princess Ileana of Romania had the coffin containing the heart of her mother, Queen Maria, who died in 1938, brought to Bran. The queen had used the castle here as a beloved summer residence. The previous burial site, the Stella Maris Chapel in Balchik on the Black Sea, had recently been ceded from Romania to Bulgaria as part of the Southern Dobruja region. In this small crypt at the edge of the forest overlooking Bran Castle, the queen's heart (her body was interred in the cathedral church of Curtea de Argeș) was "temporarily stored" until the copy of the Stella Maris Chapel in the valley was completed.

The origins of Bran Castle (German: Törzburg) date back to the early 13th century, when it was initially built as a wooden fortress called Dietrichstein by the Teutonic Knights under the patronage of King Andrew II of Hungary to defend the strategically important pass between Transylvania and Wallachia against invading troops. In 1377, the Transylvanian Saxons of Kronstadt (Brașov) were granted the privilege of building a stone castle. This example of medieval architecture underwent numerous alterations and expansions over the centuries. In the 1920s, the castle became the residence of Queen Marie of Romania, who significantly altered and modernized its interior. Bran Castle's connection to the Dracula legend is a fascinating blend of history, literature, and folklore. Largely a product of the 20th century, this connection owes much to the atmospheric descriptions in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula." Although Stoker never visited Romania, his depiction of Dracula's castle was inspired by descriptions of Eastern European castles—and Bran Castle, with its dramatic location and menacing appearance, fits this vision remarkably well.

Well, a year too late. Without an entrance fee, nothing can be done here anymore. Everything is cordoned off, surrounded by meter-high fences and guarded by security. Anyone wanting to enter the castle park has to pay the entrance fee for Bran Castle. But every now and then, a beautiful (and free) view of the castle opens up through the fence.

In the Ethnographic Park of Bran, after fighting your way through the hustle and bustle of the souvenir market, you can admire historical buildings from the region.