TRANSYLVANIA

The central Romanian region of Dracula fame makes for an intriguing autumn break - sink your teeth into its crafts and culture after discovering its turreted castles.

- Doug Loynes

Bran Castle, said to be the inspiration for Dracula's castle;

Transylvania’s name derives from a Latin term meaning ‘beyond the forest’, but it’s the destination’s gothic links most people have a hard time looking past. Over 125 years after Bram Stoker’s Dracula was first published, this region in central Romania still haunts the imagination as the homeland of the world’s most famous vampire. There are certainly enough impervious woods and forbidding fortresses to persuade the visitor that the whispers might be true; this is a mysterious land, where legends come alive and predators stalk in the darkness.

But come, and you’ll soon realise the medieval citadels in the shadow of the Carpathian Mountains are more fairytale than horror story. There’s a new wave of cafes, craft shops and galleries, while cultural projects are breathing life back into rural settlements. They’re home to a mix of Romanians, Roma, Hungarians and Saxons, and some preserve customs that are much as they have been since the Middle Ages.

There are other changes afoot, too. An airport in the local hub of Brașov opened in 2023, making the region more accessible to international travellers. A thrice-weekly direct flight from London soon followed. So, as Count Dracula famously said to his guests, enter freely. With its ancient culture and newfound energy, Transylvania is sure to draw anyone under its spell.

The Black Church of Braşov, named after the scorch marks from a fire

DAY ONE CASTLES & COPPERSMITHS

Morning