Private Day Trip True Castles of Vlad Dracula and Transfagarasan Road
Private Day Trip True Castles of Vlad Dracula and Transfagarasan Road
Take a day tour from Bucharest to Poenari, the true castle of the famous Vlad the Impaler and one of the most popular sights in Romania. Built on the top of a cliff, the castle had a great strategic position and nowadays offers a great view over the Arges Valley. You will visit also the Targoviste, the real residence of Vlad the Implaer, known as Dracula and also Vidraru Dam and the best road in Romania: Transfagarasan.
Book This ExperienceA glimpse of the journey
Your Itinerary
A curated journey through the experience
Princely Church
The oldest written document about Targoviste Royal Court dates back to 1396. In the 17th century, the Royal Court was set on fire at the orders of the Ottoman Empire and the capital of Wallachia was moved to Bucharest.
1 hourCurtea de Arges Monastery
Curtea de Arges was the former second capital of Wallachia, in the southern region of Romania, and the strongholds that were rebuilt in the 14th century. See its Princely Church and its fresco ed interior which is one of the first examples of Romanian paintings. The Episcopal Church (the monastery) is a recreation of the original, which was built in 1512 -1517 by prince Neagoe Basarab (rebuilt in 1875 – 1885) and Olari Church.
1 hourPoienari Castle
Standing on a cliff but now in ruins; it is known as the real castle of Dracula (Vlad Tepes). To get to the top you must climb up its 1400 steps (takes approx. 1 hour). Once you arrive at the top of the Citadel you will find that the citadel is surprisingly small, one third of it collapsed down the mountainside in 1888. Entering through a narrow wooden bridge, you come across the crumbling remains of two towers within; the prism shaped one was Vlad’s (Dracula’s) residential quarters, from here, according to the legend, the Impaler’s wife flung herself out of the window, declaring that it was better this way than to be captured by the Turks, who were besieging the castle. Legend has it that Vlad himself escaped over the mountains on horseback.
2 hoursVidraru Dam
The Vidraru Dam was completed in 1966 with the primary purpose of serving a hydroelectrical power plant. One of the largest hydroelectric dams in Europe it stands 166 metres tall and can produce as much as 400 GWh of power per year. The Transfagarasan Highway passes over the top of the dam, which is 305 metres in length. The dam - which took more than five years to build - created the artificial Vidraru Lake on the Arges river in 1965.
15 minutesTransfagarasan Highway
More than 150 kilometres in length the Transfagarasan Highway is Romania’s most spectacular and best known road and, thanks to an appearance on BBC Top Gear in 2009, now one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. Fully open only from June to October, the road’s highest point is at 2042 metres: the tunnel which links the northern and southern sides at Lake Balea (Balea Lac).
30 minutesBucharest
Finally, return to Bucharest where we’ll arrive in the evening. Drop-off at your hotel in Bucharest.
Included
- Professional guide
- Hotel/meeting point pick-up and drop-off
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Private Tour
- Entry/Admission - Princely Church
- Entry/Admission - Poienari Castle
- Entry/Admission - Curtea de Arges Monastery
Not Included
- Entrance fees
- Tips for the tour guide / driver
Good to Know
- Infant seats available
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- From 1st July to 30th October, we will skip Targoviste and vsee the Transfagarasan road From 30th October to 30th June Transfagarasan Road is closed and you will visit Targoviste Princely Court (open from Tuesday to Sunday)
- Face masks provided for travelers
- Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
- Social distancing enforced throughout experience
- Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
- Guides required to regularly wash hands
- Regular temperature checks for staff
- Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
- Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Tickets & Cancellation
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.