Poor Transylvania.  It gets such a bad rap as a result of its place in literature (home to Count Dracula and a prominent location in the horror genre), and the reality is that it’s a perfectly lovely region in Romania.
Still, I can’t blame them for wanting to capitalize on their literary heritage during the Halloween season, with special tours and events that capture the unique flavor of the season and the location.  And indeed they are trying to capitalize on their destination’s popularity with a number of Dracula tours, specially themed for the Halloween season, and lasting from a few …read more

With the rise of vampire literature and film lately, Romania is poised to become a tourist destination for both the vampire-curious, as well as the traveler looking for an outstanding budget destination.
While decrying the branding of Romania as a vampire destination, the tourism office still intends to capitalize on it.  Not many people can cite any specifics about the country of Romania, but most remember the legend of Bram Stokers, Dracula.  Subsequent vampire genre literature has only seemed to reinforce the uneasy, but successful, branding of Romania and vampires.
Rest assured, there are lots of other things to see and …read more

Under new legislation in the eastern European country of Romania, the government has been returning property seized by the former communist regime to its rightful owners. Last month, Dominic van Hapsburg – a New York architect – had the ownership of the fabled Dracula’s Castle given back to his family.
Officially named Bran Castle, the property was taken by the commies in 1948. Mr van Hapsburg inherited it as a descendent of the Hapsburg family line, once rulers of the country, and owners of the castle when it was seized.
Contrary to popular belief, Bran Castle was never actually owned …read more