Transylvania with Bram Stoker's great-grandnephew, Dacre Stoker

Welcome to Transylvania! Meet and greet at a central hotel in Cluj. We welcome you with the traditional Romanian cherry liqueur and delicious cookies. Walking tour of the university town, with readings from the novel Dracula by Dacre Stoker. In the early evening, we get together for an introduction into the Dracula concept. We explore Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula and history’s Vlad Dracula. Dacre gives us valuable insights of his uncle’s novel writing research during an audiovisual presentation. The welcome dinner is served at a charming local restaurant, part of a cultural heritage building with walls impregnated with memories from the early 1900’s.

We leave Cluj in the morning and head towards central Transylvania. We stop for a visit in the Turda Salt Mine, 3000 ft under earth surface. We then have lunch in a Hungarian manor, at the foothill of Rock of the Szekely, with the amazing backdrop of the Western Caprathians. We arrive in the medieval town of Sebes, called Mühlbach in German, later this afternoon, and check in at a hotel guarded by the old fortress from 1387. An organ music moment in the gothic church introduces us into the proper Transylvanian atmosphere. Dinner is served at the hotel, with medieval knights’ entertainment and local folklore. We spend 3 nights in Sebes. From here, during the course of the coming days, we make day excursions to Sibiu, Alba Iulia and Corvinus Castle, during day 3 and day 4. An excursion to Corvinus Castle takes us back in time by 600 years, to learn about local nobleman John Hunyadi, mentioned in the inspiration sources for Bram Stoker’s novel. We continue to yet another quantum leap experience in Alba Iulia, a quaint town where history blends into everyday life. We take a guided walk, visit the Catholic Church as well as the Orthodox Cathedral, and pass by the remains of the Roman Castrum as well as the imposing 1700’s citadel from Habsburg times of glory. After some free time for lunch and shopping, we reunite for an exquisite wine tasting in the catacombs of the Vauban citadel. Sibiu is guide Nora’s hometown, and also previously European cultural capital. Nora takes you on a pleasant and very interesting guided walk of the ”town of 1000 eyes”, as Sibiu is called. Except for the rich local history, we discover the work of the Scottish writer Emily Gerard, who lived here between 1893 and 1895, writing the essay Transylvanian Superstitions. Gerard is the one who introduced the term ”Nosferatu” into mainstream literature and inspired Bram Stoker in the writing of his novel. There will be a few hours of free time for lunch on your own, as well as shopping after the tour. A homemade dinner is served at a local sheep farmers’ family, who reveal their rough way of life and their constant fight against their eternal fiend: the wolf. We gather for a storytelling session, with Dacre reading ”Transylvanian Vampire Tales” and Nora playing guitar and revealing some of the Romanian superstitions still vivid today.

Traveling to ”Dracula’s” Castle, we stop for a coffee break next to the picturesque renaissance fortress of Fagaras. In Brasov later on, Nora takes us on a guided walk through the old town, passing by the Black Church, as well as by the house of Katharina, known as Vlad Dracula’s mistress, for whom he’s said to have nurtured eternal love. Free time for shopping and lunch. In Bran, we stay at a boutique inn close to Bran Castle. During the castle visit, Dacre will graphically explain how he discovered imagery connections between this castle and the way in which Bram Stoker described the castle exterior. The vampire dinner is served close to the castle. Bring your gothic/victorian/vampire accessories if you wish to enhance the atmosphere! We spend 2 nights here. Day 6, we take an excursion to Peles Castle and Cantacuzino Castle. We start the morning with a visit to ”Nevermore Academy”. Cantacuzino Castle is the filming place of the popular Netflix series Wednesday and also a perfect viewpoint for the majestic Carpathians. We then visit beautiful Peles Castle, symbol of fictional ”Aldovia” built in Neo-renaissance style by the first king of Romania. A tasty lunch is served on the castle premises. Back in Bran, free time for dinner on your own.

We travel towards Sighisoara after breakfast. On the way, we stop by in one or two of the colorful Saxon villages. We visit the fortified church, a dominant feature in the medieval structure in most Transylvanian-German villages. We learn about the very disciplined way in which the Saxons organized their life, in order to survive in front of enemy attacks throughout the centuries. We taste some of the traditional chark offerred by our Saxon host, who keeps the Germanic tradition alive. We arrive to Sighișoara, the birthplace of Vlad Dracula. During a guided walk, we get to know the UNESCO walled city, one of the last remaining medieval citadels still inhabited to this day. We sleep in a heritage building, nowadays a comfortable hotel, but still keeping the architectural charm of centuries past. We spend 2 nights here. Day 8, we see the charming colorful town of Sighisoara in a new light. We explore an exhibition dedicated to the personality of Dracula, and a museum presenting medieval life. There will be a few hours of free time for lunch on your own, and for leisurely walks. After dinner in the house where Vlad was born, we enjoy a wine & vampire movie evening in the cellar of the hotel, together with Dacre.

We leave Sighisoara after breakfast and head towards the region of the Borgo Pass. On the way, we take a short walk in Bistritz, passing by the old location of Hotel Goldene Krone, the last stop of Jonathan Harker before he was taken on the coach to Castle Dracula in the novel. Free time for individual lunch and shopping. We check in at a hotel in the Bistriz area later on. Dacre concludes the trip with a final talk. Goodbye dinner is served comfortably at the hotel.

We start to cross the magnificent scenery of the Borgo Pass. Here, Dacre helps us understand how Bram Stoker reasoned when placing Dracula’s fictional castle in this region. We visit a little monastery, have lunch and then continue our road towards Cluj, where we arrive in the late afternoon. Dacre says goodbye. We spend the night either close to the Borgo Pass or in Cluj, depending on flights. After a last breakfast on Romanian grounds, it’s time to depart towards the airport. Your local guide Nora Vintila and your Dracula-host Dacre Stoker say LA REVEDERE!