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Hard core Goths may be disappointed by the fairytale scenes of medieval towns such as Medias, Sighisoara and Targu Mures. For those seeking chilling, horror stories, Dracula tours and evenings partying with vampires however, there’s plenty to entice you to Transylvania this Halloween.
Discover Vlad the Impaler’s home town
In Sighisoara, you can visit the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, the medieval ruler who inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Find out how he revelled in cruel tortures and drove fear into the hearts of his enemies or pop into the torture museum for more gruesome tales of medieval pain infliction.
A horrific weekend
If that’s a little too tame for you, sign up for a Vampire, or Dracula, Halloween themed weekend instead where you will be terrified senseless in haunted castles with spooky hiding places for lurking ghosts and ghouls.
Transylvania Live offers a harrowing weekend of horror including a ritual killing of the Living Dead, Vampire hunting and visits to some of Dracula’s most stunning stomping grounds.
The highlight will be the Halloween party where you will be entertained by Romanian folk songs, traditional scarf dancing and take part in the killing of a real-life vampire to free his tortured soul. Fancy dress is a must and shortly before midnight you will venture outside to breath in powerful magic which brings bad wishes to life. Be careful what you wish for!
GoRomania Tours offers a similar tour taking in the real castle of Dracula among others. Just the thought of the 1,400 steps you need to climb to get to the top of the ruin has me trembling with fear! The crumbling tower’s remains within the citadel are the scene of Vlad’s wife’s unfortunate demise. Tragically, she flung herself to her death, ironically not to escape from Vlad but from the invading Turks.
You will stay overnight at Hunyad’s Castle, considered one of the most haunted places in Europe and rumoured to be a prison for Dracula (Vlad Tepes) himself. Here you will attend a Halloween banquet with medieval knights and celebrate Dracula’s midnight wedding. Only the brave should attend as you don’t know what might be lurking behind those locked doors. Things really do go bump in the night here!
Or a spooky evening
If a weekend of horror is a little too much for your heart to take, perhaps an evening at a Transylvania Horror-Themed Dinner Tour would be more up your street. You will indulge in a gluttonous, vampire-themed dinner inside Dracula’s saloon, drink bloody, Romanian red wine and feast on five courses of horrific creations.
Whilst you gorge on Smoked Turks on the Steak, Dracula’s Chop, Vampire’s Manhood and Lost Souls, you will be entertained by stories of the history of Dracula. You will also learn about the mythology of vampires and hear about troubled souls of the dead. I’m quaking with fear just thinking about this stuff.
You can book this tour, or other Dracula themed tours online through CityDiscovery.
Escape from a communist prison
If that’s not enough to get your pulse racing, in Bucharest you can try to weasel your way out of the Escape Room where you pit your brainpower against Communist jailers or the warriors of the Samurai Room.
You will have to use all your cunning, and that of your fellow captives to attempt to escape within an hour.
Alternatively. if you fancy something a little more sedate, you may prefer to follow your own DIY fairytale itinerary for the weekend, or for a terrifying treat closer to home, new Escape Rooms are opening regularly around the UK offering thrills a plenty for terror seekers.
What horrors do you have planned this Halloween?
So what are you planning to do to spread terror this Halloween? Share your plans or any tales of scary adventures from years gone by. We would love to hear them.
Top travel hacks for a weekend in Romania
- You can investigate flights to Targes Mures, Sibui, Cluj-Napoca or Bucharest with Skypicker. We flew with Wizz Air from Doncaster airport.
- Check out hotels.com and bag yourself a free night after ten paying stays.
- Grab yourself a cocktail laced with hard spirits for only around £3.
Pin this for a spooky reminder of Halloween horrors:
I’ve had Romania on my list for a while now but not sure if I’m brave enough for one of the spooky weekends! Would love to see the castle though!
I think I am the same too!
What? How come I didn’t think of that? I was just near the place. Now I really really regret that I didn’t know that I could be there on a Halloween!
This sounds very interesting. we should start planning our 2018 Halloween to Romania and to these places for a change. This is a real Hall0ween experience that must be done.
If you visit Sighisoara, you can actually have lunch or dinner in the house where Vlad the Impaler was born in 😀 And the city’s torture chamber is very close by, to make your experience better. Just a word of warning, a deserted Sighisoara citadel after dark, especially after midnight, looks super creepy 😀
Yes we went to the torture chamber and was astonished by how gruesome (and how small) it was! I wasn’t there at night but wish I had been now!! Such a cool place. Thanks for sharing those tips.
A wonderfully spooky post for Halloween with some great suggestions! I love the sound of trying to escape from the communist prison in Bucharest! Very unique!! I have never heard of such a thing.
Ooooh what a great destination for a Halloween post. We aren’t big celebraters of Halloween in Australia but this is where I’d like to spend it.
Yes we never really were in the UK either when I was a kid but we seem to be adopting more and more US practises. I just wish they would hurry up and introduce Thanksgiving too!