Travel Guide to Bran Castle’s Halloween Party: Unveiling the Spooktacular

Spooky, scary… vampires? My 2022 Halloweekend was spent exploring Transylvania and at Bran Castle’s Halloween party with a few of my colleagues. We had never been to Bran Castle, but thought it would be fun to celebrate Halloween at the famous Dracula castle with people from around the world. What a unique experience that I can check off of my Halloween bucket list! Continue below for the complete travel guide to Bran Castle’s Halloween Party:

What to Expect at Bran Castle’s Halloween Party

There are two entrances to the celebration. Big groups tend to be dropped off at the back entrance closer to the party tent, whereas the majority of people will go through the main entrance by the ticket booth that leads to the top of the hill.

For the weekend celebrations, Bran Castle is given a spooky “make-over” to enhance the Halloween experience. Inside, there are dressed up actors available for photos, Halloween decorations throughout the castle, and a few jump scares. It gives a similar vibe to Disney’s Halloween setup and celebration. On the outside, there’s a spooky projector casting images onto the castle, and moody lighting around the grounds.

The door opens to the castle at around 6:00PM – 12:00AM for you to start your audio tours and/or exploration of the castle. The Halloween party takes place in a large tent down the hill. The party starts at 10:00PM with a DJ, a bar inside and a coat check. Portable toilets are set up near the tent, and you’re able to walk in and out of the tent as much as you would like.

My Experience at Bran Castle’s Halloween Party

People come dressed up in a variety of Halloween costumes, some of which are very elaborate. Costumes are not required but almost everyone going to the Halloween party after the castle tour is wearing a costume.

When my group and I attended the celebration, we all dressed up in different costumes and went to tour the castle and the Halloween party. We waited outside for 2.5 hours before we were able to go into the castle. Once inside, the extreme crowding made it difficult to read and see much of the inside of the castle. To go through the castle, it took about an hour and half because we were essentially in a large crowd all pushing through small doorways. Once we were at the Halloween party, we were able to talk to people from different countries and dance to a variety of music. However, they mostly played American popular music.The Halloween party continues until 4:00 AM the next day. Be aware of daylight savings depending on which day you attend the party.

Tickets for Bran Castle’s Halloween Party

Bran Castle offers a Halloween Celebration on the Saturdays throughout October to the general public. Day tickets are great for families with small children to avoid the large party crowd and is a less scary experience from 9:00AM – 4:00PM. For adults seeking a spookier Halloween Party experience, Bran Castle provides a range of tickets and combo passes available for purchase. These include options like the Vampire Gourmet Dinner, Halloween Tour by Night, and access to the Halloween party. To gain entry to the Halloween Party, you must purchase a combo pass that includes the Halloween Tour by Night ticket.Please be aware that there are a limited number of tickets for the dinner and Halloween party, so be sure to reserve in advance!

Many tour companies offer tickets to attend a Halloween Party at Bran Castle. When I went with my colleagues, I purchased a ticket through Viator that included the combo pass and transportation to and from my hotel. My colleagues purchased directly through the Bran Castle website for a much cheaper price of a combo ticket without the transportation. Everyone has to wait in the same line for the castle, there are no “Skip the Line” passes. Purchase tickets directly from Bran Castle here.

How to Get to and from Bran Castle’s Halloween Party

When I attended the Bran Castle Halloween Party, I went with a tour group that included my transportation. However, my colleagues purchased directly from the castle’s website and took an Uber to and from the castle with no problems.

The locals are aware of the late celebrations throughout October for tourists, so there are a plethora of taxis available throughout the evening. Local taxi numbers or Bolt taxis are also available. If you’re traveling directly from Braşov, the Auto Gara 2 station has a bus to Bran Castle for about $2. The bus ride is 50 minutes long and drops you off right next to Bran Castle.

What to Wear to Bran Castle’s Halloween Party

Yes, people dress up for the Halloween Parties at Bran Castle! If you don’t dress up in a costume, you will be one of the few not participating. The most popular costume is… vampires. It makes sense because of Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula. However, many groups wear costumes unrelated to vampires.

If you plan on attending the Halloween party make sure you wear comfy shoes that you can stand in for long periods of time and go up uneven stairs with. I also recommend wearing a warm jacket since you will most likely have to wait in a long line in order to go into the castle. Plus there is a free coat check.

Tips and Recommendations for Bran Castle’s Halloween Party

After trying different methods of attending the Halloween party, transportation, etc. No travel guide would be complete without insider tips. These are my top 5 tips for Bran Castle’s Halloween Party:

1. Arrive early for the night tour. The doors to the castle open at 6:00PM but at that point the line is down the entire hill and out the entrance. That means you will be standing and waiting for hours and potentially miss part of the Halloween party. People will cut in line.
2. Purchase your combo tickets (Night tour + Halloween Party) early through Bran Castle’s website. I paid $120 USD for my combo ticket and transportation by going through the tour’s website, while my colleagues who purchased combo tickets (including the magic tunnel that wasn’t worth it) only paid $45 USD through the website. After taxis to and from the event, I still paid $70 USD more than them for the same experience.
3. Buy drinks at the Halloween Party early. Their drink menu offers a variety of options, including a party case. Once the party begins, there is a long line for the bar that moves very slowly.
4. Bring water and a hair tie if you have long hair. It gets VERY hot inside the tent with the large number of people dancing in a confined space. They do not check if you brought any food or drinks in and you don’t want to pass out or dehydrate.
5. If you’re planning on dancing in the Halloween party tent, bring ear plugs to avoid damage to your ears or hearing-loss. The music was extremely loud and all of our ears were ringing until the next day.

Use this travel guide to Bran Castle’s Halloween Party and get ready for a Halloween experience like never before! Considering traveling to Romania? Check out my complete travel guide!