Com­mon­ly known out­side of Roma­nia as ‘Dracula’s Cas­tle,’ Bran Cas­tle cer­tain­ly looks the part. The for­bid­ding fortress lies hid­den in a for­est in Tran­syl­va­nia. Despite its eerie appear­ance, how­ev­er, the cas­tle only has ten­u­ous links at best with the cru­el and bar­bar­ic 15th-cen­­tu­ry ruler Vlad the Impaler, who inspired Bram Stoker’s nov­el Drac­u­la.

Clever mar­ket­ing ploy aside, Bran Cas­tle is def­i­nite­ly worth vis­it­ing for its amaz­ing archi­tec­ture and beau­ti­ful set­ting in a lush val­ley. In addi­tion to this, vis­i­tors can now enjoy explor­ing the castle’s many rooms, which house the exten­sive art and fur­ni­ture col­lec­tion of Queen Marie.