Top 20 most beautiful castles in Romania and their history

Romania has several hundred castles, palaces and manor houses, from medieval strongholds built against invasions to royal residences finished in the early 20th century. We picked 20 of the most beautiful, with the story of each one, where it is and the approximate driving distance from Dracula Land, in Gherghita, Prahova County.

Distances are measured by road from the centre of Gherghita, and times are approximate, without traffic. Opening hours and ticket prices change often, and some castles close on Mondays or during restoration, so check each castle's official website before you go.

In short: the 20 castles

1. Peles Castle, Sinaia, Prahova: about 100 km
2. Corvin Castle, Hunedoara: about 450 km
3. Bran Castle, Brasov: about 146 km
4. Pelisor Castle, Sinaia, Prahova: about 100 km
5. Cantacuzino Castle, Busteni, Prahova: about 106 km
6. Banffy Castle, Bontida, Cluj: about 440 km
7. Bethlen-Haller Castle, Cetatea de Balta, Alba: about 325 km
8. Teleki Castle, Gornesti, Mures: about 335 km
9. Mogosoaia Palace, Ilfov: about 51 km
10. Iulia Hasdeu Castle, Campina, Prahova: about 67 km
11. Sturdza Castle, Miclauseni, Iasi: about 330 km
12. Karolyi Castle, Carei, Satu Mare: about 585 km
13. Huniade Castle, Timisoara: about 580 km
14. Fagaras Fortress, Brasov: about 206 km
15. Lazar Castle, Lazarea, Harghita: about 305 km
16. Miko Castle, Miercurea Ciuc, Harghita: about 240 km
17. Kalnoky Castle, Miclosoara, Covasna: about 207 km
18. Bethlen Castle, Cris, Mures: about 276 km
19. Stirbei Palace, Buftea, Ilfov: about 52 km
20. Little Trianon, Floresti, Prahova: about 62 km

1. Peles Castle, Sinaia

For many people, Peles is the most beautiful castle in Romania. It was built for King Carol I at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains: work started in 1873, the castle was inaugurated in 1883 and it kept growing until 1914. The architects Johannes Schultz and then Karel Liman gave it its German Neo-Renaissance style, with towers, turrets and carved wooden facades.

Inside you visit dozens of rooms decorated in different styles, from the armoury to the Moorish salon and the royal theatre. Peles was among the first castles in Europe to have its own electricity, and today it is a national museum.

Distance from Gherghita: about 100 km, roughly an hour and three quarters. More in our guide to Peles and Pelisor.

2. Corvin Castle, Hunedoara

Corvin Castle is the most impressive Gothic castle in Romania and one of the most beautiful in Europe. In the mid-15th century John Hunyadi turned the old fortress into a fortified residence with tall towers, colourful roofs and a long bridge over the Zlasti river. Later, Prince Gabriel Bethlen added a Renaissance wing.

You can visit the Knights' Hall, the Diet Hall, the towers and the well in the courtyard, which, legend says, was dug by Turkish prisoners who were promised their freedom if they reached water.

Distance from Gherghita: about 450 km, roughly seven and a half hours. It fits into a tour of Transylvania over several days.

3. Bran Castle, Brasov

Known around the world as "Dracula's Castle", Bran was built between 1377 and 1388 by the Saxons of Brasov as a guard and customs post on the road between Transylvania and Wallachia. In 1920 it was given to Queen Marie, who turned it into a summer residence. Its link with Vlad the Impaler is more legend than history, but the atmosphere of the castle on its rock is hard to forget.

Distance from Gherghita: about 146 km, roughly two and a half hours. Details in our guide to Bran Castle.

4. Pelisor Castle, Sinaia

A few steps from Peles stands Pelisor, built between 1899 and 1902 for the heirs to the throne, Ferdinand and Marie, to plans by Karel Liman. It is smaller and more intimate than Peles, with Art Nouveau interiors largely designed by Queen Marie. The best-known room is the Golden Room, its walls decorated with gilded thistle leaves.

Distance from Gherghita: about 100 km, roughly an hour and three quarters; visit it on the same day as Peles.

5. Cantacuzino Castle, Busteni

The castle was built in 1911 for Prince Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, nicknamed "the Nabob", to plans by the architect Grigore Cerchez, in the Neo-Romanian style. It has a superb view of the Bucegi Mountains and a park with paths, waterfalls and a grotto. It became famous around the world after the Nevermore Academy scenes of the series "Wednesday" were filmed here.

Distance from Gherghita: about 106 km, roughly an hour and three quarters. See the Cantacuzino Castle page.

6. Banffy Castle, Bontida

Nicknamed "the Versailles of Transylvania", the Banffy family castle near Cluj-Napoca was turned into a Baroque residence in the 18th century, with a court of honour and statues. It was badly damaged in 1944, at the end of the war, and then left to decay for decades. Today it is being restored step by step and hosts the Electric Castle festival, one of the largest music festivals in Romania.

Distance from Gherghita: about 440 km, roughly seven and a half hours.

7. Bethlen-Haller Castle, Cetatea de Balta

With its four round corner towers, the castle in Alba County recalls the chateaux of the Loire Valley. It was built in the Renaissance style in the first half of the 17th century by the Bethlen family, on the site of an older manor, and later received Baroque features. Since 1999 it has belonged to the Jidvei wine company and can be visited together with a wine tasting from the Tarnave region.

Distance from Gherghita: about 325 km, roughly six hours.

8. Teleki Castle, Gornesti

Considered the most beautiful Baroque castle in Romania, Teleki Castle in Mures County was built between 1772 and 1803 for Count Laszlo Teleki, to plans by the architect Andreas Mayerhoffer. After serving for decades as a sanatorium, it was returned to the Teleki family and fully restored, and in the summer of 2026 it reopened to visitors.

Distance from Gherghita: about 335 km, roughly six and a half hours.

9. Mogosoaia Palace, near Bucharest

The palace was built between 1698 and 1702 by Prince Constantin Brancoveanu and is the finest example of the Brancovenesc style, which blends Romanian architecture with Venetian and Oriental elements: arcaded loggias, carved columns and a lake behind the palace. In the 20th century it was restored by Princess Martha Bibescu. Today it is a museum, with a lovely park for a walk.

Distance from Gherghita: about 51 km, roughly an hour. It is one of the easiest day trips.

10. Iulia Hasdeu Castle, Campina

One of the strangest and most moving castles in the country. The scholar Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu built it between 1893 and 1896, after the death of his daughter Iulia, at only 19. Hasdeu believed that her spirit dictated the plans, so every detail, from the shape of the building to the symbols on the walls, has a spiritual meaning. Today it is a museum.

Distance from Gherghita: about 67 km, just over an hour; combine it with the Little Trianon in Floresti, very close by.

11. Sturdza Castle, Miclauseni

The Neo-Gothic castle in Iasi County was built between 1880 and 1904 by Gheorghe Sturdza and his wife Maria, who personally oversaw the decoration. It has towers, pointed windows and a large park, and locals still talk about the ghost of a lady said to haunt its corridors. It belongs to the Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina.

Distance from Gherghita: about 330 km, roughly four and a half hours.

12. Karolyi Castle, Carei

The Karolyi family castle in Satu Mare County has a long history: a stone residence built at the end of the 15th century, then a fortress with a defensive moat, rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1794. It got its present look, a Neo-Gothic castle with towers and a water-filled moat, between 1894 and 1896, to plans by the architect Arthur Meinig. It is a museum and has a beautiful arboretum.

Distance from Gherghita: about 585 km, roughly ten hours. It is the most distant castle on the list.

13. Huniade Castle, Timisoara

This is the oldest building in Timisoara. The first castle was built in the 14th century by King Charles Robert of Anjou and rebuilt by John Hunyadi in the 15th century. Its present appearance comes from the reconstruction in the mid-19th century. The castle houses the National Museum of Banat; in recent years the building has undergone restoration work, so check beforehand what can be visited.

Distance from Gherghita: about 580 km, roughly nine hours.

14. Fagaras Fortress

Fagaras Fortress is a fortified castle surrounded by a water-filled moat, one of the best preserved in Romania. It began as a medieval fortification and was extended in the 16th and 17th centuries, when it became a residence of the princes of Transylvania. Lady Stanca, the wife of Michael the Brave, was held captive here. Today it houses the "Valer Literat" Museum of the Fagaras Land.

Distance from Gherghita: about 206 km, almost four hours.

15. Lazar Castle, Lazarea

On the edge of the village of Lazarea, near Gheorgheni, stands one of the most beautiful Renaissance castles in Transylvania. The oldest part dates from 1532, and the defensive walls with towers were built around 1630. The castle was partly destroyed in the wars of the early 18th century and has been gradually restored.

Distance from Gherghita: about 305 km, roughly six hours.

16. Miko Castle, Miercurea Ciuc

The castle was built between 1623 and 1630 by Ferenc Miko, a counsellor of Prince Gabriel Bethlen, and rebuilt in the early 18th century after being destroyed during an invasion. It has four corner bastions and an inner courtyard. It houses the Csik Szekler Museum.

Distance from Gherghita: about 240 km, roughly four and a half hours.

17. Kalnoky Castle, Miclosoara

In the village of Miclosoara in Covasna County, the Kalnoky family began building a stone manor in 1648, extended in the second half of the 17th century. Restored by Count Tibor Kalnoky, the castle reopened in 2017 as the Museum of Transylvanian Life, and you can stay in traditional guesthouses in the village.

Distance from Gherghita: about 207 km, roughly four and a half hours.

18. Bethlen Castle, Cris

Near Sighisoara, in the village of Cris in Mures County, stands one of the most valuable Renaissance castles in Transylvania, with corner towers and an arcaded inner courtyard. The Bethlen family owned it for centuries, and its Renaissance features date from the late 16th century. Nationalised in 1948, the castle was returned to the family in 2007 and is being restored step by step.

Distance from Gherghita: about 276 km, roughly five hours; it combines easily with a day in Sighisoara.

19. Stirbei Palace, Buftea

The palace in Buftea, on the edge of Bucharest, was started around 1850 by Prince Barbu Dimitrie Stirbei and finished by his son Alexandru, in the style of an English manor. The Preliminary Peace of Buftea was signed here in 1918, during the First World War. The palace is private property used for events, but the park and lake around it are worth a stroll.

Distance from Gherghita: about 52 km, roughly an hour; combine it with Mogosoaia, very close by.

20. Little Trianon, Floresti

The most unusual choice on the list is a ruin. Prince Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, "the Nabob", also wanted to build a copy of the Petit Trianon of Versailles in Floresti, Prahova, to plans by the architect Ion D. Berindei. Work started in the early 20th century, but the palace was never finished. Damaged by earthquakes and war, it became a romantic ruin. Consolidation work has started in recent years, and events such as the Karpatia Horse Show are held on the estate.

Distance from Gherghita: about 62 km, roughly an hour. Visit it from the outside only and keep to the marked areas.

Day trips from Gherghita

• Near Bucharest: Mogosoaia Palace and Stirbei Palace in Buftea, an hour away and a few kilometres apart.
• Prahova Valley: Iulia Hasdeu Castle in Campina and the Little Trianon in Floresti in the morning, then Peles and Pelisor in Sinaia; if you have time, Cantacuzino Castle in Busteni.
• Towards Brasov: Bran Castle, then Fagaras Fortress or the Szekler castles, on a two-day trip.
• Transylvania over several days: Corvin, Bethlen-Haller, Teleki, Banffy and Bethlen in Cris, on a tour with overnight stays along the way.

Practical tips

• Check the opening hours. Many castle museums are closed on Mondays, and some have shorter hours in winter.
• Start early at weekends. Peles and Bran are very busy in summer and on autumn weekends; arrive at opening time to queue less.
• Mind the photo fee. At some castles taking photos inside costs extra or is not allowed.
• Wear comfortable shoes. Many castles have steep stairs and cobbled courtyards.

Where to stay

Gherghita is a good base for half of this list: you are an hour from Mogosoaia, Buftea, Campina and Floresti and under two hours from Sinaia and Busteni. Choose accommodation near Dracula Land and take a different route each day, coming back to a quiet place in the evening. For the journey, see also how to get to Dracula Land.