Cycling around Dracula’s Castle – Piatra Craiului National Park

Discover the Dracula’s Backyard mountain bike trails. Dracula’s Castle, an international monument, is probably one of the most visited places in Romania but we won’t talk about it. Nevertheless, we are going to talk about the possibilities of cycling around Dracula’s castle. The old monument is located between two of Romania’s most majestic mountain ranges, Piatra Craiului to the west and Bucegi to the east. With such fantastic surroundings, the place is ideal for mountain biking, so you can check out two of our recommendations below.

Mountain biking and cycling around Dracula’s Castle

Waypoints: Her – Predelut – Zarnesti – Magura – Pestera – Moeciu – Her

Terrain: asphalt 60% + dirt road 25% + gravel 15%

We really loved this piece, even if it was a little more difficult than initially expected! The starting point is the small town of Bran and the first part of the route is on asphalt. You start gently to warm up your engines until you reach Zarnesti. Just before this village there is a gravel section followed by a descent on asphalt. You start the climb just outside Zarnesti and soon enter the Piatra Craiului National Park. From this point we continue on an excellent gravel road.

Before Magura, we reach a junction. To reach the village, you must continue on the road on the left. We went right and took a 5 kilometer round trip detour because we also wanted to see the famous Prapastiile Zarnestiului. This is an impressive pass between tall, steep rocks that can take you up to the high alpine peaks of the mountain range. Because this trail was not our objective, we turned around and continued towards Magura (we are leaving this route for a future trip dedicated to it only, but I can guarantee it is pleasant and demanding) .

The whole valley opens up as you reach Magura and the views are fantastic. We have lunch in the meadow and enjoy the peace and quiet.

From Magura we were thinking of going back down to Bran, but everything doesn’t go as you would like. We met another couple of cyclists who were quite exhausted from the climb. At the sight of them, Karina happily envisioned us just going down the hill from here. The dream day ended when we reached another steep climb that would take us to the village of Pestera.

Entering the village we also arrive at the asphalt road. From there we go down. It’s good to relax your muscles after pumping them up.

It was a very nice trip even though we had initially anticipated it would be slightly easier. Overall, I’d say it’s accessible to anyone, as long as you have the stamina. The entire route is on road and there are no technical sections.

GPS track around Dracula’s castle

Mountain biking around the Vulcain village

Waypoints: Vulcan – Holbav-Paltin – Vulcan

Terrain: asphalt 20% + dirt road 25% + gravel 50% + 5% bike pushed on dirt road

From Bran we left by car towards Vulcan. We found a parking space in the center of the village and started the trail from there. We knew this tour was slightly longer and more demanding than the previous one, so we decided to skip the initial section from Bran to Vulcan.

We start straight with an uphill section to Hobav, but the good news is that it’s on asphalt. From the village we take a dirt road and the view also begins to become more pleasant. At the moment our energy level is good.

From time to time we rejoice in the shade of the forest, although the day was not surprisingly warm.

Up to the top of Magura Codle you have an almost continuous climb with only a few short descents. Sometimes you may need to push the bike, but only for short sections. The landscape opens up at the highest point and you can admire the surrounding views. We stopped here for the launch.

We have overcome the biggest climb of the circuit. From there things get a little easier, a few descents and two more climbs.

Karina manages to eat a little dirt on the descent due to the dry/sandy condition of the road. She picked up a little too much speed and thought about squeezing the rear brake. At that point, her rear wheel slipped and she ended up on the ground with the bike on top of her. Only regret: not having witnessed it :))

The middle section is on a gravel road that is in good condition but will shake you and your wrists up a bit. Just when we were thinking about relaxing a bit, we hit another climb. It was impossible to approach by bike. However, it is a deep, narrow valley covered in leaves ankle deep. So far we were more tired from this pushed bike than from the track.

We then entered the forest where we reached mud, in large quantities. We pedaled slowly so as not to end up like real pigs at the end of the circuit. On this off-road and muddy section we came across a guy on a scooter who was giving it all he had on the road. Surprisingly, he had it pretty well under control. After two minutes he was followed by two guys on enduro bikes who were also surprised by the guy on the scooter. It seems like you can be extreme no matter what “gear” you have. We had a good laugh about the whole situation.

From summit to summit we finally managed to find the right path towards Vulcain. The final section takes place on a gravel road that will blow your mind. Finally a little bit of asphalt just before reaching the car, to calm things down.

This piece has a few delicate passages but nothing extraordinary. You can also avoid them by getting off the bike. Be careful if you plan to take this track after some rain. This could turn the whole experience into a nightmare and significantly increase the difficulty.

GPS track around Vulcain

How to get to Bran?

The main base camp location we chose for this trip was the small town of Bran. From Timisoara it is quite simple to get there, head towards Brasov and before the town turn south towards Rasnov and then Bran.

Where to sleep?

The region has many accommodation options. There is a wide range to choose from, it’s simply a matter of preference. We decided to go to the “Pensiunea Cerbul Carpatin”. It was good value for money and we also had access to the shared kitchen, lounge with fireplace and outdoor terrace. The hosts are really nice and welcoming so we can highly recommend the place.

Good to know

We didn’t have to pay any entrance fees to access Piatra Craiului National Park.

For catering, you will find numerous establishments, ranging from completely traditional cuisine to international dishes.

Check the weather forecast for your trip but also for a few days in advance. If heavy rain has been recorded, you can expect heavy sections of mud for trails on dirt roads.

There are many other opportunities to cycle around Dracula’s Castle with difficulty levels to suit all tastes.

I hope you found the information useful and accurate, but remember, if you have any questions, ask them in a comment below!

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