Panoramic view of Bran Castle, also known as Dracula Castle.

At Bran Castle — also known as Dracula’s Castle — we climbed up and up and up, through narrow stone stairways, hidden passages, and little nooks and crannies that feel made for the world’s most legendary game of hide-and-seek. The views from the balconies are breathtaking: rolling forests, misty hills, and that perfect, moody Transylvanian landscape the movies never fully capture. And tucked inside one of the rooms is an old bell — legend says that every time you ring it, an angel gets its wings