These Haunted Hotspots in Romania Will Give You the Chills

With Halloween approaching, we wanted to dedicate a blog to the spooky season with a spine-chilling list of real-life haunted sites in Romania, the original location of Dracula...

WARNING - don’t read if you’re about to hit the sack!

Romania is a beautiful country with pristine rural settings, and is also a horror fan’s dream, home to some of the world’s most terrifying and mysterious sites, many of which are believed to experience unexplained paranormal activity and are associated with numerous myths and legends.

Bran Castle

This famous, majestic cliffside castle is also known as Dracula’s Castle, as its appearance and location are eerily like the castle described in the famous Bram Stoker novel; even Dracula himself is believed to be based off Vlad the Impaler, an infamous Wallachian ruler who is associated with Bran Castle. Historic beliefs claimed that evil spirits existed and haunted the villages surrounding Bran Castle, tormenting citizens during their sleep.

Poienari Fortress

This beautiful castle ruin is situated atop a high cliff and is only accessible via stone steps – 1480 of them. The Poienari Fortess is also associated with Vlad the Impaler, having been owned by the former ruler, and is believed to be haunted by his wife. Legend has it that following the fortress being invaded, Vlad escaped, but his wife was left behind, and had to make a choice between being captured or suicide, resulting in her jumping to her death from the fortress’s tower. Flashing lights have supposedly been seen where his wife had taken her life.

Chiajna Monastery

Come and explore spirits of the night at this century's old monastery. Chiajna Monastery, situated on the outskirts of Romania’s capital Bucharest, was attacked and cursed on by the Turkish, and was then used as a refuge during the plague. It has since been left to ruin, with the monastery’s church bell having fallen into a nearby river. It is said by locals that the sound of the church bell tolling can be heard from the water on full moon nights...

Witches’ Pond

Situated in the Boldu Forest near Bucharest, this mysterious body of water is believed to be where Vlad the Impaler was decapitated, with reported sightings of his spirit roaming through the forest that surrounds the pond. The eerie pond is also a place where rituals are practiced by witches during Sanziene (mid-summer) celebrations. The pond water is believed to be cursed with harmful spiritual energies and powers; no creatures live in the pond, and the water conditions never change whatever the weather. Legends suggests that there is no bottom to the lake.

The Devil’s Precipice

Who’s up for some treasure hunting, but with a twist?

Located in Prahova County, there lies the Devil’s Precipice, a place believed to be haunted by the dead, with souls that are protecting enchanted, cursed buried treasure. It’s believed that those who go searching for the treasure end up wandering somewhere further away without knowledge of how they got there, and those who have tried to dig it up have lost their minds.

Hoia Baciu Forest

If you haven’t yet felt horrified at the thought of these haunted sites, let us introduce you to the most terrifying location in the country...

With the label as the world’s most haunted forest, the Hoia-Baciu Forest, near Cluj-Napoca has been reported to have plenty of paranormal activity, from voices to lights, orbs, and shadows, and even a portal that is believed to allow access into parallel universes. Within the forest is a piece of land where nothing grows, nicknamed the Bermuda Triangle of Romania or the dead zone. There’s a tale of a girl who went into the Hoia Baciu Forest and reappeared 5 years later with no recollection of her events, and there’s also plenty of tales suggesting people vanish into the woods and do not return.

Which creepy Romania site have you set your sights on? Or was reading about them quite enough for you? If you’re interested in visiting these locations or this fascinating country, do have a look at our Romania city breaks. Happy Halloween!