Discover the best places to experience Dracula this Halloween — from Whitby to Bran Castle. Join Dacre Stoker’s Halloween tour or book the Bran Castle Ball
If you’ve ever dreamed of walking in Count Dracula’s footsteps, Halloween is the perfect time.
From Dublin’s haunted libraries to Transylvania’s castles, there are real places steeped in the atmosphere that inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
And this year, you can go even further — by joining Bram’s great-grandnephew Dacre Stoker on the ultimate Dracula tour.
Book Your Ultimate Dracula Adventure This Halloween
Dacre Stoker is leading a 12-day Halloween tour of Romania (25 October – 7 November 2025), with haunted castles, eerie forests, and a private Vampire Ball inside Bran Castle.
👉 Click here to book your Dracula adventure — or reserve just for the Bran Castle Ball 👈
Dublin at Halloween: Bram Stoker’s Roots
Marsh’s Library, St Patrick’s Close, Dublin 8, Ireland
Halloween itself began in Ireland, and Dublin is where Bram Stoker first absorbed ghostly folklore. His mother’s famine tales and his research at Marsh’s Library helped sow the seeds of Dracula.
Dacre explains: “In Marsh’s, we see books Bram borrowed in 1866 that mentioned Vlad Dracula and his brother Radu… it could have been just a seed in his head.”
Visitors today can still explore the oak-panelled library, with its chained books and candlelit atmosphere, exactly as Bram did.
Whitby Halloween Gothic Weekend: Where Dracula Landed
Whitby Abbey, Abbey Lane, Whitby YO22 4JT, England
St Mary’s Church & Churchyard, Abbey Plain, Whitby YO22 4JT
Every October, Whitby hosts its famous Goth Weekend, and with good reason. In 1890, Bram visited the abbey ruins and was struck by the Gothic setting: fog, weathered tombstones, and crashing seas.
“The whole town at nighttime when it’s dark and dreary is just what you need in a movie. It’s got that Gothic horror vibe even to this day,” says Dacre. (Though it is a lovely place, just a bit spooky, we don’t want hate mail!)
Whitby also gave Bram the story of the wrecked Demetri, which became the Demeter in Dracula. This makes Whitby one of Britain’s top Halloween destinations.
Cruden Bay, Scotland: Explore Slains Castle at Halloween
Slains Castle, Cruden Bay, Peterhead AB42 0NE, Scotland
From 1892 to 1911, Bram Stoker spent 11 summers in Cruden Bay, writing much of Dracula here. Local folklore about pagan rituals inspired his novels, but it was Slains Castle that gave him the layout for Dracula’s fortress.
Dacre notes: “Harker’s arrival — the big door with no knocker, the octagonal hall with a single lamp — that’s Slains Castle. Bram walked through it himself.”
Today, visitors can explore the cliff-top ruins for free — one of Scotland’s eeriest Halloween experiences.
Bran Castle Halloween Party – Dance Inside Dracula’s Castle
Bran Castle, Strada General Traian Moșoiu 24, Bran 507025, Romania
On top of the Carpathians, Bran Castle is Romania’s most famous landmark. While Vlad the Impaler may never have lived there, Bram almost certainly saw sketches of Bran in books at the London Library.
“I am convinced Bram used this as his image for describing the exterior of his fictional Castle Dracula,” says Dacre.
On 30 October 2025, Bran Castle will host Dacre’s exclusive Vampire Ball, running until 2am on Halloween morning.
👉 Book your ticket for the Bran Castle Vampire Ball here 👈
Borgo Pass & Mount Izvorul – Halloween in Dracula’s Heartland
Pasul Tihuța (Borgo Pass), DN17, Bistrița-Năsăud County, Romania
Mount Izvorul, Călimani Mountains, Suceava County, Romania
The Borgo Pass is where Jonathan Harker’s carriage first rattled toward Dracula’s lair. Bram’s notes also place Dracula’s final battle on nearby Mount Izvorul, an extinct volcano.
Dacre recalls: “There’s a plaque up there now. The locals showed me the rocks still burn blue — just like Bram described in Dracula.”
For Halloween travellers, it’s one of Transylvania’s most hauntingly atmospheric spots.
Other Haunted Halloween Stops in Transylvania
- Poenari Fortress – Vlad the Impaler’s true mountain citadel (Transfăgărășan Road, Argeș County, Romania).
- Corvin Castle (Hunyadi Castle) – Gothic fortress tied to Vlad’s allies and enemies (Strada Castelului 1-3, Hunedoara 331141, Romania).
- Hoia Baciu Forest – “The Bermuda Triangle of Romania,” famed for strange lights and paranormal reports (near Cluj-Napoca, Romania).
Why Halloween is the Time to Go
As Dacre puts it: “We want the truth. It’s connecting the dots — showing where Bram’s imagination met reality. That’s when it becomes unforgettable.”
Whether you celebrate in Dublin, Whitby, or Transylvania, Halloween is when the Count feels closest. And for the ultimate experience — dancing till dawn inside Dracula’s Castle with Bram Stoker’s own descendant — you know where to click:
👉 Reserve your place for the ultimate Dracula Halloween 👈
Watch Dracula Halloween Adventure Video with Dacre Stoker
Where’s your favourite place to celebrate Dracula at Halloween? Tell us in the comment section below!
