Take a road trip to Dracula's hometown.
Home to Transylvania, it’s difficult to imagine a Romania as populated by anything other than blood-drinking ghouls with wings and a deep-pitched voice. Now a proud EU member, Romania is anything but a Dracula theme park (although there is one in the works). Highways crossing its broad and stunningly mountainous belly crisscross traditional horse-cart trails and walled Saxon cities like Braşov and Sighişoara, where you can castle-hop, ski, or sleep in rustic B&Bs and goof off with shepherds. College towns like Timişoara and Cluj-Napoca boast some Habsburg influences – and more than its fair share of throbbing nightclubs. Meanwhile, painted monasteries and happy cemeteries are found in northern Maramureş and northeastern Bucovina, places where "peasant" is a proud word. Most trips start at the capital, Bucharest, a city of parks and Parisian boulevards – and many commie mishaps, like the massive Palace of the Parliament, which you can tour. It takes time to get around Romania. You can train, bus, or drive around – just watch out for the potholes. And for Dracula too.
