Visit locations and vampire pilgrimage spots from this list of places associated with the Count

A spooky shot of a castle towering over a village — Kanuman / Shutterstock

You know a story is a good one when there are still films, spin offs and TV shows being made over 120 years after the work was released. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a perfect example of the story that has it all, blending horror, romance and drama into one enduring, sorrowful tale that has become synonymous with all things horror and Halloween.

Although fictional (or is it?), Stoker took plenty of inspiration from real people, locations and myths. The great news is that you can still visit many of the book’s settings and inspirations to this day – some of which have embraced the lasting interest in fangs and bloodlust.

So here are the must-visit places to check out if you’re a Dracula fan, or know someone who is.

Whitby

Unlike Bran Castle, the headland and ruined Benedictine Whitby Abbey, which towers over the pretty fishing town of Whitby, North Yorkshire, is very much a key feature in the tale.

Stoker enjoyed a short stay in the town in 1890 and drew plenty of inspiration from the sweeping gothic arches and imposing location of the ruins. Whitby acts as the entry point for Dracula’s journey to England, with the count taking the form of a black dog before leaping up the town’s famous 199 steps. Mina Harker also mentions Whitby Abbey in a diary extract, and Lucy Westenra sleepwalks through the ruins.

The town of Whitby is acutely aware of the Dracula and Stoker links and celebrates the town’s association with plaques and even exhibitions. Our favourite Whitby Dracula experience, however, is a guided ghost tour with the mysterious and mirthful Dr. Crank. Taking place after the sun has set, Dr. Crank’s walks include local legends and a tour of the famous St. Mary’s Churchyard, in the shadow of the abbey, swooping bats and all.

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Bran Castle

Transylvania’s Bran Castle may be known as ‘Dracula’s Castle’ outside Romania, but we’ve got some bad news: Stoker doesn’t mention Bran Castle at all in the book, and his description doesn’t nearly match Bran Castle. Also, Vlad III Dracula, Known as Vlad the Impaler, who may have acted as a major influence on the story, never lived, visited or ruled the castle at all. So the whole ‘Dracula’s Castle’ thing comes down to Hollywood, and local tourism.

Despite the lack of any sort of historic links, Bran Castle does play up to its mythic role as Dracula’s crib, so you’ll see a few exhibits and explanations about Dracula. However, the castle is jam-packed with intriguing histories and happenings, from the Teutons to the Ottomans.

Although the castle does slightly play up to the Hollywood trope, with events and the dark and myserious Time Tunnel, the real focus is on the royal residents who once called Bran Castle home. From the Saxons who built the stone castle you’ll see today, to Queen Maria of Romania who called Bran home in the 1920s, Bran Castle’s best stories aren’t about Dracula, but about the changing of hands since the castle’s founding in 1211.

Top tip: If you’re transferring via Bucharest or don’t have much time, then a multi-location day trip including Bran Castle and other notable Translyvania sites is a great option.

Hampstead Heath

A key part of the Dracula tale includes the terrifying escapades of the ‘Bloofer Lady’, later found to be a reanimated Lucy Westenra. The Bloofer Lady roams Hampstead Heath and abducts children, resulting in a newspaper story within. the story titled The Hampstead Horror.

Although you won’t find much in the way of Dracula landmarks on London’s famous green space, things can get a little eerie if you visit on a misty winter morning. It’s also a great spot to escape the London hustle and bustle to catch up on a few chapters

Highgate Cemetery

Although Bram Stoker worked at the not-too-far-away Lycaeum Theatre, there’s no evidence that he actually intended Lucy Westenra’s resting place to be London’s Highgate Cemetery. But there’s no denying that it’s the perfect setting for a eerie graveyard where vampires are vanquished.

Highgate has become a popular tourist spot in its own right mainly thanks to the famous ‘residents’ who call the graveyard home. You’ll see names like Karl Marx and George Michael between the gnarled trees and imposing stone archways and tombs that create an ethereal atmosphere even on sunny days.

Thanks to the cemetery’s de facto status as a nature reserve, it’s also another great green space to escape London and a short hop away from Hamstead Heath.

Poenari Castle

If Bran Castle is Hollywood’s (inaccurate) depiction of Castle Dracula, then Poenari Castle is the much more likely setting for the ‘real’ home of the creepy count.

The crumbling ruins of the 14th century stone castle was actually home to Count Dracula, or as you’ve already heard him called, Vlad the Impaler. It is alleged that he imprisoned and possibly impaled his victims from the walls of the castle, adding an extra layer of gory history to your visit. Just before you reach the castle, you’ll spot a couple of impaled victims on huge spikes!

The castle is extremely foreboding, sitting atop a mountain and only accessible by over 1400 concrete steps. In our opinion, Poenari matches the crumbling appearance mentioned by Stoker in the book, plus you can’t look away from the fact that the real life Dracula once called the place home!

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Hotel Castel Dracula

A dracula themed hotel in Romania — Sebastian_Photography / Shutterstock

Absolutely in no way tied to the novel, or indeed as important as the rest of the locations on the list, this extremely kitsch hotel sits on the site of another possible location for Dracula’s Castle, in the Romanian town of Piatra Fântânele.

The hotel may be a shameless cash-in on Transylvania’s ever-growing gothic and horror tourism industry, but it’s plenty of fun if you want to get into the spirit of your Dracula. The rooms feature gothic and Victorian features, including four poster beds, plus there is fun imagery and installations for those all-important social media snaps.

Oh, and you can even grab a selfie with a (rather twee) bust of Bram Stoker himself at the entrance to the hote.l.