I took the train from Bucharest to Brasov last year. It was okay. We would have been better off buying a first class ticket though. Brasov is quite nice. We stayed at the resort above it called Poiana Brasov and took a taxi to Bran Castle. I'm not sure if there are hotels near the castle. I would defer to a local on that. Also a local would be able to tell you about Halloween events, if there are any.

Although there are also buses on this route, the best way to get from Bucharest to Brasov is to travel by train (there are more 25 trains between the two cities).

Note that in Romania there are several types of trains : Intercity and Rapid (which are the fastest and cleanest and therefore if you're using them you can travel either in 1st or in 2nd class), Accelerat (which is so-and-so in terms of speed and cleanliness -especially in 2nd class- and therefore you should try to get 1st class tickets when using it) and Personal (which should be avoided, because it is very,very slow).

Check http://infofer.ro for timetables and prices.

Once in Brasov you can catch a bus to Bran, it takes about 30 -40 minutes and costs about 5 lei ( check the Romanian bus timetables site http://autogari.ro/?&lang=UK, but there are more buses than the one listed there).

As for events, there is some sort of carnival around Halloween in Bran (this year I think on October 29) and also a traditional Romanian ceremony (unrelated with Halloween) on October 25 in the nearby village of Moeciu.

Accommodations aren't a problem around Bran, there are dozens of guest houses and inns in that area. Check the website of the Romanian association of guesthouses (choose Brasov county on the map)

http://antrec.ro/en-antrec.html

or go straight to:

antrec.ro/en-BV-budget-hotel-reservation-bra…

Also see some local sites:

http://www.ebran.ro/ebran.ro/

http://www.zonabran.ro/

We shall be heading there the same time of year We had planned to attend some type of festival as well Maybe we see you there!!!!

The best way to travel in Romania is by Intercity train.It's clean, AC-ed and free of beggers, but it's more expensive. You can try a Rapid train, less expensive than Intercity You can check the prices on the sites mentioned by another poster.

There is another way to get to Brasov, by something called "MAXITAXi". It looks like a mini van, a bit taller,and it travels from and to almost any city in Romania. It's hard to tell you where they depart from. I think in Bucharest they depart from Central Train station= GARA DE NORD, or GARA BASARAB= Basarab train staion, which is very clos the Nord station.They are much cheaper and pretty realible. However I heard there were a few accidents.

I don't believe there are hostels close to Bran castle, but there are many in Brasov. You can take the bus from Brasov to Bran.

There is a main bus station somehwere in Brasov, you will need to ask for directions over there. I remember I took the troley to that station, but can't rember the number.