Snagov Monastery

Snagov Monastery tickets: which one to buy

Snagov Monastery stands on an island in Lake Snagov, about forty kilometres north of Bucharest, Romania, and it is reached by a footbridge from the village of Siliştea Snagovului, or by boat from the resort area on the lake. A small admission fee is charged. The monastery is famous as the supposed burial place of Vlad the Impaler, the ruler whose name inspired the legend of Dracula, and many visitors come for that reason.

Tours from Bucharest often combine Snagov with the Mogoşoaia Palace or with a Dracula-themed tour of Romania. The lake area is a popular weekend destination for Bucharest residents, with restaurants and boat rentals. Public transport is limited, so a car or tour is easiest. The monastery is active, with a small community of monks, and visitors should dress modestly. Boats from the Snagov resort to the island can be hired for a round trip, with time to visit.

Visiting Snagov Monastery: what to see

A monastery existed on the island in the fourteenth century, and the present church, dedicated to the Annunciation, was built in the early sixteenth century, around 1517 to 1521, under the ruler Neagoe Basarab. It is a small, elegant church of brick and stone, with towers, in the Wallachian style. Inside, the walls are covered with frescoes from the sixteenth century, including portraits of the founders and scenes from the Bible. According to tradition, Vlad III Dracula, who ruled Wallachia in the fifteenth century and supported the monastery, was buried here after his death in 1476; a tombstone with his portrait lies in front of the altar, although archaeological excavations in the 1930s found no conclusive evidence of his remains, and historians debate the question.

The island's peaceful setting, surrounded by forest and water, adds to the mysterious atmosphere. The church's frescoes in the narthex show a votive portrait of the founding princes. The monastery's bell tower stands beside the church, and its stones date from the sixteenth century. The island once held a prison and a printing press, where some of the first books in Romania were printed in the seventeenth century. The church's iconostasis is carved in wood and gilded. Legends say that treasures from the Wallachian court were hidden on the island. The footbridge to the island crosses a narrow channel of the lake. Monks care for a small garden near the church. The lake shore around the island is covered with reeds and willow trees. The church is small, and only a few visitors fit inside at once.

Snagov Monastery opening hours and the best time to go

The monastery is open daily, with shorter hours in winter. Summer weekends bring visitors to the lake for boating and swimming, and the monastery can be busy then; weekdays are quieter. Spring and autumn are pleasant, with fewer mosquitoes than in summer. Halloween brings Dracula-themed tours. Winter is cold, and the lake may freeze. Allow about half an hour for the monastery, and have lunch at a lakeside restaurant or take a boat trip on the lake. The Mogoşoaia Palace, a Brâncovenesc-style palace with gardens, lies about half an hour's drive south toward Bucharest.