This fairy-tale castle would make Dracula (who is said to have been imprisoned there) jealous.

This massive underground salt mine now holds a sci-fi theme park in its depths.

This elaborately decorated, fairytale-like Romanian royal palace is one of the most striking castles in Europe.

No one knows who built this strange cave of worship or exactly why.

This once-derelict building is now one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world.

A giant portrait of an ancient king looms over the river.

Romania's "Red Ravine" is a little-known natural wonder that bears a resemblance to the Grand Canyon.

A muddy alien landscape that is home to rare species of exotic plants.

The bust of Romania’s most notorious ruler, Vlad Dracula aka "Vlad the Impaler," keeps watch over the ruins of his medieval court.

This bone-filled cave got its name after they found 140 bear skeletons inside.

This enormous abandoned prison was once dubbed the "Bastille of Romania."

Climbing to the top of the cathedral's bell tower offers sweeping views of these medieval ruins.

The largest Roman amphitheater in the Balkans once held over 20,000 people, but managed to lay hidden for hundreds of years.

According to a local legend, this old castle could only be built after a woman was immured in the walls.

A naturally beautiful, seemingly bottomless deep blue spring.

Once the fallout shelter of a dictator, this sprawling bunker is now a combined history museum and contemporary art gallery.

The elliptical citadel resisted the advance of the mighty Ottomans several times, thanks to the military prowess of the "Dragon of Albania."

A medieval bridge stretches over a sulfur-rich river that leads to year-round natural hot springs.

This World War I fortress is the perfect place to catch a Montenegrin sunset.

Former military fort and site of untold horrors during WWII, this island may become the Adriatic's next luxury resort.

A curious cave church carved into the face of a cliff.

These historic defenses ensured the city within would survive hundreds of years of occupations, sieges, and invasions.

Just a few miles from Novalja, a strange geological oddity has left scientists baffled.

Formerly Yugoslavia's "forbidden island," this sleepy little city still holds the abandoned remains of military strongholds.