There's a bunch of different vampires mythoses out there, most of which contradict each other. Here's the one that I like to buy into when perusing vampire fiction.
1)Vampirism is a supernatural condition, a sort of "curse" passed down from whoever the primeval vampire was. How he or she got saddled with it, I don't speculate. Possibly they ticked off the wrong supernatural entity.
2)Vampires are by nature nocturnal creatures. They must rest by day in the soil of their native land. Vampires denied such rest will begin to suffer deleterious effects roughly analogous to those suffered by a human deprived of sleep. They can move about during the day, but will be subject to the same sort of fatigue-related effects that a human who did not get enough sleep would suffer.
3)Vampires have a variety of supernatural abilities, most of which can only be used at night. They can transform into bats, wolves, rats, swarms of insects, or a mist. They can to some degree command the obedience of otherwise non-supernatural nocturanl creatures. They have what amounts to a powerful hypnotic ability, allowing them to dominate weaker-willed humans to varying degrees. They tend to be quite strong physically - not superhumanly strong, but stronger than they look. In a purely physical contest, Spider-Man could kick Dracula's butt. Daredevil, maybe not. Vampires that feed regularly are effectively immortal. All things being equal, they will remain at whatever "physical age" they were when they first "vampirized". Vampires cannot be harmed by conventional weaponry.
4)Vampires have certain limitations and vulnerabilities. They cannot cross running water. They cast no reflection in a mirror, nor can they be filmed or "videod". Garlic, while not strictly speaking "toxic" to a vampire, is extremely repugnant to athem, and sufficient quantities of the stuff will repulse all but the most powerful and/or determined vampires. Vampires cannot enter private buildings or spaces unless invited. To elucidate - a vampire could freely enter a bus station, say - a place which all are implicitly welcome to enter. They could not enter a private home, uninvited. A vampire could freely enter city hall during business hours, but could not enter the mayor's office without an invitation. Contact with "holy objects" causes pain to a vampire comcomitant to the degree of faith in which the object is held. To clarify - a crucifix or holy water wielded by a devout Catholic would hurt a vampire. The same in the hands of an atheist would not. In the Doctor Who story "The Curse of Fenric", an ardent Russian Communist is able to fend off a Haemovore with a hammer-and-sickle pin. While I find this idea amusing, I wouldn't care to put it to the test. Presumably, a vampire on Infant Island would be in big trouble, since Mothra is, effectively, a colossal repository of the Islanders' faith, and also, a whacking great moth. Exposure to daylight does does not automatically destroy a vampire, but it does suppress their supernatural abilities, rendering them effectively human. The more intense the sunlight, the more deleterious the effect upon the vampire. A cloudy afternoon in Ireland in mid-winter probably would merely leave a vampire feeling washed-out and tired. A cloudless afternoon in Death Valley in mid-summer would kill even the hardiest vampire in about an hour.
5)Vampires resemble the humans they were, except of course, for their fangs. Vampires survive by feeding off of blood. It does not have to be human blood, although mammalian blood tends to be more "nourishing" to them than that of reptiles or other non-mammals. However, human blood is the most "nourishing" to vampires, and is inherently more enticing to them. Once a new vampire has tasted human blood, it is instantly addictive to them, with symptoms similar to the effect of heroin on a hardcore drug addict. While it is possible for a vampire to restrain themselves from taking human victims once they've tasted human blood, only the strongest-willed individuals can do so. Even vampires that have never tasted human blood will always feel an urge to do so, though it is somewhat easier for those who've never sampled to restrain themselves. However they feed, vampires have to feed regularly, even as humans do. Vampires that are somehow prevented from feeding will not "die" as such, but will instead wither away, becoming desiccated and helpless. Blood spilt on a vampire in this condition will revive them, and if they are able to feed sufficiently, the will return to their former appearance. It is also true that vampires that feed off of humans will be stronger vampirically than those that refrain.
6)Vampires can convert humans into vampires like themselves by feeding on a human without killing them, and causing the human to ingest some of their own (i.e. the vampire's) blood. Eventually, the human will "die", only to "resurrect" three days later as a vampire. Typically the process is irreversible at this point, although it may be that if the original vampire is killed the "new" vampire might conceivably be "rescued" at this point, although this strikes me as a very dubious proposition. Once a new vampire has "fed" - particularly if they have fed of a human - the process should be considered irreversible.The original vampire has a certain amount of "authority" over any vampires they have made, although this is not absolute, and strong-willed individuals can resist their "makers". Killing the original vampire will not kill or "re-humanize" any vampires they have "made".
7)Vampires can be destroyed. The most common method is by finding a vampire while they are resting and driving a stake through their heart. Instances have been known where the removal of the stake has allowed the vampire to revive, so, once the stake has been driven in, care should be taken to decapitate the vampire. The head should be removed from the vicinity of the body and stuffed with cloves of garlic. The head and body should then be burnt and the ashes disposed of judiciously. Vampires can also be killed by holy objects wielded by persons of faiths, like that one time when the Maid blessed the Neopolis Reservoir and the Top 10 police blasted them with the resultant holy water, or by having Mothra step on them.
8)Vampires still have souls - the same souls they had when they were "alive". They are souls operating under a "curse". They still have free will, but their "curse" makes it harder - though not impossible - for them to make free moral choices.
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I only had time to read a couple of the stories in the collection Weird Vampire Tales when I had it out from the library recently, but it's worth a look.
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Buffy TVS had a clever line where they asked some vamp how he had got into the school without anyone inviting him in.
The Vampire gleefully pointed out that the school motto carved over the door stated 'Enter all you who seek knowledge..." (in latin)
You're right, that is clever.