I want you to picture Sinaia Romania.
If you close your eyes, visualize all the natural shades of green coming together to create an alpine setting perfect for a summer retreat.
Imagine a place where the fresh air filling your lungs feels as if it was newly exhaled by the evergreen trees all around you. (Also imagine you are part of a royal family staying in your very own castle.)
Hold this image in your mind, place it on a perch among sloping mountain peaks and you have the darling town of Sinaia, Romania and the beautiful Peles Castle.
Sinaia’s roots are centuries-old, but the town first took shape with the building of an Orthodox monastery in 1695. The town and the monastery are named in honor of Mount Sinai in Egypt.
In the late 1800s, Romania’s King Carol I fell in love with the natural beauty surrounding the monastery. He decided to build a royal summer residence in Sinaia known as Peles Castle.
Today, when you visit Sinaia and Peles Castle, you’ll find yourself at the gateway into unspoiled and utterly romantic Transylvania.
Are you ready to board the train from Bucharest?
Grab a covrigi (see the deliciousness below) as a snack for the ride and let’s go!
How to Visit Sinaia Romania and the Wonderful Peles Castle
Although technically still in the Wallachia region of Romania, Sinaia is an easy stop on the way from Bucharest to Brasov or as an excursion from Brasov.
A CFR train from Bucharest to Sinaia takes about 1 1/2 hours and just 1 hour for journeys starting in Brasov.
You can spend as little as a 1/2 day in Sinaia or stay the night to fully absorb Sinaia’s charm.
If you’d like to hike through the Bucegi Mountains, you could easily base yourself in Sinaia for a couple of days to hike the trails accessed from the cable car. Or plan a multi-day hiking excursion to explore the surrounding area.
If you’re stopping in Sinaia en route to Brasov or Bucharest, Hotel Caraiman, just up the steps from the train station, will hold your luggage for a small fee. (Another traveler shared the tip that Rina Hotel, also up the steps from the rail station, offers bag storage, too.)
Taxis stand at the ready outside the train station to carry visitors halfway up the hill. But the walk up to Sinaia Monastery and Peles Castle is lovely whether you use the shaded forest path or stay along the main road to see the potpourri of houses and buildings that show the different periods of Romania’s past.
Halfway through the walk from the train station, the forest path stops at the entrance gate to Sinaia Monastery. If you’ve taken the road, you’ll loop to the right and see signs showing the way.
Visiting Sinaia Monastery
The Monastery grounds are open every day from 8 a.m to 8 p.m. (However when I visited, the hours listed were Monday-Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
Keep in mind that if you visit on a Sunday, religious services in the morning could limit what you’re able to see.
You’ll need to buy a ticket at the entrance.
Completed in 1846, the new church stands in front of you as you enter and is open to visitors.
Within the Monastery walls, circle the grounds on foot. You can visit a small religious museum and go inside the building housing the bell tower.
The highlight is the old church in the back courtyard, which was completed in 1695.
The Orthodox-style walls and ceiling have been restored.
The paintings and mosaics are saturated with colors and detailed story scenes!
As someone who goes absolutely bonkers over historic murals and frescoes, I was in awe.
The visit to the Sinaia Monastery will only take as long as you spend admiring the painted art on the walls. But if you’re like me, it’ll leave you feeling like you’ve discovered a special spot off-the-beaten-path.
It’s just another reason why Romania is a must-visit destination.
On the Way to Peles Castle
Exit the Monastery and continue your walk to Peles Castle along the forest path.
You’ll see the entrance if you walk up from the Monastery and into a small parking area on the right. Or if you prefer, just keep walking uphill along the winding road.
It’s no secret Peles Castle is the gem of Sinaia. The castle and the grounds it sits upon are straight from the pages of a fairytale, like Sighisoara.
From this vantage point, a velvety green grass directs your gaze up to the castle’s entrance while your ears take in the sounds of a small river flowing in the forest behind you.
Peles Castle is open for tours Wednesday-Sunday typically from 9.15 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exception is on Wednesdays when the castle is open from 10 a.m.
You must join a guided tour to go inside Peles Castle and the nearby Pelisor castle (a smaller royal residence also on the grounds). Entry is managed with a scheduled time slot that you choose when you buy your ticket from the official website.
The guided tour is in English and takes you through the ground floor and 2nd floor of the castle. Tickets are currently 100 lei (about $22 USD).
You can also buy a ticket to visit Pelisor Castle, too, for an added fee.
Visiting Peles Castle
Don’t worry I won’t show you everything! You’ll have to visit for yourself! 😉
Peles Castle has what you’d expect for a royal residence, grandly designed rooms, luxurious tapestries and fabrics, expertly carved marble, and wood.
This strikes you just as the tour begins with the staircase up to the main foyer.
The guide will tell you about the castle’s inauguration in 1883. You’ll hear about the furnishings and how Peles was the first castle in the world to be completely lit by electricity.
However, as you tour the rooms, what comes through is the humanity within the castle. It’s cozy. The genuine warmth of a real family living there is part of every room.
You can clearly see the King’s love for Peles Castle. Furniture and design choices must have come from the royal’s deep connection to their summer residence and from what actually made sense from living there.
Upstairs, bedrooms are not cold chambers as you might expect to find.
Instead, the King and Queen’s personal tastes are reflected in every detail. Can’t you imagine a person sleeping in that bed or reading a book in that chaise?
I admit. Once you’re wrapped up in the fairytale of Peles Castle, it’s hard to leave. The castle is beautiful as you’d expect, but it also feels like a comfortable home to enjoy blue-sky days away from the city.
Fortunately, Romania has plenty of other gems like Sibiu and Rasnov Fortress to discover!
Back outside, admire the views of the Carpathian Mountains in the distance just as the royal family did.
If you have the time and 30 lei to spare, heave over to Pelisor Castle.
Pelisor Castle was built at the turn of the 20th Century for King Carol’s nephew Ferdinand who was next in line for the throne.
Pelisor is more modest in its scale and decor, but completely worth a visit. You even get to use the door knocker to be let in!
After having spent a few hours in a fairytale castle on top of a fairytale hill in Transylvania, you just might feel the urge to kick up your feet and skip back down the forest path. (guilty)
If you do, get a basket of fresh berries as you leave Sinaia and Peles Castle behind.
Add Peles Castle to your Romania itinerary!
Not only is it one of the most popular sights to visit in Romania, Peles Castle is a real-life castle that seems to be sprung from the pages of a classic storybook.
You won’t want to miss it!
So, what are your questions about visiting Sinaia and Peles Castle?Â
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