Hotels near Day Trip to Sinaia and Peles Castle

Peles Castle in Sinaia was built between 1873 and 1914 as the summer residence of King Carol I of Romania, and it is widely considered one of the finest neo-Renaissance castles in Europe. The Bavarian architect Wilhelm von Doderer and his successor Johann Schultz created a 34,000 square metre palace with 170 rooms, blending German Renaissance timber-framed facades, Italian marble interiors, Turkish reception rooms, and Moorish courtyard details. Peles was the first European castle wired entirely for electricity from its own hydroelectric plant.

The standard 45-minute guided tour of the ground floor visits 10 major rooms including the Grand Hall with its retractable stained-glass roof and the Weapons Hall with 4,000 pieces of European and Middle Eastern armour. The upper-floor extended tour adds 15 rooms including the Royal Bedroom and the Council Hall. Combine Peles with a short walk to the nearby Sinaia Monastery from 1690 and a look at the small resort town's Belle Epoque villas along Bulevardul Carol I.

Pro Tip: Take the 07:45 train from Gara de Nord to arrive at 09:30, and buy the timed 11:00 castle ticket online at peles.ro the night before - the on-site queue easily hits an hour in July. Bring a light jacket even in August: the castle interiors are cool year-round.