Peleş Castle

Info

Peleș Castle is located in Sinaia, on the E 60 road that connects Bucharest and Brașov. It is easily accessible by both road and rail.

Visiting fee: Yes (for visiting inside the castle)

More information here

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Built in an exceptional natural setting on the Prahova Valley, at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains, Peleș Castle is without a doubt one of the most attractive sights in Romania and one of the most fascinating castles in the world.

The royal residence inaugurated in 1883 in the presence of King Carol I (who also built it from his own funds), awes with its German neo-renaissance with Italian influences architectural style.

The royal ambiance accompanies you from the moment you step on the alleys of the estate and into the elegant gardens designed by famous landscape architects from Europe. The marble statues, fountains and columns fully contribute to the entire romanticism vibe of the castle.

The castle has 160 rooms and hosts 60,000 art objects, part of the Romanian national cultural heritage, organized by various collections.

The most impressive collections are those of weapons (the most valuable in the country), and the hand-carved wood, which is in impeccable condition. Along with these, the museum also includes collections of paintings, pieces of old furniture, original stained glass, sculptures, carpets or tapestries.

After the abdication of King Michael in 1948 the castle was confiscated by the communists and in 1953 was opened to the public as the Peleş Museum. Between 1975-1989, by order of Nicolae Ceausescu, the Peleş Castle was closed to the public.

Other buildings of special aesthetic value have been built on the Sinaia estate, such as Pelişor Castle (open to the public since 1993) and Foişorul (The Gazebo), which can be discovered during a walk on the stone alleys, near the castle.

In 2007 the Peleş Castle, Pelişor along with the other royal outbuildings of the estate were returned to King Michael I. At his request, Peleş and Pelişor remain open to the public under the administration of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, operating as museums.

Did you know?

At the time of its inauguration at the end of the 19th century, Peleş Castle became the first electrified castle in Europe to have its own power plant and thus benefiting from central heating.

Conservation facts

Peleş Castle was in a good state of preservation, but the facilities that provided the central heating of the castle gave way in 2017, after more than 100 years of operation, requiring new investments, made by the Romanian Royal Family.