Spending a long weekend in Bucharest gives you ample time for a day trip out outside the city. Ours was taking us to Sinaia which is the hometown of Peles Castle. Sinaia is about 90 minutes away by train. The trip there can easily arranged by yourself. Once you arrive in Sinaia signposts show the way to the castle. In any case it can’t be missed with quite a few tourists also going that way.
signpost to Peles Castle @Romania
It’s about a 20 minutes walk from the train station up to the castle. There is a monastery with a church on the way which beckons for a short stop. Once on top you see Peles Castle in all its glory.
Peles Castle @Romania
Believe it or not, but Romania had a monarchy in former times. And this castle is a relic of the royal grandeur. Inaugurated at the end the 19th century by King Carol I., the castle shows an opulence of a time long past. Inside as outside.
a close up from Peles Castle @Romania
and getting even closer to Peles Castle @Romania
The magnificence from the outside is of course also visible inside. The guided tour takes you through most of the ground floor of the castle and the additional fee for the upper rooms is well worth it. Especially since the tour on the ground floor is a bit thronged. The moment the guide stops speaking everyone is ushered in the next room. If you don’t follow immediately you will hear your guide in the next room while simultaneously the subsequent guide in the room where you still take pictures.
magnificent hall in Peles Castle @Romania
details of the hall @Peles Castle
oriental room @Peles Castle
music room @Peles Castle
dining room @Peles Castle
There was a suite of other rooms of course, all furnished and gilded with exquisite pieces. I liked it though when they tried to make the room a bit homely with this open fire place.
plain fire place @Peles Castle
Just up the road from Peles Castle is another castle. Pelisor Castle was for the future heir of Carol I. You didn’t really believe that more than one generation of royals lives under the same roof? In any case Pelisor Castle is open to the public as well. You can walk through it by yourself, and it’s quick business. It looks way more practical and modern than Peles Castle although Peles was finished ten years after Pelisor. Pelisor does have a golden room though which is splendid in its own right.
Pelisor Castle Sinaia @Romania
it looks more like a gilded cage than room @Pelisor
Besides the two castles there are a couple of outbuildings. These have meanwhile been converted to restaurants and other places for tourists. with the train leaving about every two hours, you have enough time to give them a try. Yours, Pollybert
a restaurant near Peles Castle @Romania
