Location: town of Sinaia, Walachia – Southern Romania
Address: Str. Pelesului 2, Sinaia
Nearest cities: Brasov (40 miles north) and Bucharest (80 miles south)
Nearby attractions: Bran (Dracula's) castle (30 miles north-west) and Brasov (40 miles north)
Nearest train station: Sinaia (1.2 miles SE)
Telephone: (+4) 0244 310.918
E-mail
Peles Castle Hours & Admission

Nestled at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains in the picturesque town of Sinaia, Peles Castle is a masterpiece of German new-Renaissance architecture, considered by many one of the most stunning castles in Europe.

„I have never seen a castle like this before. Wood, marble, glass, interwoven, interwined, fabulous, ingenious, imaginative. In between towers that scratch the sky like swords.”
(Henri Blowitz, The Times Paris correspondent- passenger on the Orient Express Paris to Istanbul, 1883 maiden voyage).

Commissioned by King Carol I in 1873 and completed in 1883, the castle served as the summer residence of the royal family until 1947. Its 160 rooms are adorned with the finest examples of European art, Murano crystal chandeliers, German stained-glass windows and Cordoba leather-covered walls.
King Carol spared no expense.
Peles Castle was the first European castle to have electricity, it even has its own power plant.
The Castle has hot and cold running water, central heating and a central vacuum system.
The stain glass roof of the foyer opens mechanically and there is a small elevator for the royal family.
Each room is decorated in a different style or theme.
There is a mini-Theatre, Music Room (India), Turkish Salon, Great Salon (Italy), Council Room (Switzerland), Moor Hall, and so much more.

Day-trip: Bucharest to Peles and Bran castles and Old Town Brasov
Itinerary: Bucharest — Sinaia — Bran — Brașov — Bucharest
More information and reservations

The Royal Library has a secret door
and the castle's 60-seat Theater, with royal box, showed the first movie projection in Romania in 1906.

The furniture in the Music Room is carved of teak, a gift to King Carol I from the Maharajah of Kapurtala in India, while handmade silk embroideries adorn the ceiling and walls of the Turkish Salon.
The ceiling paintings and decorative frescoes in the Theater Hall were designed by the renowned Austrian artists Gustav Klimt and Frantz Matsch.
Over 4,000 European and Oriental pieces dating from the 15th to the 19th centuries are on display in the armories.

The castle draws its name from neighboring Peles Creek, which passes right through the courtyard.

King Ferdinand, who succeeded Carol I, commissioned the smaller, art nouveau-style Pelisor Castle nearby. Pelisor's 70 rooms feature a unique collection of turn-of-the century Viennese furniture and Tiffany and Lalique glassware.

Also worth exploring in town is Sinaia Monastery, founded by Prince Mihai Cantacuzino in 1695, and named after the great Sinai Monastery on Mount Sinai. The monastery served as the residence of the royal family until Peles Castle was built, and now is home to a monastic establishment.

Sinaia, a well-known ski town, and the nearby towns of Busteni, Azuga and Predeal are ideal for an active vacation (ski, hiking rock-climbing, mountain biking, wildlife watching).

Attractions not far from Peles Castle:
Rasnov Fortress (28 miles NW);
Bran Castle (35 miles NW);
Brasov (40 miles N);
Ski towns Predeal (15 miles N) and Poiana Brasov (35 miles N);
Bucharest (80 miles S);
Medieval towns of Sighisoara (90 miles N) and Sibiu (105 miles NW).