Why You Cannot Skip Peleș Castle Transylvania Road Trip Stop

Starting a Bucharest to Transylvania road trip: Heading into the Carpathians

The first official day of my Transylvania road trip began on a Sunday morning. First, I headed to the airport to send off Bru, my Romanian friend, who was flying back to Amsterdam. We took the airport bus 100, which was incredibly cheap and convenient. From there, I picked up my rental car from Alamo, which I had pre-booked through Booking.com. Choosing an airport pickup turned out to be a brilliant move—not only did it save me from navigating the chaotic under construction city streets just to get out, but the airport sits directly north of the capital, right on the route to Sinaia.

Leaving Bucharest behind, I hit the road heading north toward the Carpathian Mountains. To be completely honest, the roads right outside the capital are nothing to admire at the moment; the city is heavily expanding and upgrading its infrastructure, making for a bit of a hectic exit. However, the driving experience improves drastically the closer you get to the mountains.

My destination for the afternoon was Sinaia, and the moment I arrived, I fell in love with the place. It feels like a cosy, sophisticated mountain retreat, filled with lovely historic buildings and lush green parks. I found myself wishing I had more time to stay, unpack, and fully explore the town, but you can’t have everything in life! With only six days on the clock, I chose to dedicate my time here to the famous Peleș Castle Estate.

This sophisticated atmosphere is deeply rooted in the town’s royal past. Long before it became a fashionable resort, the area’s history began in 1695 with the founding of the Sinaia Monastery by a Wallachian nobleman, who named it after Mount Sinai following a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The quiet monastic settlement changed forever in the late 19th century when Romania’s first king, Carol I, fell in love with the dramatic mountain scenery and chose Sinaia as his official summer residence. This royal endorsement transformed the tiny settlement into the country’s luxury capital, drawing aristocrats who built lavish villas and a grand casino in the surrounding forests. Standing at the gates of the estate, it was clear that the royal elegance of that golden era still completely defines the town’s spirit today.

Finding the Golden Parking Spot

The estate itself is absolutely beautiful—a massive, fresh alpine area completely surrounded by soaring mountains and dense forests. Because it was a sunny Sunday in August, the area around the estate was packed, and finding a place to leave the car seemed nearly impossible at first.

After some persistent driving around and checking Google Maps, I made a bold executive decision to drive all the way down toward the main entrance of the estate in front of the Economat. Lady Luck was on my side: just as I arrived, someone pulled out of a space! I happily paid 30 Lei for an all-day parking spot to a guy managing the area, which was a total steal for the convenience, even though I was only staying for a few hours.

Walking up from the car, I was immediately charmed by the German-style architecture of the outbuildings. They looked like they belonged in the Bavarian Alps, but have now been beautifully transformed into lively cafés, restaurants, and souvenir shops. There are actually two castles on the estate: the grand Peleș Castle and the smaller Pelișor Castle. The facade of Pelișor was completely covered in scaffolding for construction work, so I decided to skip it and focus entirely on the main event.

Step Into a Fairytale: Inside Peleș Castle

I had smartened up and booked my ticket online in advance for my visit to Peles Castle for a 14:00 time slot. Thanks to the smooth Sunday traffic on the highway, I arrived right on time. There was absolutely no queue at the entrance, and the moment I stepped inside, I was utterly awed.

Built in the late 19th century in a striking German Neo-Renaissance style, the castle’s exterior is the definition of a fairy tale. It was commissioned in 1873 by King Carol I, the first king of independent Romania, who fell in love with the mountain scenery and wanted a summer residence for the Romanian Royal Family. Remarkably, it was an engineering marvel of its time—Peleș was the first European castle to be entirely powered by electricity, featuring its own power plant, central heating, and even a central vacuum system!

The estate remained the crown jewel of the monarchy until 1947, when the communist regime forced King Michael I to abdicate and seized the property. While it was declared a national museum in 1953, the infamous communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu completely closed the entire estate to the public between 1975 and 1990. Rumour has it he rarely visited because he simply didn’t like it—though local lore says the museum curators cleverly saved the castle from his destructive modifications by telling the germ-phobic dictator that the woodwork was infected with a dangerous fungus! Thankfully, following the 1989 Romanian Revolution, it reopened as the heritage site we see today.

But the interior is where the true jaw-dropping details are. The grand hallways, the meticulously carved woodwork, and the opulent period furniture were incredibly impressive. Two specific areas completely stole my attention:

• The Royal Library: This room features a brilliant hidden door disguised as a bookshelf, which opens up to a secret spiral staircase leading directly up to the Royal Apartments.
• The Moorish Influence: I stumbled upon an exotic Turkish Parlour (designed as a smoking and shisha room) right next to a spectacular Moorish Hall. It was fascinating to see this style here. I figured that due to Romania’s geographic location in the East and the historically strong influence of the Ottoman Empire during that era, the royals decided to weave these exotic, Middle Eastern designs into their European castle.

Cakes, Castles, and an Unexpected Conversation

After wrapping up my indoor tour, I strolled around the grounds before stopping for a very late ‘cake lunch’ at La Tunuri. Their Cremsnit (a traditional Romanian vanilla cream cake made of thick, airy custard sandwiched between crispy puff pastry layers) caught my eye. It was the perfect match for a coffee on their outdoor balcony, which offers a stunning, direct view right up at the imposing tower of Peleș Castle. 

Crucial Traveller Tip: If you stop here, be prepared for a bit of a wait if you need to use the facilities. The café has only one single toilet for the ladies, which is kept exclusive for paying customers only, and the queue can get incredibly long! Best to use the facilities at the castle before leaving.

The patio was busy, so I walked up to a table where a lady was sitting alone and asked if I could join her. At first, she wasn’t very friendly. She looked at me coldly and said, ‘I don’t smoke.’ I smiled and replied, ‘Oh, I don’t either!’

That completely broke the ice. She asked if I was part of one of the many tour groups dominating the estate. Once she realised that I was a solo traveller just like her—she had travelled up from Bucharest for a solo nature vacation to unwind and visit Peles Castle—she completely eased up. Having found common ground, we ended up having a truly wonderful, deep conversation about travel and life.

By the time we said our goodbyes, it was past 17:00. Time flew by!

📍 Next Stop: Brasov 

I walked back to my rental car, energised by a great chat and a beautiful afternoon full of culture and history, I turned the car on, and pointed my phone’s navigation north toward the mountain fortress of Brașov, the gateway to Transylvania county. It’s less than 50 kilometres away and the scenic drive will take me roughly 1+ hour. Very excited about this next destination!

🗺️ Catch Up on the Transylvania 8-Spoke Road Trip Series!

If you missed any of my previous drives, check out the first seven spokes of the journey below before my ultimate trip directory drops very soon:

• Spoke 1: Royal Elegance in Sinaia – Exploring the stunning Peleș Castle (this post!)
• Spoke 2: The Fortress Vibe of Brașov – Two days soaking in historic charm
• Spoke 3: Day Trips from Brasov – Exploring Rasnov, Bran, and the Libearty Bear Sanctuary
• Spoke 4: Saxon Heritage in Viscri – A step back in time
• Spoke 5: Picturesque Sighișoara – A night in the Citadel Sphere
• Spoke 6: Grandeur and Mystery in Sibiu – The historic heart of Transylvania
• Spoke 7: Day Trips from Sibiu – Corvin Castle and Alba Iulia Citadel
• Spoke 8: Bears and Driving Transfagarasan Highway – Epic Transfagarasan highway drive from Sibiu to Bucharest

Happy Travels!

With love from Jo

Travel Period: August 2026
Sinaia, Prahova County (Transylvania), Romania