Pelișor Castle
Sinaia, Prahova County · Muntenia
About Pelișor Castle
Pelișor Castle was built between 1899 and 1902 on the royal estate at Sinaia, a few hundred metres from Peleș Castle, as a gift from King Carol I to the heirs to the throne, Ferdinand and Marie. The design was entrusted to the Czech architect Karel Liman, who was also working on Peleș: the exterior keeps the half-timbering the king asked for, but the two towers are roofed with coloured tiles, modelled on the church spires of Bukovina.
Crown Princess Marie found here a place to put her own taste into practice. Together with the Viennese decorator Bernhard Ludwig she fitted out the interiors in the Art Nouveau style, mixed with Celtic, Byzantine and Romanian motifs, in two stages: 1902–1903 and 1925–1928. From 1903 the castle was the summer residence of the heirs to the throne, and Queen Marie died here, in the Gold Room, on 18 July 1938. Opened to the public in February 1993, Pelișor is run by the Peleș National Museum; since 2015 the queen's heart has been kept in the Gold Room, in a silver casket.
What you can see
With 99 rooms, Pelișor is far smaller and more intimate than Peleș, and the visit covers the ground floor and the first floor. The route starts in the Hall of Honour, with oak panelling and columns beneath a glass ceiling, and goes on through King Ferdinand's study and bedroom, the dining room, the tea room, the children's rooms and the guest rooms. The high point is Queen Marie's suite: the Gold Bedroom, with gilded lime-wood furniture carved with Celtic and Byzantine motifs, made in Sinaia in 1909, and the Gold Room, a vaulted chamber entirely covered in gilded stucco thistle leaves — the emblem of Nancy, the capital of Art Nouveau, and of the queen's native Scotland.
Good to know
From 28 September to 3 November 2026 the castle is closed for general cleaning and preventive conservation. The ticket is separate from the one for Peleș Castle, but the two are easy to visit on the same day: they are a five-minute walk apart.
- The Gold Room, with its vaulted walls covered in gilded stucco thistle leaves, where Queen Marie died in 1938 and where her heart is kept.
- The Gold Bedroom, with gilded lime-wood furniture carved with Celtic and Byzantine motifs, made in Sinaia in 1909.
- The Hall of Honour, with oak panelling and columns beneath the glass ceiling.
- Queen Marie's study, decorated to her own designs, with lilies and other symbols dear to her.
- The two towers with coloured tiled roofs, inspired by the church spires of Bukovina, seen from the front garden.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: take the DN1 to Sinaia (~125 km from Bucharest, ~2 hours 30 minutes in normal traffic; ~45 km from Brașov, ~1 hour), then Aleea Peleșului, past Sinaia Monastery, to the public car park. Cars cannot go any further: from the car park you walk through the park, past Peleș Castle, to Pelișor.
Public transport: train on the Bucharest–Brașov line to Sinaia station (~1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours from Bucharest), then ~2.5 km uphill on foot through the town centre and past the monastery (~40 minutes), or a taxi to the car park on Aleea Peleșului.
- Where to park
The museum does not run any car parks. The closest is the public car park on Aleea Peleșului, between Sinaia Monastery and Peleș Castle (6 lei/hour, 30 lei/day, only ~30 spaces); from there it is a ~15–20-minute uphill walk along the path through the park, past Peleș. At weekends it fills up quickly — arrive in the morning. Visitors with disabilities may drive up to the area around Peleș Castle, where spaces are reserved for them.
- Fees & discounts
The full tour costs 30 lei for adults, 15 lei for seniors and 7.5 lei for pupils, students and European Youth Card holders. Free for children under 7, for under-18s during school holidays (subject to availability), for adults with severe disabilities and their companions, and for seniors on 1 October. Tickets are sold only online (bilete.peles.ro) or from the machines near the castles (cash or card), for set time slots; they cannot be rescheduled or refunded, and there are no group discounts. Guiding is included at no extra charge. Peleș Castle has a separate ticket (100 lei).
- Rules
Entry is in order of arrival, within the time slot on your ticket; you can look round on your own or join a guided tour in Romanian or English, which leaves from the entrance every hour (at quarter past). Photography is allowed for personal use only, without flash or tripod, and photos taken inside may not be published online. Do not touch the exhibits or the panelling. Food, drink and pets are not allowed (assistance dogs excepted). Decent dress is expected. Coats and backpacks can be left in the cloakroom.
- Facilities
Cloakroom · free audio guide on the museum's website · ticket machines near the castles · restaurants and cafés on the estate · Peleș Castle a 5-minute walk away
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