Castles and palaces

The best-known castles in Romania are, for the most part, noble and royal residences from the last two or three centuries rather than medieval strongholds: manor houses of the Hungarian families of Transylvania, boyar palaces in Wallachia and Moldavia, and the residences the Royal House built after 1870. Most are found in Transylvania and along the Prahova Valley, but every region has at least one palace worth a visit. Many went through nationalisation and decades of neglect, and are now being restored one by one and opened as museums.

On the Prahova Valley, Peleș Castle and Pelișor Castle keep their royal interiors almost intact. In Transylvania, Corvin Castle is a genuine Gothic castle, while Bánffy Castle in Bonțida shows how a noble estate is being brought back step by step. Further east, the Palace of Culture in Iași and Sturdza Castle of Miclăușeni round off a route through Moldavia.