Sinaia Best Tourist Attractions

Sinaia is a mountain resort in Romania that is called "The tourist pearl of the Carpathians" or "The Royal Town". Among the most beautiful tourist attractions in Sinaia, we list Peles Castle, Pelisor Castle, Sinaia Casino, Dimitrie Ghica Park, Sinaia Monastery, and Sinaia Railway Station.

Why Sinaia is a famous tourist destination?
Sinaia Casino
Peles Castle
Pelisor Castle
Sinaia Monastery
Dimitrie Ghica Park
Sinaia Railway Station

Why Sinaia is a famous tourist destination?

Sinaia is a mountain resort in Romania that is called “The tourist pearl of the Carpathians” or “The Royal Town”. The town was named after the Sinaia Monastery and the monastery was named after Sinai mountain.

When Carol decided to build Peles Castle here, Sinaia became a well-known town throughout Europe. With the construction of the casino, the waves of players who came here with pleasure trains, and their stories of losses and gains, increased the fame of the city that became a holiday destination.

Sinaia Casino

Once upon a time, Sinaia Casino was frequented, on busy days, by 700-800 people brought from Bucharest with the so-called “pleasure trains”. After losing their money at various games, women put on their furs, luxury clothes, and jewelry.
The Casino and Palace Hotel nearby were built in 7 months only and are connected through a hidden underground passage closed for visiting.
Before entering the casino, players threw coins into the artesian well in front of the casino, for good luck.
In the interwar period, the Casino gained the reputation of “Devil’s House”.

Peles Castle

Peles Castle is one of the most famous castles in Europe and the first castle in the world fully powered by locally produced electricity.
Peles Castle was built at the initiative of King Carol I, to serve as a summer residence
When the works were completed, Peles had become one of the few buildings in the world that had central heating, electricity, telephone, telegraph, sewerage, and running water in the bathrooms.

Pelisor Castle

Pelisor Castle is part of the same complex as Peles Castle.
Pelisor Castle was built by King Carol I as the residence for his nephew and heir.
Inside, there is a shop where you can buy traditional products and foods.
Inside the castle, there are great historic artifacts to be seen, among them the heart of Queen Marie of Romania in a golden box.

Sinaia Monastery

Sinaia Monastery was built by Mihai Cantacuzino after returning from the pilgrimage in Egypt where he visited St Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai. Sinaia Monastery Museum preserves the first Bible translated into the Romanian language.
The Old Church (The small church) – Assumption of the Virgin Mary Church – was founded by Mihai Cantacuzino – in 1695, it gives its name Sinaia after St Catherine’s Monastery where he was on a pilgrimage. The paintings of the Small Church were made by the famous Pârvu Mutu – Zugravu (1657-1735).
The Great Church (The big church) – The Holy Trinity Church – was built under the abbots Ioasaf and Paisie between 1843-1846 (reign of Bibescu Vodă). It is the first place of worship in Romania with electric lighting.
Sinaia Monastery Museum – is the first religious museum in the country, built in 1895 on the occasion of the bicentennial of the monastery.

Dimitrie Ghica Park

The picturesque park was founded in 1881
Along the alleys, busts of writers and historians were placed, including Mihai Eminescu, Ion Creanga, Dimitrie Ghica, and Nicolae Balcescu.
Here are found several species of century-old trees, spruce, chestnut, and beech.
Numerous concerts take place on the stage set up in the park during the summer weekends. In September, the Autumn Festival “Sinaia Forever” takes place here, the biggest event in the city.

Sinaia Railway Station

Sinaia Railway Station is an important railway station, where trains such as Orient Express or Arlberg Express stopped at the beginning of the century.
Royal Station is a stone building in the Romanian style, located close to the Main Building and it was built according to the plans of the architect Duiliu Marcu in 1939.
In the central hall of the Main Building station, there is a mural (5.50 x 5.50 meters) representing a princely wild boar hunt, with 8 people on horseback, inscribed in Latin: Basarab Voievod 14th century.