| 08:45 | Meeting with your guide at The Palace of Parliament |
| 09:00 | Departure for Sinaia on the following route: Bucharest – Ploieşti – Sinaia. |
| 11:00-11:30 | Arrival in Sinaia |
| 11:30-12:00 | Visit of the Sinaia Monastery |
| 12:00-14:00 | Visit of the Peleş Castle |
| 14:30-16:00 | Lunch; a traditional hunting lunch will be served at Cabana Vânătorească (Hunter’s Chalet) in the Castel. |
| 16:15 | Departure for Bucharest. |
| 18:30-19:00 | Return to Bucharest |
Cost: 84 EURO/pers
Costs are available for groups of minimum 15 pax.
Services included:
- Traditional hunting lunch
- Bus with air conditioning and audio-video equipment
- English/French speaking guide for the entire trip
- Entrance tickets for Sinaia Monastery and Peleş Castle
Please note that alcoholic drinks are not included in the services listed above.
Sinaia Monastery
This genuine cathedral of the Bucegi Mountains dates from the end of the 17th century, being the first construction from the surface of the existing resort. Founded by Mihail Cantacuzino, the Sword Bearer at his return from the Sinai Mountain, the monument received the same name, which, converted to the Romanian language, became Sinaia. Mihail Cantacuzino went, accompanied by his family, in a pilgrimage to the sacred places of Jerusalem and Nazareth. Arriving at the Sinai Mountain, where he visited an old orthodox monastery built in the 4th century and with Saint Catherine as apatron of the church. He was impressed in such manner by their visit that he decided to choose the same name for the monastery he founded. The Sinaia Monastery is dedicated to Blessed Virgin Mary.
The construction of this establishment took 5 years, from 1690 until 1695. The purpose of its location was double: first of all, it was meant to be a fortress that would protect the commercial road that existed along the Prahova Valley, road which connected two important cities oft he time, Bucharest and Brasov; secondly, it had the role of providing shelter to the numerous hermits that existed in the Bucegi Mountains. Gone through fire and sword along time, but always standing on its feet, the monastery is nowadays an authentic museum of Romanian art and spirituality. The Brancovean type of architecture and the original painting make of this orthodox monument the ideal place to observe the ancient Romanian culture.
Originally, the monastery was built so as to shelter twelve monks, following the example of Jesus Christ, who had twelve Apostles, but, as time went by, the number of monks increased and, with it, grew the necessity of building another monastery and other spaces designed for living.The new building that today is called “The New Court” was constructed between 1843 and 1846, due to the great efforts of the two abbots, Ioasaf and Paisie. During the Russian-Turkish war between 1736 and 1739, the monastery was abandoned by the monks and servants as they were afraid of the invaders.
The last man to be found there, Abbot Isidor, with two other monks, collected all the jewelry and silver objects from the church, put them in the church bell and burried them, then escaped to Transylvania. The Austrian Army crossed the mountains and left 400 soldiers at the monastery. The Turks, with the help of spies, found out about their hiding location and surprised the Austriacs, killing most of them by setting the monastery on fire and piercing the walls with cannons in two places. The monastery was rebuilt by the Guardianship of the “Coltei” Hospital. The old church was built in Brancovean style, which is specific to Wallachia. This style, of Baroque influence, has- as an important feature- columns carved and embellished with floral and vegetal motifs, same ornaments that we find on the window frames.
For the tourists that come to visit “ The Pearl of the Crapathians”, the orthodox Sinaia Monastery is one of the most important objectives worthy of their full attention. Sinaia Monastery, a genuine cathedral of the Bucegi Mountains, located in a wonderful setting, dates from the end of the 17th century and stands for the identity card of the city, as the first construction ever to be risen in the existing resort.
Peles Castle
Peles Castle
The setting stone of this establishment of great importance not only for Sinaia, but for Romania as well, was laid on the 22nd of August 1875. The construction site, respectively the Peles Valley surface, had been bought by Carol the 1st, ruler between 1866 and 1881 and king between 1881 and 1914.
In the same time, other annexed constructions to the Castle are erected, such as: The Guard Room, The Company Store, the Hunting House, The Stables and The Power Station. A bit later, the “Sipot” Villa will be constructed, which will be, for a while, the ideal work space for Karel Liman, architect. He was the one who coordinated the building of “Pelisor Castle”, as well as the Villa of King Ferdinand.
Until the finishing, in 1883, of the Peles Castle, King Carol the 1st and Queen Elisabeth lived in the Watch Over, whose construction was done significantly faster. As far as The Pelisor Castle is concerned, this was started in 1889 and finished in 1903, and was meant to be given to the future King Ferdinand and Queen Mary. Still, until the finalization of Pelisor, they too lived in the Watch Over. Even Carol the 2nd used that place as a residency, between 1930 and 1940, during the period when he was the King of Romania, with the exception of 1932 and 1933, when the Hunting House was destroyed in a fire. Following his requests, on that spot was risen the Foisor Castle.
The Peles Castle has around 170 rooms, unlike Pelisor which has only 70. Worthy of mentioning is the fact that Peles was the first castle in Europe which had electricity installed throughout the entire establishment. This was possible due to the fact that the electricity was provided by its own Power Station, on the bank of the Peles River. It is also to be known that Peles hosts one of the most valuable painting collections in Europe, which counts appreciatively 2000 works of art.
After the abdication of King Michael in 1947, the entire Peles complex, except for the homonymous castle, which entered the tourist circuit, was a place of creation and relaxation for the cultural personalities of the time, for a short period of time. In the final years of the communist regime, Ceausescu closed the entire area, declaring it special area. Only the staff, which had to face severe check-up, had access there, as well as the military guard personnel. The entire area was declared state protocol location.
A very interesting fact is that, despite all of this, Ceausescu was not very fond of the Castle and he rarely came to visit. After the December 1989 revolution, the Peles Castle and the Pelisor Castle were reintegrated in the tourist circuit. At the present time, The Watch Over is, as it had been in the past, the presidential residence, unlike the Company Store (“Economatul”) and the Guard Room, where hotels, restaurants and terraces have been set up. The other components of the Peles complex have become either tourist or protocol villas.
The most remarkable account about the Peles Castle remains the one of Angelo de Gubernatis (1840-1913), an Italian writer who first arrived in Sinaia in 1898, at the royal family’s invitation. Quote: “Inaugurated in 1883, The Peles Castle is not only a very agreeable place to spend the summer; it has also been designed as a national monument, meant to preserve the trophies from the Plevna victory, which explains the simple and majestic style”.
Not the entire castle is open for visitors, a very important area located at the top floor has restricted access.
The visiting hours are the following: Wednesday to Sunday, from 9.00 to 17.00. The schedule is subject to frequent changes because of shifts in tourist seasons.