Sights of Bucharest

Bran Castle

9 tours
Address:
Castelul Bran, Strada General Traian Moșoiu 24, Bran 507025, Brașov County, Romania (approx. 30 km southwest of Brașov, ~180 km / 2.5–3 h north of Bucharest)
Schedule:
Open year-round. From April to September, 9:00–18:00; from October to March, 9:00–16:00. On Mondays, the castle opens at 12:00 (Tue–Sun normal hours). Special schedules apply on Romanian holidays — e.g. Easter Monday and Children's Day (June 1) the castle opens at 10:00; reduced hours around Dec 24–26 and Jan 1. Last entry typically 1 hour before closing. The Castle Restaurant is open daily 09:00–20:00 (Mon from 12:00) and does not require a visit ticket. Tickets can be bought on-site or online; tickets often sell out well in advance, especially in summer — book online to guarantee entry. Standard entry is self-guided; optional upgrades include a guided Royal Tour, the Medieval Torture Chambers exhibition, and the Time Tunnel multimedia elevator.
Website:
https://www.bran-castle.com/en/

Bran Castle is probably the most famous castle in Romania and one of the most recognisable medieval fortresses in all of Europe. Perched on a rocky hill above the village of Bran, 25 kilometres southwest of Brașov, it draws close to a million visitors a year - most of them lured by the Dracula connection, though there's a lot more to the place than that. If you're planning to explore Bran Castle, this page covers everything: the real history, the Vlad the Impaler question, Queen Marie's legacy, the communist seizure, the restitution, and what you'll actually find when you walk through the gate.

9 tours

Peleș Castle

8 tours
Address:
Aleea Peleșului 2, Sinaia 106100, Prahova County, Romania (~124 km north of Bucharest, ~48 km south of Brașov)
Schedule:
Open year-round. June–September: daily 9:00–17:00 (last admission 16:15). October–May: closed Tuesdays; other days 9:00–17:00. Closed 1 January and 25–26 December. Interior visits are guided tours only; daily cap of 2,000 visitors for Peleș and 1,500 for Pelișor — book online in advance. Pelișor has a separate ticket. Photo fee charged for interior photography. Not wheelchair accessible. Allow 1.5–2 h for Peleș, half a day to include Pelișor and grounds.
Website:
https://peles-castle.ro/

Peleș Castle (Castelul Peleș) is a Neo-Renaissance palace set on a forested slope of the Bucegi Mountains above Sinaia, widely considered one of Europe's most beautiful royal residences. Commissioned by King Carol I of Romania, the first Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen monarch of the newly independent country, it was built between 1873 and 1914 and inaugurated in 1883. Three successive architects shaped its eclectic style, blending German and Italian Renaissance with half-timbered Bavarian alpine, Gothic, and Rococo elements — visually echoing Ludwig II's Neuschwanstein, but conceived as a genuinely lived-in residence with cutting-edge technology: it was the first castle in the world fully powered by locally produced electricity (1883), with central heating, a hydraulic lift, running water, an internal telephone network, and a retractable glass ceiling in the central hall. The 160+ rooms feature hand-carved walnut panelling, Murano chandeliers, stained glass, Cordoba leather walls, and themed interiors: a Moorish Turkish salon, an Indian Music Room with teak furniture gifted by the Maharaja of Kapurthala, a 60-seat Louis XIV theatre with frescoes by Gustav Klimt, a Royal Library of 30,000 volumes with a secret door to the king's apartments, and an Armoury of over 4,000 European and Oriental weapons. The royal family used Peleș as their summer residence until King Michael I was forced to abdicate in 1947; Ceaușescu closed the estate entirely from 1975 to 1990, after which it reopened as a museum. On the same estate stand Pelișor Castle — a smaller Art Nouveau residence built 1899–1903 and decorated by Queen Marie with Tiffany glass and gold leaf — and the 17th-century Sinaia Monastery a short walk downhill.

8 tours