Peleș Castle from Brașov: Tickets, Opening Hours and the Train

Is Peleș Castle worth it?

Yes, if you like interiors. Bran Castle has the Dracula story, but Peleș is the one people remember for its rooms: carved wood, stained glass, armour and furniture made for Romania’s first king. The museum calls it the most visited historic monument in Romania. That’s why entry is sold in timed slots and capped at 2,000 visitors a day.

It’s a good fit if:

• you have a free day in Brașov and want a trip that’s easy by train
• you’re travelling between Bucharest and Brașov anyway, since Sinaia is on the same railway line
• you prefer palaces and decorative arts to medieval fortresses

Skip it, or plan carefully, if you can only travel on a Monday or Tuesday, when both castles are closed, or if you dislike crowds on summer weekends. It’s also the wrong trip if you’re after medieval Transylvania. For that, Bran Castle or Brașov’s own Old Town will suit you better. For more ideas, see our day trips from Brașov.

Getting there from Brașov

Sinaia is 45 km from Brașov by rail, on the main line to Bucharest, and the train is the easiest way to get there. Catch a morning train to Sinaia and walk uphill to the castle. You can buy your timed ticket online or at the machines next to the castle. Driving works too, but the road through Predeal and the Prahova Valley is often jammed at weekends.

By train

Trains between Brașov and Sinaia take about an hour, anywhere from 58 minutes to 1 hour 12 minutes. On Saturday 10 October 2026 the national timetable listed around 50 direct trains from Brașov, run by six companies: CFR Călători, Interregional Călători, Regio Călători, Softrans, Transferoviar Călători and Astra Trans Carpatic. Between 07:30 and 12:00 a train left roughly every 15 to 40 minutes.

	Regio (R)	InterRegio (IR)
Journey time	1 h 0 min – 1 h 12 min	about 1 h
CFR Călători fare, 2nd class, adult	14.50 lei	27.50 lei (seat reservation included)
Checked	10 Oct 2026	10 Oct 2026

Each company sells its own tickets, so make sure yours is for the train you actually take. You can buy CFR Călători tickets on bilete.cfrcalatori.ro or at Brașov station. The Infofer timetable shows every operator’s trains, private ones included.

Getting back is easy. On 10 October 2026 the last direct train from Sinaia to Brașov left at 22:53. The castles close at 17:00, so you’ll have plenty of evening trains to choose from.

From Sinaia station to the castle

The castle sits above the town in the Royal Park. From the station you walk up through the centre of Sinaia, past Sinaia Monastery, then along the park alley to the castle. Allow at least 30 minutes, because it’s uphill all the way. If you’d rather not walk, take a taxi up to the parking area.

By car and parking

From Brașov, take DN1 south through Predeal, Azuga and Bușteni to Sinaia, about 50 km. The museum doesn’t run a car park for visitors: the parking areas on the Peleș Royal Estate are managed by others. From the parking area it’s an 800 m walk up a sloping alley through the park, which takes 10 to 15 minutes. Visitors with disabilities can drive up to the area next to the castle, where there are parking spaces.

Weekend traffic on DN1 through the Prahova Valley is often slow, especially in the evening, when everyone heads back towards Brașov and Bucharest. On the train you skip all that.

Tickets and opening hours

Since 3 December 2025, you can buy tickets only online at bilete.peles.ro or at the SelfPay machines near the two castles. The machines take cash and cards. Anyone else selling tickets isn’t authorised by the museum.

Ticket	Adults	Pensioners	Pupils and students	European Youth Card
Peleș (ground floor + first floor)	100 lei	50 lei	25 lei	25 lei
Pelișor (complete tour)	30 lei	15 lei	7.50 lei	7.50 lei

Prices checked 10 October 2026 on the museum’s prices and opening hours page.

Opening hours (both castles):

• Wednesday: 10:00–17:00
• Thursday to Sunday: 09:15–17:00
• Monday and Tuesday: closed
• Last entry: 16:00 at Peleș, 16:15 at Pelișor

Timed slots. Each ticket is for a time window, for example 09:15–11:00 or 12:45–14:30 at Peleș from Thursday to Sunday. Within your window, it’s first come, first served. Tickets are only valid on the day of your visit, and you can’t change the date or get a refund.

Guided or on your own. You can look round on your own or join a free guided tour. At Peleș the tours are in Romanian. At Pelișor they run in Romanian and English. The museum website also has an audio guide with texts for the main rooms, in English as well.

Free entry and discounts. Children under 7 go in free. So do under-18s during school holidays, but they need to book their free tickets. To get the pensioner rate for over-65s, you need an ID showing a Romanian personal number (CNP). There are no group discounts.

Photos. You can take photos inside without flash, for personal use only. You’re not allowed to publish interior photos or videos online, and tripods are banned. The current price list shows fees only for professional photographers, from 1,000 lei an hour, and nothing for amateurs. The visiting rules still mention a photo fee, though, so if the staff ask you to pay one, do as they say.

Closures in 2026. Pelișor is closed from 28 September to 3 November 2026, and Peleș from 2 November to 1 December 2026, for cleaning and preventive conservation. Check the dates before you go.

What you’ll see

King Carol I picked the Sinaia estate for a summer residence and bought the land in 1871. The castle went up in stages between 1873 and 1914. The foundation stone was laid in August 1875, and the royal family lived there from 1883. Work only stopped when Carol died in 1914.

The first architects were Wilhelm von Doderer and Johannes Schultz. Karel Liman, chief architect from 1896, added much of what you see today, including the central tower, which dates from 1906.

Source: Unsplash

The standard ticket covers the ground floor and the first floor. Look out for:

• Hall of Honour: the main reception hall, decorated in carved wood in the German Renaissance style between 1907 and 1911.
• Armoury halls: finished between 1908 and 1911, they hold the arms collection.
• Moorish Hall, Turkish Room and French Room: each one is decorated in a different national or historical style.
• Concert Hall and Small Music Room: built under Liman between 1903 and 1906.
• Imperial Suite: a guest apartment designed in 1905–1906.
• Theatre hall: it got a projection booth for film screenings in 1906.

Source: Unsplash

Was Peleș the first castle with electricity?

You’ll often read that Peleș was “the first castle in Europe fully powered by electricity”. The museum doesn’t claim that. Its own history says the electrical network was installed in 1884, running on the castle’s own generator, and that a power plant followed in 1897. That’s remarkably modern for its time, even without the record.

After 1947

Peleș was a royal residence until King Michael abdicated at the end of 1947. The communist authorities closed it in 1948, and it opened as a museum in 1953. It closed again for conservation in 1975 and reopened to visitors in 1990. In 2007 Peleș, Pelișor and the estate were returned to the royal family, but the Romanian state still runs them as the National Peleș Museum.

Source: Unsplash

Tips

• Avoid Monday and Tuesday. Both castles are closed. On Wednesday they open later, at 10:00.
• Book weekends ahead. Peleș lets in at most 2,000 visitors a day, so buy online for weekends and public holidays.
• Pick an early slot. For the 09:15 slot (Thursday to Sunday), catch a train from Brașov around 07:30–08:00 and you’ll have time for the walk up.
• Leave food and drink outside. You can’t take them into the museum, and smoking is banned. There’s a cloakroom for coats, umbrellas and backpacks.
• Dress for the walk. The last 800 m are uphill on an alley, so wear comfortable shoes. Inside, the museum asks for decent clothing.
• No pets. Only assistance dogs are allowed.

Combine it with

• Pelișor Castle: a short walk from Peleș. Karel Liman built it in 1899–1902 for the future King Ferdinand and Queen Marie, and Marie chose its Art Nouveau interiors herself. It’s the cheaper ticket (30 lei) and has tours in English. It’s closed until 3 November 2026, though.
• Sinaia Monastery: the monastery the town is named after. It’s on your way up from the station, so you can easily stop there on the way to the castle or back.
• The rest of the Prahova Valley: Sinaia, Bușteni and Azuga are the ski areas on the same railway line. If you’re here in winter, see skiing near Brașov.
• On the way to or from Bucharest: Sinaia is on the main Bucharest–Brașov line, about an hour before Brașov, so you can break your journey there. See Bucharest to Brașov for the trains.

Bran and Peleș are on different roads out of Brașov, so seeing both in one day by public transport is a stretch. With a car or on an organised tour you can do it, but you’ll spend much of the day on the road. Our guide to getting to Bran Castle from Brașov covers the bus.

FAQ

How do I get from Brașov to Peleș Castle?

Take a train from Brașov to Sinaia, which takes about an hour. From there, walk uphill through the town and the Royal Park to the castle, or take a taxi. On 10 October 2026 a 2nd-class CFR Călători ticket cost 14.50 lei on a Regio train and 27.50 lei on an InterRegio.

How much is a ticket to Peleș Castle?

For the ground floor and first floor, it’s 100 lei for adults, 50 lei for pensioners and 25 lei for pupils and students. Pelișor costs 30 lei. Children under 7 go in free.

Is Peleș Castle open on Monday?

No. Both Peleș and Pelișor are closed on Monday and Tuesday. They’re open 10:00–17:00 on Wednesday and 09:15–17:00 from Thursday to Sunday.

Can I buy tickets at the castle?

There’s no regular ticket office. You can buy from the SelfPay machines next to the castles, which take cash or card, or online at bilete.peles.ro. At busy times, buy online so you’re sure of a slot.

Can I take photos inside Peleș?

Yes, without flash and for personal use. Tripods aren’t allowed, and you mustn’t publish interior photos online.

How long do I need?

For Peleș alone, plan on half a day from Brașov, including the train and the walk up. Add Pelișor and the monastery and it becomes a full, unhurried day trip.

Is there an English tour?

The guided tours at Peleș are in Romanian. Pelișor has guided tours in Romanian and English, and the museum’s online audio guide has English texts for the main rooms at Peleș.

Sources

• National Peleș Museum: opening hours and prices, visiting rules, history of Peleș Castle, history of Pelișor Castle
• CFR Călători: Brașov–Sinaia trains and fares
• Infofer: timetable for all rail operators