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

Is Peleș Castle worth it?

Yes, if you like interiors. Bran Castle is the one with 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. It is the most visited historic monument in Romania, according to the museum itself, which is why entry is sold in timed slots and capped at 2,000 visitors a day.

It is a good fit if:

• you have a free day in Brașov and want a trip that works well by train
• you are 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, if you dislike crowds on summer weekends, or if you want to see medieval Transylvania. For that, Bran Castle or Brașov’s own Old Town are better choices. 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. The train is the easiest option. Take a morning train to Sinaia and walk uphill to the castle; buy a 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 congested on weekends.

By train

Trains between Brașov and Sinaia take about an hour, 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 there were departures 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 buy a ticket for the train you actually take. CFR Călători tickets are on bilete.cfrcalatori.ro and at Brașov station. The Infofer timetable lists every operator’s trains, including the private ones.

Getting back is easy. On 10 October 2026 the last direct train from Sinaia to Brașov left at 22:53. Since the castles close at 17:00, you 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, and then along the park alley to the castle. Allow at least 30 minutes, because it is uphill all the way. If you don’t want to 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 does not run a visitor car park. The parking areas on the Peleș Royal Estate are managed by others, and the museum says it is an 800 m walk of 10 to 15 minutes from the parking area up a sloping alley through the park. Visitors with disabilities may 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 heading back towards Brașov and Bucharest. The train avoids it.

Tickets and opening hours

Since 3 December 2025, tickets have been sold only online at bilete.peles.ro or at the SelfPay machines near the two castles. The machines take cash and cards. The museum warns that any other seller is unauthorised.

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, visitors go in on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are valid only on the day of the visit and cannot be rescheduled or refunded.

Guided or on your own. You can visit 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, including English versions.

Free entry and discounts. Children under 7 go in free. So do under-18s during school holidays, but those free tickets have to be booked. The pensioner rate for over-65s requires an ID that shows a Romanian personal number (CNP). There are no group discounts.

Photos. Amateur photography without flash is allowed inside, for personal use only. The museum says interior photos and videos may not be published online. Tripods are not allowed. The current price list shows fees only for professional photographers, from 1,000 lei an hour, not for amateurs. The visiting rules still mention a photo fee, though, so if the staff ask for one, follow their instructions.

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 chose the Sinaia estate for a summer residence and bought the land in 1871. The castle was built in stages between 1873 and 1914. The foundation stone was laid in August 1875, the royal family used it as a residence from 1883, and work only stopped when Carol died in 1914.

The first architects were Wilhelm von Doderer and Johannes Schultz. Karel Liman, chief architect from 1896, later 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. Highlights include:

• Hall of Honour: the main reception hall, decorated between 1907 and 1911 in carved wood in the German Renaissance style.
• Armoury halls: completed between 1908 and 1911 and home to the arms collection.
• Moorish Hall, Turkish Room and French Room: each room 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: fitted with a projection booth for film screenings in 1906.

Source: Unsplash

Was Peleș the first castle with electricity?

You will often read that Peleș was “the first castle in Europe fully powered by electricity”. The museum doesn’t say that. Its own history says the electrical network was installed in 1884, powered by the castle’s own generator, and that a power plant was built in 1897. That alone makes it remarkably modern for its time.

After 1947

The castle was a royal residence until King Michael’s abdication at the end of 1947. It was closed by the communist authorities in 1948, opened as a museum in 1953, closed for conservation in 1975 and reopened to visitors in 1990. In 2007 Peleș, Pelișor and the estate were returned to the royal family. 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 admits at most 2,000 visitors a day, so buy online for weekends and public holidays.
• Pick an early slot. With the 09:15 slot (Thursday to Sunday), you can catch a train from Brașov around 07:30–08:00 and arrive with time for the walk up.
• Leave food and drink outside. You can’t take them into the museum, and smoking is banned. A cloakroom takes coats, umbrellas and backpacks.
• Dress for the walk. The last 800 m are uphill on an alley, and the museum recommends comfortable shoes. It also expects decent clothing inside.
• No pets. Only assistance dogs are allowed.

Combine it with

• Pelișor Castle: a short walk from Peleș. It was built in 1899–1902 by Karel Liman for the future King Ferdinand and Queen Marie, and its interiors are Art Nouveau, chosen by Marie herself. It’s the cheaper ticket (30 lei) and has tours in English. Note that it is closed until 3 November 2026.
• Sinaia Monastery: the monastery the town is named after. It’s on your way up from the station, so it’s easy to stop 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. See skiing near Brașov if you’re here in winter.
• On the way to or from Bucharest: Sinaia is on the main Bucharest–Brașov line, about an hour before Brașov, so you can break the 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 an organised tour it’s possible, but you will spend much of the day driving. Our guide to getting to Bran Castle from Brașov covers the bus option.

FAQ

How do I get from Brașov to Peleș Castle?

Take a train from Brașov to Sinaia, which takes about an hour, then 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?

100 lei for adults, 50 lei for pensioners and 25 lei for pupils and students, for the ground floor and first floor. 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 open 10:00–17:00 on Wednesday and 09:15–17:00 from Thursday to Sunday.

Can I buy tickets at the castle?

There is no regular ticket office. You can buy at the SelfPay machines next to the castles, which take cash or card, or online at bilete.peles.ro. In busy periods, buy online so you can be sure of a slot.

Can I take photos inside Peleș?

Yes, without flash and for personal use. Tripods are not allowed, and the museum says interior photos may not be published online.

How long do I need?

Plan on half a day from Brașov for Peleș alone, including the train and the walk up. Add Pelișor and the monastery and it becomes a full, comfortable 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