Pelișor Castle: Queen Marie's Art Nouveau dream house in Sinaia

The king's gift to his heirs

Pelișor Castle (Castelul Pelișor) — the "little Peleș" — stands a few hundred metres from the main royal castle in Sinaia, on the same estate in the valley of the Peleș stream. Alongside Peleș Castle, King Carol I built a whole ensemble here: the Knights' House, the Economat, the Guards' House, the Architects' House and the Garden House. In 1899–1902 Pelișor was added — the king's gift to the heirs to the throne, Prince Ferdinand and Princess Marie.

The chief architect was Karel Liman. Outside he followed the king's wishes — half-timbered walls in the German spirit — but he also added Romanian motifs: two towers covered in coloured glazed tiles recall the domes of Bucovina's churches. Marie designed the interiors herself in several stages, in 1902–1903 and 1925–1928. Here the art of 1900, Art Nouveau, is combined with Romanian elements: niches typical of the Prahova Valley and Brâncovenesc motifs. The museum writes that Pelișor reveals the romantic, daring personality of a queen open to the new, who called her style a "creed of beauty". In the communist era the castle became a creative retreat for writers and artists, and it opened to visitors in February 1993. Today it is part of the Peleș National Museum.

Why go

If Peleș impresses with scale and splendour, Pelișor impresses with intimacy. It is a home, not a palace: the rooms are small and filled with personal belongings, furniture and paintings of the Art Nouveau era. Pelișor is the best place to get to know Queen Marie, one of the most vivid figures of twentieth-century Romanian history, and to see how one person's taste turned a German villa into a Romanian "dream house". It opens early, so it combines easily with Peleș in a single day.

What to see

• The half-timbered façade with two towers under coloured tiles that recall the church domes of Bucovina.
• The Golden Room — Queen Marie's bedroom with gilded walls decorated with thistle leaves.
• The Queen's chapel, built into her apartment.
• Art Nouveau interiors — furniture, stained glass, ceramics and glass of the 1900 era, with Viennese and Romanian motifs.
• The studies of King Ferdinand and Queen Marie and the royal children's rooms.
• The surrounding forest — paths of the Royal Park linking Pelișor with Peleș.

Practical information

Address: Aleea Peleșului, 106100 Sinaia (Peleș estate, a few hundred metres from Peleș Castle). Sinaia lies on the DN1 road between Bucharest and Brașov, about 50 km from Brașov and about 430 km from the Porubne — Siret border crossing via Brașov. From the car parks to the castles it is about 800 m uphill on foot through the park; visitors with disabilities may drive up.

Hours: Wednesday 10:00–17:00, Thursday to Sunday 9:15–17:00, closed Monday and Tuesday; last tickets at 16:10, last entry at 16:15. Tours in Romanian and English start every hour, with the guide included. Timed tickets are sold only at bilete.peles.ro or from the machines near the castles, with a limit of 1,500 visitors a day; check prices in the ticketing system. Photos without flash or tripod are for personal use only. No pets, food or drink. The visit takes about 45–60 minutes. Information as of November 2026; in 2026 Pelișor had a conservation break from 28 September to 3 November, so check the museum's announcements in autumn.

Nearby

• Peleș Castle — the main royal residence a few minutes' walk away.
• Sinaia Monastery — the Cantacuzino monastery of the seventeenth century.
• Cantacuzino Castle in Bușteni — a Neo-Romanian palace facing the Bucegi.
• Bucegi Plateau — the mountain plateau above Sinaia.

Official website: peles.ro

Photos: Vislupus, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Superchilum, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Bodor Istvan, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro, Wikimedia Commons; IrinaAnton, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Nicubunu, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Yair-haklai, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.