Castelul Peleș

Peleș Castle is still, after all these decades, the most photographed interior in Romania — and deservedly so. Built by King Carol I as a summer residence on a wooded slope above Sinaia, it is an exercise in German Neo-Renaissance carried through to the last detail: pointed turrets, carved wood, stained glass, an armoury and a study that look lifted from a Central European fairy tale. With a 4.7 Google rating from over 74310 reviews, it is consistently praised by visitors.

Visits are by guided circuit, so come early, especially at weekends and during holidays, when the queue at the ticket office lengthens predictably. The terraced park, with its fountains and statuary, matters as much as the rooms: it is here you best see how the whole ensemble was composed against the mountain behind.

A few minutes' walk away stands Pelișor Castle, smaller and far more intimate. From here the rest of the Prahova Valley and Bucegi opens up: the Cota 2000 cable car, the plateau in Bucegi Nature Park, or the trail to the Caraiman Cross. You'll find places to stay and restaurants in Sinaia, a few hundred metres from the gate.