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Sinaia
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In
County Prahova
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (C) 2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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 Sizzling
Sinaia!
The Royal buzz is hard to miss in this winter ski resort and summer
wonderland, full of jetsetters from Germany and the UK, flocking to
the the Royal Domain with it's castles and chateaux.
Whilst not as popular as Buşteni with Romania's own burgeoning middle
class, Sinaia is the closest full-service mountain resort to Bucharest.
Just two hours away by car or train with frequent services in all classes.
Read more in the Sinaia Transportation section
below
Reserves and Preserves
Sinaia’s reason for being is
surely the stunning surrounds as gateway to the Prahova valley.
As home to Romania’s Royal residence for over a
century, Sinaia has always had strict laws to maintain it’s beauty,
with the felling of trees or even picking the tempting flowers, from
peonies, and Edelweiss to the golden gentian, are long forbidden.
In addition to tracts of dense fir and spruce
forest, Sinaia is blessed with the spectacular Bucegi Natural
Park, which surrounds the
valley on the western side, covering a total area of
Golden Peak (Vârful cu
Dor), the Ant (Furnica), and Burnt Rock (Piatra Arsă) all feature prominently
on the mountain skyline. Read about the
Bucegi National Park here
Between Two Worlds
Sinaia is situated in the Prahova river valley which climbs up into
the Carpathians which form the border between Wallachia and Transilvania.
Just past the Wallachian foothills and well into the Bucegi mountains,
Sinaia has long been on the main trade route coming out of Braşov down
to Bucharest and the rich alluvial plains below.
 Romania's
Royal Family
He is one of only two of Europe's monarchs on the throne during
WWII and today. HM King Michael I returned to Romania after
the Revolution in 1989, and lives primarily at Pelişor castle in
Sinaia.
Sinia has been home to Romanian royalty for over a century, the
serene beauty of the location having captured the heart of Romania's
first King.
Daughter HRH The Princess Margarita of Romania has been named as
heir to the throne, thanks to recent liberalisation of the laws of
succession. She and husband HRH Radu, Prince of Romania
represent the fifth generation of Romanian royalty.
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Map: The cable car ride from Sinaia is beautiful, going up
to 2000m on the Bucegi Plateau
Use the scrollbars to see the full area
around Sinaia, and click on any
Feature to see more info!
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The Royal Train Station
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Dignitaries and now common people alike have
been received at these stately monuments, built in 1913 and
1939.
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The Sinaia Park Statues
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Arriving in Sinaia
Sinaia’s unique attractions are conveniently arranged in a gentle
line wending it’s way up from the valley floor where the river, road
and rail lines run.
If you have sensibly hired a nice Romanian guy to drive you for
your Romanian tour, you can have him park at the train station, or if
you are equally sensibly using the train to get around Romania, you’ll
be delivered to the right spot.
Even if you’re only in Sinaia for a matter of an hour or two on
your way to Braşov or Bucharest, the park and buildings near the train
station hold enough interest to make your stop worthwhile.
Sinaia’s train station was built in 1913, and whilst similar to
the one in Buşteni, is a bit more delicate.
Due to Sinaia’s Royal connections, both the Simplon Orient Express
and the Arlberg Orient Express from Calais and Paris stopped here on
their way to Bucharest (then known as “Little Paris”). The original
station was built in 1913, with an additional Neo-Romanian style Royal
station added in 1939, adjoining just 10 metres away.
Both of the buildings were where Europe’s royalty and dignitaries
were hosted by 20th-century Romanian Kings (Ferdinand I, Carol II and
Mihai I), and where U.S. President Ford was received by Ceauşescu in
1975.
Don’t miss the mural of the mistress of the hunt in the main station
salon, depicting a life-size scene with Prince Basarab from the 14th
century.
After WWII, service continued in various forms until 1992, with
the Orient Express today terminating in Vienna. See more
on our
Romanian Rail Services page now.
There is still a great square opposite the station which once hosted
the arrival and departure ceremonies befitting great heads of state,
sadly also used by the Nazis during WWII for their little marches and
rallies.
The Dimitrie Ghica Park
Just up from the train stations is the Dimitre Ghica park, with
all the expected park amenities from fountains and benches, and also
a unique collection of statues commemorating historical figures important
to Sinaia and Romania.
The park is home of the Prahova Natural Sciences museum. Surrounded
by parklands created in 1881, the county museum is housed in a fabulous
Brâncoveanu style building. You will have seen examples of these
around Bucharest, but this one is truly iconic.
The Brâncoveanu Effect
Brâncoveanu was a Wallachian prince who oversaw a rich period of
cultural growth in the late 1600s in Wallachia, including this signature
architecture which is a successful and distinctive mix of Renaissance
and Byzantine influences, known today as the Brâcoveanu style of architecture.
Featuring columns and arches along walkways, balconies, loggias,
and verandas, the look is charming on large and small scales, and remains
one of Romania’s most pleasing contributions to the world of architecture.
The Bucegi Reserve Collection The museum is
open 9am – 7pm Tues – Sun
In addition to photos of the building itself, inside you’ll find
a section on the Bucegi Reserve, with collections of flora and fauna
of the Bucegi mountains. The museum plays a very important role
in preserving and cataloguing many of the endangered and critical species
from the nearby mountains, where new strictly controlled reservations
preserve areas of significance. There is also a temporary
display room for touring exhibits.
The Casino at Sinaia
Thankfully still in use today, the younger set can find
some games here to spend time while the oldies investigate the
Sinaia Monastery museum up the hill!
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (c)2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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The Fallen Eagle
At the entrance to the cemetery, the great Romanian Eagle
spreads it's wings to protect the war dead, with a dedication
to 1916-18 heroes who fell during the invasion by Austrian and
German forces down through the Prahova valley, seizing 80% of
Romania.
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (c)2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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The Sinaia Casino
Just up from the museum is another of the crown jewels of Sinaia
architecture, the Royal Casino, designed and building supervised by
the architect Petre Antonescu under decree by Romania’s King Carol I.
The casino was indeed well managed, with the main shareholding
being the same Baronet de Marcay who was also with the Casino of Monte
Carlo. It opened along with the train station in 1913, and is
another prime photo opportunity, set so calmly in it’s surrounding parkland.
The Casino today is home to conferences and international events,
and houses exhibits from time to time for modern arts, photography and
crafts, so check in to see if there is an exhibit on. The
younger crowd can also find billiards tables and games here to while
away their time whilst parents enjoy a museum or two!
You never know when those Americans will show up unexpectedly, and
south of Sinaia, the Yanks rained down bombs from the skies in their
attempt to thwart the Nazi occupation and oil production during WWII.
Ironically, the Romania's military was larger than America's before
the USA entered the war in 1941.
The memorial in the military cemetery up from the Casino is dedicated
to “Operation Tidalwave”, the ambitious August 1943 bombing campaign
by the U.S. Army Air Force. B-24 Liberator crewmembers flew
from Benghazi in north Africa in the first large-scale, low-altitude
attack. It was also then the longest distance air crews had ever
travelled to reach a strike zone.
The bombers managed to swoop in at low altitude runs to drop over
250 tonnes of ordinance in their bid to rob the Germans of their single
largest source of oil (by 1941) which came out of the oil refineries
at the industrial centre of Ploieşti, about an hour from Sinaia.
Peleş Castle, American Infirmary
Peleş castle was home to many recuperating American airmen recovered
after Operation Tidal Wave, with young King Mihai thanking the Americans
for not bombing the civilian population (the low level bombing at Ploiesti
was tightly targeted on pipelines, cracking towers and means of production
only).
Americans also helped Romania in July 1944, with P51 Mustangs and
P38 Lightnings swooping in to strafe the Nazi airfields northeast of
Ploieşti at Bacău and Zilistea. Bacău remains a major airport
to this day, despite the efforts of the cousins across the pond.
Whilst you may think you’ve had your fill of monasteries in Romania,
it’s undeniable that each on has it’s own particular charms.
The Sinaia monastery is indeed the “pearl of the Carpathians”, being
the first structure built in this part of the Prahova Valley, and today
is indeed the cathedral of the majestic Bucegi mountains.
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Mural with King Carol I
Commemorating the ascension to the throne of Romania's first
monarch on the walls of the Big Church at the Sinaia Monastery
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In addition to it’s thoroughly charming yet authentic Brâncoveanu
style, built in 1690, the Sinaia monastery has two Last Testament friezes,
one originally built in the older part, and a newer one from the mid
1800s (arguably a bit more photogenic at least). Originally
built to serve just 12 monks (the number of the apostles of Jesus),
it expanded steadily as the importance of the town and trade route grew.
The Little Church
The Little Church at the monastery was founded at the behest of
Mihai Cantacuzino in 1695, giving the church and the community it’s
present-day name of Sinaia, after the Sinai mountains he’d seen on his
pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Nazareth. According to an inscription
in Slavonic (the old church language) over a doorway, the church is
dedicated to Saint Sava of Palestine. The tableaux inside
were painted by the famous painter Parvu Mutu.
Occupied in the late 1700s by the Austro-Hungarian empire (who did
not share the Orthodox faith), the monastery became a military camp
for 400 soldiers who tried unsuccessfully to defend the position from
the Ottoman Turks, who slaughtered the soldiers and took the monastery
as an administrative headquarters.
The Big Church
The Big Church was build under the abbots Ioasaf (Joseph) and Paisie
for three years until 1846 under the local lord Bibescu Voda, and was
the first church to use electric lighting in Romania.
As with the museum down the hill, the Brâncoveanu style is in full
flourish here, with the columns sculpted and adorned with floral and
vegetal motifs, with the same type of ornamentation found along the
window frames and door lentils.
Open Daily, 1E entry donation
The monks here are usually dressed in traditional garb, and are
a bit of fun to talk with if you can find one confident with English
(many also speak German, a few French).
The Sinaia Monastery Museum
The Sinaia Monastery Museum was the first religious museum in the
country, constructed initially to temporarily house the royals as they
built their Royal Domain just up the hill from the monastery in 1895,
which also coincided with the bicentenary of the monastery.
The museum today comprises two halls with a great map of County
Prahova in the first one showing the influences of the Cantacuzo family,
along with a sketch of the Traian Column, engravings showing the monastery
through time, an epitaph in Archaic Romanian embroidered in gold and
silver thread on silk, vestments of the clergy from centuries past,
gold leaf illustrations in old books, Romania’s first printed bible,
as well as money and other artefacts used at the monastery over the
last 415 years.
The second hall has Romanian and Russian icons depicting
St. Nicholas and St. Sergei, gifts from Czar Nicholas II.
There are also four portaits of Pirvu Mutu (the painter), and various
books and other churchly objects.
Sinaia Belfry Tower
Adjacent, the Belfry Tower of Sinaia went up in 1892, with a bell
taken from the Coltea tower in Bucharest, which was cast in 1775, and
re-cast again in 1914, singing out today with 1700kg of ringing power.
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The Royal Castle Peleş
Peleş Castle is the crowning glory of the Royal Peleş Domain
at Sinaia.
The Royal House of Romania has the smaller and decidedly
more habitable Peleşor castle as it's official residence, with
the Foişor hunting lodge hosting state events and as accommodation
for visiting dignitaries.
Following the wishes of His Majesty King Mihai I, most of
both Peleş and Peleşor will remain functioning museums through
2010.
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Peleş Castle
with with superb
views across
the Prahova Valley
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (C) 2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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Building Peleş
Staying overnight at the Sinaia Monastery in 1866, Romania’s
future King Carol I fell in love with the peaceful valley, which
reminded him very much of his homeland (Carol was Prince Carol
of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen at the time).
He never forgot the site, and in 1872 bought
and commissioned a German architect, Wilhelm Doderer, to design
his future summer palace in the mountains.
Peleşor Today
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All on the Royal Domain:
Barracks, mess and administrative offices for the Royal
Guards were built nearby as were the Royal Mews for the dozens
of horses needed for the estate.
A commissary store (“economat”) was stocked
to provision estate workers with dry goods and personal requisites.
The castle continued to grow and change between it’s first
official completion date in 1883, and it’s final form as today
which was largely realised by 1914, by then under the auspices
of the Czech architect Karel Liman.
The charming little “Spout House” (“Vila Şipot”) was also
designed and built by Karel Liman, the Czech architect, after
the main castle and outbuildings were completed. Once
the site of a forceful little natural spring found to proudly
spout out year-round, Spout House is today a hotel, offering
reasonable rates to travellers wanting a slice of history with
their stay in Sinaia.
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Romania's Royal Domain
It looks like a castle from a book your grandmother would have read
you, and the fabulously ornate fairy-tale castle looks very much like
Disney designed it!
Frankly, on your first view as you come through the Royal Domain
(the estate and parklands), it’s impossible not to grin as you realise
that this castle is for-real, and you are here to witness this spectacle
which speaks far more to the Saxon ancestry of nearby Transilvania than
the more Romanian styles of the nearby monastery.
Nonetheless, Peleş is still a Romanian Royal castle, and features
wide Italian Renaissance-style terraces, studded with fountains, statues,
decorated columns, and more rococo features which hint at the far more
diverse styles used in the interior.
The Rooms of Queen Elizabeth
Romania’s first Queen, Elisabeta, wife of King Carol I was responsible
for the ornate and lavish décor across 160 rooms. Favouring
split walnut veneers, crystal, ivory and ebony, leathers, fine silks,
and a myriad of inlays and trim work, to say the interiors of her castle
Peleş are lush is an understatement.
Whilst largely under the umbrella of the German Renaissance movement,
the interiors borrow heavily here and there from English, Rococo and
Baroque styles, resulting in a deliriously fun and sometimes whimsical
effect, reflecting the diverse tastes of the Queen.
Your English-speaking guide will host your tour
through 16 of the best rooms in the palace.
If you think you can guess what is around the corner at Peleş, you’d
be sorely mistaken, for a left turn can mean stepping into an Alhambra-like
Moorish grand hall, and a right can mean falling into one of two rooms
dedicated to Venice, complete with fairly outlandish chandeliers and
furnishings.
Amongst the don’t-miss rooms include the Hall of Honour, with it’s
rich walnut panelling, complete with the requisite family coats of arms
and regalia. The Arms Galleries, Council Chamber, and Old
Music Room offer interesting insights into court life in the early 1900s.
Delight too in the Turkish Room, the Banqueting Hall, the Theatre, Concert
Hall, and the Stairway of Honour, amongst some great passageways, views
and endless antiques and furniture.
King Carol and Queen Elisabeta lived in Peleş and their heir, the
Prince Ferdinand and his English-born consort, the Princess Marie, lived
in Peleşor castle (“Little Peleş”), just up the hill in the Royal Domain.
Really, it’s not that little, and having been built a couple of
decades later (ground broke in 1899), it had a few more of the modern
conveniences and a more cohesive interior design scheme, with Tiffany
and Lalique dotting the largely art nouveau and arts and crafts interior,
despite the more staid German Renaissance exteriors (to better match
it’s bigger namesake down the hill presumably).
Peleşor is destined to remain open until 2010, although it is now
the Royal Residence of King Mihai I of Romania.
The Foişor Hunting Lodge
Indeed a bit more cosy than the castle, Foişor was first a hunting
lodge for the royals but quickly became a residence for relatives.
In 1914, because home to Queen Elisabeta and her children when her
son Ferdinand moved down to Peleş when he ascended the throne.
Queen Elena was already pregnant when she first decorated Foişor
in the 1920s as she and Ferdinand’s son Carol too moved into the little
chateau, where they remained until he ascended the throne in 1930.
Today’s gardens and parkland around Foişor are at least partly due to
Queen Elena’s fine efforts to redesign and remodel the grounds.
The current King of the Romanians, Mihai I was born at Foişor to
his mother the Crown Princess Elena (of Greece) and his father, Prince
Carol, at the time son of King Ferdinand I.
You can admire the lodge from the surrounding parklands on the Royal
Domain, which are open to the public Wednesdays to Sundays until 4pm.
The Royal Peleş Domain
The Royal Peleş Domain, comprised of the Peleş, Peleşor, and Foişor
castles, were returned to the Royal House in early March 2007, after
being "looked after" for 60 years by the Romanian government.
In fact, the entire Domain was appropriated by the then-Communist
government in 1947 when they forced His Majesty King Mihai I to leave
the country.
These old castles are monuments to Romania's regal history, testaments
to the 140 years since Carol I ascended the throne of Romania, proclaiming
a sovereign state on May 10, 1866; and 125 years since the declaration
of the Kingdom of Romania by King Carol I on May 10, 1881.
The Royal House of Romania has Peleşor castle as it's official residence.
The King formally offered return the main tourist draw, Peleş castle
to the state (the government had the right of first refusal anyways
according to their 2001 legislation). The older part of
Foişor remains a protocol residence (used by the Government for state
events and accommodation of visiting dignitaries).
Additional areas at Ceramica and Stavilari under the auspices of
the board of Sinaia European Culture Centre were also returned in early
2007. Following the wishes of His Majesty, most of both
Peleş and Peleşor will remain functioning museums through 2010.
The Royal House Today
The Royal House of Romania, through it's visits, agenda, and participation
in events domestically and throughout Europe, actively embodies and
symbolizes Romania's obligation to Europe as well as the nation's traditions,
stability and continuity.
Princess Margarita
First as Her Serene Highness Margarita, Princess of Hohenzollern,
and now Her Royal Highness The Princess Margarita of Romania, she is
the eldest daughter of The King and of the Queen Consort, Anne of Bourbon-Parma
(Ana). HRH The Princess Margarita is 82nd in line of succession for
the British throne and, by Royal House Law, heir to the leadership of
the Royal Family. With no children, her sister Princess Elena
of Romania is next in line for the throne.
However, since the royal constitution of 1923 only provided for
male heirs, the Romanian Parliament will eventually need to amend that
law to codify the King's decision for his eldest daughter to assume
the Romanian throne when the monarchy is formally restored by Parliament.
The Restoration
HRH Radu, Prince of Romania
HRH The Princess Margarita of Romania
The fifth generation of Romanian royalty continue to serve
all Romanians as special representatives.
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The Enescu Memorial House
Home to Enescu and Yehudi Menuhin, one of his many famous
pupils at his Sinaia home.
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Family Fun in the Sinaia Snow
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (c)2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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The View from Cota 2000
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (c)2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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The Old Women
This famous formation, the "Babele" feature prominently
on the escarpment slopes above Sinaia.
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The photo immediately preceding this notice is Copyright (c)2005 - 2008 Rest
Romania SRL, All rights reserved.
Photo:
© REST ROMÂNIA
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As with so many of the royal houses of Europe, Romania's Royal House
had it's share of challenges through two world wars, occupation by both
Nazi and communist governments, as well as the instability of multi-party
coalition governments.
It should be noted that King Mihai is one of only two surviving
European monarchs still alive, who reigned during WWII. Whilst
the king was forced to leave Romania, there was never an official abdication,
as no heir and successor was ever crowned.
Romania's Royalty, Popular and Reserved
Whilst the monarchy in Romania is universally popular from a standpoint
of national pride -- the Royal House did after all manage to survive
in exile through the sad communist years -- the in-built mistrust of
any form of authority makes a full-fledged resumption of traditional
royal institutions and habits less appealing to the populace in general.
With ambivalence on many matters, the Royal House has taken a steady
and cautious approach to regaining stature, respect and even adoration
from the Romanian population, which likewise is recovering from decades
(some say centuries) of abuse by it's own rulers.
The current heir to throne (King Mihai's supposed abdication under
the communists was well outside the Romanian constitution; even if
Mihai had abdicated legally, a succession legally should have taken
place), HRH Radu,
Prince of Romania, was born in 1960 in Iasi, and is husband of HRH The
Princess Margarita of Romania.
Romania's Violinist
Americans are surprised sometimes to learn their primo violinist,
Yehudi Menuhin
once had a rather famous Romanian tutor!
Menuhin studied in Sinaia, and refined much of his art under the
kind tutelage of Romania's
George Enescu, who conducted at the New York Philharmonic orchestra
in the late 1930s.
The Enescu Memorial House, the Villa "Luminis", is just north of
Sinaia, and well worth a look. The comfortable villa has great
views of the mountains, and is crammed full of fabulous furniture, his
piano and countless photos and artifacts from his great career.
The house itself was built in the 1920s and is a real gem of Romania
architecture of the period, with Turkish and Brâncovean influences.
You'll fall in love with the man and his music as you tour this
time capsule of culture! Enesecu was a keen friend of Romania's
Queen Marie, and he married a friend of hers, Maria Rosetti, who
had married into the Cantacuzino dynasty, gaining Enescu the use of
the city palace in Bucharest as well. Lucky guy!
The house itself is north from the train station about 5 minutes,
in the Campetu quarter, the only part of Sinaia which is on the eastern
side of the Prahova River.
Romania’s Aspen
The reason Americans refer to Sinaia as Romania’s Aspen is mostly
due to the celebrity factor here.
With it’s proximity to Bucharest (and hence, the international airport),
as well as it’s stunning beauty and royal residence, Sinaia is a natural
choice for the discerning fun-seeker.
A uniform layer of snow is deposited usually in November and it
melts from March to April, sometimes at the beginning of May. The thickness
of the snow layer varies between 20 centimeters and 3 meters in higher
elevations.
Apres-ski is it’s own little industry in Sinaia, which puts quality
before quantity in the overall experience.
Due to the annual winter influx of Germans, quite a few restaurants
offer reasonable German fare on top of the myriad of Romanian cuisine
restaurants. Romania actually does sport it’s own “whole” cuisine,
see our Food and Dining section for more information.
And of course, where you have Germans, you have beer, so there are
good German pubs catering to this crowd, along with bars, the Blue Angel
and Black Horse discos, as well as games places with billards, table
tennis, video games, internet cafes, and all the requisites a resort
town normally offers.
If you would like to play roulette, blackjack, stud poker, or feel
the need to have a go with a slot machine (or “pokie” as Australians
say), head to the Casino Maxim, which has table gaming rooms open evenings
(6pm – 3am, 5am Fri/Sat) for Euro players and local Lei players.
The Slopes of Sinaia
South from the train station and park, just up the hill from the
market and town hall is the Hotel Montana, behind which you can catch
the cable car up the mountain.
The view from the end of this line (which is about 2/3 of the way
up) is stupendous, and you can either continue on up, or take the very
scenic trail back down (about 2 hours).
The looming Furnica Peak to the west of town has most of the runs
and lifts on it, with 3 telecabinas (gondolas) going up to the
level first, and then continuing on up to
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total of pistes, and one
run, Sinaia is well-developed and every bit as good as most of the resorts
at Tahoe or Breckenridge, with an annual metre of snow on average.
With mostly intermediate runs, Sinaia does have 3 difficult runs,
“Carp”, “Papagal – Târle, and “1500” (using the Cota 1500 chair lift).
The Carp slope from Furnica Peak and Cota 1400 runs a cool
down a healthy
drop, great fun for experienced skiers.
For a bit of fun, Sinaia also offers bobsledding runs (over a
drop) complete with graded turns, running for
.
Even if you’re not up for a walk in the mountains, a stroll around
some of the back streets of Sinaia show off the villas of the aristocracy
from the early 1900s, and worth a few photos too.
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Listed below are some local agents who can help you with bookings and organize local tours in the Sinaia area. Mervani Travel, B-dul Ferdinand Hotel Paltinis, cam.506 - 507 in Sinaia  +40 (244) 311200 FAX: +40 (244) 311211
   +40 (244) 312763 FAX: +40 (244) 311211
Sinaia, Bd. Carol I, nr.8 (Hotel Sinaia) in Sinaia+40 (244) 430290 FAX: +40 (244) 311898 Sinaia, Bd. Carol I, nr.8 (Hotel Sinaia) in Sinaia+40 (244) 430290 FAX: +40 (244) 311898 +40 (244) 311399 FAX: +40 (244) 310470 +40 (244) 311896 FAX: +40 (244) 311896 +40 (244) 312667 FAX: +40 (244) 312667 +40 (244) 311542 FAX: +40 (244) 310625 +40 (244) 311 910 FAX: +40 (244) 311 910 +40 (244) 310692 FAX: +40 (244) 310692 +40 (244) 310692 FAX: +40 (244) 310692 +40 (244) 314124 FAX: +40 (244) 314051
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for info on each town in County Prahova.
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See More Maps of Romania
and Sinaia at
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 See
More Street Maps of Sinaia at
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Wallachia or Transylvania?
Since the 1300s, the administrative capitals of Romania have migrated
from the mountains, to the foothills and slowly down to the great Wallachian
plain, where Bucharest is today.
Sinaia, nestled firmly on the southern edge of the mountains, perches
high enough to avoid the worst of the summer heat, and low down enough
to avoid the heaviest snowfalls in winter.
Whilst administratively
part of Wallachia, and the last northern outpost of Wallachian culture
and history, Sinaia cannot help but be influenced the equally rich Transilvanian
culture just up the valley.
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See a Road Map of the Sinaia Area
See
an Area Map of County Prahova
