On 12.24.2022-12.25.2022 my Turkish friend Oğulcan Cumhur Sarı and I (Gülcan Babir) visited Sinaia. The city of Sinaia is 122 km from the capital Bucharest and can be reached in 1 and a half hours by train. Braşov is 1 hour away by train.
History
The city of Sinaia was founded in 1690 by a prince/aristocrat named Mihail Cantacuzino. During his journey to Egypt, he was very impressed by Mount Sinai, which has a very important place in the history of religions, and when he returned to his country, he built a monastery here. He named it "Sinai Monastery".
Years passed... In 1861, Wallachia and Taurus united to become Romania, and after the Berlin Treaty of 1877, Romania completely broke away from the Ottoman Empire and became an independent country. Karl I, the first King of Romania, visited the Sinaia Monastery and liked the nature of this region very much and wanted to build a summer palace for himself. In a short time, a magnificent palace was built, and then rich Romanians started to come to this region and build summer villas for themselves. By the end of the 19th century, this place was officially known as a village. But it wasn't just a village, it was a village full of villas built by the rich. After new constructions, restaurants, hotels, cafes, etc. were opened in the city, forming the present-day city of Sinaia. So this is not a city that dates back to the Middle Ages like other Transylvanian cities...
Sinaia
I planned to stay in Sinaia for two days and one night. Since there is no direct train from Kézdivásárhely to Sinaia, I had to go to Braşov first. On Saturday morning I took the 6 o'clock train to Braşov and then the first train to Sinaia in 1 hour. Before I even arrived in the city I was sure how beautiful it was going to be because as soon as I got there everything started to look so beautiful.Sinaia train station is located between two mountains and as soon as I got off the train I felt absolutely amazing.
The ambiance and the feelings it evoked were amazing. After waiting at the train station for about 1 hour, my friend Oğulcan Cumhur Sarı arrived and we started our trip to Sinaia together. First we went to Pelesh castle, you need to take a bus to get there.There are many areas to take photos around the castle. I didn't have to wait too long for the entrance. At most three floors of the castle were open to visit. After you buy your ticket, you can either queue at the English or Romanian guide gate (you can tell by looking at the signs). I lined up at the English side.
The first point we visited in the castle was the reception hall (reception hall) completed in 1911. Like the reception hall, it was built in German Neo-Renaissance architecture and was an armory section where various weapons brought from Europe (15-19th century) were exhibited. In the hall, mainly German, but also Spanish, French, Italian, Italian and oriental weapons are on display. One of the most important rooms of the castle is the library. There are many books and reading sections inside. New Room for Audiences, The Old Music Room, Florentine Room, Western Corridor, Dining Room, Moorish Hall, Turkish Hall and many other areas. After Pelesh Castle, there is another castle called Pelesior very close to the castle, which has a beautiful ambiance.
Ski Slopes
After walking about 1 and a half kilometers upwards from Peleş Castle, you reach the section with the cable car. Using this, you first climb to 1400 meters and then to 2000 meters. In winter, of course, it is ideal for skiing, but in summer it is ideal for watching the scenery...
First you go up to 1400 meters by cable car. There are 2 restaurants here, there is a hiking area on the mountain side, and there are the Carpathian Mountains, but on the day I went I couldn't see anything because it was snowy and very foggy, but even then it was breathtaking. At 2000 meters there are no restaurants or cafes. Also, unfortunately, you cannot stay here for a long time because it is very windy. If I am not mistaken, the cable car closes around 5 pm. You should not miss it, otherwise you have to walk back :D
The city center is small but you can find a lot of things in the city center. There are many hotels, hotels, shops, cafes and restaurants. At Christmas time everywhere is full of lights and decorations and it looks incredibly beautiful in the evening. Two days and one night is more than enough for Siania. After spending the last hours of the last day in the city center, I returned to Braşova around 3 p.m. From there I took the last train to Targu secuiesc, arriving in Kézdivásárhely about 2.5 hours later.
This was my trip to Siania, I hope you will enjoy reading and have a lot of information.
Gülcan Babir