Highlights: Sinaia is a mountain resort situated in Prahova county, along the Prahova River and on the southeastern side of the Bucegi Mountains, 37 km from Brasov.
The resort is one of the most beautiful and most famous in Romania, attracting all the year round tourists from all over the world. The combination of spectacular landscapes and valuable architectural monuments make Sinaia to a special place, that's worth the trouble to visit.
Climbing: There are several crags close to Sinaia. The most complex one is Valea Pelesului. Not far from Valea Pelesului you can enjoy the smaller crags, each of them offering something different. Poiana Stanii crag is the perfect place for short routes suitable for practicing and training, Cariera din Sinaia has a handful of low-angle routes for beginners.
Getting here: Getting to Sinaia is straight-forward, either you come from Bucharest, either from Brasov. Any of the trains railing on Prahova Valley will stop in Sinaia. With the car, it takes no more than 2 hours from Bucharest, driving North on national road DN1, or less than 1 hour from Brasov, driving South on the same DN1.
Accommodation: There are many options for accommodation in Sinaia: you can camp with the tent at the crag's base or if you are looking for a more comfortable place to stay you can choose from one of the many hotels or guest-houses in town.
Where to eat: There are so many good restaurants in Sinaia that is hard to list them here. One of them renowned for its excellent traditional food is Bucegi, situated in the centre on the main street.
What to see: Sinaia took its name from the Sinaia Monastery, which was on its turn called after the Sinai Mountain by its founder, the prince Mihai Cantacuzino. After more than 300 years of existence the monastery is still on its place, in a very good condition, enchanting the travelers through the beautiful architecture and exquisite art objects to be admired here.
The very landmark of Sinaia is without doubt the Peles architectural complex, built by the king Carol I at the end of 19th century along the Peles stream in a very picturesque place. The complex is probably the most visited tourist attraction on Prahova Valley. The main monuments of the complex are the 2 castles, Peles and Pelisor. The first one, an impressive construction with 160 rooms, was built as a summer residence for the royal family, in the German Renaissance style in the outer side and in a combination of styles in the inner side. Pelisor is smaller than Peles, with "only" 70 rooms, but still a veritable castle. Both of them are nowadays museums, revealing to the visitors their numberless outstanding works of art. Prahova Valley is the veritable paradise for the mountaineers. The Bucegi Mountains are a nature reserve, sheltering a great variety of plants and trees species, many of them protected by law, as for example the edelweiss, the wild carnation and the yellow gentian. During your hiking routes you will have the unique occasion to admire the rich vegetation and to encounter the chamois, if you choose less walked trails. Once you have reached the Bucegi Plateau, you will have the opportunity to admire strangely wind and water shaped rocks: Babele (The Hags) and the Sphinx.
Climate: Sinaia's climate is a characteristic of low-altitude mountain passes. Annual average temperature: 8 degrees Celsius; Average temperature in June: 15 degrees Celsius; Average temperature in January: -4 degres Celsius. Summers are bracing and very rainy in the beginning of the season. Winters are relatively mild, with heavy snow. Average annual rainfall is 900 mm. 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.
