Royal Path and Franz Joseph Cliffs, Sinaia

The Royal Path (Poteca Regală) is in the town of Sinaia, inside Bucegi Natural Park, and links the Peleș Castle area with the Poiana Stânii meadow at about 1,270 m. The Bucegi Natural Park administration includes it in the theme trail „Vulparie - Poteca Regală - Poiana Stânei - Drumul Cotei - Cota 1400”, which is 6.17 km long, takes about 2.5 hours and is rated easy to medium. Close to the meadow are the Franz Joseph Cliffs, a viewpoint on the edge of the slope above the Prahova Valley. The path was laid out after Peleș Castle was inaugurated in 1883 and was at first a dirt track. It was later paved with stone, and in the communist period it was given new stone paving and wooden railings. The cliffs were set up as a viewpoint in 1896, when King Carol I brought Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary here during his visit to Sinaia; the king then named them after the emperor. The steps and railings were also added during Carol I's reign. The path is marked with a blue stripe and can be walked at an easy pace in about an hour, with a height difference of roughly 300 m between the castle and the meadow. From Poiana Stânii a short climb leads to the Franz Joseph Cliffs, which look over the Prahova Valley, the towns of Sinaia, Bușteni and Predeal, and the Baiu Mountains with Vârful Cumpătu. On the rock is a plaque with a bas-relief commemorating the meeting of King Carol I and Emperor Franz Joseph. Poiana Stânii can also be reached on trail 38, marked with a blue stripe, which starts from the Sinaia - Cota 1400 road (3.3 km, about an hour) and passes the Sfânta Ana climbing rock, near which there is a hermit's cell cut into the rock. The Royal Path is one of the theme trails of Bucegi Natural Park. Access is on foot.