Sinaia Resort

Sinaia lies in the north-west of Prahova County, on the border with Dâmbovița County, on the banks of the Prahova river where it is joined by the Peleș stream. The town's altitude ranges from 767 to 860 m, it covers 89.27 sq km, and at the 2021 census it had 9,071 inhabitants. It is crossed by the DN1 road (Ploiești-Brașov), from which the DN71 branches off here towards Târgoviște, and by the Ploiești-Brașov railway, with Sinaia station and the Sinaia Sud halt. The area was uninhabited until the late seventeenth century, when the grand spatharios Mihai Cantacuzino founded Sinaia Monastery (1690-1695), from which the town takes its name. Prince Carol I reached the monastery on 5 August 1866, and in 1874 the settlement received the name Sinaia. On 9 May 1880 Sinaia became an urban commune. The royal family made it their summer residence and built Peleș Castle (inaugurated in 1883), and villas, hotels and, in 1912, the Casino were built around the royal estate. The town has eleven historic monuments of national importance, among them the Peleș Castle complex (with Pelișor and Foișor), Sinaia Monastery, the Casino (1912-1913), the Caraiman Hotel (1911), the Palace Hotel (1911-1912), the Sinaia railway station complex, the Alina Știrbei villa (now the Sinaia Town Museum) and the house of the composer George Enescu (1923-1926). Other sights include the „Dimitrie Ghica” park, the Heroes' Cemetery and the Franz Joseph and Saint Anne Cliffs. Sinaia lies within the area of the Bucegi Natural Park, which covers 326.63 sq km. From the town, the gondola climbs to Cota 1400, and from there cable lifts continue to Cota 2000, home to the high-altitude ski area and starting points for the Bucegi plateau.