A Weekend in Bucharest, Castle Bound
Two days is a rushed but honest version of this trip: one night in Bucharest’s Old Town, then a full day at Sinaia’s Peles and Pelisor castles before flying out that evening. It skips Bran and Brasov entirely. For the calmer pace that adds them, see the 3-day through 7-day versions of this same route.
Book these before you go
- Peles Castle timed entry slot at bilete.peles.ro, the daily cap is 2,000 visitors and summer slots fill by mid-morning
- Bucharest Old Town hotel for the single arrival night
- A guided Sinaia and Peles Castle tour on GetYourGuide if you would rather skip the train transfer entirely
- Sinaia train ticket from Gara de Nord at cfrcalatori.ro , roughly 25 to 50 RON depending on class
| Day | Focus | Travel time | Daily cost (RON) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival, Old Town | OTP to center, 25 to 50 minutes | 150 to 250 |
| 2 | Sinaia, Peles and Pelisor | Train, 1h25 to 1h30 each way | 250 to 350 |
Day 1: Landing in Bucharest, not staying long
Land at Otopeni and take the direct rail shuttle to Gara de Nord, about 6.50 RON and 20 to 25 minutes once you are on the platform, or Express Bus 100 for around 3 RON straight to Piata Unirii. Drop your bag, change lei at a bank or ATM rather than an airport counter, and spend the evening in the Old Town around Strada Lipscani: a plate of mici, a beer, an early night. You are not here to sightsee Bucharest properly this trip, you are here to catch a train in the morning.
Day 2: Sinaia, Peles Castle, and the flight home
Take an early train from Gara de Nord to Sinaia, about 1 hour 25 to 1 hour 30. Peles Castle’s 100 RON adult tour covers the main rooms; add Pelisor next door for 30 RON if your timed slot allows both. Grab lunch in Sinaia town before the return train, then head back to Bucharest with enough buffer for airport traffic. If your flight is in the evening, this works; if it is a morning departure, you need the 3-day version instead.
Can you really do Peles as a day trip from Bucharest
Yes, comfortably. The round trip train time is under three hours combined, and Peles itself takes two to three hours including Pelisor. The one real constraint is the timed-slot system introduced in June 2025, capped at 2,000 visitors a day at Peles and 1,500 at Pelisor, so book your slot before you leave the hotel rather than on arrival in Sinaia.
Is two days enough for Bucharest’s castles
It is enough for exactly one castle, Peles, and nothing else. Bran and Brasov both require either a long single day (12 hours round trip) or an overnight that two days does not have room for. Treat this version as a proof of concept: if the Peles day trip is the best day of your weekend, the 4-day itinerary is where you go next.
Book the Peles slot the moment you book your flights, not the morning you land, the summer cap fills faster than the Sinaia train schedule does.