Brasov

Fringed by the peaks of the Southern Carpathian Mountains and resplendent with gothic, baroque and renaissance architecture, as well as a wealth of historical attractions, Brasov is one of the most visited places in Romania.

Founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1211 on an ancient Dacian site and settled by the Saxons as one of the seven walled citadels*, Brasov exudes a distinct medieval ambiance and has been used as backdrop in many recent period films.

The Sinaia Monastery

The Sinaia Monastery, was founded by Prince Mihail Cantacuzino in 1695 and named after the great Sinai Monastery on Mount Sinai.

As of 2005, it is inhabited by 13 Christian Orthodox monks led byhegumen Macarie Bogus. It is part of the Bucharest archdiocese.

The Bran Castle

Bran Castle (Romanian: Castelul Bran; German: Törzburg; Hungarian: Törcsvár), situated near Bran and in the immediate vicinity of Braşov, is a national monument and landmark in Romania. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia, at about 60 kilometers from Sinaia. Commonly known as "Dracula's Castle" (although it is one among several locations linked to the Dracula legend, including Poenari Castle and Hunyad Castle), it is marketed as the home of the titular character in Bram Stoker's Dracula. There is, however, no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this castle, which has only tangential associations with Vlad III, voivode of Wallachia, the putative inspiration for Dracula.

The castle is now a museum open to tourists, displaying art and furniture collected by Queen Marie. Tourists can see the interior individually or by a guided tour. At the bottom of the hill is a small open air museum park exhibiting traditional Romanian peasant structures (cottages, barns, etc.) from across the country.

The Peles Castle

The Peleș Castle is a Neo-Renaissance castle in the Carpathian Mountains, near Sinaia, in Prahova County, Romania, located on an existing medieval route linking Transylvania and Wallachia. It was built between 1873 and 1914.

Its inauguration was held in 1883. King Carol I of Romania (1839–1914), under whose reign the country gained its independence, first visited the site of the future castle in 1866 and fell in love with the magnificent mountain scenery.

The Sinaia Casino

Situated in the northern area of the "Dimitrie Ghica" park, Sinaia "Casino" still represents one of the architectural symbols of the resort. The stately edifice was built in record time, only one year (1912–1913), in the same place where Sinaia's first villa, raised by Prince Dimitrie Ghica, was built. The stockholder of Sinaia Casino was Baron of Marçay, who was also a key shareholder at the Monte Carlo Casino; this is why it has been speculated that the Romanian building would be the architectural copy of the French edifice. In fact, there are only a few elements of indoor architecture that could confirm the resemblance between the two casinos.