Sinaia Monastery

Half way between Peleş and the centre, the Sinaia Monastery, home to 20-some monks, is well worth a look. Inside the gate, the large Orthodox church ('biserica mare') before you dates from 1846; two icons inside were presented by Russia's Tsar Nicholas II in 1903. Beside the church is a small History Museum.

Back toward the mountains, a passageway leads to a smaller church ('biserica veche') from 1695. Monks retreated into the Bucegi Mountains from the 14th century but it was not until the late 17th century that they built a monastery.

The tomb of Tache Ionescu, the head of a transitional government for a few months in 1921-22, is in the building next to the small church.