Day 1: Cluj - Turda, 60 kilometers / 37 miles (1-hour riding)
Welcome to Romania! Your English-speaking guide, a motorcycle enthusiast and a 100% Transylvanian, collects you from Cluj International Airport (CLJ). From Cluj, transfer to Turda, a small town with an intimate atmosphere founded by the Romans under the name of Potaissa. Prepare to descend into the heart of one of the biggest salt mines in the country, Turda Salt Mines, with impressive halls named after kings and queens. A ride to the Sunset Mountains will make you an appetite for more riding. Overnight at a 4-star hotel.
Day 2: Turda - Aiud - Cetatea de Balta - Medias - Biertan - Sighisoara, 210 kilometers / 130.5 miles (5-hour riding)
Ride the natural reservation of Aiudului Gorges and cross the wine region of Jidvei to reach the charming Medias. Enjoy a relaxing walk in the medieval town of Medias and continue riding to Biertan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the finest Saxon fortified churches in Transylvania. The next stop is the medieval citadel of Sighisoara. Founded by Saxons during the 12th century, Sighisoara still stands as one of Europe’s most beautiful and is still inhabited fortified cities with UNESCO European heritage site status. Sighisoara is also the place where Vlad the Impaler, known as Dracula, was born. Overnight in a 3-star hotel located in the heart of the medieval citadel.
Day 3: Sighisoara - Bran - Rasnov - Brasov, 195 kilometers / 121 miles (3.45-hour riding)
Continue your journey riding Bogatii Forest to reach Transylvania’s symbol, Bran Castle. Unrightfully called Dracula’s Castle, Bran owes its fame both to its unique charm and to the myth Bram Stoker created around Dracula. A former fortress guarding a commercial road, Bran dates back to 1377. In 1920, Queen Mary, the niece of Queen Victoria of Great Britain, turned the castle into a beautiful summer residence. Explore today Brasov, a city with an outstanding medieval atmosphere which has played a vital role in Romania’s history, both old and new. Three-quarters of the city is surrounded by mountains, and it is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe.
Day 4: Brasov - Sinaia - Transbucegi Road - Brasov, 220 kilometers / 137 (5.20-hour riding)
Start the day riding Prahova ValLey and visit Peles Palace, one of the most beautiful royal residences in Europe and home to most of Romania’s monarchs. Get on the motorbikes and continue riding Transbucegi Road, the newest mountain road in Romania that offers amazing views. Also known as Babele Road, Transbucegi is a narrow mountain road filled with hairpin curves taking you up to 1,925 meters above sea level. Overnight in Brasov at a 3-star hotel.
Day 5: Brasov - Zarnesti - Transfagarasan - Capatanenii Pamantului, 196 kilometers / 122 miles (5-hour riding)
An incredible ride for you today is riding on Transfagarasan Highway, the most crooked and challenging of Europe's roads for motorcyclists. Built between 1970 and 1974 as a military route by a communist dictator Ceausescu (after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968), it snakes up into the Carpathians that offers great rides and enormous satisfaction. Overnight in a 4-star hotel on Transfagarasan Road.
Day 6: Capatanenii Pamantului - Curtea de Arges - Transalpina - Ranca, 170 kilometers / 106 miles (5.10-hour riding)
Curtea de Arges is your next destination with its beautiful monastery built in Byzantine style with Moorish arabesques. Find out the legend of the monastery and continue your journey riding up the mountains. Transalpina Road, one of the most spectacular roads of the Carpathian Mountains and the highest mountain road in Romania, is the next on your agenda. Overnight at a 3-star hotel on Transalpina Road.
Day 7: Ranca - Transalpina - Turda, 214 kilometers / 133 miles (5-hour riding)
Continue exploring Transalpina road. With its highest point at Urdele pass, 2,145 meters above sea level, the road is also called The King's road by the locals. The road was built under the rule of King Carol II of Romania and rebuilt during World War II by German troops.
Reach the town of Alba Iulia Citadel, a fortress with seven bulwarks, a star- shaped citadel, common to Vauban fortresses. Your journey will end in Turda, with a smile on your face and road bends to last you for a lifetime. On this day, you will reach Cluj Napoca at about 18:00. Please book flights or additional nights accordingly.
Intermediate
- can ride for 3-4 hours
- average riding experience
- little assistance required
- comfortable with extreme curves and leans
- average experience with unsurfaced roads
- steep ascents and descents