“Pedal along country roads & pastoral landscapes”
5 Day Self-guided Cycling Tour of Saxon Transylvania in Romania
Sighisoara, Romania
Private and Luxury Biking Tour in Romania
This self-guided tour takes you along country roads and pastoral landscapes far from the crowded routes, on flat terrain, unpaved country trails, up and downhill trails enjoying the incredible Transylvanian scenery.
Key information
- Trip type: Self-guided
- Lodging: Point to Point
- Terrain: Flat and rolling
- Starts in: Sighisoara
- Ends in: Sibiu
- Total Distance: 109 miles / 175 kilometers
- Type of bike: GT, Cannondale or Trek XC bicycles (rental available)
- Private tour
Highlights
- 3 cycling days to discover the history, culture, and traditions of Medieval Transylvania
- Biertan fortified church: in the UNESCO World Heritage since 1993
- Malancrav/Malmkrog fortified church - famous for its mural painting
- Sighisoara/Schaessburg: the last European "living" Middle Age city
- Cund – a splendid small village, renovated by the German community
- Sibiu/Hermannstadt: a medieval city well-known as 2007's Cultural capital of Europe
- Old crafts performed by the locals, cheese and wine-tasting experiences
- 4 nights accommodation with daily breakfast and 2 luxury dinners
Skill level
- Intermediate
3 days with instruction in English
Accommodation
Carpat Bike has prepared for you accommodation in beautifully restored medieval castles or Saxon guesthouses preserved since Medieval times. You will be accommodated in premiere inns and 3-4* rural hotels.
Program
Day 1: Arrival day: Individual arrival in Sighisoara
Guests will arrive from noon onwards in Sighisoara (287 kilometers from Bucharest's capital city) and have the rest of the day as free time to visit this Middle Ages citadel with old colorful cobble streets. On request, a local guide can be booked to help you explore the city and discuss the places you will visit.
- Overnight in a medieval hotel in the old citadel
- Meals: on your own
Day 2: Cycling from Sighisoara to Cund
After breakfast, you will leave Sighisoara toward Malancrav. Extra loop possible to visit Cris and stop to visit the Bethlen Castle. In Malancrav you can visit the fortified church (on the list of UNESCO world heritage) and a traditional weaving workshop. From Malancrav you will be cycling via Laslea, Hoghilag, and Dumbraveni on a hilly road to the tiny village of Cund.
- Distance: 55 kilometers / 34 miles
- Extra loop: Cris - Malancrav (25 kilometers / 16 miles)
- Terrain: flat and rolling
- Overnight at Valea Verde resort in Cund
- Meals: breakfast and dinner
Day 3: Cycling around Cund
Today you will experience the rural life around the small village of Cund. The 40-kilometer asphalt route will allow you to visit the Villa Vinea winery and the nearby villages. You could stop for lunch at Butoiul Sasului cellar. Alternatively, you can enjoy a hiking trip over the hills or some horse riding. You can adjust this day to suit your needs.
- Distance: 40 kilometers / 25 miles
- Terrain: almost flat
- Overnight in Cund for one more great evening at Valea Verde Retreat
- Meals: breakfast and dinner
Day 4: Cycling to Sibiu via Biertan
Today includes a visit to Biertan, one of the most well-known fortified churches included in the UNESCO World Heritage. Leaving Cund, you are going to pass Dumbraveni, then Biertan village and visit the famous fortified church, and have lunch. For a short extra loop, you can ride for another 6 kilometers bike ride to reach Mosna, where you will pay a visit to an organic cheese farm. The road from Dumbraveni to Sibiu is totally asphalted, but can be a bit more crowded in the last part (~15 kilometers).
After reaching Sibiu, you will have a short evening walking tour through Sibiu (visit the Old Town, Medieval Fortress, and Brukenthal Museum) before heading to dinner.
- Distance: 80 kilometers / 50 miles
- Extra loop: 15 kilometers / 9 miles
- Terrain: flat and rolling
- Overnight in Sibiu center
- Meals: breakfast
Day 5: Departure day
After a leisurely breakfast, it is time to prepare for your departure or next destination.
Terrain
This tour includes national, local, village, and forest roads through pastoral landscapes and peaceful Transylvanian scenery. The terrain includes flat asphalt routes, unpaved country hilly trails, and rolling hills and is suitable for cyclists in good physical condition, varying from 30 to 60 km per day.
On this tour, 10% of the riding is on dedicated bike paths, 60% is on quiet roads with little traffic, and 30 % on roads shared with traffic.
This tour is manageable for participants of various ages and would be a fun tour for a family (minimum age 10 recommended) or first-time bike tourists.
Bike and equipment info
GT, Cannondale or Trek XC bicycles are available on this tour, and are included in the tour price.
Equipment provided at no charge:
- Helmet
- Locks
- Repair kit
- Pump
- Water bottle
Other equipment is available at an additional charge:
- GPS system
- Cycle computer
- Panniers and rack
Pedals/seats
You may choose to bring your own seat, pedals, bottles and/or other accessories; a staff will change out seats and pedals for you.
Helmets
While a helmet can be provided, for safety and hygiene reasons, you are recommended to bring your own or plan to purchase one upon arrival. Please consider also bringing your own water recipient.
Skill level: Intermediate
Weekend cyclists who take pleasure in getting to the top of hills as long as there is some nice location awaiting them at the top of at least one; Like a varied landscape including some difficult bits; cycling vacations with routes averaging 50 - 70 kilometers per day, and approximately 3 to 6 hours of comfortably paced riding daily; terrain is often rolling with the occasional challenging climb.
Location
This self-guided cycling experience will take you to the heart of Transylvania in Romania. You will experience wonderful cycling days mixed with an extraordinary culinary and cultural experience. You will pass historic architecture, preserved since the Middle Ages. You will visit UNESCO World Heritage fortified churches, castles, remote villages, and even the medieval city of Sibiu, named the Cultural Capitial of Europe in 2007.
The landscape is a mosaic of oak and beech forests, rich meadows and pastures. The small Transylvanian villages centered around fortified churches are still keeping the same level of civilization.
Food
Breakfasts are generally buffets that take your active program into consideration with a variety of high-nutrition choices. Lunch is on your own. 2 dinners are included. Expect either a fixed menu or a few choices. If you have any allergies, restrictions or strong preferences, please let Carpat Bike know as far in advance as possible.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
- Other dietary requirements on request
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
Things to do (optional)
Day 6: Optional day in Sibiu
In the morning you can take a short sightseeing trip to the open-air village museum Astra. The museum is built around 3 lakes in the Dumbrava Forest and features houses, churches, and water/windmills from all over Romania. After the visit, take a cycling trip to the villages Cisnadioara, Rasinari till Gura Raului.
What's included
- 4 nights accommodation
- All breakfasts and 2 luxury dinners in Cund
- Detailed trip description and program, GPS maps
- Bike, accessories and equipment rental (if required)
- Luggage transportation
- Complimentary branded Carpat Bike T-shirt
- Local taxes
What's not included
- Optional day
- Airfare and transportation to and from the trip pick-up/drop-off locations
- Alcoholic drinks during the program
- Tips for the driver, the arts and crafts visits at restaurants (5-10% of the bill)
- Villa Vinea winery visits and other sights along the way
- Extra charges for laundry, room service, etc.
- Transfer cost from Bucharest to Sighisoara and from Sibiu to Bucharest
- Individual travel Insurance for the trip (compulsory in order to be accepted for the tour)
- Lodging before and after the trip
- Individual insurance for special activities (recommended)
- Additional local guides, if required
- Single room supplement
- All the other conditions are presented in the “Terms and conditions” document
How to get there
Recommended Airports
CLJ
Cluj-Napoca International Airport
105 km
Transfer not provided
OTP
Henri Coandă International Airport
209 km
Transfer not provided
SBZ
Sibiu International Airport
73 km
Transfer not provided
Arrival by airplane
It is suggested that you arrive at one day prior to the trip start, which will enable you to adjust to the time zone and minimize the risk of missing the trip start due to flight-related delays. You are recommended to fly into Bucharest or Sibiu airports. Travel time between Bucharest and Sighisoara is approximately 4 hours.
Arrival by train
On a weekday, there are 2-3 good trains per day traveling from Bucharest to Sighisoara and the ticket price ranges from 20-25 EUR/person. For the return trip from Sibiu, there are a few trains per day to Bucharest, the ticket price being around 25 EUR/person. Please ask Carpat Bike for specific details and advance bookings.
Arrival by shuttle
Please inform Carpat Bike of your flight schedule if you book airport transfers to advise for appropriate transfer times for meeting and departure.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 25% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through Tripaneer.com. All major credit cards supported.
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