2 Wheels Carpathian Pass Roads Adventure 8 Days from/to Bucharest

DAY 1 BUCHAREST ARRIVAL DAY

You will meet your local expert 2 Wheels Adventure Manager at the airport, and you will be transferred to a centrally located hotel in Bucharest. Check in for 1 night. Short vicinity orientation walk if desired. Rental Motorcycles pick up in the hotel parking lot. Welcome Dinner. Overnight in Bucharest.

DAY 2 BUCHAREST TO BRAŞOV (225km/ 140mi)

Check out after breakfast and meet your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager at the bikes. You will get familiar with your bikes while riding past the Ploiești Oil Fields, a heavily bombed target during WWII. You will warm up for this great 2 Wheels Adventure once you reach the Carpathian Mountains and you start taking the corners of the scenic mountain roads towards Brașov. At the end of the day, you will have the opportunity to treat yourselves with a final adrenaline boost while taking the twists and turns of the road that crosses the Postăvarul Mountain towards Brașov.

Founded in 1211 by the Teutonic Knights between the peaks of the Southern Carpathian Mountains, Brasov is one of the most beautiful cities in Transylvania. The medieval massive stone walls and several bastions around the city are still visible today. The gothic, baroque, and renaissance architecture, as well as the wealth of many other attractions are making the city one of the greatest highlights of Transylvania.

After checking in at the centrally located hotel and getting refreshed, you will meet a local expert cultural guide who will take you on a guided stroll through the historical downtown. Dinner is going to be served at one of the best restaurants in town. Overnight in Brașov.

DAY 3 BRAŞOV – TRANSFĂGĂRĂŞAN – SIBIU (300km / 186mi)

Check out after breakfast and meet your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager at the bikes, today we are going to ride on one of the best motorcycling roads in the world.

First, we will warmup with a quick ride to Bran Castle, which surrounded by an aura of mystery, owes its fame more to the myth created around Bram Stocker’s Dracula than to its imposing towers and turrets… Built at the end of the 14th century as a border stronghold, on the site of a Teutonic Knights stronghold, the castle served for a while during the last century as royal residence. It is you to decide on the spot if joining your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager on a quick visit of the castle, or if you rather take a picture of the castle and enjoy a coffee.

Next, we are going to ride across the South Carpathian Mountains from north to south on a road famous for having some of the most spectacular natural views in Romania. We will continue, through scenic countryside roads along the foothills of the South Carpathian Mountains, passing by typical Wallachian villages.

After having a quick lunch break, we will start ascending the 90km / 55mi long Transfăgărășan Pass Road which rises to an altitude of 2042m / 6699ft. After riding through the longest (875 m/0.53miles) and highest tunnel of Romania, we will take a break at the Bâlea glacier lake to get a spectacular eagle’s eye view over Transylvania. Shortly after, we will begin our winding descent on the sharp hairpin turns of the northern side towards Sibiu, a delightful challenge for every rider.

As a medieval city with 900 years of history, Sibiu, also preserved many testimonies of the past. The walls of the old fortification belts, the towers named after the guilds, the central squares with their rich history, the old buildings abounding in stories which occurred throughout time will totally impress you.

After checking in at the centrally located hotel and getting refreshed, you will meet a local expert cultural guide who will take you on a guided stroll through the historical downtown. Dinner is going to be served in the old town. Overnight in Sibiu.

DAY 4 SIBIU – TRANSALPINA – JIU RIVER GORGE – HUNEDOARA (315 km / 196mi)

Check out after breakfast, meet your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager, and get ready to start another spectacular riding day. Today’s highlight is the “Kings Road” the famous Transalpina Pass Road. On the way to the Transalpina we will warm up while riding on secondary countryside roads, crossing picturesque Transylvanian villages.

With a length of 148km / 91mi, the Transalpina Road, is the highest pass road of the Carpathian Mountains, counting at its summit 2145m / 7037 ft elevation, after following the mountains pick line for almost 20 km / 12.5mi. According to some sources, the beginning of this pass road goes back to the roman times, as it was apparently constructed by roman military legions. The road changed constantly its name over the time.

From “the Devils trail”, as it was called by shepherds who used it for centuries to cross over the mountains with their herds, it became the “Kings Road” after the trail was enlarged on its entire length to a military road by the Romanian King, right before WWII started. Since 2010, after being asphalted on its entire length it became worldwide famous as Transalpina, the must to ride road of Transylvania.

After getting a massive adrenaline boost, while ascending the hairpins of the northern side, at the summit, we will have a quick lunch break, while getting at the same time also an impressive bird’s eye view over the Carpathian Mountains. After lunch, the descent on the serpentines of the southern side, will get you another impressive adrenaline kick.

Winding, traffic free secondary roads, along the forested foothills of the South Carpathian Mountains, will take us to the Jiu Gorge a spectacular savage valley separating the Parâng and Vâlcan mountains. The road is snaking on a length of 33km / 20mi, being always joined by the whirling Jiu River, combining the adrenaline kick offered by the turns and twists with the visual delight given by the exceptional beauty of the scenery.

During the afternoon, we are going to ride through the region of Hațeg, famous for its historical and cultural sites covering in time a history of more than 4000 years.

Impressive are the ruins of the ancient Roman capital of the Roman Province Dacia at Sarmizegetusa Ulpia Traiana. The numerous medieval churches and fortresses, as well as the remains of more recent castles, are enhancing the cultural heritage.

Once arrived in Hunedoara, we will check in at an excellent rated hotel. After getting refreshed, it is you to decide, if whether joining your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager for a visit of the impressive 15th century Corvin Castel or rather relax at the hotel until dinner time.

The Corvin Castle is considered the most spectacular Gothic-style castle in Romania and the largest medieval castle in Transylvania, surpassing even the Bran Castle. It is also one of the largest castles in Europe. The castle served as a fortress until the mid-14th century when it became the residence of Transylvania’s ruler, Johannes Corvinus of Hunyadi, the father of the famous Hungarian Renaissance King Mathias Corvinus. Johannes Corvinus of Hunyadi became famous for stopping the Ottoman Empire from conquering Belgrade and advancing towards Western Europe, a victory still celebrated nowadays, by having the churches ringing the bells, every day at noon time, all over Europe. The Corvin Family transformed the fortress into a stunning castle featuring a sumptuous Knights’ Hall, a Council Room, a chapel, an impressive drawbridge, high buttresses, inner courtyards and over 50 rooms.

Dinner and socializing evening with the local motor biker community (depending on their availability). Overnight in Hunedoara.

DAY 5 HUNEDOARA – TRANSURSOAIA – CLUJ NAPOCA (353km / 219mi)

Hotel check out after enjoying the delicious breakfast. Meet your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager at the bikes and start a spectacular riding day through the picturesque West Carpathian Mountains.

The first tracks we hit this morning are some spectacular remote secondary roads, that are taking us to the West Carpathian Mountains.

The West Carpathian Mountains or Apuseni Mountains as they are called in Romanian language, compared with the South Carpathian Mountains, where we have ridden so far, are a rather low mountain range with the highest elevation at 1849m / 6066ft, with rounded crests contrasting with deep river valleys, and extensive limestone formations shaping some impressive gorges and canyons, spectacular waterfalls, and fascinating caves. Pastureland and settlements are scattered all the way to the picks of the mountains.

The inhabitants, called “moți”, are considered descendants of the Celts or of the Germanic Gepids Tribes, because of their blonde hair and blue eyes. Their unique way of life, in a perfect symbiosis with the nature, the ancestral traditions, and the old customs, are making them the most representative traditional mountain communities of Romania.

The Transursoaia Pass Road, winding up the mountains for approx. 80 km/50mi, through an incredible scenery, to an elevation of 1300m / 4265ft is going to be the riding highlight of the day, as it is going to delight you with steep uphill and downhill sections, spiced up with endless twist and turns. Here and then we are going to stop for enjoying the spectacular panoramic view over the landscape.

The descent towards Cluj-Napoca is going to deliver the grand finale of the day, giving you the opportunity to charge yourselves with an explosive adrenaline kick.

Hotel check in at a centrally located hotel in Cluj-Napoca. After getting refreshed, you will meet a local expert cultural guide who is going to take you on a guided stroll of Cluj-Napoca, along the charming streets of the historical center and reveal to you the historical landmarks, standing for the long and rich history of this city which was once the heart of Transylvania.

Being the largest city in Transylvania, its history goes back all the way to the Roman time, when it developed from a Dacian settlement into a Roman town with the statute of a colony, the highest possible urban statute of the Roman Empire. Later, during the medieval time, Cluj-Napoca was home for German tradesmen, but also home of the Hungarian dukes ruling Transylvania. It is also the birthplace of the 15th-century Hungarian Renaissance King Matthias Corvinus. For the importance and the fame of the city in those times, still stand today a huge number of historical and architectural landmarks, like for instance the Union Square, dominated by the St. Michael’s Church, one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in Transylvania, at the same time being surrounded also by Neo Classical Renaissance, and Baroque buildings including the Banffy Palace – Romania’s most representative Transylvanian-Baroque structure.

Nowadays, with a population of around 330,000 and one of the fastest growing economies in the country, Cluj-Napoca, developed into a vibrant cultural center, a dynamic and youthful university city.

Dinner at an excellent rated restaurant in the city center. Overnight in Cluj-Napoca.

DAY 6 CLUJ NAPOCA – BALVANYOS (363km / 225mi)

Enjoy your breakfast, check out and join your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager for a memorable ride through Transylvania, which you are going to cross today from west to east. This morning, we are going to leave, for a while, the mountains behind us. After escaping the morning traffic in Cluj-Napoca, you will enjoy a relaxed ride along traffic free secondary countryside roads, crossing typical picturesque Transylvanian villages, here and then snaking over the scenic hills of the Transylvanian Highlands, just enough to keep it fun and remind you that there is nothing better than the intense smell of gras or of the forest, inhaled through the helmet combined with the adrenaline boost you get when scratching the tarmac with your foot pegs on tide twists.

At lunch time we are going to reach Târgu Mureș, where we will take a well-deserved break for having lunch or maybe if you are not that much into eating, just to refresh yourselves and enjoy a coffee on the Roses square, the landmark of the city.

During the afternoon we are going to ride through the Székely Land, a historic and ethnographic region in the Eastern part of Transylvania, famous for the incredible high number of mineral water and thermal springs, as well as for the picturesque scenery, inhabited mainly by Székelys, a subgroup of Hungarians. The twisting, relatively traffic free, secondary roads, we have selected, will totally impress you, as they are giving you the choice of either getting a sensational adrenaline boost if approaching the turns and twist at a faster pace, or to enjoy a relaxed ride for admiring the stunning scenery and the picturesque villages.

Our hotel for tonight is remotely located in the vicinity of the St. Anna Lake, the only volcano lake in Central and Eastern Europe, formed in the southern crater of the extinguished Ciomatu Vulcano.

Near the lake, the northern crater, is housing a reservation of rare Ice Age relict plants. If desired, and if time allows it your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager can organize on the spot a quick visit to St. Anna Lake, either before checking in or after.

The lake is part of the Mohos Nature Reserve and near the lake there is a Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to Saint Anne.

Hotel Check-in at an excellent rated spa resort hotel, with swimming pool and spa facilities, an excellent opportunity for you to unwind and relax.

Dinner at the hotel and overnight in Balvanyos.

DAY 9 BALVANYOS – MUSAT (OJDULA-LEPSA) PASS ROAD – BUCHAREST (369km / 229mi)

Check-out after breakfast, meet your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager at the bikes and get ready to head towards “the high-altitude Moto GP Track of the Carpathian Mountains”.

The relatively short ride we will have to reach the Musat (Ojdula-Lepsa) Pass Road is going to be just enough to warm up the tires and get ready to start hitting the pass road. Famous for being nicknamed “the high-altitude Moto GP Track of the Carpathian Mountains”,this pass road is going to be one of the very highlights of your 2 Wheels Adventure. Having had the tarmac completely renewed in 2015, the road is crossing the East Carpathian Mountains on a length of just a bit more than 50km/ 31mi of endless turns and twist going up and down the mountains, mostly cutting through deep forests, at other times ascending mildly in wide curves, with very good visibility, the scenic meadows. The quite low car traffic, the wide curves with good visibility, and the quality of the tarmac are making this track very popular amongst the local rider community. It will put for sure a smile on your faces as well and it will make you wish that the turns and twists would never end.

You will get the chance to catch your breath while having a well-deserved lunch break, after which we will continue riding south, towards Bucharest, on selected secondary roads along the foothills of the East Carpathian Mountains, crossing villages and picturesque countryside scenery. Here and then you will get the chance to get enjoyable adrenaline boosts while approaching the twisty sections in a faster pace.

Very picturesque and relaxing will be to ride during the afternoon through the Dealu Mare winegrowing region, situated on the same latitude as the Bordeaux wine growing region in France, therefore being also famous for the excellent red wines.

If desired and if time is allowing it, your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager can plan on the spot a stop and a short visit of a winery, so you get the opportunity to find out more about the wines produced in the area and why not to do some shopping, for tasting these fabulous wines after the arrival at the hotel.

Once arrived in Bucharest, after battling with the late afternoon traffic, we will check in at an excellent rated, centrally located hotel. After getting refreshed bikes drop off at the hotel parking lot.

Enroute to the Farewell Dinner a local expert cultural guide will take you on a Bucharest Panoramic City Tour which will offer you the opportunity to find out why Bucharest got to be known as “Paris of the East”, at the beginning of the last    century, and why today, it is undoubtedly a world-class city.

Of course, stories about the communist time and a photo stop at the Palace of Parliament, can’t miss.

The Palace of the Parliament (People’s Palace) has been the most extreme expression of the systematization program imposed by Nicolae Ceaușescu upon Romania. The building was constructed almost entirely with materials of Romanian origin, and it is the world’s third-largest administrative building, after The Pentagon and Long’ao Building.

The Farewell Dinner is going to be an excellent opportunity to properly celebrate the completion of this spectacular 2 Wheels Carpathian Pass Roads Power Adventure.

Transfer back to the hotel and overnight in Bucharest.

DAY 12 BUCHAREST DEPARTURE DAY

Enjoy your breakfast and check out, today is time to say goodbye to the 2 Wheels Adventures Team and to Romania. All day departure airport transfers, according to your flights schedule.