2 Wheels Transylvania Discovery Adventure 12 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 for two nights at a centrally located hotel in Cluj-Napoca. Dinner at an excellent rated restaurant in the city center. Overnight in Cluj-Napoca.

DAY 6 CLUJ-NAPOCA DISCOVERY DAY (no riding)

The Discovery Day in Cluj-Napoca, at midway of your 2 Wheels Adventure, will give you the opportunity to relax and get back your breath, while discovering the history and cultural heritage of an over 2000 years old city.

After enjoying the delicious breakfast, you will meet a local expert cultural guide who is going to take you on a Discovery Walk 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. Your local expert guide will recommend the best restaurants and assist you in making reservations if needed for having lunch. Afternoon at leisure in Cluj-Napoca.

Late afternoon, you will be heading to a village situated in the vicinity of the city for being immersed into the flavors of the traditional local cuisine, while joining a home hosted slow food cooking class during which, you will prepare, in a traditional manner, together with your host and your fellow riders, the delicious dinner. The homemade traditional plum brandy, as encouragement for your participation at the dinner preparation, will not be missing. Transfer back to the hotel and overnight in Cluj-Napoca.

DAY 7 CLUJ-NAPOCA – TRANSYLVANIAN HIGHLANDS – SIGHIȘOARA (257km / 160mi)

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, very soon, we will have a stop at the Turda Salt Mine, which is advertising itself as “the world’s most spectacular natural underground formation, shaped by people”.

The mine is one of the oldest salt mines in Europe, being in use since the Roman time, shaped though by the Habsburgs to the actual size. The salt extraction stopped in 1930’, leaving galleries over a surface of 43 square km / 27 square mi, reaching a depth of 120 meters. It is accommodating a Museum of Contemporary Art, an amphitheater with 180 seats, a bowling alley and even a spa for respiratory treatments. The mine maintains a constant temperature of 10 degrees with a humidity of 80%. The access is allowed on guided paths that are passing by huge salt stalagmite formations, leading the visitors to a small underground lake where small boats can be rented. The different levels of the mine can be reach through elevators, once used for the transportation of the extracted salt.

It is you to decide on the spot if joining your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager on a quick visit of the salt mine, or if you rather enjoy a coffee while waiting for the rest or the group to return.

Following, 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.

After lunch, we will enjoy another riding session, along twisting secondary countryside roads, which, if approaching the turns and the twist in a faster pace, will deliver you the end of the day adrenaline kick.

Once arrived in Sighișoara, we will check in at an excellent rated hotel, with outdoors swimming pool, an excellent opportunity to cool down at the end of the riding day.

After having gotten back your breath, you will meet a local expert cultural guide who will take you on a guided walk through the UNESCO designated medieval Citadel of Sighișoara. The architectural landmarks of the city, like the 14th century, 64 m high clocktower, the covered medieval wooden school staircase or the 15th century Hill church overlooking the town from the school hill will totally impress you.

The worldwide renown Dracula, commonly associated with the historical Wallachian prince Vlad the Impaler is present at all souvenir shop as he was apparently born in the citadel in 1430.
Dinner is going to be served at one of the excellent restaurants in the citadel and overnight in Sighișoara.

DAY 8 SIGHIȘOARA– SZEKELY LAND – BALVANYOS (268km / 166mi)

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 Székely Land.

The Székely Land is a historic and ethnographic region in the Eastern part of Transylvania, inhabited mainly by Székelys, a subgroup of Hungarians. The Székelys, settled down over here, centuries ago, as border watchers of the Hungarian Kingdom, after Transylvania was conquered and became a province of the Hungarian Kingdom. The Székely Land became with the time the center of the Hungarian speaking minority of Romania, even if geographically it is the farthest from the current borders of Hungary.
Today the region is famous for the incredible high number of mineral water and thermal springs, as well as for the picturesque scenery. Miercurea Ciuc, the largest city in the region, is home to one of the finest Romanian beer factories, Ciuc, while Corund, a picturesque village, is one of the most important centers of traditional ceramic manufacturing in Romania, being famous for its green, brown, and blue cobalt pottery products.

The winding, relatively traffic free, secondary roads we have selected, twisting over the foothills of the East Carpathian Mountains and the relatively low Harghita volcanic mountain range, will be the riding highlight of the day, as you will be surprised with an unexpected adrenaline boost, totally comparable with the sensation the high-altitude pass roads have given to you in the first part of your 2 Wheels Adventure.

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.

We will have a quick stop at the St. Anna Lake, just before heading to the hotel for checking in. It is you to decide if joining your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager on a 20 min walk to the lake and another 20 min back to the bikes, or rather staying at the terrasse for enjoying a refreshment drink until the rest of the group is getting back.

The lake is part of the Mohos Nature Reserve. Near the lake there is a Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to Saint Anne. The lake is supplied with water exclusively from precipitations, therefore the degree of mineralization of the water is very low and the water purity is close to that distilled water. Also, there is no animal that can survive in the oxygen-filled water of Lake Saint Anne.

Either way, the 7km / 4.3mi uphill ride and the 7km / 4.3mi downhill ride, on the spectacular twists and turns of the road snaking on the slopes of the former volcano will make it worth and will deliver you and incredible end of the day adrenaline kick.

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 – BRAȘOV (283km / 176mi)

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 go for the maximum adrenaline boost and ride back the Mușat (Ojdula – Lepșa) Pass Road to get to Brașov.

To your surprise, riding back the pass road, from the opposite direction, is going to be a totally different experience, even more enjoyable than the morning ride, as by now you know already the turns and twists, therefore, the pace can be much faster and the adrenaline kick more intense.

Hotel Check-in at an excellent rated, centrally located hotel in Brasov.

Dinner at an excellent restaurant in the old town and overnight in Balvanyos.

DAY 10 BRAȘOV – BUZĂU PASS ROAD – BUCHAREST (369km / 229mi)

Check-out after breakfast, meet your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager at the bikes and get ready to head back towards the Carpathian Mountains, which we will cross again today from North-West to South-East.

After leaving Brașov behind us and riding through the longest village of Romania, the winding, picturesque Buzău Pass Road is awaiting us. The mountain pass road, used already in medieval times by the Tatars and Ottomans to cross the Carpathian Mountains, for attacking Transylvania, climbs mildly to an elevation of 642m / 2,106ft, following on its entire length the Buzău River Valley. The twists, the turns, and the hairpins on the section along the shores of the Siriu Lake, are a total delight for any motorcycle rider.
After having a well-deserved lunch break, 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. Dinner and overnight in Bucharest.

DAY 11 BUCHAREST DISCOVERY DAY (no riding)

Take your time this morning and enjoy the delicious breakfast, we have planned a relaxed finale for your 2 Wheels Adventure.

A local expert cultural guide will pick you up at the hotel and take you on a Bucharest Discovery Day 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. You will start discovering Bucharest while joining your guide on a scenic panoramic city tour.

Just before taking the lunch break, you will get the opportunity to explore Bucharest on foot as well, while having a guided stroll through the charming non-touristic Armenian neighbourhood, one of Bucharest’s best kept secrets, which is hiding spectacular 19th century Neo-Romanian architecture. Along the Lipscani pedestrian area, you will find coffeehouses, restaurants, art galleries, antique shops, a stunning six-floor bookstore and to the Old Princely Court (Curtea Veche), built in the 15th century by Vlad the Impaler.

After the lunch break, if you decide to rather skip the rest of the program for extending on own your exploration, you can stay on the pedestrian area and walk or take a cab to get back to the hotel.

Of course, stories about the communist time and an included visit of the Palace of Parliament, must enhance your exploration in Bucharest after lunch.

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 Palace of the Parliament is also the heaviest building in the world, weighing about 4.10 million tonnes (9.04 billion pounds). It also appeared on an episode of Top Gear in 2009, titled “Romanian GT Road Trip to Find the Transfagarasan Highway”.

At the end of the visit, you can choose to either be transferred to the old town or to the hotel. In the evening we are going to get back in the old town for the Farewell Dinner, during which we are going to properly celebrate the completion of this spectacular 2 Wheels Carpathian Pass Roads Full Adventure.

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.