2 Wheels Northern Transylvania Discovery Infusion Adventure 8 Days from/to Oradea

DAY 1 ORADEA ARRIVAL DAY

Your local expert 2 Wheels Adventure Manager will welcome you at the hotel. Check in for 1 night. Short vicinity orientation walk if desired. Welcome Dinner. Overnight in Oradea.

DAY 2 ORADEA – WEST CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS – CLUJ NAPOCA (277km / 172mi)

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 of your 2 Wheels Transylvania Discovery Adventure.

The West Carpathian Mountains or Apuseni Mountains as they are called in Romanian language, 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.

Today’s ride is going to be an excellent adrenaline full warmup for this great 2 Wheels Adventure. The tracks we have selected are ranging from remote secondary roads to constantly twisting and turning mountain roads, following the mountains valleys, or snaking up and down over the scenic meadows of to the West Carpathian Mountains, a total delight for every motorcycle rider. The scenery is going to be mind-blowing.

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 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.

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 3 CLUJ NAPOCA – TRANSURSOAIA PASS ROAD – HUNEDOARA (274km / 170mi)

Enjoy your breakfast, check out and join your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager for another sensational ride in the West Carpathian Mountains.

You better warm up your tires right away after we will escape the morning traffic in Cluj-Napoca, as we will start the day in full power, with a spectacular ascend on a road snaking uphill in never-ending turns and twits, through the forests, the slopes of the West Carpathian Mountains.

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.

After a well-deserved lunch break, we will continue riding along the mountain roads snaking through an incredible scenery, following the valleys of the mountains, at times climbing mildly over the scenic meadows, some other times steeply descending in serpentines the mountain slopes. The adrenalin full twist and turns will be a delight and will make the ride, a memorable one.

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 overnight in Hunedoara.

DAY 4 HUNEDOARA – WEST CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS – TRANSYLVANIAN HIGHLANDS – SIGHIȘOARA (272km / 169mi)

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 and the Transylvanian Highlands.

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

The winding mountain roads we have selected in the West Carpathian Mountains for this morning ride, are snaking through an incredible scenery, following the valleys of the mountains, crossing here and then river gorges, occasionally climbing mildly over the scenic meadows, spiced up with plenty of twist and turns. The morning ride is going to totally delight you and it is the riding highlight of the day. Here and then we are going to stop for enjoying the spectacular scenery.

At lunch time we are going to reach Alba Iulia, 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, or stretch your legs while having a quick stroll in on of the landmarks of the city, the 18th century Vauban Citadel, the largest military architectural complex of this type in Southeastern Europe. If we manage to arrive at sharp noon time, we will have the opportunity to have our stop being animated by the Citadel’s Changing of the Guard ceremony.

Following, you will enjoy a relaxed ride along traffic free secondary countryside roads, 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.

During the afternoon we will be riding through the picturesque Transylvanian Saxon villages, considered to be one of Europe’s largest medieval landscapes. Inhabited in the 12th and 13th centuries by German colonists, invited to settle down over here by the Hungarian King, this villages have remained since many centuries unchanged in structure and very often in size as well. They are home to over hundred medieval fortified churches, seven of them being on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Many local, but also international foundations and NGOs are putting a lot of effort and a high priority in preserving, the cultural heritage, the authenticity, and the natural landscape of this area.

 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. Overnight in Sighișoara.

DAY 5 SIGHIȘOARA – BICAZ GORGE – CÂMPULUNG MOLDOVENESC (315km / 195.7mi)

Enjoy your breakfast, check out and join your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager for a sensational riding day in the East Carpathian Mountains.

During the morning 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 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.

The adrenaline kick is going to increase more and more, once we will slowly leave Transylvania behind us, and start ascending towards the Red Lake, enjoying the turns, the hairpins, and the incredibly panoramic lookout points.

During a well-deserved lunch break you will find out the legends going around the Red Lake the only natural storage lake in Romania which formed after a big landslide.

After lunch, get ready for the riding highlight of the day, the 55km / 34.1mi long Bicaz Pass Road, one of the most spectacular roads in Romania, on which we are going to cross again the East Carpathian Mountains, for getting back in Transylvania. The most impressive part of the pass road is going to be the 8 km / 4.97mi long section on which the road twists and turns in serpentines, steeply downhill through the stunning Bicaz Gorge, cutting its way through 300m/984ft high limestone cliffs, which are rising right from the edges of the road. There are sections on which you will get the impression that the gorge is “closing” above you, at some points where the road runs beneath overhanging cliffs,  like for instance at the “Hells Neck” (Gâtul Iadului).

The road widens up, once we will ride along the shores of one of the largest artificial lakes in Romania, which superbly reflects in sunny days the mighty Ceahlău Mountain.

The grand finale of the day is going to be delivered by a 44km / 27mi long recently asphalted secondary road which is impressively snaking through the valleys and forests of the East Carpathian Mountains. The adrenaline boost you will get on it is going to be memorable.

We will spend the night over in Bucovina, another authentic historical region of Romania, mostly known for its picturesque landscape and the UNESCO designated medieval outside painted monasteries, built in the late 15th to the late 16th centuries. The region is rich in history, ancient traditions, and customs. The craftsmen are preserving the traditions handed over from generation to generation. Masks, traditional costumes, painted eggs, carved wooden objects, embroideries and carpets are still part of daily life.

Hotel check-in in Câmpulung Moldovenesc at an excellent rated hotel with swimming pool and spa facilities, an excellent opportunity for you to unwind after such an adrenaline full riding day and enjoy the famous local hospitality, as well as the delicious traditional cuisine. Dinner at the hotel and overnight in Câmpulung Moldovenesc.

DAY 6 CÂMPULUNG MOLDOVENESC – TRANSRARĂU PASS ROAD – PRISLOP & GUTÂI PASS – BAIA MARE (273km / 169,3mi)

 This morning is time to check out again after enjoying breakfast. Your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager is meeting you at the bikes, a spectacular riding day awaits you.

Today you are going to be hit by an incredible adrenaline boost while riding the twists and turns of three spectacular passes of the East Carpathian Mountains.

You better warm up your tires right away, as we will start the day with full power by reaching the Transrarău Pass Road soon after departing the hotel. The “Treasures Road” as it is also called, is considered the third most beautiful alpine road of Romania. Crossing the Rarău Mountain on a length of 26 km/16mi, climbing up to an elevation of 1.400 m/4593ft, the narrowness of the road and the sharp hairpins, will give you the impression that you are riding on one of the pass roads of the Alps. The scenery is going to be spectacular, don’t get lured though, as the extremely narrow and sharp bends will require your entire focus and riding skills.

Following we will get slowly ready to leave Bucovina behind us, by relaxing a bit the pace while riding through some picturesque villages. Soon it is going to be though the time to speed up again the pace and enjoy the adrenaline full ride on the turns and twist of the 70km / 43mi long Prislop Pass Road, the highest road of the East Carpathian Mountains, which is winding up to an elevation of 1.416m / 4,646ft. You should take your time though to enjoy the spectacular scenery as well, as the pass road is surrounded by mountain picks going over 2000m / 6561ft in elevation.

Once you have descended the western side of the Prislop Pass, slow down and catch your breath, it will be a total delight to ride through the incredibly picturesque historical region of Maramureș, one of the most authentic regions of Romania. It is a place where time seems to have stopped, where century-old traditions are still part of daily life, a region where the rural culture, the ancestral customs and crafts have been carefully preserved, being passed from generation to generation.

As more than half of the region is still covered with woodlands, the local craftsmanship has used wood since time immemorial, for building their houses and churches, as well as for their ancestral artwork. Maramureș, is identifying itself with woodworking and woodcarving, best represented by the impressive architecture of centuries old, unique wooden churches with tall spires and shingled roofs, many of them being UNESCO designated sites, or by the carved wooden gates decorated with ancestral geometrical and vegetal symbols.

Short before calling off the riding day, we will ride along secondary countryside roads, crossing picturesque villages to reach the Gutâi Pass Road. With its 28.5km / 17.7mi of serpentines and sharp hairpins, the Gutâi Pass Road is snaking up to an elevation of 993m / 3,257ft offering spectacular views over endless forests.

Hotel check-in in Baia Mare at an excellent rated hotel with swimming pool and spa facilities, an excellent opportunity for you to unwind and relax after such a demanding riding day. Dinner at the hotel and overnight in Baia Mare.

DAY 7 BAIA MARE – ORADEA (266km / 165mi)

Enjoy your breakfast, check out and join your 2 Wheels Adventure Manager for a last riding day in Transylvania.

During the morning we will follow scenic countryside roads crossing picturesque villages in the western part of the Maramureș Region. Here and then you will have the chance to treat yourselves with enjoyable adrenaline kicks on the twisting sections of the roads.

Our lunch break is planned, to your surprise, at a Slovakian restaurant, surrounded by an idyllic scenery, in the vicinity of few villages inhabited by a large Slovakian community. Their ancestors were broth here in the 19th century as workers at the glass factories in the area.

After having the opportunity to treat yourselves with the traditional specialties of the Slovakian cuisine, a memorable adrenaline kick awaits you, as we are going to ride a spectacularly twisting and turning secondary road that goes mildly up and down over the relatively low northern outskirts of the West Carpathian Mountains. Although you will tend to increase the pace, for getting the maximum adrenaline boost out of the ride, don’t forget to slow down from time to time and enjoy the spectacular scenery.

After checking in at an excellent rated hotel in Oradea and getting refreshed, you will meet a local expert cultural guide who will take you on a guided walk through the historical downtown.

Oradea is an old hub of many European trade routes with an impressive history. You will discover a welcoming and vibrant city, which will surprise you with a stunning architectural mix of beautifully restored Art Nouveau buildings displayed harmoniously across the city, among secession, baroque, and medieval architecture.

In the Unirii Square, after having spotted some of the must-see attractions like the Baroque Moon Church, and the “Black Eagle” Palace, the most representative Art Nouveau monument of Oradea and Transylvania we will follow the cities recommendation, made on its official webpage, and we will take a seat on a terrace of one of the cozy cafés, and we will simply ” enjoy the moment”.

It is going to be you to decide if getting back to the hotel after the guided stroll or rather extending the “enjoyment of the moment” at the terrasses until we will be gathering for the farewell dinner in the evening.

The Farewell Dinner is going to an excellent opportunity to celebrate the completion of this spectacular 2 Wheels Transylvania Discovery Adventure. Overnight in Oradea.

DAY 8 ORADEA DEPARTURE DAY

Enjoy your breakfast and check out, today is time to say goodbye to the 2 Wheels Adventures Team, which is going to join you though for a short last ride to the border crossing between Romania and Hungary. Have a safe ride to your homes!