Cycle Romania
Experience Overview
Cycle through the heart of the Transylvanian Alps and step back in time; exploring beautiful unspoilt countryside, medieval towns, imposing castles and warm hospitality.
Bran and Peles Castles - Atmospheric medieval and neo-renaissance castles
Sighisoara - Discover this beautiful UNESCO listed medieval town
Bucharest - Explore Romania's capital city
Highlights
Cycle through the heart of the beautiful Transylvanian Alps and step back in time|Discover Bran and Peles - ornately decorated Medieval and Neo-renaissance castles|Stay in the capital Bucharest, known in the 1930s as the Paris of the East
Trip Details
Product Code: 20366
Tour Type: Small Group
Accommodation: Moderate
Transport: BusBicycle
Guide Language: English
Tour Operator:
Explore Worldwide
Supplier Code: CRT
Starts: Romania
Finishes: Romania
Duration: 9 days
Departures: Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
- Explore Tour Leader
- Driver(s)
Accommodation
- Hotel Minerva
- Casa Zada Guest House
- Casa Moga Bucium
- Hotel Hanul Patrisiei
- Hotel MyContinental
- Pensiunea Elisabeta
- Hotel Bulevard
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $2,520 ($280 /day)
Itinerary
Our trip begins in Bucharest - Romania's largest city and capital since 1832. It has gone through a period of urban renewal and modernisation and is now a bustling city, at the centre of Romanian culture, art and media. Our Leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 6pm and for those that wish, there is the chance to go out for dinner. Due to a number of flights arriving into Bucharest later in the evening, our welcome meeting will take place on the morning of day two. There are no activities planned today, so you are free to arrive in Bucharest at any time. If you would like an airport transfer today, you will need to arrive into Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport (OTP), which is a 30-minute drive from the city centre. If you have free time on arrival then there's plenty to discover in the city's old town or there's a multitude of museums available to choose from including the National Museum of Romanian History, the Military Museum and the Folk Art Museum, to name but a few.
After breakfast our Tour Leader will conduct an introductory briefing, after which we go on a city tour of Bucharest. A remarkable blend of turn-of-the-century elegance and distinctive Communist architecture can be observed and much of the old city was destroyed in the soviet era. We visit the old quarter of the city to see some of the buildings that earned it the reputation as the Paris of Eastern Europe and see the Palace of Parliament; the magnificent but blatantly excessive palace of ex-President Ceausescu. Leaving Bucharest we drive (3hrs) to Bran for our included visit to the castle (known as Dracula's Castle). Perched on a crag in a valley between two high mountain ranges, the castle controlled an important trade route, but it is now a rural backwater. After our tour, we make our way the short distance to our guesthouse in Moieciu, located on the eastern side of the Piatra Craiului mountains. Time permitting we plan to do the bike distribution and fitting after check in, with time to get familiar with the bike.
Today is our first full day in the saddle. We start cycling on the edge of Piatra Craiului National Park along a beautiful forest valley. Then we cycle mainly downhill with spectacular views of the Transylvanian Alps to Bucium, we were spend the night. On the way, there is the option to stop at a wooden flourmill and Roman monastery, which gives an insight of how life would have been in days gone by. Your total cycling distance today is approximately 55 kilometre/34.1 miles, with about 395 metres/1295 feet total ascent and 525 metres/1722 feet descent.
Today we continue cycling with great views of the Fagaras Mountains - the longest, highest ridge of the Carpathian Mountain range. Stopping for our picnic, we visit the ancient water barrel whirlpools, traditionally used for felting cloth and washing large fabrics. In the afternoon we plan to visit the Romanian Orthodox Sambata Monastery, dedicated to the Domitian of the Virgin Mary. Continuing by bike along the valley, we pass through Arpasu to our final destination in Cartisoara. Your total cycling distance today is approximately 53 Kilometre/32.9 miles, with about 340 metres/1115 feet total ascent and 150 metres/492 feet descent.
Departing Albota on our bikes, we cross the plain to join the river and then use gravel tracks to follow the watercourse. Passing villages, dams and herds of water buffalo, we arrive in Avrig to visit the 18th century Orangerie and the park of the summer residence of the former governor of Transylvania. Today's ride ends in Talmaciu, we then drive by bus (30 minutes) to the city of Sibiu for a walking tour that takes in the 15th century city walls and bastion fortifications. Sibiu is known as the red city due to its brick construction and is the most fortified town in the Principality of Transylvania. We then check into our accommodation. Your total cycling distance today is approximately 55 kilometre/34.1 miles, with about 120 metres/393 feet total ascent and 160 metres/524 feet descent.
After a short drive this morning, we arrive in Carta, an area in which time seems to have stood still. The farmers here still use traditional methods including scythes and sickles to farm their land and horse drawn wagons to move their hay. We visit the ancient church and ruins of an old Cistercian Abbey. Back on the bikes, we cycle into the Hartibaciu Valley through local villages. Passing Agnita, where the fortified church still hides a few secrets from its shady past, there is a final hill climb to arrive at our accommodation for the night in a rural location some 3 kilometre/1.8 miles outside Agnita. Your total cycling distance today is approximately 38 kilometre/23.6 miles , with about 385 metres/1263 feet total ascent and 220 metres/721 feet descent.
For our final day on the bikes you have the option to make an early start and cycle (37 kilometre/22.9 miles ) to Biertan. The bus will drive to Biertan with those clients who prefer not to ride this section. There is time for an optional guided visit of the UNESCO-listed 15th century fortified church in Biertan. From here we ride to Sighisoara. Upon arrival we check in to our hotel and the rest of the day is left free to allow exploration of the town on foot. The UNESCO protected castle is thought to be one of the largest lived-in castle in Europe and other sites include the old town fortifications, the Church on the Hill, covered stairs and the clock tower. Your total cycling distance today is approximately 37 kilometre/22.9 miles , with about 450 metres/1476 feet total ascent and 505 metres/1656 feet descent. A further 37 kilometre/22.9 miles optional cycling is possible.
Today we drive to Bucharest, a journey of about 6 hours but we will make plenty of stops including the wonderful Peles Castle. Built for the Hohenzollern monarch Carol I, Peles resembles a Bavarian chateau and is richly decorated with stained glass, Persian carpets, Renaissance weapons, ebony and mother of pearl. Our journey ends back in the capital. We spend our last night in Romania here and reflect on a great week of cycling in Transylvania before heading home in the morning.
There are no activities planned today, so you are free to depart from Bucharest at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you would like an airport transfer today, you need to depart from Henri Coanda International Airport (OTP), which is 30-minute drive from the hotel.
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Tour Operator
Explore Worldwide
A prominent adventure travel company with over four decades of experience, this business that offers a comprehensive array of unique and thrilling experiences worldwide. Catering to various interests, they provide small group journeys, walking and cycling trips, solo holidays, and family adventures.
In Business Since 1981
Reviews
Christine Harris - Traveled, June 2025
Apologies this is a little late ! To have Raz as our Leader , made the Holiday , he seemed to work 24/7 to make everything so memorable for us ! Raz was supportive , always put safety first , so knowledgeable about his country’s history . Always so happy to sort any problems with the bikes . A Great Team player & always cheerful ( not sure he managed to get adequate sleep ) ! Raz & Jo made the most perfect team & together these guys made our Holiday so special ! Thank you.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/18/2025
Crystal - Traveled, May 2025
Romania surprised me in many good ways, sufficient infrastructures, kind people and beautiful landscapes, and what can be better than experiencing all these on two wheels! Speaking of the crew, Raz and Geo, what a dream team! They led us to the most enjoyable itinerary and kept everyone safe and sound. They had done an up and beyond job accommodating everyone’s needs, at all time, and that’s not a small thing given 11 of us with wide range of fitness and physical capability. Highly recommend people come to see Romania and do it on two wheels.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/23/2025
Rita - Traveled, September 2024
This was a really enjoyable trip to be recommended. I only have a few bits of advice: If you do not qualify for a transfer, order an Uber from the Airport. The taxi ride to the hotel should have been about 70 Leu (£12), but we were quoted 200 Leu from the yellow cabs immediately at the exit from arrivals. We walked out further and agreed on 100 Leu with another driver. This escalated to 180 Leu when we arrived at the hotel, which we felt we had to pay. Ask for an official receipt or even get the hotel reception to help before paying. Raz, our tour leader said this is a great tactic, and may persuade your driver not to rip you off. Apart from that issue this was a great trip, Raz and Geo were totally committed in making this the best possible experience for us and nothing was too much trouble. Raz knew a lot about his country and was very keen to share as much as possible with us. The bikes after a few minor tweaks were good and suited to the changes in terrain that we encountered. The mileage suggested in the itinerary is slightly short of what we actually did, particularly on day 2 where we logged around 42 miles, but there is always the option to take the bus if you feel that it’s too much. The accommodation throughout the trip was generally of a good standard, some of the plumbing was “interesting” and we did have a couple of flooded bathrooms, but it was really more a source of amusement than annoyance as the trip progressed. The hotel on the Thursday night was still being finished, however the staff were very keen to try and resolve any issues for us. The itinerary was good and we visited some beautiful Romanian towns and enjoyed some good food at very reasonable prices. If you have the time available to spend an extra day or two in Bucharest, there’s plenty to see, but make sure that you book tours of the popular sights in advance, or you may not get in. In summary a great trip to be recommended.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/16/2024
Gill - Traveled, August 2024
Both the Driver Geo & Raz provided an excellent service. They were encouraging & supportive given I was nervous about cycling on the road. Could not recommend them highly enough.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/10/2024
Jessica - Traveled, August 2024
Had a really lovely week cycling in Romania. Our guide Raz was great and really cared about making sure we had a great experience and was really knowledgeable and worked hard to make sure everything ran well and everyone was happy. Our driver Geo was also such a lovely guy and worked so hard looking after the bikes and couldn’t do enough for us to make sure we had everything we needed:) The scenery was beautiful and it was great to see the local culture and traditions and it was so interesting to learn about the history as well as having some great cycle rides :) another bonus was a lot of included meals so we could taste the local dishes. I was really impressed and would thoroughly recommend:)
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/14/2024
Anonymous - Traveled, September 2024
This was a really varied and well-balanced trip with a well informed leader. The size of the group (8) was ideal. The reason for hesitation about accommodation is the accommodation for the Thursday night was basically a building site and everyone thought the breakfast was inadequate too. That apart, this was a trip I would recommend to anyone, and which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/13/2024
Jennifer - Traveled, May 2024
Loved our cycle trip to Romania. A fascinating itinerary, decent bikes and superb leader Raz and driver Geo. We learned about the history and culture and saw great scenery. Enjoyed the food too.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/10/2024
Kathleen - Traveled, May 2024
We had an excellent cycle tour in Romania. The tour was extremely well planned and executed. Our tour leader Raz and driver Geo were a terrific team, they looked after us very well. Bikes, accommodation, food etc were very good, and the weather was good too!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/12/2024
Anonymous - Traveled, May 2024
Raz was an excellent tour leader who really knew his stuff.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/11/2024
Richard - Traveled, May 2024
Ended up with two tour leaders, who were like chalk and cheese. using local people is a good idea, but the 1st guide did not speak much English. The 2nd and probably the boss did and fortunately stayed with the group realising things were going to go wrong. Better if this was sorted out before the tour.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/12/2024
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