Romania 2019

El Capitano

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We're thinking of a trip to Romania next September, route based on advice gleaned from this forum, but would appreciate some advice from those of you who've been there and done that.

We are planning two nights in Sibiu with a pannier free day doing the Transfăgărășan which we'll approach from the North - would you

a) Ride as far as the lake (reservoir?) turn around and do the northern bit again in the other direction?

or

b) Ride down as far as Curtea, across to Ramnicu then back to Sibiu via the 7?

Any advice gratefully received.

We'll be riding the Trans Alpina to get to Sibiu.
 
Done Romania a couple of times...superb. Was on four wheels though so won’t comment on biking roads.

Sibiu is a lovely place and as is the rest of Romania, great value for money.

Top tip. Check the dates you are going and avoid Romanian public holidays. The roads (especially the famous ones) are logjammed.
 
We're thinking of a trip to Romania next September, route based on advice gleaned from this forum, but would appreciate some advice from those of you who've been there and done that.

We are planning two nights in Sibiu with a pannier free day doing the Transfăgărășan which we'll approach from the North - would you

a) Ride as far as the lake (reservoir?) turn around and do the northern bit again in the other direction?

or

b) Ride down as far as Curtea, across to Ramnicu then back to Sibiu via the 7?

Any advice gratefully received.

We'll be riding the Trans Alpina to get to Sibiu.

I plan to go there, and do the two passes too, in July then head on to the Black Sea (because it's there) then back into Italy, etc.

I'll probably have a night in Sibiu too, or maybe Sebes, as I here they're both nice.

I'm sure you'll get loads of good info. here but I'll update you after my return if anything particular seems relevant.
 
We're thinking of a trip to Romania next September, route based on advice gleaned from this forum, but would appreciate some advice from those of you who've been there and done that.

We are planning two nights in Sibiu with a pannier free day doing the Transfăgărășan which we'll approach from the North - would you

a) Ride as far as the lake (reservoir?) turn around and do the northern bit again in the other direction?

or

b) Ride down as far as Curtea, across to Ramnicu then back to Sibiu via the 7?

Any advice gratefully received.

We'll be riding the Trans Alpina to get to Sibiu.

That's not a bad plan. Ride as far as time allows down the south side then turn and enjoy the views and road back up and then down towards Sibiu...the road is disintegrating further south and route 7 is tedious !
 
I plan to go there, and do the two passes too, in July then head on to the Black Sea (because it's there) then back into Italy, etc.

I'll probably have a night in Sibiu too, or maybe Sebes, as I here they're both nice. Can

I'm sure you'll get loads of good info. here but I'll update you after my return if anything particular seems relevant.
July can be very very hot
 
While you are there think about the transalpina, you can't go there and not rode it too, superb road, tight and twisty in the north, high and flowing with a lot of hairpins in the south,
I'd ride the transfagarasen in both directions, it looks totally different each way,, when you leave do the transalpina to the south and then follow the Danube up to Hungary or go via Serbia and Croatia, its stunning down there,



Doh, I missed your last comment , please ignore,
 
I’ve been a couple of times and stopped in Sebes which is convenient for both the Transalpina and the Transfagarasan. A good way to do the Transalpina is to go north to south then loop round and use the 66 back up to Petroseni which has been fully resurfaced and follows a very twisty route by a river then use the unmade road (7A) back across to the northern part of the 67C past the lakes and back down into Sebes.
 
Thanks for all of your suggestions, I think we’ll do the Transfăgărășan down to the lake and then turn around and head back to Sibiu for beer.

I’ve checked the Romanian public holidays - great suggestion by the way - and there aren’t any in September so that’s good.

Khulu - please do let me know your thoughts when you get back from your trip.

We’re coming into Romania from Budapest so we’re a bit too far north to follow the Danube - basically we’re following Donnie’s route as far as Sibiu.

AndyB_11 - unfortunately we’re doing the Transalpina south to north but would you do the southern section of the Transalpina or would you take the 66 and 7A?
 
AndyB_11 - unfortunately we’re doing the Transalpina south to north but would you do the southern section of the Transalpina or would you take the 66 and 7A?

The southern section is the Transalpina and the part with the most hairpins will be the last part of it the way you’re going. I like the 67C north of the 7A because to me it flows a lot more rather than being tight but it’s not got the altitude you hit south of the 7A.

If I had to drop part of my suggested loop it’d be the 66 and 7A because the traffic will be heavier though dropping riding through miles of steeply banked river gorge/valley is never an easy decision. You’ll have fun no matter what you do though another suggestion for your day on the Transfagarasan would be to turn off after the dam and go east to Pitesti before heading north to Brasov for a quick afternoon tea then return to Sibiu for those beers.

Whatever you choose you’ll wish you had another week to do more and you soon be planning a return trip. Last time I went I had a couple of unplanned days in Kekskemet which is only an hour south of Budapest and really nice but that’s because I’d done Budapest to death when I used to crew change there when working in Kazakstan. A lot depends on your route from home because I live 100 miles from Harwich so I can leave home after tea, catch the ferry to the Hoek then be in Poland or the Cz Rep the next evening giving me a wide range of options from there onwards.
 
Great, we’ll stick with the southern section of the Transalpina then.

We were originally going via Brasov after the Transfagarasan but that would make the mileage for the day too high - it was originally supposed to be a day off!

We are going via the Hull ferry, probably to Rotterdam as we’re getting the Motorail from Düsseldorf to Villach. Coming back via Krakow, Colditz, Harz and Prum.

I can already see that we need more time in Romania but even though we’re all retired there is still a SWMBO limit for most of us!
 
You’ll enjoy Krakow, the old part of the city is really nice to wander around and there are loads of decent bars/restaurants around the town square. Check the times of tours at Colditz if you want to take a guided tour because if you narrowly miss one there’s not a lot to do after you’ve had an ice cream in the square below the Castle.


Enjoy the trip, Romania is an eye opener and today’s top tip is to update your satnav so it shows the ‘new’ toll road because it’s free for bikes and avoids some horrendous long term road works and the associated congestion :thumb2
 
I haven't been to Krakow before so I'm looking forward to it. One of our group has been a couple of times so he's our official tour guide.

That's another good tip about Colditz, the two hour trip looks good so I'll try and pre-book it. We'll have to get up early enough to make sure we get there on time. Our route from Krakow to Colditz isn't set in stone but we're allowing two and a half days for it.

I've checked my sat nav map includes all the countries we're going to visit but TomTom no longer support my ancient device so, although the map is fairly recent, I can't update it any more. Which toll road is the 'new' one?
 
The A1 is the toll road I used and it made my journey across Romania last year a lot simpler than the year before when I was snarled up in road works that were nothing short of nerve wracking if you wanted to make decent progress.

If you’re looking for another potential idea in the Colditz area then Augustusburg Castle has an outstanding motorbike museum if you like old 2 strokes and are interested in 2 stroke racing history, in particular the sneaky theft of the good parts by Suzuki.

https://www.die-sehenswerten-drei.de/en/Augustusburg/Museums/Motorcycle-Museum_2276.html

If you ask for a translation Wapping will verbally kick your arse for not using Google Chrome :D
 
I’ve got the A1 on my sat nav so we’re good.

Luckily when I’ve clicked the link on an iPad the website is in English so I don’t have to ask for a kicking! Not sure that we’ll have time to visit even though it looks really good. Another one for next time!
 
Thanks for the clarification re the Rovineta, I’d checked the website but it wasn’t completely clear to me that bikes were exempt - it just didn’t mention them at all!

I’ve read vRSG60’s thread about Hungarian vignettes and, as they’re so cheap, we’re going to arrange them in advance just in case we need to jump on to make up time.

Our route through Austria avoids the motorways.
 
Romania 2013 - crowded ?

Seems as though Romania will be crowded this Autumn. I'm planning a circuit with a mate during early September, 1150gs and 1200gs. Proposed route is Harwich - Hook (we live in East Anglia) then Wurtzburg, Vienna, Budapest (2 nights) Sibiu (4 nights), Piatra Neamt (2 nights) Satu Mare, Krakow (see you all there), Leipzig or Dresden, Utrecht then back on a day sailing from Hook.

Hopefully this will give time to see a little of Budapest, the Tranfagarasian and Transalpina, Brasov and of course Sibiu itself, then the monasteries in Bucovina. Hope the bears aren't too hungry.

I have a feeling we shall come back realising how much we have missed or glossed over, but as I'll be 74 this year and still working it's a matter of doing what I can. I've done Russia, the Baltics, much of Europe and a bit of Morocco, but every trip leaves you realising how much more there is to see, how many more people there are to meet. Need to find some time for Bulgaria/Turkey/Greece and Balkans if I'm spared.

I've done most of my travelling on a '96 1100RT which after 100K miles my Son is now running in for me. Had a Vstrom 650 for a year or two (great, but not a BM), and now I have a GS (despite being of the short persuasion) I understand why there are so many about. Wish I'd had one years ago.

Barley-Mow
 
Barley Mow - a good decision it is a good country and I would consider planning a stop in Brasov, and or one of the Saxon Villages near Sighisoara ( Viscri or Saschiz) . Sibiu is nice but Brasov has more character. If you need any advice send me a PM and we can arrange a time to talk ..... I wont be around unfortunately as I am working out in Cambodia, but Brasov is now my long term home.

And for the next run - definetly recommend the Balkans - Serbia and BiH are must do countries.

Gavin
 


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