I've been on quite a few Exodus walking and cycling trips and this has to have been the best... Penny Poulin, 2018 See more reviews
A wonderful trip exploring very rural parts of Transylvania - varying terrain - some stretches of... Barbara Elliston, 2018 See more reviews
A wonderful trip exploring very rural parts of Transylvania - varying terrain - some stretches of... Barbara Elliston, 2018 See more reviews
This is our 6th cycling trip with Exodus and it is one of the best. The route was wonderful with... Laura Knapp, 2018 See more reviews
This was my first trip with Exodus and bike tour - but not my last. And I can only recommend it... Patricia H, 2018 See more reviews
Just got back from an amazing week of cycling in this lovely country. Our leaders, Tudor and... Paula Walker, 2018 See more reviews
really truly surprising place quiet unspoilt clean friendly , good wi fi , mobile phone and yet... J T, 2018 See more reviews
Very good trip. The rides were through a variety of terrain and landscapes. On the first few... Roger Pattenden, 2017 See more reviews
Itinerary Expand all Day 1 Start Bucharest. Start Bucharest; upon arrival we will be greeted by an Exodus leader and transferred out of Bucharest to the small town of Vulcan in Brasov Country, Transylvania. This transfer is roughly three hours long but will be broken up with a short break en route.Comfortable guest house Meals included: Dinner Day 2 Ride to Bucium, stopping at Ohaba flower mill en route After breakfast we set up the bikes and start our ride with a lovely stretch of flat road with an amazing view of the snow covered peaks of the Bucegi Mountains as we pass through the town of Zarnesti. Today we visit the oldest flour mill in Romania which is still powered by the river that runs past it; we will hear the amazing story of how it has survived through the communism period before continuing our ride to Bucium. If the weather is good we will make a detour to a worship cave, were Romanian ancestors were praying to Zalmoxis. Zalmoxis was the supreme God of the Dacian people inhabiting these lands 200 years ago. The only important information concerning this enigmatic god is the text of Herodotus: “The scholars have interpreted Zalmoxis as a Sky-god, a god of the dead, a Mystery-god”. Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 3 Cycle to Carta at the foot of the Fagaras Mountains. We start today's ride by heading to the small village of Lisa where a 100 year old machine tailoring woollen blanket is still operational. Here we will take a tour around the wool mill and see a demonstration of how they still make woollen blankets and clothes. We then cycle through the town of Victoria and from there to the village of Cartisoara ("little Carta") or Carta itself, where we visit the ruins of the Cistercian Monastery and have the opportunity to meet the pastor and hear his beautiful stories. The ridge of the Fagaras mountains, the highest Romanian mountain range, will delight us the entire day!Possible detour to Sambata Monastery, + 10kmPlease note that on some departures our groups stay in the town of Cartisoara and will visit the Monastery in Carta on day 4. Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 4 Cycle to Biertan; visit the UNESCO church. Today’s ride starts with a crossing of the river Olt and continues along quiet country roads, we cycle through pastoral landscapes and past the fortified church of Richis as we make our way towards Biertan. Once in Biertan we will have a tour of the enormous fortified church with several spiralling towers and ring-walls, the church has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993 and is a fascinating place to visit. Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 5 Visit the fascinating Citadel of Sighisoara. Today we have a beautiful ride through the countryside and remote villages of Transylvania. We will cycle along the river Tarnava Mare and past hop fields. The destination for this evening is a real treat: Sighisoara, one of the few medieval citadels in Europe that is still fully inhabited and also included on the list of UNESCO world heritage sites. Here we have the whole afternoon free to discover the old town with its famous clock tower, medieval streets and the house where Vlad Dracul, the father of Vlad the Impaler was born. Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Day 6 Cycle trough quaint villages and past shepherds to Soars. Today’s ride follows a lovely quiet country road through the Transylvanian hills to Apold Village where we look around the fascinating old town before getting back on the bikes to continue our ride through small farming towns and past Shepherds watching over their sheep. Bradeni church will be our lovely lunch spot where once again we will discover a different particularity of the Saxon traditions. Today’s ride ends in the small town of Soars; here our accommodation will be split over four small family houses. This is a great opportunity to experience real Romanian life and get to know your hosts. Today’s evening meal is eaten as a group at the largest guesthouse house and will be a traditional Romanian meal cooked by the family. Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 7 Cycle to Viscri; explore the town and fortified church. After breakfast we hop on the bikes and leave Soars. The day starts with a short climb through the forest before a lovely stretch of road through several small towns before arriving in Viscri. Here we have the opportunity to explore this lovely old town as well as visit Viscri’s well-known fortified church and meet the brick maker and blacksmiths who helped restore the building. The church was restored with the help of the Prince Charles foundation in 1991 and is now regarded as one of the best examples of a fortified church anywhere in the world. There will be plenty of time to fully explore Viscri as we stay in the centre of town. Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 8 Morning transfer to Bran Castle for a tour; transfer to Bucharest. After breakfast we have a private transfer to Bran Castle, situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. Here we take a tour around this spectacular building which has become known as 'Dracula’s Castle'. Inside there are displays of art and furniture collected by Queen Marie and the grounds feature a small open air museum displaying Romanian peasant structures. After exploring the castle and grounds we hop back in the vehicle and continue our journey to Bucharest. The afternoon is free to explore Bucharest and we can go out for a final meal as a group. Please note. Bran Castle is an extremely popular tourist destination and can be very busy. Therefore our local guide will give the option to either visit Bran Castle (as stated above) or make a quick stop to see the castle from the outside before transferring to the spectacular though less well known Peles Castle for a tour. Meals included: Breakfast Day 9 The tour ends in Bucharest. After breakfast we have most of the day to explore Bucharest; we can wonder the old streets and do some last minute shopping or visit some of the fascinating old museums and Palaces before the trip ends here. Meals included: Breakfast
Guesthouses and hotels For the majority of the tour we stay in guesthouses and family owned B&B’s, all the buildings are very well kept, clean, comfortable and are truly one-off places to stay. These old buildings were never designed to be hotels, this means that a very limited number of single rooms are available and only on some nights. In some locations, bathrooms will need to be shared between a maximum of two rooms. Our hotel in Bucharest is a modern building with good facilities located in the city centre. Single supplement available on 5 nights (Days 1, 2, 5, 7, 8; limited availability)
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Reviewed January 2019 Elizabeth Murphy Trip: Cycle Romania Biking in Transylvania Thoroughly enjoyed the trip What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Enjoyed every day What did you think of your group leader? Great! Is there anything else you would like to add? Bottled water should be provided on a daily basis as I was not willing to drink the water from the tap. When I did ask, the water was provided.
Reviewed September 2018 Penny Poulin Trip: Cycle Romania Cycle Romania I've been on quite a few Exodus walking and cycling trips and this has to have been the best so far This was down to several reasons. Firstly Romania is a beautiful country and the tour took us though some of the most scenic areas . Our guides Cristina and Liviu were fabulous. Knowledgeable about their country and relaxed and fun to be with. We stayed at some wonderful out of the way places and our hosts and food were exceptional. The group was the best! We laughed so much and we all felt we had found 13 new friends by the end. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Meeting the local people with a love for their country and a willingness to share with us their amazing hospitality What did you think of your group leader? Both Cristina and Liviu get full marks We all fell in love with both of them Do you have any advice for potential travellers? This is very much a"get close to the real Romania" trip so make the most of it Dont drink the water!!! Is there anything else you would like to add? The last day was a bit of an anticlimax as it involved a long bus transfer with a couple of stops at Vlads casle and another palace. Very busy with tourists and not really enjoyed by any of us I dont think We had so enjoyed the quiet solitude of the country I would have preferred a direct ride to Bucharest and then a slightly longer walk about before our last dinner
Reviewed September 2018 Barbara Elliston Trip: Cycle Romania Cycle Romania A wonderful trip exploring very rural parts of Transylvania - varying terrain - some stretches of unmade roads. Beautiful scenery and interesting visits to Monasteries and fortified Churches. No problem with the bicycles provided. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Cycling through very rural parts. Meeting up with friendly hosts at the overnight stays in the towns and experiencing some of their culture and food. What did you think of your group leader? Very good and knowledgeable and able to cope with all eventualities. The driver of the van was also very knowledgeable and very helpful moving luggage, mechanical issue with the bicycles and providing refreshments. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Not many places to get cash out of machines so make sure you have enough. Is there anything else you would like to add? Although it was interesting seeing the outside of both Bran and Peles Castles and hearing about the history we did encounter a lot of traffic as it is a very touristy area and after the relative solitude of the tour I am not sure whether it should have been included. All the traffic jams meant that we got to the hotel in Bucharest rather late and did not really get chance to explore very much.
Reviewed September 2018 Barbara Elliston Trip: Cycle Romania Cycling in the Transylvania area of Romania A wonderful trip exploring very rural parts of Transylvania - varying terrain - some stretches of unmade roads. Beautiful scenery and interesting visits to Monasteries and fortified Churches. No problem with the bicycles provided. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Cycling through very rural parts. Meeting up with friendly hosts at the overnight stays in the towns and experiencing some of their culture and food. What did you think of your group leader? Very good and knowledgeable and able to cope with all eventualities. The driver of the van was also very knowledgeable and very helpful moving luggage, mechanical issue with the bicycles and providing refreshments. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Not many places to get cash out of machines so make sure you have enough. Is there anything else you would like to add? Although it was interesting seeing the outside of both Bran and Peles Castles and hearing about the history we did encounter a lot of traffic as it is a very touristy area and after the relative solitude of the tour I am not sure whether it should have been included. All the traffic jams meant that we got to the hotel in Bucharest rather late and did not really get chance to explore very much.
Reviewed September 2018 Laura Knapp Trip: Cycle Romania Do this trip soon! Romania is fantastic! This is our 6th cycling trip with Exodus and it is one of the best. The route was wonderful with views of the Carpathians, fields of corn and potatoes and horses pulling carts. We are experienced cyclists and the 3/10 level lets one burn some calories but still leave time to visit monasteries, water-driven flour mills and fortified churches. It was good to know in advance that we might have to share a bathroom (4 times, but it worked out) and that the food is rustic home cooking (great cheese, cured meats, mashed potatoes, lots of tomatoes and cucumbers). Our leader, Tudor, was excellent. Remember to save time to do a free walking tour in Bucharest on the last day. Travel guides say that tourism in Romania is "budding"--do this trip now before the country changes! What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Witnessing the beautiful rural life with an abundance of local crops. Learning the influence of Mongols and Turks, and the Silk Road from China, as this country is so far East. Riding alone on a country road with the yellow flowers all around. What did you think of your group leader? Tudor did an excellent job. He let us bike at our own pace which is very important. He had incredible knowledge and love of the area. Also, he put together a WhatsApp group for us (by individual consent) at the beginning. We could share pictures and get more pictures of ourselves. Why hasn't anyone thought of that before? Our driver, Livio was calm and capable. He would provide snacks such as chocolate from his Communist childhood and tell us the story. Or candy bars with the name of the nearby Fagaras Mountains. Is there anything else you would like to add? Do this trip. Our group is still chatting and sharing pictures in our WhatsApp group because we just don't want to let go of the memories.
Reviewed September 2018 Irene Daniels Trip: Cycle Romania Cycling Romania Brilliant guide Brilliant support driver Brilliant group Fantastic country - mostly in Transylvania Great bike Great accommodation Challenging but very satisfying daily bike rides What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? When one of our group (young female) stopped two galloping horses tied to a cart careering through a small village, even the owners could not stop them and were very impressed What did you think of your group leader? Tudor was first rate; great leader, knew Transylvania's history and geography inside out. Great sense of humour, knew when to be serious and when to be light hearted Great with the slower as well as the quicker cyclists Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Book it! Is there anything else you would like to add? Superb trip
Reviewed August 2018 Patricia H Trip: Cycle Romania Great trip This was my first trip with Exodus and bike tour - but not my last. And I can only recommend it to anyone: a well organised trip, with great guides (Tudor and Liviu - both are always smiling and relaxed but well prepared). Tudor informed us very well of what is ahead and what to expect and Liviu took care of nice coffee and tea brakes (and nuts, chocolate, bananas etc.) waiting for us always in great mood. With both I would go on any trip as I felt well taken care of. And the group itself was nice too. Though I've seen more impressive landscapes n other journeys it was still unique - all the untouched lovely wild meadows everywhere - and the most impressive pottholes I have ever seen :-) ! With the bike the impression is uncomparable: the rustic land life, horses pulling carts and the little villages with old men and women sitting on benches in front of their houses waving with a cheerfull smile. very friendly people and hosts. Though there was a lot of meat it was not only meat - but don't expect to lose weight as you get a lot to eat, and I liked the Romanian Radler, nearly at every guest house you get free wifi. Don't take too much change - everything is cheap and even with tips I ended up with enough change, but as I will come back no problem. By the way: they have new bikes, so well equipped for the tour. But bring your gel saddle and enough sun screen and some mosquito repellent and your camera for lovely photos. I think the trip was more challenging than expected, less due to some gravel roads but with some climbs (e.g. 4 k) in the hot summer heat without any shade (I would recommend going in May or June). What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The visit at the wool mill. And nearly every little village we passed with the bike. After the biking part in Viscri watching the cows, horses and goats coming back from the fields into the village and the visit at the local brick "factory". What did you think of your group leader? Tudor (guide) and Liviu (support car) just great!!!!!! Do you have any advice for potential travellers? (See above and:) have your camera/mobile for photos any time that you don't have to stop to take photos. Be fit, especially for the climbs in the heat, don't underestimate it. Be aware that the guest houses are quite simple but they offer anything you need (always warm water, just be aware that is sometimes the opposite of what is indicated on the regulator), sometimes shared bathrooms and it is not always allowed to throw toilet paper in the toilet. Is there anything else you would like to add? Book this trip! You won't regret it.
Reviewed August 2018 Paula Walker Trip: Cycle Romania Fantastic Just got back from an amazing week of cycling in this lovely country. Our leaders, Tudor and Livio were wonderful, so kind and considerate, so knowledgeable about this history and culture of their country, superb English, they made this trip fun and interesting. The cycling was challenging on varied road surfaces but the scenery, views of the mountains and seeing rustic farming methods, scythes, horses & carts etc more than compensated. At the end of a hot day of cycling Livio was there offering cold beer and watermelon. At each comfort stop he was there with coffee, tea, a sweet from the region and fruit. Nothing was too much trouble. The accommodation was great, very clean and comfortable, and the hosts welcoming. As a vegetarian I was well catered for. I can recommend this holiday. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? In Viscri towards the end of the tour, watching the cows, horses and goats Being herded from the fields down the Main Street and finding their way to their own homes. An amazing sight. I was up at 6:15 the next morning to watch them all emerge from their homes and congregate in the street to away their journey back off to the fields. Each house in Viscr appear to own it’s on cow so there were quite a few. What did you think of your group leader? Tudor was amazing, so very kind and thoughtful with a lovely sense of humour. We pulled his leg about his pronunciation of a few words, but his English was very very good. And his knowledge of Romanian history was encyclopaedic. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Take a gel saddle cover for extra comfort, and a tube of sudocreme. Romania is a very cheap country to visit, for a week I took out £120 for tips, a couple of meals out, drinks, ice creams and other incidentals...and that was plenty. Investigate Strava for your phone beforehand. Is there anything else you would like to add? See Romania before it becomes more developed, already buildings for tourists are being constructed. And enjoy beer at 60p/ pint and ice creams at 40p/ cone.
Reviewed June 2018 J T Trip: Cycle Romania cycle romaina really truly surprising place quiet unspoilt clean friendly , good wi fi , mobile phone and yet really untouched by 2oth centuary cars a variety , and then the fortified churches we all yawn ,but with this trip each and everyone has its own special charm . Good varied acheivable ride in deepest quiet untouched country side What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? veskri unesco world heritage village What did you think of your group leader? radu was i think the best i have had so far Do you have any advice for potential travellers? do not forget youre battery charger for camera i did and beelive me youll want to take loads of pics
Reviewed October 2017 Roger Pattenden Trip: Cycle Romania Fascinating glimpse of rural Romania Very good trip. The rides were through a variety of terrain and landscapes. On the first few days there were views of groups of local people working in the fields with only the occasional item of usually soviet era farm machinery to help. There were visits to interesting sights including many fortified churches the like of which we had not seen before. In the context of local overnight stays with which we are very familiar on Exodus trips, those on this trip were all good. The only slight downside for some was the local high fat diet (sausages, salami, fatty pork and pickled cabbage featured prominently ) and hardly any fresh vegetables for nearly all meals. But that was the local diet and was therefore the authentic experience we expected. It was interesting to see the contrast between rural Romania with its horses and carts and modern Bucharest which we explored at the end of the trip. The trip lived up to our expectations of seeing a rural way of life which might have been similar to the UK several hundred years ago. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Visiting the bakery where the wife made very good bread, in conditions which would give a public health inspector a turn, and where the husband used a cart pulled by a blind horse. What did you think of your group leader? Radu was an excellent leader and Liviu was also excellent as helper / driver and picnic provider. Both spoke very good English, had a very good knowledge of Romanian history and were very pleasant company. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Be prepared for rather different food from a healthy UK diet.