Cycle Romania

Name: Cycle Romania
Brand: Exodus
Rating: 4.9 (42 reviews)

Offer :

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9 Days Excluding Flights From

9 Days from

£ 2599

4.9/5 from

Cycling

Activity Level

Moderate

Comfort Level

Classic

Ways to Travel :

Guided Group

Activity :

Cycling

Group Size :

4 - 14

Ages :

16+

Trip Code :

MVF

Carbon Footprint :

22kg CO2e per person per day

Discover the beauty of Transylvania and the Carpathian Mountains

Transylvania is one of the most emotive place names. Much of the focus is on Bram Stoker’s creation and the bloodthirsty Prince Vlad III or Vlad the Impaler, upon whom Dracula was loosely based. However, the region offers a fascinating mix of cultural influences, from the Saxons to the raiding Tatars and Ottomans. The natural diversity and beauty of the region is also key to capturing the imagination as castles and churches are framed by the imposing Carpathian and Fagaras mountains. The best seat from which to view all this is that of a bicycle, allowing us to soak up the tranquillity and majesty of the landscape at a pace that means we can enjoy the hidden stories and places along the way. We finish with time in Bucharest, once the seat of communist power but still with enough left to remind visitors why it was once known as the Paris of the East.

Highlights

Explore Romania by bike, cycling through ancient villages and mountainous landscapes
Ride through rural Transylvania to the village of Viscri, where King Charles owns a house
Uncover the history of the nation in Saxon settlements, UNESCO-listed citadels and fortified churches
Climb the old fort in Brasov to gaze over the town and 14th-century Black Church
End the adventure in Bucharest, a culture-rich capital with museums and old streets to explore

Key Information

Accommodation: 8 Classic nights (6 guesthouses, 2 hotels)
Six days cycling with partial vehicle support (limited seats)
Group normally 4 to 14, plus leader. Minimum age: 16

Countries visited: Romania

What's Included

All breakfasts, five lunches and six dinners
All accommodation
All transport and listed activities
Tour leader throughout
Group arrival and departure transfers available
Local bike hire

What's Not Included

Travel insurance
Single accommodation (limited availability)
Visas or vaccinations
E-bike hire (available for an additional cost)

6 Days of Cycling

Pace:

Approximately three to five hours cycling per day

Terrain:

Low altitude; 80 percent paved and 20 percent gravel tracks
Scenic route, some climbs

Day 2

50 km / 31.1 miles

Day 3

65 km / 40.4 miles

Day 4

68 km / 42.3 miles

Day 5

40 km / 24.9 miles

Day 6

60 km / 37.3 miles

Day 7

25 km / 15.5 miles

Sustainability and Impact

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

TRIP

MVF - Cycle Romania

Departure Date

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Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

View Trip Notes

For flights call us on 0203 733 5948 or enquire when booking online

Regional flights available

Competitive flight prices

Specialist Flight Support

ATOL protected

Itinerary

Bucharest 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, but will be broken with a short stop.

Meals included: Dinner

After breakfast, we set up our bikes and enjoy our first cycling experience in the region. We begin with an ascent, away from traffic and into remote pine-covered hills, stopping for a view of the snow-topped Bucegi Mountains. We then tackle a 4.5mi (7km) dirt road that offers us a glimpse of life in rural Romania. Please note, we may go in the opposite direction during rain to avoid the dirt road; this adds 6mi (10km) to the cycling distance. Today we also visit the oldest flour mill in Fagaras county, which is powered by the neighbouring river. The tale of how it survived the Communist period is fascinating.

Our goal is the town of Bucium; however, if the weather is favourable, we may take a detour (adding 3mi/5km) to a nearby cave that served as a place of worship more than two centuries ago. At that time, the local people – the Dacians – would have prayed to Zalmoxis, a popular deity in the lower Danube region. Little is known about Zalmoxis, though what is known is based mainly on the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus.

Distance covered: 31mi (50km)

Ascent: 984ft (300m)

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We ride to the village of Lisa, with the ridge of the highest mountain range in Romania, the Fagaras Mountains, as our constant companion. There we visit a wool mill to see how woollen blankets and clothes are still made using traditional methods. There is even a 100-year-old machine still in operation.

We then cycle to the village of Cartisoara and on to Carta itself and visit the Cistercian monastery. The oldest buildings on the site date to around 1205 and, like many buildings in the area, have a fascinating history.

Please note, on some departures our groups stay in Cartisoara and will visit the monastery in Carta on Day 4. The distances of each day would, therefore, change by 3mi (5km). We may also have time during the day to take a detour to Sambata Monastery, which will add 6mi (10km) to the day’s cycling.

Distance covered: 40mi (65km)

Ascent: 984ft (300m)

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today’s ride starts with a crossing of the river Olt and continues along quiet country roads. We cycle past the fortified church of Richis as we make our way towards Biertan. Once there, we tour a Unesco-listed fortified church, which stands on a hill overlooking vineyards and fields. Building began in 1486 by the German-Transylvanian Saxon community when the area was part of the Kingdom of Hungary.

As a late-Gothic church, it stands out thanks to the concentric ringed walls and huge towers, and is often considered one of the most impressive of its kind in Romania. It achieved Unesco status in 1993 and has numerous interesting buildings in the complex. The church contains some beautiful Renaissance pieces, while there are also three bastions, six towers and three rows of walls to ward off undesirables.

Please note, the cycling today will be approximately 42mi (68km) if we sleep in Cartisoara, 39mi (63km) if we sleep in Carta.

Distance covered: 42mi (68km)

Ascent: 1,640ft (500m)

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we have a beautiful ride through the countryside and remote villages of Transylvania. Following the river Tarnava Mare, we pass hop fields and set our sights on Sighisoara. One of the few fully inhabited medieval citadels in Europe, this Unesco-recognised spot is fascinating. We have a free afternoon to wander the streets and immerse ourselves in places so wonderfully preserved and faithful to the origins. There is even the house where Vlad Dracul, father of Vlad the Impaler, was born.

Distance covered: 25mi (40km)

Ascent: 1,148ft (350m)

Meals included: Breakfast

Today’s ride follows a lovely quiet country road through the Transylvanian hills to Apold and Bradeni village. One of these places will be our perfect stop for a snack and looking around the fascinating old church. Then we hop back on the bikes to continue our ride through small farming towns and pastures. Today’s ride ends in the small village of Cobor. Here we will discover the beautiful story of an old abandoned house to a farm and guesthouse with organic vegetables cultivated in their own garden and involved in animal protection projects. The seeds originate in old varieties that produce less, but higher quality.

Distance covered: 37mi (60km)

Ascent: 1,640ft (500m)

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, we ride out of Cobor. The day starts with a short climb through the forest before a lovely stretch of road through several small towns takes us to Viscri. Here we can explore this pretty old town and visit a well-known fortified church and meet the brickmakers and blacksmiths who helped restore the building in 1991. It 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, which we will tour by horse-drawn cart.

Distance covered: 16mi (25km)

Ascent: 820ft (250m)

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, we take a long private transfer to Bucharest, stopping at the beautiful medieval town of Brasov en route. Here we climb the towers of the old fort for views over the town centre and 14th-century Black Church, before returning to street level for a short stroll on the cobbled pedestrian roads.

We then hop back in the vehicle and continue towards Bucharest. If there’s time, we stop at Peles Castle, a forest-wrapped residence of the former Romanian royal family. We enjoy a short walk around the spectacular gardens before completing our journey to Bucharest, arriving at the end of the day.

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, we have most of the day to explore Bucharest; we can wander the old streets and do last-minute shopping or visit some of the fascinating old museums and palaces before the trip ends. Either make your way home or speak to your sales representative to extend your stay in this fascinating city.

Meals included: Breakfast

Essential Info

Is this trip for you?

This trip is rated Activity Level 3 (Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings please visit our Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

Six days of cycling
Average distance 31mi (50km)
80 percent paved and 20 percent gravel tracks
Partial vehicle support

Our routes follow mainly quiet backroads and paths. There are some undulating sections, but the distances are not challenging. This tour is run at a relaxed pace allowing you to stop and take in the surroundings, or chat with local people you might meet along the route. The support vehicle follows the group and carries all essential items, including food, drinks and tools. You are welcome to put any items you don’t want to carry in the vehicle and can access them at any point throughout the ride.

All hire bikes are supplied with a rear pannier rack and one large bag, this allows you to carry any small items you might need quick access too, such as cameras and waterproofs.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Joining Instructions

Key information

Recommended arrival time: 6pm at the start hotel to catch the welcome briefing. If this is not possible for you, the leader will happily bring you up to speed later
Airport: Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP)

Getting to the start hotel

The start hotel is approximately three hours’ drive from the airport. Your options for this journey are:

Take an Exodus transfer

Exodus provides one group arrival transfer from the airport, which is timed to coincide with the arrival of a chosen flight from London, UK. You may join this transfer at no extra cost, provided you can be at the airport before the transfer leaves. Speak to your sales representative for the group arrival transfer times or to arrange a private transfer.

Make your own way

It’s difficult to reach the start hotel by public transport or taxi as it is 200km away from the airport. We therefore highly recommend joining the group transfer where possible.

If you would like further information on joining this trip, please speak to your sales representative.

Catching your return flight

There’s a group departure transfer to the airport for customers who Exodus booked onto a chosen flight to London, UK. Please speak to your sales representative if you wish to join. If the group departure transfer does not suit your flight time, speak to your sales representative to arrange an alternative transfer.

Full joining instructions including local emergency numbers will be sent to you as part of our Final Joining Instructions. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier please contact our office or your travel agent.

Location start: Bucharest
Location end: Bucharest

Vaccinations and Health

Romania

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and tuberculosis (TB). Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Passport

Remember to check the expiration date of your passport if travelling internationally. Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months after the date of your scheduled return.

Visa

Romania

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Romania. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

Food & Drink

All breakfasts, five lunches and six dinners are included in the price of the trip.

Romanian cuisine has strong influences from the surrounding countries including Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary.

We will try fantastic home-cooked meals on this trip as we spend most nights staying with local families and in guesthouses.

Breakfasts will consist of homemade bread and cheeses plus a selection of locally sourced meats, salad, and tea or coffee.

There are five picnic lunches, two at a local family home and three enjoyed al fresco. They are made by the staff at our guesthouses and will usually be sandwiches, salad, fruit and more of their homemade cheese. Some days we will have a traditional vegetable soup for lunch with homemade crème fraiche and bread.

Dinners are usually centred around pork or beef. Lots of guesthouses will prepare sarmale cu mamaliguta, a traditional Romanian dish of minced pork wrapped in pickled cabbage leaves and served with polenta and a chilli.

It’s not all about the food though; every household makes their own tuica (pronounced tsweeka), a spirit usually made from plums and flavoured with herbs from their garden or the surrounding area. This is usually drunk while being welcomed into the house and after dinner.

Weather

Spring: Cool morning and evenings, warm in the day. Pack some warm and waterproof clothes as showers occur and can last all day. Daytime temperatures can vary between 7C-17C (45F-63F).
Summer: Warm with longer daylight hours; maximum temperatures of 35C (95F) and an average of 23C (73F) in the lower areas. Expect to be cycling in shorts and a T-shirt.
Autumn: Normally cool and dry. Temperatures can vary between 10C-20C (50F-68F); pack warm layers for early mornings, plus waterproof cycling kit as showers do happen.

TRIP

MVF - Cycle Romania

Departure Date

Number Of Passengers*

Message*

To enquire about an existing booking click here

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Phone *

Keep me up to date with news and offers from Exodus by email.

Thank you for contacting Exodus Travels.

Find out more about how we use your data

Request a Brochure

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

View Trip Notes

Guesthouses and hotels

For most of the tour, we stay in guesthouses and family-owned B&Bs. All the buildings are very well kept, clean and 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 be shared between a maximum of two rooms. Our hotel in Bucharest is a modern building with good facilities in the city centre.

Worth knowing

Single supplement is only available on five nights (days 1, 2, 5, 7, 8; limited availability). For all the other nights’ accommodation is on room-share basis.

TRIP

MVF - Cycle Romania

Departure Date

Number Of Passengers*

Message*

To enquire about an existing booking click here

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Phone *

Keep me up to date with news and offers from Exodus by email.

Thank you for contacting Exodus Travels.

Find out more about how we use your data

Request a Brochure

Trip Notes

Click on the button below for detailed Trip Notes containing all the particulars about this trip, including kit lists and practical information.

Note: these can vary by departure; you can check out the specific Trip Notes for your chosen adventure on the dates & prices page.

View Trip Notes

Horace McCowan

Reviewed August 2025

Cycle Romania

Beautiful Transylvania region of Romania. Biking through rolling hills on quiet roads through quaint villages. Daily cultural excursions often included with local lunches.

Most Inspirational Moment

Enjoyed comradery of the group with peloton biking with some charges up the taller hills

Thoughts on Group Leader

Christina Cucu- tremendous leader and fun to spend time. Very contentious for the needs of the group. Everyone had a great time with many smiles to share!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Richard Woolley

Reviewed August 2025

Fantastic week in Romania

A lovely week’s cycling thanks to the ever positive group leader, Cristina and the practical, “nothing is too much trouble” support from Radu in his green van in a beautiful, rural, unspoilt part of Romania.

Most Inspirational Moment

The whole area of Transylvania is inspirational and there were many individual stories that were shared with us of people striving to keep traditions going. It was also brilliant to be part of a great group of fellow cyclists who provided a huge amount of inspiration and support.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Cristina was very positive throughout the week and along with Radu provided lots of information about the culture and the history of the areas we visited.

Advice for Potential Travellers

A few things: Take what you need for the 1st day's cycle in your hand luggage on the plane, if you can. My luggage was delayed as left by the airline at Warsaw from the connecting flight. Food is good and largely what the locals eat, so don't expect "posh food". Lots of variety though, not just pork and beef - we had chicken a few times, beef, pork and trout. As the notes say - get Romanian Lei at the airport - either with your cash (just before arrivals) or from an ATM with a debit card. As most meals are provided in the villages, you wont need much though except for extras (e.g. beer, wine) There are hills on this trip but most are the "long and steady gradient" type so most cyclists will be able to manage them. There are one or two steep hills but don't worry about getting off and pushing your bike if hills are not your thing! The bikes are ok, but seem a bit old so don't expect the quality of the bike you have at home. I found the gear changes were not as responsive as I am used to on my own bike.

Tony Glaser

Reviewed June 2025

Very enjoyable

This is my 7th or 8th Exodus cycling trip. I think it is the most low-key one I have done – it is not stunning, amazing, Instagram-worthy, or dramatic, but if you want a very enjoyable experience in rural Romania, with scarcely another tourist in site, with a great group leader and a great group, learning about the history and culture of Romania, this is a trip for you. If you want to excite envy in your friends with dramatic photos and tales, then choose another one.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Absolutely superb. Could not be better - friendly, helpful, informative, knowledgeable, personable

Advice for Potential Travellers

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Cycle Romania

4.9/5 from

9 Days Excluding Flights From

9 Days from

£ 2599

Cycle Romania

Discover the beauty of Transylvania and the Carpathian Mountains

6 Days of Cycling

Sustainability and Impact

Thank you for contacting Exodus Travels.

Our Big Gift to You!

Itinerary

Bucharest Bucharest

Essential Info

Is this trip for you?

Joining Instructions

Key information

Getting to the start hotel

Catching your return flight

Vaccinations and Health

Romania

Passport

Visa

Romania

Food & Drink

Weather

Thank you for contacting Exodus Travels.

Guesthouses and hotels

Thank you for contacting Exodus Travels.

Reviews

Cycle Romania

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Fantastic week in Romania

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Very enjoyable

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Transilvania and beyond

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Great combination of physical and cultural activities!

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Wonderful week in stunning Transylvania

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Romania cycling

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Interesting, entertaining and sporty way to see Transylvania

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

A great way to explore Romania

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

A great week and a super country

Most Inspirational Moment

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

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