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Go Bicycle Touring in Romania

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Romania is a country which sits on the crossroads between Southeastern and Central Europe. It is Europe’s ninth-largest country in the European Union, covering an area of 281, 391 square kilometers. It is home a little over 20 million people, making it Europe’s 7th most-populated country. Romania is the home of Bram Stoker’s legendary novel, “Dracula.”

From a cycling perspective, Romania is Europe’s ‘diamond in the rough’. From the forest trails in Transylvania, to the highest-paved road in the country – the Transalpina, which is a massive 2200 meters high! History, culture and beauty combine in Romania, as you cycle through villages in the Apuseni Mountains, or beside massive lakes and the Danube River.

Popular Bike Tour Destinations In Romania

  • Transylvania is located in central Romania, the region is historically famous, as it has seen many empires come and go, the Roman and Austro-Hungarians in particular. It is also famously the location of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, and has the unique architecture that one might associate with such a tale. It’s forests provide perfect cycling trails for any type of cyclist, these forest paths provide you with an opportunity to experience the history of Transylvania, but also stay in touch with its incredible natural side.
  • Dealu Mare is Romania’s wine region – offering both red and white wine, depending on where you go. This region offers a variety of trails, from woodland to clear, curving roads that sweep throughout the vineyards. It is also home to 500-year-old Romanian monasteries, although it’s not all sunshine and grapes – there are some pretty challenging climbs too! As the region lies in the Carpathian Mountains.
  • Northern Dobrogea is a section of Dobrogea that is located between the Danube River and the Macin mountains – and beyond that, the Black Sea. Dobrogea is split in half – North and South, Southern Dobrogea however, belongs to Bulgaria. The Northern section offers something different, from throngs of fishing villages, to green meadows and herding shepherds. You traverse through all of this, and beautiful oak tree forests. This variety offers perfect locations for all types of cyclists.
  • Buzau is a county in the historical Wallachia region of Romania. Buzau is home to much history, it was an important market town – many centuries ago. And a bike tour through it will bring you in touch with that history, from cave churches to Buzau’s unique Mud Volcanoes. The region is quite hilly, but with that challenge comes reward with the views. Despite the climbing, touring and mountain bikes should have no problem with the region.
  • Bucharest is Romania’s capital city. Cycling is Bucharest is kind of a new thing – it became relatively common in 2010, and as such, the city spent 12 million Euros investing in cycling infrastructure. Building 133 kilometers of cycling paths. However, it is currently illegal (despite protests) to cycle on Romanian roads. But, that doesn’t mean that one cannot appreciate and enjoy the city. Bucharest has many monuments, landmarks, and architecture to admire – most of which was constructed during the dictatorial reign of Nicolae Ceauseseau in the 1980’s.

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Saxonland is a fairy place which grabs you in a second. We will cycle through beautiful valleys, rolling hills, chilly forests. Villages of gingerbread houses, fortified churches rest on our route. [/one_third] [one_third]

Maramures. It’s a unique destination, considered by many to be the soul of rural Romania. With its picturesque settlements, green hills and fields full of wildflowers, Maramures represents all that means life in the countryside.

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Sweep through vast meadows and tranquil country lanes on this bike tour, as you traverse delicate Romanian landscapes, from mountains to valleys. A bike tour of this nature is the only way to truly experience Romania in all it’s glory.

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Facts About Romania

  • Normally, cemeteries and epitaphs are very solemn places and the stones read a very standard and typical message, “Here lies, etc…” Well, in a tiny Romanian village, this is not so – there’s the “Happy Cemetery”, where epitaphs are filled instead with funny stories.
  • Romania is the birth place of a great many scientists and engineers whose inventions changed the world. For example, the inventor of insulin – Nicolae Constantin Paulescu.
  • Romania is home to seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These include: The Dacian Fortress of the Orastie Mountains, the Churches of Moldavia, the Danube Delta, the Monastery of Horezu, the Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania, the Historic Center of Sigisoara and the Wooden Churches of the Maramures.
  • Romania is worth it’s weight in gold – quite literally. It is Europe’s richest country in respect of that precious metal.
  • Romania’s administrative building, “the People’s House”, was built by former Romanian dictator – Nicolae Ceausescu, is the world’s largest, heaviest and most expensive civil administrative building in the world.
  • Romanians use a national currency called a “Leu”, which in English means “Lion”.
  • The Danube Delta is located in north eastern Romania, and is Europe’s second-largest Delta – it also Europe’s best-preserved delta.
  • Europe’s largest population of brown bears can be found in Romania.
  • The Statue of Decebalus (a Dacian king), is located on the Danube’s rocky banks, near the city of Osrova. It is Europe’s tallest-standing rock sculpture.
  • Due to it’s richness in gold, Romania has an entire museum of gold! Even the tiniest of designs are valued into the millions of Euros. Such is the uniqueness of the designs, their value is not measured in grammage any more.

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Photos by Costel Slincu, magdalena and Serge Bystro.