Itinerary Expand all Fly to Bucharest; transfer to Vulcan.Upon arrival, we will be greeted by an Exodus leader and transferred out of Bucharest to the small town of Vulcan in Brasov County, Transylvania. This transfer is roughly three hours long but will be broken up with a short break en route. We should arrive in Vulcan with plenty of time for our evening meal and will have the opportunity to visit the fortified church as well as learn about the Saxon heritage of the area. Meals included: Dinner 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 routeOnce we are happy and comfortable after the bike fitting, we set off for our first experience of cycling in this region. We begin on the flat, accompanied by views of the snow-covered peaks of the Bucegi Mountains. Today we also take time to visit the oldest flour mill in Romania, powered to this day by the river by which it was built. The tale of how it survived the communist period is also well worth our time.Our goal is the town of Bucium however if the weather is favourable we may take a detour to a nearby cave that served as a place of worship over 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, thought what is known is based mainly on the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus.Once we are happy and comfortable after the bike fitting, we set off for our first experience of cycling in this region. We begin on the flat, accompanied by views of the snow-covered peaks of the Bucegi Mountains. Today we also take time to visit the oldest flour mill in Romania, powered to this day by the river by which it was built. The tale of how it survived the communist period is also well worth our time.Our goal is the own of Bucium however if the weather is favourable we may make a detour to what is known as aIf the weather is good we will make a detour to a nearby cave that served as a place of worship over 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, thought what is known is based mainly on the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. Meals included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Day 3 Cycle to Carta at the foot of the Fagaras Mountains.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 being made using old 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 back to around 1205 and like many buildings in the area it has a fascinating history.Please note that on some departures our groups stay in the town of Cartisoara and will visit the Monastery in Carta on day 4. The distances of each day would, therefore, change by 5km. 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 past the fortified church of Richis as we make our way towards Biertan. Once in Biertan, we have a tour of the UNESCO listed fortified church set up on a hill overlooking the vineyards and surrounding 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 of undesirables. 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. Following the river Tarnava Mare we pass hop fields and set our sights on Sighisoara. This truly is a place worth visiting, as one of the few medieval citadels in Europe that is fully inhabited. Another to feature on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites, we have a free afternoon to wander the streets and immerse ourselves in place so wonderfully preserved and faithful to its origins. There is even the house where Vlad Dracul, 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. After looking around the fascinating old town before we hop back on the bikes to continue our ride through small farming towns and pastures. The medieval church at Bradeni will provide the backdrop to our lunch spot. 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 rural life and get to know your hosts. Today’s evening meal is taken 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 ride out of Soars. 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 have the opportunity to explore this lovely old town as well as visit Viscri’s well-known fortified church and meet the brickmakers and blacksmiths who helped restore the building. The church was restored with the help of the Prince of Wales 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 Free day to BucharestDay 8 ‐ Free day in BucharestAfter breakfast we have a private transfer to Bran Castle, situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. Bran castle is promoted as Dracula castle, where will make a detour for a photo stop of thisspectacular building and hear its story.Afterwards, we will hop back in the vehicle and continue our journey to Bucharest. On the way, if time allows, we will have another stop to the scenic castle of Peles, the summer residence of the former Romanian Royal family. We will have a short walk around its spectacular gardens. 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. That’s why we consider more convenient to have 2 shorter stops (Bran and Peles) and have the time to enjoy a stroll in Bucharest. Meals included: Breakfast Fly to London.After breakfast, we transfer to the airport and fly home. 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 September 2019 michael ballardMy first cycling holiday, definitely not the last Thoroughly enjoyable 6 days of cycling in great company, final day sightseeing of Bran Castle and Peles. Cycling never difficult, mainly rural farmland scenery and rolling hills. A few uncomfortable dirt,rutted tracks but bikes good enough to cope. Stop off activities all worthwhile apart from Bran Castle - a congested tourist zoo which is best avoided. Peles fabulous, beautiful setting Social evenings with food, drink and great companionship.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Romanian short hills proved more challenging than the bastard long ones! Seeing rural Transylvania and the life people lead a real treat, coming back to the busyness of London and M25 quite a shock. And how great a place to visit is Bucharest, people had warned me it would disappoint.What did you think of your group leader? Radu is superb. Well organised, knowledgeable, friendly and wanting everybody to have the best experience. Manged to smile and soldier on whilst wrestling with a nasty sore throat for a few days.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Expect mixed cycling terrain (much good road, but also gravel/dirt roads, rutted farm tracks, and a little bit of unpleasant congested main road) because that's what you'll get. If you want to see Bucharest then go early or stay on after, definitely worth a couple of days. Pay to go on the tour at Peles, worth it.Is there anything else you would like to add? My recommendations would be to forego a visit to Bran Castle and get back to Bucharest earlier on Saturday (we arrived back near 7.30 pm). And shorten the rest periods at breaks, people were keen to get cycling, if possible exchanging the shorter breaks for more cycling.
Reviewed September 2019 Ken PlumbCycling through Transylvania Another super Exodus trip with a great group. The countryside is lovely and most of the cycling was on minor roads and tracks - so peaceful and calm. The cycling has quite a few climbs to increase the heart rate but nothing too severe. The accommodation was varied, clean and comfortable. We were clearly mixing with the local communities and we received smiles from everyone we met. Food was good and locally sourced. All in all a great tripWhat was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Umm - for me there is nothing that stands out from the many great times I had. The church service in Vulcan, the fascinating fortified churches, the rural communities , the peace and quiet of the cycling, the homesteads we stayed in - they all combined to make an enjoyable holidayWhat did you think of your group leader? Madalina - what can you say … such enthusiasm , organisational skills, personnel skills, knowledge and a smile that lit up the room. Always willing to help and it was pleasure to have her as our leader . A great lady !Do you have any advice for potential travellers? You need to be reasonably fit but nothing special. There are few places to change money during the trip so get money either in your home country or from the airport ATMs. You don't need that much cash as almost all meals are included. Don't drink the local water and use hand gel before eating. . Its a great trip that brings you close to rural Romania.Is there anything else you would like to add? Its just a very peaceful and interesting place to visit ( except the tourist infested Bran and Peles Castles !) . Go for it !
Reviewed September 2019 Stuart NorrisTouring Transylvania We have been on many cycling tours over the years with Exodus and this was yet another excellent trip. We did not know exactly what to expect (how many people do you know who have visited Transylvania?) but we were not disappointed as the countryside is beautiful, green and rolling, with a good handful of climbs to make the cycling interesting, and all the locals that we met on our journey were friendly and welcoming. The accommodation was varied and unfailingly comfortable, the food of a high quality and the various visits along the route to local cottage industries, fortified churches and cities always interesting and informative.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? It is difficult to identify a single "inspirational" moment as it was not really that kind of trip. It is probably more appropriate to point to the local people as an inspiration as they have emerged from an oppressive communist governed administration at the end of the 1980s and have spent the last thirty years working hard to evolve into a more democratic country, integrating into the EU.What did you think of your group leader? Tudor was without doubt one of the best guides we have had the pleasure of meeting on any of our Exodus trips. He was unfailingly charming, helpful, extremely hardworking, very informative and knowledgeable, and became a firm friend of our group. He was not only a great ambassador for Romania but also a very nice and gentle person.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Get your currency (Romanian Lei) from one of the ATMs at the airport on arrival in Bucharest and choose the option not to take the conversion rate offered by the machine. By leaving your own UK bank to apply their conversion rate you will get a far better rate of exchange. As a couple, we found that £200 (1000 lei) cash was enough to cover our needs for the whole trip as the majority of meals are included in the cost of the trip, but we used credit cards on a couple of occasions (in Sighisoura and Bucharest) for dinners. Tips for the guides went on top of this £200 so we drew a little more out at the end of the holiday from the ATMs in Bucharest. A crossbar bag is handy for carrying a camera so photos can be taken whilst cycling, but panniers are provided for carrying other essentials so a rucksack is not really necessary. The support vehicle is never far away so access to day bags is easy. Bring your own water bottle for filling up and carrying in the bottle cage on the bike. You need to be relatively fit for some of the climbs but there is nothing overly difficult if you already enjoy cycling.Is there anything else you would like to add? Do this trip before Transylvania changes too much. Despite the changes being made since entering the EU it is a country that is still very much living in the past out in the countryside and this only adds to its charm and interest. If you get Tudor and Liviu as your guide and driver you will have an even better experience! If you should get the option at the end of the trip, choose to miss the visit to Bran and Bran Castle (it's a dreadful, over-commercialised place after such a lovely week in the countryside and, anyhow, has absolutely nothing to do with Dracula etc.) and ask to visit the bear sanctuary as an alternative. This may not be possible but it's worth a try.
Reviewed July 2019 Angela WallisBeautifully Organised and Fun Holiday Really good holiday and guides. Superbly organised by Exodus. Bikes were in good condition and the accommodation ranged from rustic to very comfortable. For us, the cycling could have been more challenging and at a quicker pace but the guides did really well to manage the different levels in the group. The main negative point was the hotel in Sighisoara which really let us and Exodus down, and also that we were both sick at different times.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Encouraging the less able cyclists and learning from others experiences.What did you think of your group leader? Excellent, very supportive and knowledgeable, extremely kind and friendly.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Don’t expect luxury accommodation or exciting cycling. Don’t expect a lift on the broom wagon either. Practice cycling up hills and in traffic before you go.Is there anything else you would like to add? Thanks for a great holiday, our last one was 18 years ago and this was in a different league for organisation and professionalism.
Reviewed May 2019 Mike BakerAnother Gold Star for Exodus Travel! This was my fourth cycle holiday with Exodus (previously Dalmation Coast, Albania, Puglia in southern Italy) and I certainly hope there will be many more. I am often asked which is my favourite so far. So difficult to pick one as they are all top drawer stuff. It is a fantastic way to get to know a country and its history; our guides did not disappoint in this respect. The weather was not always kind, but the tour was packed with interest, visits, charm, and views that stun. As a photographer, all those appealed.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Being part of a church service in Vulcan on our first day of cycling. Although I an not overtly religious, the feeling of being part of a community was quite overpowering and emotional.What did you think of your group leader? Radu was excellen, full of knowledge of the history of the region. We all got on famously with him and, not forgetting Stefan, our driver and mechanic.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Just book it now!Is there anything else you would like to add? I would like to be able to see details of each ride day on the previous evening. This happened on the Albania trip and was most useful giving distances, stops and profile of the route.
Reviewed May 2019 Kalpesh PatelGreat times It was a really fun trip. Very well organized. Terrain is moderate. This was my first real biking experience and I felt I was able to manage it. Our group was small - 10 people and we gelled immediately. Overall organization and coordination was excellent. It is a well thought out route. You get to see a lot of history and meet locals - especially in churches.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? It was amazing to stay in the fortified church the first night. The minister actually served us the dinner (and perhaps cooked for us as well).What did you think of your group leader? Our guide Radu was amazing and very knowledgeable about Romanian history and European history. He took care of anyone's needs and issues immediately. He made it very easy for all of us.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? I am vegetarian. They did their best possible to cater to me. So there was no lack of food. However if you are used to flavors and spices in your vegetarian food, I suggest to pack some sauces.Is there anything else you would like to add? Bike gear shifters could have been better. E.g. delayed gear change or change several gears at once. Made it less smooth on hills sometimes. Stefan - the support person - was excellent and fixed mine a few times, and he did his best. But problems still persisted on-and-off because I think the shifters need to be replaced.
Reviewed January 2019 Elizabeth MurphyBiking in Transylvania Thoroughly enjoyed the tripWhat was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Enjoyed every dayWhat 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 PoulinCycle 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 hospitalityWhat did you think of your group leader? Both Cristina and Liviu get full marks We all fell in love with both of themDo 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 EllistonCycle 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 EllistonCycling 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.
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