Romania 2012

[obm]

Transalpina is 99% finished, small patches undergoing some work, probably by Sept.2012 will be finished. Good tarmac, better views than on Transfagarasan. Feel free to ask any other details.

[casperghst42]

Originally Posted by Chrizm

I agree with Ian 100%, great country, friendly people and the roads are not that bad, we rode worst roads in Bulgaria!

Quite interesting, I had the worst roads ever imagined in Romania, where as in Bulgaria some of them where not great, but in general not too bad. But in Romania the roads in the North East are a wold apart from the south.


Casper

[AberdeenAngus]

Reckon i'll be getting the ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge.
So that's my startimng point fixed.
I deffo want to visit Krakow on the way, so that's a waypoint.
If you just hoy Zeebrugge - Krakow - Bucharest into Google maps you get the following route. So that's our starter for 10.

How many days do you reckon to get to Bucharest. I'm thinking 3-4 days just based on the mileage (1500m) but I don't know the roads.

Can anyone recommend and changes that would improve the route ?

Any advice welcome

[casperghst42]

Originally Posted by AberdeenAngus

Reckon i'll be getting the ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge.
So that's my startimng point fixed.
I deffo want to visit Krakow on the way, so that's a waypoint.
If you just hoy Zeebrugge - Krakow - Bucharest into Google maps you get the following route. So that's our starter for 10.

How many days do you reckon to get to Bucharest. I'm thinking 3-4 days just based on the mileage (1500m) but I don't know the roads.

Can anyone recommend and changes that would improve the route ?

Any advice welcome

I just came back from Bulgaria, started from Motocamp Bulgaria sunday 11am (via Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia), and got home yesterday evening doing nothing but driving, well I spend 3 hours at TT (south of Stuttgart).

West of Prague motorways are more or less non-existing, and people drive like idiots.... you should expect 3 days from Krakow; Hungary and Romania are the big questions here, as conditions varies.

Massive distances are not covered easily in that part of the world....

Casper

[obm]

Just done Transalpina and Transfagarasan on the same day last Friday, starting and ending in Bucharest. Transalpina is amazing if it is not in the clouds (well, this goes fo both but we only got the fog on Transalpina). In 800km, less than 30 were really bad. Transalpina has some patches unfinished and also some work in progress (scary big excavating machine parked on the road when you have 20m visibility... that kept us at 30km/h for a while). Transfagarasan has a really bad piece of road, it's down in the forests, not longer than 10-15km but really bad, no way to avoid the potholes.

Regarding the route, in my opinion you could get from Debrecen, Hungary to Bucharest in one day, but it would mean riding like hell and missing most of the fun. Better to stop in Sibiu which is quite nice and then choose one of the above two roads to cross the mountains (not what Google Maps suggests).

[AberdeenAngus]

Originally Posted by casperghst42

West of Prague motorways are more or less non-existing, and people drive like idiots....

Aint it the truth

[AberdeenAngus]

Originally Posted by obm

Regarding the route, in my opinion you could get from Debrecen, Hungary to Bucharest in one day, but it would mean riding like hell and missing most of the fun.

Naah, we want the fun. I'm looking for excuses for diversion etc. Don't want to spend 8 hrs in the saddle every day.
It's not a sprint to Bucharest and then spend all our time around Romania.
I would rather stroll down there via an interesting and roundabout route.
Have a couple (max) days in Bucharest, and then wind our way back by a different but equally interesting route.

Was thinking of doing one of the roads on the way in and the other on the way out.

Say 14 days in total. A day at either end to get to the continent.
2 days off in Bucharest. 2 other misc days off to break up the journey - carry out repairs etc. Gives us 8 days riding. So 4 days from Zebrugge to Bucharest. Break the back of the mileage on the fast western roads. Does this sound reasonable.....?

[casperghst42]

Originally Posted by AberdeenAngus

Naah, we want the fun. I'm looking for excuses for diversion etc. Don't want to spend 8 hrs in the saddle every day.
It's not a sprint to Bucharest and then spend all our time around Romania.
I would rather stroll down there via an interesting and roundabout route.
Have a couple (max) days in Bucharest, and then wind our way back by a different but equally interesting route.

Was thinking of doing one of the roads on the way in and the other on the way out.

Say 14 days in total. A day at either end to get to the continent.
2 days off in Bucharest. 2 other misc days off to break up the journey - carry out repairs etc. Gives us 8 days riding. So 4 days from Zebrugge to Bucharest. Break the back of the mileage on the fast western roads. Does this sound reasonable.....?

Should be doable, but you should probably leave out Poland. I used 6 days (Rotterdam -> Dresden -> Prague -> Slovakia (High Tatras) -> Romania), taking it very easy.

Casper

[davegs]

Do the Dracular rally, a real laugh but make sure you stay in the Hotel Dracula
(in Turda, yes it lives up to it's name!!). Don't stay anywhere else as I ended
up in a gulag!, they have their version of the TT down the main drag which consists of a dual carrigeway about a mile dow one side and up the other!.
You've never seen racing like this, one scottish gent riding an 1100 RT
in a kilt! a local on an opld harley chopper with a german helmet and enourmous pair of goggles!! and various other "competitors" and a great time had by all it's a real laugh!!. ('aint ACU approved for sure!).
Roads are crap, but people are very nice plenty of Trebants about!.
Dave GS.

[AberdeenAngus]

Originally Posted by casperghst42

Should be doable, but you should probably leave out Poland.

One of the main reasons for going is to do Krakow......May need more time meethinks.

[AberdeenAngus]

Originally Posted by davegs

Do the Dracular rally....

Have wanted to do the Dracula Rally for some time but we are fixed with going in September. I think that the Dracula is usually July(ish), is that right?

[tsunami]

Originally Posted by casperghst42

Quite interesting, I had the worst roads ever imagined in Romania, where as in Bulgaria some of them where not great, but in general not too bad. But in Romania the roads in the North East are a wold apart from the south.


Casper

they are good roads now (well better than 3 yrs before), way better than bulgaria
watch for idiots (especially in suv's). drive defensively and you will live.
(still better than in istanbul)

[tsunami]

for you my friends, a touch of romania,

T-R-A-N-S-A-L-P-I-N-A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZzB3...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuFwE...eature=related

[consigliero]

This year I made again trip in Balkan countries. In Romania I was 4 or 5 times , alone with 1 bike and my wife on the back seat. Never we had any problems . From year to year you can see some progress , but remember always use side roads . This year Transalpina is asphalt only.
This year with trip was with czech friends from 10.09-24.09.2011 , two days relax, one day in rain, max 38 degree celsjus min 12 degree . Round trip was 5760 km average 4,9l /100km. Chippest fule BiH 1 EUR, most expensive Ungarn 1,7 EUR. I had twice pick up my bike on gravel roads, one RT tryed to ride like GS so he was punished. Countries visited PL-UA-RO-BG-MK-AL-MN-HR-SLO-A-H-SK-PL




































































































































Anake 2 after 10 tys km

Greetings

[kalaharigeorge]

Originally Posted by AberdeenAngus

Can anyone recommend and changes that would improve the route ?

Any advice welcome

I did a very similar trip a few months ago, but went on to Turkey, Georgia and Armenia.

IMHO - travel Dresden to Prague, via Olomouc to Krakow. Romania is a fantastic country - hospitable, cheap and decent roads. Gavin Bell from this parish lives in Brasov. He's a great source of information.

[harrybo1]

I loved romainia mostly good roads less you venture off road fantastic food great pork dishes, also if you get the chance pop into moldova,oh an i forgot the girls