Road Biking the Transylvanian Alps

We ride a total of 485 km over six cycling days, including five full riding days plus a short warm-up ride at the start of the tour. Total elevation gain is just under 7,000 metres, spread across varied terrain and carefully paced days. Daily distances generally range between 70 and 100 km, with elevation gains of 500 to 1,800 metres. The most demanding stage is the ascent of the Transalpina, with up to 139 km of riding and approximately 3,000 metres of climbing. Other days balance sustained climbs with rolling sections, creating clear variation across the week. The itinerary includes a mix of point-to-point stages and loop rides, adding variety to both terrain and daily rhythm. The route moves through the Brașov–Sibiu–Sighișoara cultural triangle, linking some of Transylvania’s most distinctive historic towns. Cultural highlights along the way include Biertan, one of the region’s most important Saxon villages, centred around its UNESCO-listed fortified church, as well as a visit to Sibiu Open Air Village Museum, one of the largest open-air ethnographic museums in Central and Eastern Europe. Most days include planned stops for cultural visits, along with regular pauses to regroup, refuel, and take in the surroundings. The trip is fully supported, and your guide’s expert knowledge of the area and terrain means that you always know what is coming up in terms of distance and difficulty. This makes a tremendous difference, as does the constant supply of water and refreshments along the way.

Suitability: This tour is best suited to intermediate and advanced road cyclists who ride regularly and maintain a strong level of general fitness. Over the course of the journey, you cover approximately 500 km with just under 7,000 metres of total elevation gain, including several long mountain climbs. You should be comfortable riding longer distances on consecutive days, pacing yourself on sustained climbs, and riding as part of a group on varied terrain, from rolling countryside to high mountain roads. While the days are carefully structured, with regular regrouping and cultural stops, this is a physically demanding itinerary that rewards preparation and steady endurance. Throughout the tour, the support vehicle is always nearby to offer refuge to any weary cyclists.

Biking Conditions: The route follows a mix of quiet minor roads, rural country lanes, and one national road on the Transalpina. Most of the riding takes place on paved roads suited to road bikes, linking villages, farmland, and rolling countryside. Road surfaces vary, reflecting the rural character of the region, but are generally in good condition. Traffic levels are typically low, particularly outside towns, though riding through villages and small urban areas can be busier at times. Across the week, the terrain alternates between rolling sections and longer climbs, with open stretches that allow the group to find a steady rhythm. Regrouping points are built into each day, and the guide manages pacing and positioning to support smooth group riding as conditions change. We generally ride rain or shine, but based on the guide’s discretion or your level of comfort, modifications to the planned route can be made. It’s all part of the adventure!

Accommodation: Stays are at a comfortable 3–4 star level and reflect the character of the regions we travel through. Accommodation includes restored medieval guesthouses, traditional rural hotels, and small heritage properties, often family-run, with select nights in historic settings where available. Rooms are clean, comfortable, and well-maintained, though standards and layouts may vary from place to place, particularly in rural areas. Some older properties, while full of character, may show signs of age, and service can be more relaxed than you might be accustomed to. For larger groups, we may use more than one accommodation in the same location, and in the case of limited availability, we may substitute an alternative property of a similar standard to that listed in the itinerary.

Bikes

Because some people can't imagine going on a trip without their own beloved bicycle, we do not provide them as part of this tour. However, you can hire bikes locally for the price listed in the tour pricing section. Road bikes are ideal for this trip, and quality road bikes are available to hire locally. You are also welcome to bring a gravel bike, though it is not required. Given the amount of climbing on this tour, appropriate gearing is recommended, including compact cranks and a rear cassette of 30 teeth or larger. If you bring your own bike, please ensure it is a road or gravel bike in good mechanical order and suitable for sustained climbing over multiple days.

Bike Repairs

Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.

Safety

Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.

Guides

You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.

If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:

FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS

CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.

You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.

TRIP STATUS

There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.

BOOKING ONLINE

From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).

If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.

BOOKING OFFLINE

Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS

We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.

The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.

In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.

In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.

The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.

FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS

If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).

If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).

Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.

If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.

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