Overview
Turda - Oradea - Budapest, Romania; Balaton Lake, Hungary; Maribor - Ljubljana, Slovenia; Plitvice - Zadar - Split, Croatia; Karaka, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor Bay, Montenegro; Cetinje - Podgorica - Skhoder - Tirana, Albania; Ohrid, Skopje, Macedonia; Nis - Golubac, Serbia; Iron Gates - Gura Vaii - Drobeta-Turnu Severin - Transalpina road - Novaci - Sugag - Balea Lake - Curtea de Arges - Sibiu - Turda, Romania
Highlights
- Starts and ends in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Ride to Budapest and Plitvice Jezera
- Ride along the Adriatic Sea to Dubrovnik
- Head to Kotor Bay, known as the Europe’s southern-most fjord
- Ride to the clouds on Transalpina Highway
- Ride on the Transfagarasan Road
- Head to Derdap National Park
- 17 nights' accommodation
Itinerary
Day 1: Cluj Napoca - Turda (Romania), 40 kilometers / 25 miles
Welcome to Romania! Your English-speaking guide, a motorcycle enthusiast, collects you from Cluj International Airport (CLJ). A city with an outstanding medieval atmosphere, one of the oldest settlements in Transylvania, dating back prior to the Roman period, Cluj will surely impress you with its beautiful old architecture. Transfer to Turda, a small town with an intimate atmosphere, founded by the Romans under the name of Potaissa. You will be accommodated at a four-star hotel, collect your motorcycle, and enjoy a welcome dinner. - Riding time: 40 minutes
Day 2: Turda - Sunset Mountains - Oradea, 274 kilometers / 171 miles
Prepare to descend into the heart of one of the biggest salt mines in the country, Turda Salt Mines, with impressive halls named after kings and queens. Ride to Turzii’s Gorges, the most important reservation of the Sunset Mountains. Enjoy a traditional lunch and ride to Oradea, the entrance gate to Romania on the Western border. The city preserves the spirit of the belle époque even today. The feeling is rendered by the architectural Secession style that gives a special elegance to this town, still preserving the atmosphere of the turn of the last century. Your accommodation is a four-star ho
Day 3: Oradea (Romania) - Eger - Budapest (Hungary), 310 kilometers / 193 miles
Today, you’ll cross the border to Hungary and ride to Eger, famous for its beautiful baroque-style buildings, castle, and thermal baths. Spend the evening in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. Your accommodation is a three-star hotel. - Riding time: 6 hours and 10 minutes
Day 4: Budapest
You can choose to enjoy a walk in the Castle District with the imposing Matthias Church, Budapest’s finest and best known Roman Catholic Church, whose fantastic position dominates the skyline. The Fishermen’s Bastion, built in 1895 in neo-Romanesque style, as well as the Royal Palace are symbols of the whole country. Your accommodation is a three-star hotel in Budapest.
Day 5: Budapest - Balaton Lake (Hungary) - Maribor (Slovenia), 370 kilometers / 230 miles
Take a relaxing trip to Balaton Lake, one of the most precious natural treasures of Hungary. Balaton Lake is the largest lake in Central Europe, 77 kilometers in length. In the evening, reach Slovenia and be accommodated in Maribor. The town offers several interesting sights. You can take a walk along the river Drava or on the old part of the town with medieval towers and remains of old town walls. - Riding time: 6 hours and 30 minutes
Day 6: Maribor - Ljubljana, 110 kilometers / 68 miles
Continue your adventure to Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia. Take a walk on Dragon’s Bridge and the Triple Bridge, a symbol of Ljubljana. Admire the architecture of Saint Nicholas Cathedral and visit the medieval Ljubljana Castle. Situated on top of a hill, the castle dominates the city center. Your accommodation and dinner are in Ljubljana. - Riding time: 2 hours
Day 7: Ljubljana (Slovenia) - Plitvice (Croatia), 200 kilometers / 124 miles
Enjoy a morning ride to Plitvice, the oldest national park in Europe. The park hosts an incredible collection of waterfalls, gallery of lakes, forests, and animal life diversity. The lakes are famous for their distinctive colors, ranging from azure to green, grey, or blue, offering breathtaking views. Your accommodation is a three-star hotel in Plitvice. - Riding time: 3 hours and 50 minutes
Day 8: Plitvice - Zadar - Split, 335 kilometers / 208 miles
Ride next to Zadar, the capital of the Dalmatia County and one of Adriatic’s most interesting cities. Reach in sites to explore and in history. Continue your adventure with Split, Adriatic’s most fascinating ports with a long history. Home of Diocletian’s Palace and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Split offers a wealth of museums and Roman ruins located in a dramatic mountain backdrop and opened onto a vast expanse sea. - Riding time: 6 hours and 10 minutes
Day 9: Split (Croatia) - Karaka (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - Dubrovnik (Croatia), 210 kilometers / 130 miles
Ride today to Croatia’s finest city, Dubrovnik. Christened by George Bernard Shaw “the pearl of the Adriatic”, Dubrovnik is the Croatia’s most visited destination, renowned for its incomparable architectural heritage. The exquisite baroque buildings, marble streets, the beautifully sculpted Renaissance fountains, and facades gave Dubrovnik its UNESCO World Heritage Site status. You will be accommodated in Dubrovnik. - Riding time: 3 hours and 30 minutes
Day 10: Dubrovnik
You can choose to walk the streets of the old Dubrovnik, enjoy a boat ride to one of the isles nearby, or relax on the beach. Your accommodation is in Dubrovnik.
Day 11: Dubrovnik (Croatia) - Kotor Bay (Montenegro) - Cetinje - Podgorica - Skhoder (Albania), 243 kilometers / 151 miles
Enjoy a morning ride to the Bay of Kotor located in Montenegro, known as the Europe’s southern-most fjord and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ride next on winding roads up to Cetinje, the former capital city of Montenegro. Delight yourself with the delicious local cuisine for lunch and continue riding to Shkoder located in northwestern Albania, an important cultural and economic center, one of the oldest, and the most historic town in the country. - Riding time: 5 hours
Day 12: Shkoder - Tirana (Albania) - Ohrid (Macedonia), 260 kilometers / 161 miles
Get ready to make the acquaintance of Albania’s capital and largest city, Tirana. You can enjoy a coffee in one of the towers of Tirana offering a 360-degree panorama over the city. Ride to Ohrid, the “Macedonian Jerusalem” known for its impressive number of churches. Ohrid county is notable for having once 365 churches, one for every day of the year! On the way, stop for a traditional lunch in an Albanian "authentic" restaurant. - Riding time: 5 hours
Day 13: Ohrid - Skopje (Macedonia) - Nis (Serbia), 390 kilometers/ 242 miles
Ride to Skopje, the capital city of Macedonia. Enjoy a shopping session in the Bit Bazaar, one of the largest and most significant oriental old bazaars in the Balkans. Ride to Nis, one of the oldest cities in the Balkans, home to Nis Fortress, and one of the best-preserved monuments of this kind in mid-Balkans. Your accommodation and dinner are in Nis. - Riding time: 6 hours
Day 14: Nis - Golubac (Serbia) - Iron Gates - Gura Vaii - Drobeta-Turnu Severin (Romania), 350 kilometers / 217 miles
Ride today to Golubac, marking the entrance to Đerdap National Park. Walk the Golubac Fortress and ride along the Danube River and the famous Iron Gates, the magnificent gateway to the southern slopes of the Carpathian Mountains. Enjoy the breathtaking sceneries and head to Drobeta-Turnu Severin for your accommodation and dinner. - Riding time: 5 hours and 40 minutes
Day 15: Drobeta-Turnu Severin - Transalpina road - Novaci - Sugag, 220 kilometers / 137 miles
Ride your motorcycle to the clouds on one of the most spectacular roads of the Carpathian Mountains, Transalpina. With its highest point at Urdele Pass, 2,145 meters above sea level, Transalpina is the highest road in Romania. Called The King's Road by the locals, the road was built under the rule of King Carol II of Romania and rebuilt during World War II by German troops. Your accommodation is a three-star country inn. - Riding time: 4 hours and 30 minutes
Day 16: Sugag - Balea Lake - Curtea de Arges, 190 kilometers / 118 miles
The most crooked and challenging of Europe's roads for motorcyclists is called the Transfaragasan (2,034-meter altitude). The second highest road in Romania, the Transfagarasan was built between 1970 and 1974 as a military route by communist dictator Ceausescu (after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968). It snakes up the tallest peaks of the Carpathians. Your accommodation and dinner are at a three-star country inn. - Riding time: 3 hours and 30 minutes
Day 17: Curtea de Arges - Sibiu - Turda, 260 kilometers / 161 miles
Continue your journey on Oltului Valley towards Sibiu, the European capital of culture in 2007. The fortified town of Sibiu has always been the center of Romania's German minority since medieval times and it is one of the Romania’s most beautiful cities. It contains the largest concentrations of tourist attractions in Romania. Your accommodation is a four-star hotel in Turda. - Riding time: 5 hours
Day 18: Turda - Cluj Napoca
With a lot of memories and surely some regret, say goodbye to Romania. Transfer to Cluj International Airport (CLJ) to catch your flight back home.
Ride Details
- Terrain
- mix of paved roads and gravel roads
- Bike
- rental bike (BMW models)
- Mileage
- 4,500 kilometers / 2,796 miles
- Daily rides
- 110 - 390 kilometers / 68 - 242 miles / 2 hours - 6 hours 30 minutes
- Meals
- 17 breakfasts and 15 lunches
What's included
- Motorcycle tour with services of a ride leader
- Motorcycle hire
- Entrance fees for Turda Salt Mines, Plitvice Lakes, and Turda Gorge
- Services of a mechanic
- Services of a support vehicle to carry luggage, spares, etc.
- Mechanical spares, servicing, and repairs
- First-aid kit
- Daily briefing and map package
- Top box for daily personal use
- Motorcycle third-party liability insurance
- 17 nights' accommodation
- 17 breakfasts and 15 dinners
- Return airport transfers
Not included
- Additional insurance coverage (available on request)
- Some of the meals
- Beverages
- fuel
- Road taxes and tolls
- Parking fees
- Visas
- Traffic fines
- Repair and / or recovery costs to the motorcycle for loss or damage caused by negligence or failing to heed ride leader's directive
- Medical costs
- Other activities
- International flights
- Personal spending money
Accommodation
During the tour, you will stay for three nights at four-star hotels, 12 nights at three-star hotels, and two nights at three-star country inns.
Food
17 breakfasts and 15 dinners are included.
Getting There
On this tour, you will ride along nine countries including Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, and Serbia. The highlights of the tour are as follows: [+](https://www.tripaneer.com/adventure-motorcycle-tours-and-rentals/18-days-bmw-motorcycle-tour-in-southeast-europe# "Zoom in") [−](https://www.tripaneer.com/adventure-motorcycle-tours-and-ren
