The idea of a tour to Romania, and especially the forested area known as Transylvania, rapidly developed during 2017 from a simple trip to Romania into a tour of Eastern European countries with Romania as the highlight. After all Romania is a long way east, so why not explore some of the less visited countries of Eastern Europe on the way over there and back ? After months of route planning, research, reading and talking to other bikers who had visited Romania, we set off in late July for the Eurotunnel crossing to France and points east.
Following a classic Magellan route across Western Europe we visited the cathedral city of Reims in Northern France, the spa town Baden-Baden in Germany and then beautiful Oberammergau on our way to Austria, checking out some new roads on the way. In Austria we scouted an amazing new mountain road from our normal stop near Zell-Am-See to the Glacier caves, and this road will feature in several 2019 tours. We then incorporated the new find into our route east to Hungary.