Eastern European Delights Tour

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This tour starts in unique Vienna, one of Europe's top city destinations, but along our route, there are many unknown gems such as Košice, Timișoara, and Pécs to discover - as well as fantastic roads in the eastern foothills of the Alps, around the High Tatras and in the Carpathians.
On this motorcycle tour, we visit up to eight countries with seven different languages and five different currencies, so variety is guaranteed. The Transfogarasch High Road and the lesser-known but no less beautiful Transalpina alone are worth the trip. There is also plenty of time for sightseeing and exploring the regional culture and cuisine, and it is worth trying the up-and-coming wines and countless types of beer from these countries.
Make new friends, enjoy the beautiful landscapes, and immerse yourself in centuries of history. See where Dracula lived, where Schwarzenegger grew up, and where Hungary's famous sweet wine comes from and leave the beaten track behind and experience a part of Europe that has been inaccessible and neglected for decades and rediscover it for yourself!

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DAY 1.  Welcome to Austria!

Upon arrival in Vienna, meet at the designated hotel for check-in. Spend your free time relaxing or exploring the City before our safety briefing.

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DAY 2.  Vienna - Kroměříž

Austria’s far north-eastern corner is called Weinviertel, which means “Wine Quarter”. Think rolling hills, vineyards, lots of sunshine, and small secondary roads that don’t see much traffic. Past Wolkersdorf we head north to Mistelbach, made famous by an Austrian pop band that used the name as a synonym for “really far off”.

A bit further up the road, we cross into the Czech Republic almost unseen, there are no more checkpoints. The border between east and west that was once impenetrable has disappeared almost without a trace. Of course, we still stop for a quick picture. Lednice features a beautifully restored old town and an impressive castle, even a World Heritage site.

Further north, right outside of Brno, the wide-open countryside once witnessed one of Europe’s most important events. At the Battle of Austerlitz, French Emperor Napoleon defeated a much larger Austrian and Russian army, a victory  that eventually led to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and to a period of French supremacy in Europe. Not for very long, though, as during those days the next war was never far off and today a monument stands on Pratzen Heights, where most of the fighting took place.

From here we head to Kroměříž, just an hour away.

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DAY 3.  Kroměříž - Liptovský Hrádok

On this route we pass the city of Zlin, home of Tomáš Baťa who invented the shoe factory and founded what is today the world’s largest shoe company here in 1894.

Only minutes later we cross the border to Slovakia as well as the Valley of the Váh River and head up into a low mountain range named Strážovské vrchy. This may be difficult to pronounce but the roads are gorgeous, the riding is fun.

Čičmany, a small village famous for its folk architecture, makes for a really nice picture stop before we find today’s main highlight in the nearby town of Bojnice where castle there is like straight out of a fairy tale, you expect Rapunzel to appear at a window high up at any moment.

After a visit to the castle and some lunch we continue towards the Lesser Tatras. This mountain range is not as high and not as well-known as the High Tatras, but the roads are much better and less busy. The pass named Čertovica is Slovakia’s highest, at 1,232 m (4,042 ft). Our destination Liptovský Hrádok is at the end of

the road.

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DAY 4.  Liptovský Hrádok - Košice

Soon after leaving Liptov the High Tatras come into view. We follow the road that leads along their southern slopes, always heading east. Tatra Lomnica is where you are closest to the high peaks; tourism is king around here, the best ski resort in Eastern Europe keeps people busy in winter, in summer it’s all about hiking,
climbing, bicycling – and motorcycling.
If time is on our side we can cross to Poland and ride the curvy road along Poprad River. Back in Slovakia Bardejov has a beautifully preserved old town, a treasure trove full of Gothic and Renaissance buildings huddled around the central square.
The ride from here to Košice, our destination today, takes us just over an hour which is good because the historic centre of Košice is also worth seeing.

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DAY 5. Košice - Oradea

Today we have to cross two borders but Hungary is where we spend most of our day. The Great Hungarian Plain and the Northern Uplands are quite remote and not as touristy developed as, say, Budapest or the Balaton. But there is still so much to see that we can really only scratch the surface.

After crossing the border to Hungary first thing in the morning we take a little detour and check out the castle of Füzér, sitting high up on a rocky outcrop. If these walls could talk we would probably be sitting here for days, listening, but they can’t and so we continue, down to the lowlands.

Tokaj is a famous wine region and the town of the same name is its centre. Tokaj wine is sweet and heavy and very, very good. Throughout the town, you can sample it, or let’s say you could if you didn’t have to ride your bike. But why not buy a bottle, take it along and have it tonight as an aperitif or even better for dessert?

We work our way around the city of Debrecen and towards the Romanian border. It will take us a little while to cross it and on top of that we lose an hour due to the change of time zones, but Oradea, our destination for today, is just beyond the border.

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DAY 6.  Oradea - Sighișoara

Transylvania actually means “behind the forests” and describes a high plateau surrounded by a U-shaped mountain range. The region also has a German name, Siebenbürgen, because on several occasions since the 10th century German settlers were invited to come and settle here, usually in order to replenish the population that had been decimated by the Turks, the Tartars, the plague or other disasters. As a result, most towns and cities here have German names along with their Romanian ones and on top of that many also have Hungarian names because Transylvania was under Hungarian rule for a while. Like for a couple of hundred years. Sibiu for instance also goes by the names of Hermannstadt or Nagyszeben.
We enter the U from the north-west by crossing the Apuseni Mountains on small side roads, narrow, twisty, and bumpy. No tour buses around here! Past Alba Iuliabwe reach the central Transylvanian plains which are not completely plain but still hilly, so the roads stay interesting. Sighișoara, our destination, beckons with a
picture-perfect historic centre, supposedly the most beautiful one in all of Romania. Don’t get there too late

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DAY 7: Sighișoara - Bran

Today’s ride is quite short and the reason for that is a man who goes by the name of Dracula. Vlad the Impaler is the historic example for Count Dracula and the castle in Bran served as a model for Dracula’s. There’s no record of Vlad ever setting foot in Bran Castle but that doesn’t keep visitors from around the world from flocking there in large numbers. And yes, it’s worth it, the castle in German known as Törzburg is very interesting.
On our way to Bran we stop in Viscri, a picture-perfect Romanian village with an imposing fortified church and in Braşov, the biggest city around. Its pleasant main square is surrounded by colourful, meticulously restored baroque houses and screams out “take a break, have a coffee!” Good idea.

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DAY 8.  Bran - Sibiu

If Count Dracula allows us to leave his castle again (alive...) we hurry away, up into the Carpathians, This wild and remote mountain range is not only home to bears, wolves, and eagles, but also to Romania's most famous mountain road: Transfăgărășan. In endless curves, it takes us up to over 2,000 m of elevation, where the air is cool and the views are awesome. This road is very popular so don't expect to be all by yourself.
For the night we head to Sibiu, the gateway to the Carpathians and Romania's adventure capital. The historic city centre was restored meticulously and features a lively pedestrian zone which, in turn, features numerous outdoor cafes, restaurants, and beer gardens. Needless to say that it pays to arrive in Sibiu a bit earlier.

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DAY 9.  Sibiu - Timisoara

Today we leave Dracula’s home Transylvania and head west, to the historical region of Banat. Timișoara is the centre and its biggest city, a very historic place full of beautiful old buildings and with a very special atmosphere. It’s our destination today.
After a couple of days on the road in Eastern or Central Europe people sometimes suffer from castle fatigue. If you are affected too you should think about this route today.
From Sibiu, it will take you straight into the mountains, on the Transalpina road which is at least as beautiful as the Transfăgărășan further east, and in better condition. Countless curves, beautiful scenery, almost no traffic: riding the Carpathians can be so much fun. The road reaches an elevation of 2145 m, making it the highest in all of Romania.
But the road is beautiful all the way and it eventually takes you down to Caransebeș. For the rest of the ride, we recommend the motorway. It was a long day and Timișoara features an old city centre that is not completely restored yet but still very pretty and worth seeing

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DAY 10.  Timisoara - Pecs

The fastest route from Timișoara to Pécs (pronounced “Petch”) describes a slight curve to the north in order to avoid going through Serbia. If you want (and if you have the right visa!) you can go through Serbia of course, but the tour does not.
Instead, we go straight to the Hungarian border and head to Szeged, the capital of paprika (chili peppers). Have you heard of a dish named Szegedin Goulash? It’s a spiced stew with sauerkraut and according to legend, it was invented here.
A bit later we cross the Danube and we cross it the proper way: by ferry. Mohács, the town on the other side, is a pleasant place but more interesting is a historic site a bit further south, where an unusual monument remembers the year 1526.
On August 29 of that year, the Hungarian army lost the “Battle of Mohács” against the invading Turks, an event that “killed” independent Hungary and paved the way for several centuries of foreign domination. Rumour has it that some Hungarians still come to this site to cry. Only after dark of course.
Afterward, they usually go to Villany to get themselves some wine. A small mountain range protects this region from the cold northern winds, thus creating a preferable climate for vineyards. A lovely place to have a look around and stack up on some red or rosé.

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DAY 11. Pecs - Maribor

Today we have the chance of riding across the northern tip of Croatia. There’s not much to see there but the town of Varaždin is actually very nice. Croatia has now signed the Schengen Agreement and has also introduced the euro as its currency, making it easier to cross the border and travel around the country.
As soon as we reach Slovenia, the only country with ‘love’ in its name, the landscape becomes hilly and pretty. Past the imposing castle of Borl, we reach Ptuj which, for many centuries, went by the German name of Pettau. It is the centre of a lovely wine growing region and well worth a stop, even if only for coffee instead of wine. Maribor, our destination, is only half an hour away.

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DAY 12.  Maribor - Admont

Austria’s southernmost province, Styria, is known for ist mild climate, its many vineyards, it unusual traditional wooden houses and for Arnold, the “Austrian Oak”.
Right after crossing the border we turn left and ride through the beautiful Styrian Wine Region, a very popular holiday region, especially for people on bicycles. It’s illegal to even ride a bicycle while under the influence but many of them don’t seem to know or care.
The provincial capital of Graz welcomes us with plenty of traffic, that's why we just bypass it instead of going in all the way. Back in 2005 Arnold Schwarzenegger had a dispute with his home town over his refusal to pardon a convict in California, where he was Governor at the time. Subsequently his name had to be removed from the local soccer stadium, Arnold is not a son of Graz anymore. At least the museum in his birth house in Thal is still there.
West of Graz you can have a look at one of the world’s most unusual churches and/or at the famous stud farm, where the white Lipizzaner stallions for the Spanish Riding School in Vienna are bred. After that some stunning roads lead us to Admont, a small town in the middle of the mountains. The magnificent basilica is worth a closer look!

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DAY 13: Admont - Vienna

Some paper maps, like the ones from Michelin for example, mark roads that especially scenic with a green line. You will be happy to hear that almost all the roads we are on today are ‘green’, from the “Gesäuse” to the Salza valley, from the Gscheid pass to the Klostertal valley, even the “Weinstraße” to Mödling, a suburb of Vienna, is greenlined. Great riding fun? We do think so!
But besides all the riding fun there is also something to see today. Eisenerz is home to a huge open pit iron mine which serves as a race track once per year for a hardcore off-road motorcycle event. A ride across the mine in a huge dump truck is a very unusual and interesting experience.
Past Mariazell we continue eastwards and stay in the mountains as long as possible, but eventually we have to leave them, descend towards Baden and see the Pannonian plain, stretching away into the distance. Vienna, here we come…

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DAY 14.  Airport transfer and check-out

After breakfast, transfer to the airport. Goodbye, and safe travels home!

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION

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MINIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 6

If the minimum number of participants isn’t reached, the tour may be cancelled or run with a different format.

 

WHAT IS INCLUDED:​

• All overnights (comfortable middle-class hotels) during entire tour

• breakfast every day

• 11 dinners

• 2 picnics/lunches

• motorcycle rental with unlimited mileage

• third party liability insurance for motorcycles

• comprehensive vehicle insurance for motorcycles with deductible according to the booked motorcycle model

• tour information package in English or German including safety tips, details about the hotels, the route and the sights

• English and German speaking tour guide on motorcycle

• support van for luggage transportation (1 piece per person) and space for passengers (limited) on entire tour

• Edelweiss Riding Tips

Optional services

• optional deductible reduction on included motorcycle insurance (Cover All / Cover Plus)

• This group tour is not suitable for people with limited mobility.

 

IS NOT INCLUDED:

• All services not mentioned as included and all items of a personal nature

 

TERMS OF PAYMENT:

• With the registration, at the earliest, however, eleven months before the agreed end of the tour a down payment of EUR 500.00 shall be made.

• The remaining payment shall be paid without any further request 42 days before the journey starts concurrently against delivery of the travel documents.

• In case of procured journeys, the payment conditions of the respective organiser or, respectively, service provider shall apply.

• We expressly reserves the right to cancel the booking for the traveller at his/her own expense if payment deadlines are not complied with.​

CANCELLATION POLICY:
In the event of cancellation by the traveller, the following compensation lump sums shall be laid down:

• until 60 days before the beginning of the journey EUR 200,00

• until 42 days before the beginning of the journey EUR 350,00

• until 31 days before the beginning of the journey 30 %

• from 30 days before the beginning of the journey 100 %

• No-show 100 % from the respective travel price. It is recommended taking out a travel cancellation insurance.

• A one-time rebooking at the latest 60 days before the start of the tour shall be possible free of charge.

• After having realized a rebooking, the cancellation charge amounts to at least EUR 350,00 per person.