European road trip

[ancient mariner]

this sounds great
Any idea yet (i know its very early days) on kinda budget people should be expecting to allow for mate??

no pimps and their pimpmobiles on this one buddy

[3S Service Centre]

this sounds great
Any idea yet (i know its very early days) on kinda budget people should be expecting to allow for mate??

Hi Dave.

Well this isnt going to be a budget trip purley because of the distances involved.

Fuel costs will be the major factor which will be vehicle specific.

Allowing £300 for accomodation
Ferry/tunnel crossing return £100
Food and Purchases ???? I eat out each night im on holiday so £20 a day including a skinfull.
Open day track fees expected to be around £50
European RAC and track Insurance £200

Fuel???? can advise better in a few days.

Obvioulsy if you have 2 persons in a car/driving the cost is devided. Eating out will be much cheaper with group meals.

Will will be based in the heart of transylvania so surrounded by mountains, exploring the roads/ country side you could burn anywhere from £5-£50 per day in fuel. This would be down to you to decide though. I perosnally know of some amazing roads that I would like to visit again, but I aslo like to soak up the sun too.

James

[Astir4ever]

Do you drive through Germany? Maybe we can do a little MR2 meeting with some German MR2's in a town like Hamburg.

[Tiamat]

No I'm being serious. Its not through lack of wanting performance, its the lack of air at that altitude. It really is mental. My mates 350z was very sluggish in comparison to sea level, and running back to the car to get the camera leaves you out of breath. The air is very thin at 9500ft.

Did the pass two years ago in my old Pug 405 turbo diesel, it really struggled with it too.

[3S Service Centre]

Do you drive through Germany? Maybe we can do a little MR2 meeting with some German MR2's in a town like Hamburg.

thats a great idea, we will have some updates this week and i will pm you.

[Elfman]

awww man, if i wasnt doing my own eurotrip this year i'd deffo be interested!

[3S Service Centre]

I think a Hamburg will be too far north for us, Frankfurt, Numberg, or Munchen regions will be more inkeeping with our route.
James

[Astir4ever]

Which towns are your ''checkpoints''?
Maybe we can meet at the Nurburgring

[sanchi]

This sounds pretty damn kool... I'll be interested in this hopefully my motor will be all sorted by then! I may bring a friend in another car. Will be keeping an eye on the thread!!

[andrewhen]

Hello everyone,

I came across this forum entry while doing a bit of reading up on the Top Gear Transfagarasean entry. I thought maybe I'd be of a bit of help. Don't know if you guys are still looking to make this trip, however, I feel as though after reading through the thread, there are some things you might use which are of interest when visiting Romania.

I'm no authority on the topic, except for the fact that I own a medical tourism company in Romania. Forgive the self advertising, but I promise the information is coming up right now and coming from a tourism agency dealing only with foreigners visiting.

1. You're coming in from Hungary, so you will come through Sibiu most likely - plan for a night in Sibiu. The city is an amazing mixture of old german influences. It was Cultural Capital of Europe in 2007. At the same time Liverpool was. Upon leaving Sibiu and heading towards Brasov you'll reach the Road to Transfagarasean.
2. Road in between Sibiu and Transfagarasean is pretty new, however expect repair works which aren't necessarily signaled.
3. Try coming into Sibiu from Oradea - which will be your entry point into the country driving towards Deva. Expect Oradea to Sibiu to be around 6 hours especially if you travel on weekends.
4. Purchase a Vinette when entering the country and make sure each car has it's own emergency kit (ie. extinguisher, vest, first aid kit, etc) -you can get one vinette, called a Rovinneta, valid for 7 days at around 3 GBP.
5. Don't rely on radar detectors as they don't work with the radars the police here use.
6. Allowed 10 km/h that's around 6 mph over the speed limit you see listed as you're going into villages - most have a speed limit of 50kph, however some have 70.
7. Do the Transfagarasean road but be weary of police on the road - it is very dangerous and with recent popularity people come here to race - watch out and don't loose your license, or more importantly don't hurt yourselves.
8. Most people here speak english, especially in restaurants / pubs / etc.
9. Try planning your route like this, and you will get to see more of the country:
Oradea - Deva - Sibiu (sleep) - Transfagarasean upwards - Transfagarasean downwards (other side of moutain towards Arges) - Campulung - Rucar (another tight mountain road) - Bran (Bran Castle aka Dracula's Castle) Rasnov (make a right towards Poiana Brasov) - Poiana Brasov - Brasov (sleep here) - Sighisoara (north - as you're heading home - visit Sighisoara inhabited medieval citadel UNESCO site) - Cluj Napoca - Oradea - back in Hungary.

10. Road up to Poiana Brasov and down into Brasov are two different routes, both are Mountain Rally courses in the national rally championship - you'll like them.

11. Brasov is a must see / must stay - take a day and enjoy it. Tour it at night, and a hint, look up at the houses in the old city centre (especially the pedestrian street called Republicii to see the decorations on the houses. The old city of Brasov looks like a Belgian mountain town. Great beer and excellent food (Restaurant called Ceasu' Rau).

12. Sighisoara is amazing as well. Plan a stop here and go up to the citadel.


All in all there are a lot of amazing things to see in Romania and I think your plan for a car trip sounds great. Oh yes, the good petrol (100) is around 1.10 - 1.20 GBP / litre, the other one (95) is 1 GBP - diesel is similar in price. Use larger gas stations - I recommend using OMV or Petrom or PetrOMV.

If you guys get to Brasov and want a local to show you around let me know - we'll catch a pint. Also ask me for good prices on accommodation - or don't - either way, enjoy Romania, and enjoy your journey. I truly hope you love it here!

PS. there's no problem between Romanians and Hungarians here - it's all political. In the areas where both ethnic groups live, they get along just fine, it's just that if you don't speak Hungarian and you go into areas such as Harghita or Covasna, you sometimes find it hard to order a bottle of coke, as they won't speak Romanian at all. Otherwise it's all good.
And don't expect to be able to order a beer in Hungarian in places such as Brasov, Sibiu, Sighisoara... just learn to say Ursus (that's a good local brew at around 1 GBP/bottle - even less in some places)

Don't pay in Euro of GBP - use local currency - expect around 5 lei (RON) to the pound (GBP) - and always check out more than one exchange office to see that they don't charge commission and you get a good rate.

Hope this helps, hope you enjoy your journey!