Transylvania MTB Ride: Sirnea

If you’re planning to visit Transylvania, particularly Brasov area and you’re also looking forward to some beautiful mountain biking routes, we totally recommend this one. A nice 50 km ride will entertain you both with easy and challenging paths. Gravel, asphalt, forest roads, and stunning landscapes make the Transylvania MTB ride around Sirnea a great destination. As well, if you’re looking for more MTB routes in  Romania, check out these tracks as well.

Sirnea MTB ride

Romania is still young when it comes to tourism but it’s starting to attract more and more tourists. Not being such a well known destination you might wonder what to expect from it. Vast forests, lush wild animal life and joyful people are just a few ingredients when visiting the countryside. Transylvania in particular is a place where hospitality, heritage and amazing natural beauties combine in a perfect holiday destination. There’s plenty to do and discover and we promise to get back with even more articles but for now, let’s ride on this one!

We started the trail right from the guest house where we spent the night. We were blessed with beautiful clear skies and a perfect day to ride. Our route takes us through tranquil meadows covered already in green grass and flowers. The big mountains shine in the background and our lungs are filled with fresh air. The way the landscape looks here resembles somehow the iconic countryside in the Alps.

The ride is moderate, with ups and downs on an excellent dirt road between Sirnea (our starting place) and Ciocanu. From Ciocanu we descend on the main asphalt road (DJ730) to Dambovicioara. Just a side note: at Dambovicioara you can stop to visit a small cave. We initially headed towards the cave but since it was crowded we preferred to continue our ride and leave the cave for another time.

We followed the main road until Podul Dambovicioarei where we took the dirt/gravel road DJ730A. The next section, until Fundata, is uphill and off-road. We’re rumbling in a nice forest area and the cool air is welcoming. We enjoyed it so much that we accidentally made an unnecessary loop at Fundata (you’ll see it in the GPS track). Small mistake but nice views.

Of course, we couldn’t end the ride without stopping for a nice cup of coffee in front of the majestic Piatra Craiului Mountains.

All in all the track is well balanced and never dull. More than that, we did not encounter any issues with wild animals or sheepfold dogs (quite common in Romania) and that added up points to this route. This being said, the place is awesome so all you need is a nice mountain bike (hard tail will do), a sunny day and a ride appetite!

GPS track for Sirnea MTB ride

How to get to Sirnea MTB ride?

From Brasov the way is relatively straight forward. You start of in the direction of Rasnov, where you can also visit it’s old citadel fortress. From here make your way to Bran, where you can visit the Bran Castle, which is better known as Dracula’s Castle. Next stop is Sirnea. If you plan to do the bike route I would suggest to reserve another full day only for the castles.

Where to sleep?

In general we aim for low budget accommodation options and this time wasn’t an exception. We picked a quite remote guesthouse to make sure we’re close to nature, right on the track and we can enjoy a nice and quiet evening. This little guesthouse is called Pensiunea Crai Nou and here’s the exact location on the map. The place is quite modest but offers some nice and useful facilities: full-equipped kitchen (one / floor), nice backyard, place to leave your bikes and as well a nice place to eat or relax outside. On top of that, the rates are really low – we paid around 35 eur/night/ double room.

Good to know

• If you’re travelling via Sibiu it’s worth stopping at Astra Village Museum. There you’ll be able to discover a bit more of Romania’s old architectural heritage and learn about how life used to be in this area a while ago. The museum is a vast open-air walk among old Romanian housing systems and work specific buildings. There’s also a small lake, a concert area and some places to just relax in the forest. Totally recommend it. 
• For sure there are as well other beautiful places to discover in the heart of Romania from this cultural point of view. You can visit cities like Sibiu or Brasov, wander in the medieval fortress-city of Sighisoara or visit castles and palaces such as Rasnov, Bran (better known as Dracula’s Castle), Peles, Pelisor. There’s really a lot of amazing places for you to explore.
• And last but not least, for sure all this is nothing on an empty stomach so don’t be shy to experiment Romanian cuisine – you won’t regret it!

Hope you found the information helpful and accurate, but remember, if you have any questions drop them in a comment below!

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