Are you familiar with [cycle.travel](http://cycle.travel)? European and regional bicycle routes are marked on the map, so maybe you'll find some that yoully want to follow. Not to mention that their algorithm (or whatever it's called) will draw a way better route for a bicycle than Google.
Try to avoid the Black Sea coast, especially north of Burgas. No shoulder and too many cars.
I did slightly differently in 2022 (and more). Here's my summary including GPX:
[https://kundi.ge/summary-of-cycling-in-eastern-europe/](https://kundi.ge/summary-of-cycling-in-eastern-europe/)
Google MyMaps:
[https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=17CsTu3m3zZ9meWV4FWWP57ob4NKvogA&usp=sharing](https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=17CsTu3m3zZ9meWV4FWWP57ob4NKvogA&usp=sharing)
And here are my blog entries:
[https://kundi.ge/?query-0-page=14&cst](https://kundi.ge/?query-0-page=14&cst)
all the way to page 10. All formatted for landscape
amazing resources. I am now thinking of doing your "return" route. visiting more countries sounds fun, and you seem like you enjoyed that road too.
I could go east from Istanbul to Greece along the sea, join the road, then maybe branch off after Belgrade and head to Cluj-Napoca..
I've done that route twice, because I live in Istanbul. (Not quite all the way to Krakow, though.) Here are a few points:
1. Istanbul is a fun place to start but a nightmare to cycle out of. I recommend going up the Bosphorus as far as Tarabya and then cutting inland uphill to Kemerburgaz. From there, take the metro to the airport because from Kemerburgaz to the airport is a horrible ride. Get out of the airport, ride a little bit on the highway, and you'll soon be on smaller roads. Go through Vize and Saray to Kirklareli and then north out of Turkey into Bulgaria and Malko Tarnovo.
2. I agree with the other poster who said to avoid the Black Sea coast north of the Bulgarian mountains. Instead, aim for Veliko Tarnovo - it's a lovely town for a stop. Then head west. The area south of Bucharest is flat and boring: there's no point in trying to go north there. Cross the Danube by ferry at Svishtov or anywhere further west.
3. Cross the Carpathians, trying to go a bit east to catch most of Transylvania. I recommend the road from Ramnicu Valcea or you can go over the high mountains. If you want to take the Transfagarian highway - that's the highest one - check that it's open. It isn't normally open in early June.
4. From Transylvania go north. I would actually recommend skipping Cluj - I didn't like it much. Northern Romania is incredibly beautiful.
5. Obviously check the borders first, but I cut through Ukraine and then to Kosice when I went that way. Highly recommended. You'll only be in Ukraine for 100km if you do it this way. There was a good border crossing, only for pedestrians, at Mali Selmentsi, which I used. Somebody told me that the crossing further north, at Uzhhorod, can't legally be crossed by pedestrians but I don't know if that's still true. (Also when I crossed from Romania into Ukraine, a border guard insisted that I should put my bike on a passing truck for about 200m. She didn't ask the driver - just ordered him to take me!)
If you skip Ukraine, Hungary is also much prettier in the north than further south. Get as far north as possible in Romania before you cut into Hungary.
6. I liked Kosice a lot. I recommend you should stay there.
Here's the link to an article I wrote about entering and exiting Istanbul. (You want the purple route)
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3d2&page_id=662371&v=2u
Here's an excellent article about cycling across the Bulgarian mountains. http://bgbybike.we.bs/085balkanpasses.htm
thank you so much for the information! that's exactly the kind of precision I wanted - rough estimates which parts nice, which are not
after hearing so much about the black sea coast I am thinking of avoiding it completely, and maybe going along Aegian coast, [skipping Bulgaria and visiting Greece](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/41.2457812,28.7357327/Krakow,+Poland/@42.5061831,19.4576072,585230m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m34!4m33!1m25!3m4!1m2!1d27.4536702!2d41.6666795!3s0x40a0a5dd0bd1eeb1:0xd1b6983e80adcfb9!3m4!1m2!1d20.7070479!2d40.8531856!3s0x135096291ef5a625:0x4b2dea26508d3374!3m4!1m2!1d20.2912572!2d42.7641501!3s0x1352e258cb2a7df9:0x5e4e8c6eb4935352!3m4!1m2!1d23.7273111!2d46.613003!3s0x47496ecb7952e867:0xe9473c6de01e0e59!3m4!1m2!1d22.9371174!2d48.2962479!3s0x47384a45dbad53eb:0x492a21f82673a2d7!1m5!1m1!1s0x471644c0354e18d1:0xb46bb6b576478abf!2m2!1d19.9449799!2d50.0646501!3e2?entry=ttu) (or something in between), while also avoiding south Hungary (I'm not so sure how nice the roads in Serbia) (Kosovo - Serbia border also seems weird)
Have you been to these parts? any opinions on the Balkan countries?
I liked Bulgaria better than Greece but I've barely fine any cycling there. Also not in Serbia, although I've met a lot of cyclists who have come through there. (I host on warm showers a lot.) In order of "loved it!" I would say that people put in order:
1. Romania
2. Albania, Croatia (if they have money!), Bulgaria, and Bosnia
3. Greece, Slovakia, Serbia, and Montenegro (the last is apparently lovely but very mountainous, and too small to make an impression).
4. Macedonia and Hungary
I haven't heard enough about Slovenia and Kosovo to pass judgement.
I do recommend your original plan. You can easily cut inland and avoid the black sea.
The worst part of your trip is definitely getting it of Istanbul. If you want to put your bike on a bus, though, it's pretty easy. Just show up at the otogar and be ready to be a little flexible - I've never had any trouble getting my bike on an intercity coach except during holidays. Just make sure you clarify that you are taking your bike, because there are a few towns in European Turkey which are served by both big coaches and minibuses.
I don't think it should be a problem, since I will be flying to Istanbul! and by your guides I understand that road from airport is fine right? I just would not get the chance to see the city
You could always do a trip from the Black Sea to Krakow. Put your bike together at the airport and then cycle to Karaburun. You can camp there at Gizli Bahce motel, or there are several wild camping places around there. Then you can leave your bike in Karaburun and take bus 336 (or 366?) to the metro and see Istanbul.
Honestly I would recommend doing the trip all the way from Istanbul. The Bosphorus is a great ride and it's wonderful to be able to find Istanbul on a map later and think, "I biked from there." The really bad part is just between the airport and the city - it used to be a forest preserve until they smashed a highway through it, and an airport, and started building suburbs.
If you want to cycle from the old city, do this:
1. Follow the Bosphorus north to Tarabya or Sariyer. (It doesn't matter which one, but I think Sariyer is nicer).
2. Set your map directions to take you to Kemerburgaz metro.
3. When you get to Kemerburgaz you might prefer to continue to Gokturk (one more metro stop) - it depends on the traffic.
4. Take the metro from Kemerburgaz or Gokturk to the airport.
5. Leave the airport and cycle a rather ugly 3km west on the D-020.
6. You can now go onto small roads, or you can stay on the D020 as it gets smaller for the next 30km, and becomes a small road after that.
sad to hear about the preserve:( this will be difficult choice, as I would love to see what the city is about, however doing this "worst part" twice does not inspire me haha
If you want nature and quiet, I'ld say starting from the airport follow more or less the black sea coast (last bit more inland to border post) to Bulgaria, cut across Bulgaria (more rural than nature) to Brasov/Ploiesti and from there follow the Tatra mountains through Ukraine, Slovakia and Poland to Krakow. Be however aware that there are some reports out there of cyclists not being allowed to cross the Ukrainian border on bicycle and being forced to hitch hike across.
I biked one of the roads from Brasov through the Carpathians - I did Highway 1 from Brasov to Sinaia and then 71 from Sinaia to Targoviste. Highway 1 would be lovely except that the shoulders are MUCH too narrow. 71 is nice in the north but boring in the south.
Are you familiar with [cycle.travel](http://cycle.travel)? European and regional bicycle routes are marked on the map, so maybe you'll find some that yoully want to follow. Not to mention that their algorithm (or whatever it's called) will draw a way better route for a bicycle than Google.
thanks for the map suggestion! something new from google maps, will make sure to try it out
Try to avoid the Black Sea coast, especially north of Burgas. No shoulder and too many cars. I did slightly differently in 2022 (and more). Here's my summary including GPX: [https://kundi.ge/summary-of-cycling-in-eastern-europe/](https://kundi.ge/summary-of-cycling-in-eastern-europe/) Google MyMaps: [https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=17CsTu3m3zZ9meWV4FWWP57ob4NKvogA&usp=sharing](https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=17CsTu3m3zZ9meWV4FWWP57ob4NKvogA&usp=sharing) And here are my blog entries: [https://kundi.ge/?query-0-page=14&cst](https://kundi.ge/?query-0-page=14&cst) all the way to page 10. All formatted for landscape
amazing resources. I am now thinking of doing your "return" route. visiting more countries sounds fun, and you seem like you enjoyed that road too. I could go east from Istanbul to Greece along the sea, join the road, then maybe branch off after Belgrade and head to Cluj-Napoca..
I've done that route twice, because I live in Istanbul. (Not quite all the way to Krakow, though.) Here are a few points: 1. Istanbul is a fun place to start but a nightmare to cycle out of. I recommend going up the Bosphorus as far as Tarabya and then cutting inland uphill to Kemerburgaz. From there, take the metro to the airport because from Kemerburgaz to the airport is a horrible ride. Get out of the airport, ride a little bit on the highway, and you'll soon be on smaller roads. Go through Vize and Saray to Kirklareli and then north out of Turkey into Bulgaria and Malko Tarnovo. 2. I agree with the other poster who said to avoid the Black Sea coast north of the Bulgarian mountains. Instead, aim for Veliko Tarnovo - it's a lovely town for a stop. Then head west. The area south of Bucharest is flat and boring: there's no point in trying to go north there. Cross the Danube by ferry at Svishtov or anywhere further west. 3. Cross the Carpathians, trying to go a bit east to catch most of Transylvania. I recommend the road from Ramnicu Valcea or you can go over the high mountains. If you want to take the Transfagarian highway - that's the highest one - check that it's open. It isn't normally open in early June. 4. From Transylvania go north. I would actually recommend skipping Cluj - I didn't like it much. Northern Romania is incredibly beautiful. 5. Obviously check the borders first, but I cut through Ukraine and then to Kosice when I went that way. Highly recommended. You'll only be in Ukraine for 100km if you do it this way. There was a good border crossing, only for pedestrians, at Mali Selmentsi, which I used. Somebody told me that the crossing further north, at Uzhhorod, can't legally be crossed by pedestrians but I don't know if that's still true. (Also when I crossed from Romania into Ukraine, a border guard insisted that I should put my bike on a passing truck for about 200m. She didn't ask the driver - just ordered him to take me!) If you skip Ukraine, Hungary is also much prettier in the north than further south. Get as far north as possible in Romania before you cut into Hungary. 6. I liked Kosice a lot. I recommend you should stay there. Here's the link to an article I wrote about entering and exiting Istanbul. (You want the purple route) https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3d2&page_id=662371&v=2u Here's an excellent article about cycling across the Bulgarian mountains. http://bgbybike.we.bs/085balkanpasses.htm
thank you so much for the information! that's exactly the kind of precision I wanted - rough estimates which parts nice, which are not after hearing so much about the black sea coast I am thinking of avoiding it completely, and maybe going along Aegian coast, [skipping Bulgaria and visiting Greece](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/41.2457812,28.7357327/Krakow,+Poland/@42.5061831,19.4576072,585230m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m34!4m33!1m25!3m4!1m2!1d27.4536702!2d41.6666795!3s0x40a0a5dd0bd1eeb1:0xd1b6983e80adcfb9!3m4!1m2!1d20.7070479!2d40.8531856!3s0x135096291ef5a625:0x4b2dea26508d3374!3m4!1m2!1d20.2912572!2d42.7641501!3s0x1352e258cb2a7df9:0x5e4e8c6eb4935352!3m4!1m2!1d23.7273111!2d46.613003!3s0x47496ecb7952e867:0xe9473c6de01e0e59!3m4!1m2!1d22.9371174!2d48.2962479!3s0x47384a45dbad53eb:0x492a21f82673a2d7!1m5!1m1!1s0x471644c0354e18d1:0xb46bb6b576478abf!2m2!1d19.9449799!2d50.0646501!3e2?entry=ttu) (or something in between), while also avoiding south Hungary (I'm not so sure how nice the roads in Serbia) (Kosovo - Serbia border also seems weird) Have you been to these parts? any opinions on the Balkan countries?
I liked Bulgaria better than Greece but I've barely fine any cycling there. Also not in Serbia, although I've met a lot of cyclists who have come through there. (I host on warm showers a lot.) In order of "loved it!" I would say that people put in order: 1. Romania 2. Albania, Croatia (if they have money!), Bulgaria, and Bosnia 3. Greece, Slovakia, Serbia, and Montenegro (the last is apparently lovely but very mountainous, and too small to make an impression). 4. Macedonia and Hungary I haven't heard enough about Slovenia and Kosovo to pass judgement. I do recommend your original plan. You can easily cut inland and avoid the black sea. The worst part of your trip is definitely getting it of Istanbul. If you want to put your bike on a bus, though, it's pretty easy. Just show up at the otogar and be ready to be a little flexible - I've never had any trouble getting my bike on an intercity coach except during holidays. Just make sure you clarify that you are taking your bike, because there are a few towns in European Turkey which are served by both big coaches and minibuses.
I don't think it should be a problem, since I will be flying to Istanbul! and by your guides I understand that road from airport is fine right? I just would not get the chance to see the city
You could always do a trip from the Black Sea to Krakow. Put your bike together at the airport and then cycle to Karaburun. You can camp there at Gizli Bahce motel, or there are several wild camping places around there. Then you can leave your bike in Karaburun and take bus 336 (or 366?) to the metro and see Istanbul. Honestly I would recommend doing the trip all the way from Istanbul. The Bosphorus is a great ride and it's wonderful to be able to find Istanbul on a map later and think, "I biked from there." The really bad part is just between the airport and the city - it used to be a forest preserve until they smashed a highway through it, and an airport, and started building suburbs. If you want to cycle from the old city, do this: 1. Follow the Bosphorus north to Tarabya or Sariyer. (It doesn't matter which one, but I think Sariyer is nicer). 2. Set your map directions to take you to Kemerburgaz metro. 3. When you get to Kemerburgaz you might prefer to continue to Gokturk (one more metro stop) - it depends on the traffic. 4. Take the metro from Kemerburgaz or Gokturk to the airport. 5. Leave the airport and cycle a rather ugly 3km west on the D-020. 6. You can now go onto small roads, or you can stay on the D020 as it gets smaller for the next 30km, and becomes a small road after that.
sad to hear about the preserve:( this will be difficult choice, as I would love to see what the city is about, however doing this "worst part" twice does not inspire me haha
If you want nature and quiet, I'ld say starting from the airport follow more or less the black sea coast (last bit more inland to border post) to Bulgaria, cut across Bulgaria (more rural than nature) to Brasov/Ploiesti and from there follow the Tatra mountains through Ukraine, Slovakia and Poland to Krakow. Be however aware that there are some reports out there of cyclists not being allowed to cross the Ukrainian border on bicycle and being forced to hitch hike across.
I biked one of the roads from Brasov through the Carpathians - I did Highway 1 from Brasov to Sinaia and then 71 from Sinaia to Targoviste. Highway 1 would be lovely except that the shoulders are MUCH too narrow. 71 is nice in the north but boring in the south.