Information for a cycling trip from Poland to Armenia via Romania and Georgia

Hi there! Every year, we go on a cycling trip abroad with panniers, lasting about two weeks. We stay in step lodgings, guesthouses, and the like. We mostly take small roads and really enjoyed northern Montenegro and Albania last year.

We’d love to hear from anyone who’s cycled in these countries before: tips on finding quiet roads, highlights of the regions we’ll pass through, how welcoming the locals are, and so on. Thanks in advance for any replies or exchanges!

hi there, which section do you want to do in Romania?

Hi Jean-Luc,

I don’t know if this trip is still on your radar, but I had the chance to pass through some of these countries during a cycling trip in 2019. Two weeks sounds impossible, though, for traveling from Poland to Armenia—it took me several months!

I did a leg from Kraków to Lviv, taking in southeastern Poland, including the Pieniny and Bieszczady mountains, with a few detours into Slovakia. There weren’t any bike paths to follow, but the route was really peaceful, and I have great memories of those days. It’s so green and picturesque, and sometimes really wild. Probably less monotonous than the regions farther north, too.

Later, I explored each of the three Caucasus countries—Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Each has its own personality, but all are unforgettable. It’s hard to sum up without more specific questions from you! 😊

There’s a bit too little information to give you a precise answer.

But at this stage, I can already say that in Poland, there are two regions developing cycling routes in a truly European style, with clear and consistent separation from car traffic. These two regions are Lesser Poland (Maopolska) and West Pomerania.

This is where you’ll find the most interesting and well-developed cycling routes in the country: Velo Dunajec, the Vistula cycling route in Maopolska (part of EuroVelo 4), Velo Poprad (EuroVelo 11), Velo Baltica (EuroVelo 10), the former railway route, and the Szczecin Lagoon cycling route.

I cover all these high-quality cycling routes in Poland here:

11 of the most beautiful Polish cycling routes (Cycling Thread)

If you’ve got any other questions, don’t hesitate!
F642

S.

Hello

Are you looking to cross the Black Sea from Romania to Georgia? I’m not sure if it’s doable—there’s still a conflict in the area.

As for Romania, I crossed it from west to east (all the way to Brașov) last spring, coming from Hungary.

You can find the map details and travel journal here:

https://onbaik.blogspot.com/p/carpates-ciao-mai-juin-25.html

It’s really beautiful. There’s also some great heritage to see (Orthodox churches and fortified farms, etc.). We followed a "bike path" marked on OpenStreetMap, which didn’t actually exist in real life. We also took quite a few trails to cross Transylvania—it’s stunning. Just be cautious in certain regions (because of bears, which are *very* numerous). You can find some really nice small roads in the less mountainous areas (e.g., between Alba Iulia and Făgăraș). On the other hand, in some valleys, you can’t avoid the national roads, and they’re not great: trucks don’t really pay attention to cyclists (and understandably, since they never see any). You can find B&Bs or bookings pretty much everywhere at very reasonable prices. The cost of living is about 25% cheaper than here. The welcome is generally very good (except for one time when I had to cancel a reservation because I didn’t get a clear response from the owner—we got insulted for being... French, and it wasn’t a compliment :-)).

Georgia: seems amazing—it’s on my future plans (but via Turkey). Just know that not everything is accessible since part of it is under Russian control.

That’s all. Happy travels!

Hi,

you want to cross the Black Sea from Romania to Georgia? I don’t know if that’s doable. There’s still a conflict in the area.

You’d be surprised how normal life goes on once you turn off the French media. UkrFerry is still running routes, at least Batumi–Varna. The Vilnius is currently on its way to Varna as I write this evening. Screenshot from MarineTraffic.

Michel

Hi there, and thanks for the info. I’ll probably get back to you next year since we’ve decided to return to Morocco for the sixth time (which says a lot about how much we love cycling in that country) in the High Atlas in September.