Czech President Petr Pavel’s Motorcycle Trip Reveals Romania’s Authentic Beauty

Czech President Petr Pavel slipped into Romania the way most travellers wish they could – quietly, on two wheels, with only a few friends and the open road for company. Over more than 3,000 km, he traced a line from Maramureș to the Danube, choosing modest stays, booking night-to-night, and letting the mountains set the pace. On the way, he praised Romania’s “beautiful country… kind people and wonderful places,” and even stopped to help a stranger suffering an epileptic seizure.

Czech news platform iDNES covered the trip.

A low-profile journey

Pavel planned his own routes and travelled with minimal security – more as a rider than a head of state. The approach was stripped-back: small group, simple lodgings, never two nights in the same place. It allowed him to experience Romania the way riders do – through curves, clouds, and conversations at fuel stops.

“Sometimes we have prejudices that Romania is very backward, but it is a beautiful country, with many nice people and many wonderful places.”

Petr Pavel after his trip to Romania

The roads that convert sceptics

Two names matter to motorcyclists: Transfăgărășan and Transalpina. Pavel rode both, calling out the mountains’ rare mix of “wild yet friendly” – rugged switchbacks without losing the sense that you’re welcome here. For riders and road-trippers, these are bucket-list routes for a reason: long sightlines, big altitude swings, glacial lakes, and ridge-line views that keep you from checking the clock.

Quick cues for travellers:

• Best season: Late June–September (roads can close in heavy weather; check conditions).
• Direction: North–south on Transfăgărășan for the classic approach to Bâlea Lake; either way on Transalpina—both are stellar.
• Pace: Plan fewer kilometres than you think. You’ll want time to pull over, wander, and stare.

Some trips hand you a moment you don’t plan. For Pavel, that was assisting a man during an epileptic seizure—an unceremonious, human pause in the middle of a ride. It landed back home and in Romania as proof of character that doesn’t need headlines.

The itinerary read like a love letter to under-toured Romania: wooden-church country in Maramureș, fortress towns and monasteries, big-sky plateaus, and a Danube finish. Locals he met were… just locals – curious, helpful, and slightly amused that the guy at the pump was a president. That’s the point: the further you get from postcards and old prejudices, the more the country opens up.

Pavel’s trip did what ad campaigns try to do: it reframed Romania for audiences who still think in outdated stereotypes. A head of state choosing an unvarnished, rider ‘s-eye view – no motorcades, no press bus – signals confidence. It also mirrors how more travellers choose now: lighter itineraries, authentic contact, and routes that breathe.

If you want to follow his tracks (roughly)

• Start: Maramureș (wooden churches, quiet valleys) towards Transylvania spurs (Apuseni detours if time).
• Core: Transfăgărășan (DN7C) and Transalpina (DN67C).
• Stops with soul: mountain pensions, monastery guesthouses, farm stays; book short-notice and stay flexible.
• Finish: Danube stretches for evenings that feel a decade slower than the city.