Giurgiu

It is an interesting road for a one-day round trip. There are more fun paths, aside from the short and relatively straight one, if you are looking to ride through nice villages and green scenery. The main road is E85 from Bucharest to Giurgiu, but we recommend, if you have the time, to make a detour going on National Road 4 to Oltenita and then on Mational Road 41, all the way to Giurgiu. The trip will be twice as long, but by far more beautiful.

Best time to ride

We recommend Summertime. Near the border there are some beaches along the Danube, where you stop for a picnic. The river water is fast and has lots of unpredictable currents so, even if you do see locals frolicking in the water, keep in mind that they are born-and-raised-swimmers (most of them, anyway). We would recommend to avoid joining them, unless you are a pretty good swimmer yourself.

Surface

The road is well paved, but it crosses through villages so be aware of dogs, cats and children. You may encounter horses and buggies also.

Photos

Traffic

The main road to Giurgiu is usually rather busy. Happily, the National Roads that dodge the main road aren't as crowded. Both routes are used by locals to shuttle to and from Bucharest, but the main road usually accommodates larger buses transiting between the city of Giurgiu and the capital, while secondary routes are used mainly by small shuttles in order to transport locals between villages.

Scenery

The main road will not be that spectacular, but it holds the advantages of being quick, short and easy to access. The national roads, though, will reveal traditional southern villages rich in greenery and clusters of trees at the edges of the road.

Police

E85 road may have traffic officers lurking around, during the weekdays, since it's one of the main roads and also a direct route to the Bulgarian border, all the way from Bucharest. The other national roads tend to be free of traffic officers.

Food and drink

Giurgiu is not a metropolis, but it's a big enough city, so if you are interested in eating at a restaurant, you can find one quite easily. We'd go with local supermarkets, canned food, bread and other sandwiches-making-ingredients.

Tolls

The road is toll free.

Direction

GPS