UK to Bulgaria fastest route
 

Heading out to Bulgaria from Calais in September on an f800gs. I'm using a Garmin Nuvi 50 with full euro maps will it get me to shumen in Bulgaria by fastest route if I set to avoid toll roads?

Was hoping to complete the journey in 2 nights, Google maps says it's a tad under 1600 miles. Could it be done with one stopover?

Idillivo - R'dam was 3 days (very long days).

I'd say Austria, Hungary, Serbia, or Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia.... Or possibly depending on where you cross to the continent; France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia...

You can do it it in 2 silly longs days, but remember that road conditions, and possible accidents, and border crossings might ruin your schedule.

Casper

I'm with Casper as well. Calais to Arad(RO) last year was 3 days for us, and that was all motorways/Toll roads. Then took us another day to get to Brasov, because the road seemed to be an endless stream of trucks!

You may do it in less time if your riding solo and have an iron butt.

Hi, I am an American living in Bucharest, Romania so I am pre-conditioned to having to drive long distances to reach something. I have driven several times from Bucharest to Budapest, and have driven twice from Bucharest to Dusseldorf, Germany. Actually just got back last week.

I imagine it's a lot of small towns and little to no highways in Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia. That would surely not be your fastest route. My trip from Dusseldorf to Bucharest was something around 2100km in total, and I usually stop at the Hungarian Romanian border for a few hours. The driving in Romania is too stressful to continue.

I crossed from Germany into Austria at Passau, then to Vienna, Budapest, Szeged, Nadlac, Arad, Sibiu and then take the Olt Valley to Pitesti to pick up the Pitesti-Bucharest highway. There are two new highways opened, one that goes around Sibiu which is 16km, and then another near Deva that is around 50km. If you time your arrival in Romaina on a weekend, there are no trucks permitted through the Olt Valley and it's smooth sailing. I usually cruise at 120kmh through the pass, slowing down for the towns and then opening it up again. Police are usually only found in towns, and most of the time they never try to stop a motorcycle. You would have a nice view in the mountains of Romania while maintaining a good pace.

Arad to Bucharest, ~600km is about 6 hours of driving by car, and that's pushing it. The 800km from Bucharest to Budapest is 10-11 hours by car without stopping, not even for a toilet. In Romania you have to be aggressive. Bulgaria, that is something else. I would obey the speed limits or carry some bank notes with you.

Actually there is highway which starts something like 50km. east of Sofia the whole way to Germany, either via Serbia then Hungary/Austria or Croatia/Slovenia/Austria, bloody boring, but it's there.


Casper