About Danube Gorge Road
The Danube Gorge Road is the stretch of the DN57 between Orșova and Moldova Veche, the riverside district of the town of Moldova Nouă: about 100 kilometres on which the road almost never leaves the Danube, along the Romanian bank of the gorge where the river cuts through the Carpathians. It crosses Mehedinți and Caraș-Severin counties and the Iron Gates Natural Park, and on the opposite bank, a few hundred metres away, lies Serbia.
There has been a road here since the 1830s, the Széchenyi road, cut into the rock on the left bank of the Danube. When the Iron Gates I dam was built, completed in 1972, the water rose by several tens of metres and covered the old road, old Orșova and the riverside villages; today's road runs higher up the slope, above the new water level.
It is not a mountain road with hairpins: it stays close to the water, with tight bends under limestone walls, bridges over the bays and fishing villages every few kilometres.
What you can see
From Orșova, the road passes through Eșelnița and enters the Small Cauldrons; at Mraconia Bay, the bridge passes in front of the rock face of Decebalus, carved into the cliff, and Mraconia Monastery stands right by the road. Next comes Dubova Bay, with the pontoons where boats leave for the Cauldrons, and then the Great Cauldrons, beneath the Ciucaru Mare massif. Further on the road passes through Plavișevița, Svinița, with the ruins of Tricule fortress in the water, Berzasca and Liubcova, and towards Coronini you can see the Baba Caia rock in the middle of the river and Golubac fortress on the Serbian bank.
Good to know
The road is paved but narrow, with patched sections, especially between Dubova and Svinița. Rockfalls and landslides are frequent; on some sections traffic runs alternately in a single lane.
- The rock face of Decebalus, carved into the cliff, seen from the DN57 bridge over Mraconia Bay.
- The Great Cauldrons, with the limestone walls of Ciucaru Mare above the road.
- The stretch near Mraconia where the road runs on stone arches, hugging the rock face.
- Dubova Bay, where boats leave for the Cauldrons and Ponicova Cave.
- The Baba Caia rock and Golubac fortress, on the Serbian bank, seen from near Coronini.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: the road starts in Orșova, off the DN6 (E70): from Drobeta-Turnu Severin it is ~30 km (~30 min), from Timișoara ~200 km on the DN6 via Caransebeș (~3h), from Bucharest ~370 km (~5h). From the west you enter via Moldova Nouă: from Timișoara ~160 km on the DN59 and DN57 via Oravița (~2h45), from Reșița ~105 km. The whole Orșova – Moldova Nouă stretch takes ~2 hours without stops; fill up in Orșova or Moldova Nouă.
Public transport: minibuses run rarely between Orșova and Moldova Nouă (usually one service a day), stopping in the villages of the gorge; the timetable changes, so check it beforehand. To stop at the viewpoints you really need a car, motorbike or bicycle.
- Where to park
There are no large car parks: you stop in the wider spots on the roadside and in the villages along the way. The most popular stops are at Mraconia Monastery and the bridge facing the rock face of Decebalus, at Dubova Bay and at the pontoons in Eșelnița and Dubova, where the boats leave from. Do not stop on bends or under rock faces signposted for falling rocks.
- Fees & discounts
The road is public and free, with no toll. The road vignette (rovinieta) is compulsory on national roads outside built-up areas, so on the DN57 too. Boat trips to the Cauldrons and the rock face of Decebalus, from Eșelnița and Dubova, are paid separately to the operators on the pontoons.
- Rules
Keep to the speed limits and signs on sections with roadworks or single-lane traffic. Do not stop under slopes signposted for falling rocks and do not park on the carriageway for photos. The road is narrow, with blind bends: watch out for the cyclists and motorcyclists who ride it in summer. You are in a natural park: leave no litter and do not light fires outside designated places. In summer there is no shade on many stretches; bring water.
- Facilities
Petrol stations, shops and restaurants in Orșova and Moldova Nouă · guesthouses, terraces and fish restaurants in Eșelnița, Dubova, Svinița, Berzasca and Coronini · boat trips from Eșelnița and Dubova · no public toilets along the road; at the terraces and guesthouses · patchy mobile signal in the Cauldrons
Reviews
Other attractions nearby
The closest attractions to Danube Gorge Road, sorted by distance.
Top 1001 km from Danube Gorge Road
Top 1006 km from Danube Gorge Road
Top 10039 km from Danube Gorge Road
