# Balta Mică a Brăilei

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Muntenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/muntenia) › [Brăila County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/braila) › [Brăila](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/braila)

> The last stretch of free-flooding Danube floodplain between Giurgeni and Brăila: seven river islands, 52 lakes and over 200 bird species, reached only by boat.

**At a glance:** Deltas in Brăila, Brăila County. Ticket: 80 lei. The visit takes 1½ – 2 hours. Information verified on 26 September 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** The park can be visited only by boat, on trips booked by phone with the visitor centre. Each route runs only if the minimum group size is reached (4–8 people, depending on the route), and the length depends on the weather and the level of the Danube. In 2024 the administration announced weekend departures at 10:00 and 13:00; check the current timetable when you book.
- **Ticket:** 80 lei — two-hour boat trip
- **Visit duration:** 1½ – 2 hours — routes of 1–9 hours
- **With kids:** Yes — free under 5
- **Best season:** April – October — spring, at high water
- **Address:** Faleza Dunării, Dana 10, next to the Mureș ship (the visitor centre, where the trips start), Brăila, Brăila County
- **Coordinates:** 45.2654, 27.9751
- **Phone:** +40 752 190 465
- **Website:** https://bmb.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balta_Mic%C4%83_a_Br%C4%83ilei_Natural_Park
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3364561
- **Categories:** [Deltas](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/delte), [National parks and reserves](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/parcuri-nationale-si-rezervatii)

## About Balta Mică a Brăilei

Until the 1960s, the Danube between Hârșova and Brăila flooded every spring across a plain of marshes, channels and willow forests of almost 150,000 ha, known as the Brăila Marshes. Dykes and drainage turned nearly all of it into farmland. Only the strip between the dykes, along 62 km of river from the Giurgeni–Vadu Oii bridge to the city of Brăila, was left untouched: Balta Mică a Brăilei, the Small Marsh of Brăila.

Here the water still comes and goes with the rhythm of the Danube. The natural park, a Ramsar site since 2001 and a Natura 2000 site, takes in seven large river islands separated by arms of the river, with 52 lakes and pools, willow and poplar floodplain forest, reed beds and wet meadows. The largest island, Insula Mică a Brăilei, covers almost 9,700 ha. There are no villages inside the park, and the only way in is by water.

The park administration has recorded 206 bird species that nest, feed, pass through on migration or spend the winter here, among them the pygmy cormorant, spoonbill, egrets, herons, white-tailed eagle and, on passage, pelicans. Wild boar, roe deer and wildcats live on the islands.

### What you can see

Visits are made in the administration's boats, with a guide, on one of 17 routes that leave from the visitor centre on the Brăila riverfront or from near the Giurgeni bridge. The short two-hour trips head up the Danube to Chiciu Cucului island and the suspension bridge, or into the narrow Mănușoaia and Cremenea arms, with willow forest on both banks. The long day trips cross the whole park between Brăila and Giurgeni. The marshes of Insula Mică a Brăilei, such as Lupoiu, and the lakes of Fundu Mare island draw the most waterbirds.

### Good to know

Trips run only by booking, for groups of at least 4–5 people, and the routes depend on the level of the Danube: when the water is low, some lakes cannot be reached. The strictly protected Jigara and Vulpașu zones are closed to visitors.

## Don't miss

- The Mănușoaia arm, a narrow channel of the Danube with willow forest on both banks, on the two-hour route from the Giurgeni bridge.
- Lake Lupoiu on Insula Mică a Brăilei, one of the marshes with the most waterbirds in the park.
- The trip up the Danube to Chiciu Cucului island, with the Brăila suspension bridge ahead.
- The day trip on the water that crosses the whole park, between the Brăila riverfront and the Giurgeni–Vadu Oii bridge.
- The route to Măcin and the ruins of the Roman fortress of Troesmis, with views of the Măcin Mountains.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** Brăila is ~210 km from Bucharest, about 2½–3 hours, on the A2 to Lehliu and then the DN2A–DN21 through Slobozia, and ~30 km from Galați. The visitor centre is on the Danube riverfront, next to the Mureș ship. The southern gateway is at the Giurgeni–Vadu Oii bridge on the DN2A (E60), ~170 km from Bucharest and ~100 km from Constanța.

**Public transport:** trains and minibuses from Bucharest and Galați to Brăila; from the station to the riverfront is ~3.5 km (tram or taxi). There is no practical public transport to the boarding points at Giurgeni.

### Fees & discounts

Guided boat trips (administration prices, 2026): from 40 lei per person for the one-hour trip to the suspension bridge, 80 lei for the two-hour routes, 100–150 lei for those of 3–5 hours, 220–250 lei for day trips across the whole park, 450 lei for the Stelnica–Fetești–Giurgeni route. Children under 5, accompanied, go free, and those aged 5–10 pay half. The park access fee is separate and bought online, on easy2visit, from ~9 lei per person; residents of the neighbouring communes enter free.

### Rules

Trips run only by booking, with the administration's boats and guides. The strictly protected Egreta and Fundu Mare zones can be entered only on the marked routes, and the Jigara and Vulpașu strict reserves are closed. Camping is allowed only at the sites marked by the administration, and fires only in the fire pits provided. Recreational fishing is allowed, with a limit of 5 kg of fish per angler per day. Smoking, alcohol, picking plants and taking animals are banned; take your rubbish with you. Pets must be kept on a lead. Commercial photography and filming need the administration's approval.

### Facilities

Visitor centre on the Brăila riverfront · hotels in Brăila and the park's Vărsătura lodge, with 10 beds · no villages, shops or restaurants on the islands · difficult access for people with disabilities

## Details

- **Protected area type:** natural park
- **Departure ports:** Brăila, Giurgeni, Stăncuța
- **Access by boat only:** Yes
- **Bird species:** 206
- **Bird season:** spring, autumn
- **Fishing allowed:** Yes
- **Access permit:** Yes

## Frequently asked questions about Balta Mică a Brăilei

**How much is a ticket to Balta Mică a Brăilei?**

A ticket to Balta Mică a Brăilei costs 80 lei (two-hour boat trip). Guided boat trips (administration prices, 2026): from 40 lei per person for the one-hour trip to the suspension bridge, 80 lei for the two-hour routes, 100–150 lei for those of 3–5 hours, 220–250 lei for day trips across the whole park, 450 lei for the Stelnica–Fetești–Giurgeni route. Children under 5, accompanied, go free, and those aged 5–10 pay half. The park access fee is separate and bought online, on easy2visit, from ~9 lei per person; residents of the neighbouring communes enter free.

**How long does a visit to Balta Mică a Brăilei take?**

A visit to Balta Mică a Brăilei takes about 1½ – 2 hours (routes of 1–9 hours).

**Can you visit Balta Mică a Brăilei with kids?**

Yes, Balta Mică a Brăilei is suitable for children (free under 5).

**How do I get to Balta Mică a Brăilei?**

Balta Mică a Brăilei is located at Faleza Dunării, Dana 10, next to the Mureș ship (the visitor centre, where the trips start), Brăila, Brăila County. By car: Brăila is ~210 km from Bucharest, about 2½–3 hours, on the A2 to Lehliu and then the DN2A–DN21 through Slobozia, and ~30 km from Galați. The visitor centre is on the Danube riverfront, next to the Mureș ship. The southern gateway is at the Giurgeni–Vadu Oii bridge on the DN2A (E60), ~170 km from Bucharest and ~100 km from Constanța. Public transport: trains and minibuses from Bucharest and Galați to Brăila; from the station to the riverfront is ~3.5 km (tram or taxi). There is no practical public transport to the boarding points at Giurgeni.

**When is the best time to visit Balta Mică a Brăilei?**

The best season for Balta Mică a Brăilei: April – October (spring, at high water).

## Nearby attractions

- [Traian Square (Piața Traian)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/piata-traian-braila) — Monuments and historic sites · Brăila, BR · Free · 45 min · 1 km
  The central square of old Brăila, from which the streets of the historic centre fan out, with the blue Public Clock of 1909, the Holy Archangels church, a former mosque, and the statue of Trajan.
- [Sfânta Precista Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-precista-galati) — Monasteries and churches · Galați, GL · Free · 30 min · 25 km
  The oldest building in Galați, a merchants' church consecrated in 1647, with walls up to 1.8 m thick, a bell tower and a fortified loft with 28 loopholes, on the bank of the Danube.
- [Danube Delta](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/delta-dunarii) — Deltas · Tulcea County · 5 lei/day · 7½ – 8 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · Top 20 · 84 km
  Europe's largest wetland, a biosphere reserve and UNESCO site: channels, lakes, reed beds and over 300 bird species, from pelicans to egrets; visited by boat from Tulcea.
- [Tulcea Aquarium](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/acvariul-tulcea) — Zoos and aquariums · Tulcea, TL · 30 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 85 km
  The public aquarium in central Tulcea, with fish from the Danube and the Black Sea, coral reef tanks and a tunnel among sturgeon, plus an exhibition on the Delta's wildlife.
- [Lake Razim](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacul-razim) — Lakes · Sarichioi, TL · Free · 102 km
  Romania's largest lake, a lagoon of about 415 km² south of the Danube Delta, with Lipovan fishing villages on its shores, protected islands and the ruins of Enisala and Argamum above the water.
- [Enisala Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatea-enisala) — Fortresses and fortifications · Enisala, TL · 20 lei · Top 100 · 104 km
  The ruins of a 14th-century fortress, probably built by the Genoese on a limestone hill above lakes Razim and Babadag, with one of the widest views in Dobruja.

---

Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/balta-mica-a-brailei
Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/balta-mica-a-brailei.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/balta-mica-a-brailei.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/balta-mica-a-brailei.md
Last updated: 26 September 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania