# Danube Gorge Road

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Oltenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/oltenia) › [Mehedinți County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/mehedinti)

> The DN57 runs about 100 km along the Danube from Orșova to Moldova Nouă, through the Great and Small Cauldrons, past the rock face of Decebalus, with Serbia on the far bank.

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**At a glance:** Scenic roads in Mehedinți County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 3½ – 4 hours. Information verified on 28 September 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — A national road open all year, with no opening hours. In September 2026 the CNAIR road authority had temporary width restrictions (single-lane traffic) at Cozla, km 62+200 – 65+700, for slope stabilisation works, and speed and width restrictions on several landslide sections between Eșelnița and Dubova (km 15–29). Rockfalls can close the road temporarily, especially in winter and spring; check CNAIR announcements before setting off.
- **Ticket:** Free — public road, no toll
- **Visit duration:** 3½ – 4 hours — the whole stretch, with stops
- **With kids:** Yes — many bends, few pavements
- **Parking:** Yes, free — on the roadside, in lay-bys
- **Best season:** All year round — best from May to October
- **Address:** DN57, between Orșova (km 0) and Moldova Veche – Moldova Nouă (km ~104); the rock face of Decebalus and Mraconia Monastery ~18 km from Orșova, Mehedinți County
- **Coordinates:** 44.6377, 22.2937
- **Phone:** +40 21 9360
- **Website:** https://www.cnadnr.ro/
- **Categories:** [Scenic roads](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/drumuri-panoramice)

## 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.

## Don't miss

- 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

## Details

- **Road number:** DN57
- **Length:** 104 km
- **Mountain range:** Almăj and Locva Mountains
- **Fully paved:** Yes

## Frequently asked questions about Danube Gorge Road

**How much is a ticket to Danube Gorge Road?**

Admission to Danube Gorge Road is free (public road, no toll). 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.

**What are the opening hours of Danube Gorge Road?**

Opening hours at Danube Gorge Road: daily open 24 hours. A national road open all year, with no opening hours. In September 2026 the CNAIR road authority had temporary width restrictions (single-lane traffic) at Cozla, km 62+200 – 65+700, for slope stabilisation works, and speed and width restrictions on several landslide sections between Eșelnița and Dubova (km 15–29). Rockfalls can close the road temporarily, especially in winter and spring; check CNAIR announcements before setting off.

**How long does a visit to Danube Gorge Road take?**

A visit to Danube Gorge Road takes about 3½ – 4 hours (the whole stretch, with stops).

**Can you visit Danube Gorge Road with kids?**

Yes, Danube Gorge Road is suitable for children (many bends, few pavements).

**Where can I park at Danube Gorge Road?**

There is free parking at Danube Gorge Road (on the roadside, in lay-bys). 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.

**How do I get to Danube Gorge Road?**

Danube Gorge Road is located at DN57, between Orșova (km 0) and Moldova Veche – Moldova Nouă (km ~104); the rock face of Decebalus and Mraconia Monastery ~18 km from Orșova, Mehedinți County. 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.

**When is the best time to visit Danube Gorge Road?**

The best season for Danube Gorge Road: All year round (best from May to October).

## Nearby attractions

- [Rock Sculpture of Decebalus](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/chipul-lui-decebal) — Monuments and historic sites · Eșelnița, MH · Free · ½ – 1 hours · Top 100 · 1 km
  The face of the Dacian king Decebalus, carved between 1994 and 2004 into a 55 m rock at the mouth of the Mraconia, on the Romanian bank of the Danube: the tallest rock sculpture in Europe.
- [Danube Gorges (Cazanele Dunării)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cazanele-dunarii) — Gorges and canyons · Dubova, MH · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · Top 100 · 6 km
  The narrowest stretch of the Danube Gorge, between Dubova and Ogradena: the river squeezes between limestone walls, with Serbia on the far bank, seen by boat or from Ciucaru Mare.
- [Băile Herculane](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/baile-herculane) — Resorts and thermal baths · Băile Herculane, CS · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · Top 100 · 39 km
  Romania's oldest spa resort, recorded as early as AD 153, in the Cerna valley: hot sulphur springs, a Habsburg old town around the Hercules statue and free thermal tubs on the riverbank.
- [Cerna Valley Road](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/drumul-vaii-cernei) — Scenic roads · Caraș-Severin County · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · 48 km
  The DN67D links Baia de Aramă to Băile Herculane in about 65 km: it climbs to the Arșasca saddle at ~900 m and drops down the Cerna Valley, between limestone walls, through Domogled–Valea Cernei National Park.
- [Vânturătoarea Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-vanturatoarea) — Waterfalls · Băile Herculane, CS · Free · 2½ – 3 hours · 51 km
  A two-tier waterfall of about 50 m in the Cerna Mountains, with Romania's longest free drop (~40 m), above Lake Prisaca; reached by a steep 1.5 km path from the Cerna valley road, 13 km from Băile Herculane.
- [Bigăr Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-bigar) — Waterfalls · Bozovici, CS · ~12 lei · 45 min · Top 100 · 63 km
  The moss-covered tufa waterfall in the Miniș gorge, exactly on the 45th parallel and once famous worldwide; it partly collapsed in 2021 and is regenerating naturally, a few steps from the DN57B road.

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Last updated: 28 September 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania