Danube Delta trip: one, two or three days, where to start and how to get to Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe

Danube Delta trip: where to start

The car stays at the edge of the delta: no road leads to Sulina, Sfântu Gheorghe, Crișan or Mila 23. The table puts the gateways side by side, by driving distance, the branch or lake they are on and what leaves from there: Navrom ships, with a ticket and a published timetable, or tourist routes approved by the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Administration (ARBDD), used by private boats.

All Navrom lines and four approved routes leave from Tulcea, so it is the simplest start without a car. Murighiol and Jurilovca are for the south of the delta and the lagoons, and Crișan is a base for two or three days.

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Danube Delta

Tulcea CountyOpen5 lei/day

DeltasUNESCO

Danube Delta day trip

In one day, you see the delta from a boat, not from the scheduled ship: the Navrom ships leave Tulcea in the afternoon and come back the next morning. Private boats usually go out between 08:00 and sunset.

• From Tulcea: ARBDD route 1, Tulcea – Gârla Șontea – Mila 23 – Crișan – Tulcea (or via Gorgova), or route 2, along the Litcov channel to Crișan. Mila 23 is about 53 km from Tulcea by water. Fast trips Tulcea – Mila 23 – Letea take 9–11 hours in all.
• From Murighiol: routes 7 and 8, via Uzlina to lakes Uzlina, Isac, Puiu and Erenciuc.
• From Jurilovca: the crossing to Gura Portiței takes about 20 minutes, and on the way to Jurilovca there are Enisala Fortress and, 7 km from the village, Argamum Citadel, above Lake Razim.

The only day trip by public ship is Sulina, in summer, with one hour there (see below). In bad weather, Tulcea has the Tulcea Aquarium, near the waterfront; the rest of the town is in the guide to things to see in Tulcea.

Mila 23

Mila 23, TLOpen5 lei/day

Villages and traditions

Gura Portiței

Jurilovca, TLOpenFree

Seaside

Enisala Fortress

Enisala, TLClosed20 lei

Fortresses and fortifications

Two-day Danube Delta trip: Sulina, Sfântu Gheorghe or Crișan

Two days are what the ship timetable needs for one night in the delta.

• Sulina: you leave Tulcea at 13:30 on the classic ship and arrive after about 3 and a half hours. The next day you have Sulina Beach, 2–3 km from the port, and the Old Lighthouse of Sulina, then you return on the 13:30 semi-fast ship (in summer) or on the 07:00 ship the following day.
• Sfântu Gheorghe: the ship leaves Tulcea at 13:30, but not every day, and returns at 07:00. With a single night there is no time left for the beach: for a full day at Sfântu Gheorghe Beach you need two nights or a fast transfer from Murighiol, of about an hour.
• Crișan and Mila 23 or Caraorman: the ship to Sulina drops you at Crișan; from there the Navrom launches leave at 16:30 for Mila 23 and Caraorman and come back the next day at 06:30.

Sulina Beach

Sulina, TLOpen5 lei

Seaside

Sfântu Gheorghe Beach

Sfântu Gheorghe, TLOpen5 lei

Seaside

Old Lighthouse of Sulina

Sulina, TLClosed20 lei

Museums and memorial houses

Three-day Danube Delta trip

Three days let you link the centre of the delta with the sea. One option on the Sulina branch: the first night at Crișan, with the launch to Mila 23 or to Caraorman Forest, where from the landing stage to the old oaks there are about 10 km of sand, and since May 2026 ARBDD has banned all vehicles in the Caraorman and Letea forests; then the ship on to Sulina, for two nights. The times at which the ship passes Crișan are not published, so ask at the ticket office.

From Sulina, the third day can be Letea Forest: the boats moor at the landing stage in Letea village, and the forest can be visited only on the three approved routes and only with a licensed guide. ARBDD also has a water route from Sulina, Sulina – Cardon channel – Periprava – Musura bay – Sulina (route 13).

On the southern branch, three days mean two nights at Sfântu Gheorghe, by ship from Tulcea or from Mahmudia, or with the transfer from Murighiol.

Caraorman Forest

Caraorman, TL5 lei/day

National parks and reservesUNESCO

Letea Forest

Letea, TL

National parks and reservesUNESCO

Danube Delta trip from Bucharest or Constanța: distance and driving

From Bucharest, Tulcea is about 300 km away, roughly 4 hours by car; there and back, a day trip means 8 hours on the road, before any boat. Murighiol is 330–360 km away, depending on the route, and Jurilovca about 310 km.

From Constanța, Tulcea is about 130 km away (~2 hours), and the nearest gateway is Jurilovca, about 100 km away (~1 h 30), from where Gura Portiței is 20 minutes by boat. From Eforie Nord to Tulcea it is about 140 km.

Without a car: train to Tulcea, changing at Medgidia (5–6 hours from Bucharest), or coach (~4 hours). Buses and minibuses run from Tulcea to Murighiol, with no timetable published online; there are few services to Jurilovca, and from Constanța you change at Babadag.

Tulcea – Sulina and Tulcea – Sfântu Gheorghe transport: Navrom ships, timetable and fares

The only public transport on the water is Navrom Delta, from the Tulcea river station, on three lines: Tulcea – Sulina, on the Sulina branch (stops at Partizani, Maliuc, Gorgova and Crișan), Tulcea – Sfântu Gheorghe, on the Sfântu Gheorghe branch (stops at Bălteni de Jos and Mahmudia), and Tulcea – Periprava, on the Chilia branch (via Chilia Veche). Two launches leave from Crișan, to Mila 23 and to Caraorman.

To Sulina, the classic ship takes about 3 and a half hours, the semi-fast one 2 and a half hours. In summer, on the 10:00 semi-fast ship you arrive around 12:30 and can return on the 13:30 one: one hour in Sulina. Navrom does not publish the journey time to Sfântu Gheorghe. You get there faster on the private launches from Murighiol, in about an hour, by reservation. The timetable by period is in the table.

Danube Delta routes: the 15 approved water routes

Tourist boats may only use the routes set by ARBDD: 15 water routes and 9 hiking trails. The water routes start from Tulcea, Murighiol and Jurilovca or from the localities inside the reserve, Chilia Veche, Crișan, Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe. According to the ARBDD map:

• Tulcea: 1 (Gârla Șontea – Mila 23 – Crișan), 2 (Litcov channel – Crișan), 3 (Stipoc channel – Chilia Veche), 4 (Somova creek – Lake Telincea, towards Saon Monastery).
• Murighiol: 5 (Dranov channel – Gura Portiței – Dunavăț channel), 6 (the Dunavăț, Cocoș, Mustaca, Centură and Dranov channels), 7 (Uzlina – lakes Uzlina and Isac – Perivolovca creek), 8 (Uzlina – Litcov and Crișan channels – lakes Puiu and Erenciuc).
• Crișan: 9 (Lake Roșu – Sulina), 10 (Mila 23 – Lake Trei Iezere), 11 (Magearu channel – Sulina).
• Chilia Veche: 12 (Sulimanca channel – Lake Matița).
• Sulina: 13 (Cardon channel – Periprava – Musura bay), 14 (lakes Roșu and Erenciuc – Sfântu Gheorghe).
• Sfântu Gheorghe: 15 (Gârla Turcească).

So the “Tulcea – Crișan route” is 1 or 2; “Sulina – Letea Forest” is not one of the 15 water routes: the boat drops you in Letea village, and the forest is visited on its own approved routes, with a guide. In dry summers, as in 2026, some channels become impassable; the state of the water is in the main delta guide.

Danube Delta boat trip: how much it costs

No official source publishes the price of private boat trips: ARBDD approves the routes but does not set fares, and boatmen set their own prices. Ask how much it costs, how long it takes and which route you will follow before you get on.

Only the Navrom ships have official fares on the water, and they can serve as a boat trip: Tulcea – Maliuc 36 lei, Tulcea – Mahmudia 36 lei, Tulcea – Crișan 50 lei, Crișan – Mila 23 or Caraorman 30 lei, one way, on the classic ship (October 2026). Any boat trip also needs the ARBDD access permit, 5 lei per person per day; with your own boat you also pay the boat permit, 20 lei for 7 days.

Mahmudia or Murighiol: where to start for the south of the delta

Both can be reached by road, through Mahmudia to Murighiol: Mahmudia is about 31 km from Tulcea (~35 min), Murighiol about 40 km (~45 min), and there are 9 km between them. The difference is in what leaves from there.

• Mahmudia is on the Sfântu Gheorghe branch and is a stop of the Navrom ship Tulcea – Sfântu Gheorghe: Tulcea – Mahmudia 36 lei, Mahmudia – Sfântu Gheorghe 56 lei, on the classic ship. No tourist route approved by ARBDD starts from Mahmudia.
• Murighiol has no Navrom ships, but four approved water routes start there (5–8), as do the D3 hiking trail to Lake Sărături and the private launches to Sfântu Gheorghe. It has an ARBDD information centre where the permit can also be paid in cash, and 2.5 km away is Halmyris Fortress.

For Sfântu Gheorghe on the public ship, Mahmudia; for a day by boat on the southern lakes, Murighiol.

Halmyris Fortress

Murighiol, TLClosed12 lei

Fortresses and fortifications

Danube Delta by car: where you can drive and where you cannot

“The Danube Delta by car” only means as far as the gateway. Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe have no road at all, nor do Crișan, Mila 23 and Caraorman; Chilia Veche is the only village in the delta connected to a road. Murighiol, Mahmudia and Jurilovca are at the edge of the reserve, on county roads. The car stays in Tulcea, in the paid car parks at the port, or in the village the boat leaves from.

Two common confusions: Gura Portiței is not on any branch of the Danube and you do not get there on the ship from Tulcea, but by boat from Jurilovca; and the “Danube” trips to the Danube Gorges (Cazanele Dunării) are in the gorge on the border with Serbia, in Mehedinți County, not in the delta.

Before the trip

Everyone who enters the reserve, children included, needs the ARBDD access permit; how to get it is explained in the guide to a first visit to the delta. Navrom tickets for children, pupils and pensioners are sold only at the ticket office or on board, with documents. Navrom can change the timetable depending on the water level and the weather, so check navromdelta.ro the day before. Which of Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe suits you for the beach is in the guide to Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe.

Frequently asked questions

Can you do a Danube Delta trip in one day?

Yes, by boat from Tulcea, Murighiol or Jurilovca, on one of the routes approved by ARBDD, for example Tulcea – Mila 23 – Crișan. On the Navrom ship, a day trip is possible only to Sulina in summer, with about an hour in town.

How much does a boat trip in the Danube Delta cost?

The price of private boat trips is not published by any official source; each boatman sets it. The Navrom ships have official fares: for example Tulcea – Crișan 50 lei and Crișan – Mila 23 30 lei one way (October 2026), plus the ARBDD permit of 5 lei per day.

How long is the boat from Tulcea to Sulina?

About 3 and a half hours on the classic Navrom ship and 2 and a half hours on the semi-fast one. An adult ticket costs 66 lei and 76 lei respectively (navromdelta.ro, October 2026).

How do you get from Tulcea to Sfântu Gheorghe?

On the Navrom ship from Tulcea at 13:30, stopping at Bălteni de Jos and Mahmudia, 70 lei on the classic ship; the return leaves at 07:00. From May to September the ship leaves Tulcea every day except Tuesday, and from October to April on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

How far is the Danube Delta from Bucharest?

To Tulcea, the gateway to the delta, it is about 300 km, roughly 4 hours by car; to Murighiol 330–360 km, depending on the route (calculated on OpenStreetMap, October 2026).

How far is Murighiol from Tulcea?

About 40 km, roughly 45 minutes by car, via Mahmudia.

Mahmudia or Murighiol?

Mahmudia (31 km from Tulcea) has the stop of the Navrom ship to Sfântu Gheorghe; Murighiol (40 km) has four approved water routes, to Uzlina, the southern lakes and Gura Portiței, and private launches to Sfântu Gheorghe, but no Navrom ship.

How far is Mila 23 from Tulcea by boat?

About 53 km by water. On the Navrom ship you first reach Crișan, then the 16:30 launch to Mila 23, from where you return the next day at 06:30.

Can you drive to Sulina?

No. Sulina has no road to the rest of the country; the car stays in Tulcea, and from there you take the Navrom ship.