PePlaiuri.roTourist attractions in Romania

Visiting the Danube Delta for the first time: the access permit, mosquitoes and when to go

White sand dunes on the Caraorman sand bank, patchily covered with grass and shrubs, with a line of trees on the horizon
White sand dunes on the Caraorman sand bank, patchily covered with grass and shrubs, with a line of trees on the horizon · Ben Skála, Benfoto · CC BY-SA 4.0

To enter the Danube Delta you need the access permit of the Reserve Administration (ARBDD): 5 lei a day, 15 lei for 7 days or 30 lei until the end of the year, free for children, pupils, students and pensioners, but compulsory for them too. You get it online, by SMS to 7494 or at a SelfPay machine. The best time is May–June, with high water and birds nesting, before the heat and the mosquitoes of July–August; autumn is the second window, and in winter the boats only run on some days.

Below, the questions you have before your first visit are taken one by one: who pays for the permit and where to buy it, what is forbidden in the reserve, what each season is like, where you may pitch a tent and what matters with children. Getting to the delta, the boats and how long a trip takes are in the guide to Danube Delta trips; what you see there is on the Danube Delta page.

In short

  • To enter the Danube Delta you need the ARBDD access permit: 5 lei a day, 15 lei for 7 days or 30 lei until the end of the year (rates on permise.ddbra.ro, October 2026).
  • The permit is free for children, pupils, students, pensioners, war veterans, people with disabilities and local residents, but they still have to get one.
  • The permit is sold online at permise.ddbra.ro, by SMS to 7494 (TUR1, TUR7 or TURAN followed by first name and surname), at SelfPay machines, or for cash at the ARBDD centres in Sulina, Crișan and Murighiol.
  • The best time for the Danube Delta is May–June, with high water and birds nesting, before the heat and the mosquitoes of July–August; autumn is the second window.
  • From October to April the Navrom Delta boats only run on some days of the week, so in winter the trip is planned around their timetable.
  • In the reserve you may camp only at authorised campsites; for kayaks and canoes, ARBDD has approved 7 overnight points along the canals, with a separate permit.

The Danube Delta permit, season and mosquitoes at a glance

The table answers the questions you have before your first visit all at once. Each row has its own section below, with the details and the source.

QuestionAnswerSource
Do I need a permit?yes, anyone entering the reserve as a tourist, children and pensioners includedARBDD
How much is the permit?5 lei/day, 15 lei/7 days, 30 lei until the end of the yearpermise.ddbra.ro
Who gets it free?children, pupils, students, pensioners, war veterans, people with disabilities, local residentsARBDD
Where do I get it?online, SMS to 7494, SelfPay machines, cash at the centres in Sulina, Crișan, MurighiolARBDD
When is the best time?May–June: high water, birds nesting; autumn, quietDanube Delta page
When are the mosquitoes worst?summer, July–August, especially in the evening near the reedsattraction pages
Winter?Navrom runs only on some days (October–April)Navrom Delta
Camping?only at authorised campsites; 7 overnight points for kayaks and canoesARBDD
Fishing?separate permit, free, from ARBDDARBDD

Rates and exemptions from permise.ddbra.ro, rules from the ARBDD documents (visitor FAQ, slow tourism regulation, code of conduct), Navrom periods from navromdelta.ro, checked on 30 October 2026. Season and mosquitoes from the attraction pages on this site.

Danube Delta permit: who needs one and what it costs in 2026

Access to the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve is granted on the basis of the access permit issued by ARBDD, the administration says in its answers for visitors. The reserve is larger than the canals: it also includes Mila 23, the beaches at Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe, Gura Portiței, Lake Razim and Vadu beach.

The rates on permise.ddbra.ro at the end of October 2026: 5 lei for a day, 15 lei for 7 days, 30 lei until the end of the year. The permit is free for pupils, students, pensioners, war veterans, people with disabilities, former political prisoners and those living in the reserve or in the neighbouring localities; the ARBDD code of conduct adds children. Free does not mean no permit: ARBDD points out that pensioners and children get one too, just without paying.

Driving on the public roads inside the reserve you also need a car permit, and with your own boat a boat permit.

A reed-thatched house among willows, with fishing boats moored on the bank of the Old Danube

Mila 23

Mila 23, TLOpen5 lei/day
Villages and traditions

Danube Delta permit online, by SMS or for cash

ARBDD offers four ways to get it:

  • Online, by card, at permise.ddbra.ro (also linked from ddbra.ro): you choose the one-day, 7-day, end-of-year or free permit.
  • By SMS to 7494: TUR1 followed by first name and surname for one day (the ARBDD example: TUR1POPESCU ION), TUR7 for 7 days, TURAN for a year.
  • At SelfPay machines, by cash or card: at the ARBDD headquarters in Tulcea, Strada Portului 34A, or at any of the more than 15,000 machines around the country.
  • For cash, at the reserve's information centres in Sulina, Crișan and Murighiol (tourist access and fishing permits only).

Get the permit before you board: the mobile signal is weak on the canals. The Danube Delta page says to carry the permit and your ID, because checks are made on the water. For problems, ARBDD answers at arbdd@ddbra.ro and on 0240 518 924.

What is forbidden in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve

The ARBDD code of conduct asks you to keep to the approved tourist routes, which avoid the strictly protected areas, not to pick plants, water lilies or birds' eggs, not to enter bird colonies and not to leave litter. The ARBDD regulation for travel on the water also forbids loud noise near nesting sites, burning reeds and commercial photography or filming without approval.

  • Strictly protected areas: the Delta page names Roșca-Buhaiova, Sacalin-Zătoane and Periteasca-Leahova among those closed to tourists.
  • The Letea and Caraorman forests can only be visited on the approved route. Under Decision 139 of 26 May 2026, ARBDD bans every vehicle inside them, except those used for research, emergencies or authorised management work.
  • Fire: on Gura Portiței it is banned along the whole strip; in Letea Forest and Caraorman Forest, smoking and fire are banned.
  • Drones need ARBDD authorisation.
  • Cars may only be parked in designated places, never near banks, water or reed beds.

When is the best time to visit the Danube Delta

According to the Danube Delta page, the best time is May–June: the water is high, the birds are nesting and the heat and mosquitoes of July–August have not yet arrived. The same page describes autumn as quiet. The attraction pages point the same way: Mila 23 has its season in May–June, with high water, Caraorman Forest in May–June and September, Letea Forest in spring and autumn.

Summer is the season of the beaches and of frequent sailings. Navrom Delta runs a high-season timetable from 19 June to 14 September, a mid-season one from 1 May to 18 June and from 15 to 30 September, and a low-season one from October to April. In dry summers, as in 2026, the water drops and some canals become impassable; the state of the water is in the general guide to the Danube Delta.

The Danube Delta in spring: high water and the bird season

Late spring is the period the pages on this site give most often. For the Danube Delta, the bird season is May–June; at Lake Razim, at Gura Portiței and on Sfântu Gheorghe Beach, birds can be seen in spring and autumn. The species and where to see them are in the guide to the birds of the Danube Delta.

April is still low season for Navrom, with sailings only on some days. From 1 May it switches to mid-season, but until 18 June only one boat a day goes to Sulina, at 13:30 from Tulcea, returning in the morning at 07:00. Organised trips to Letea Forest usually start in April.

Mosquitoes in the Danube Delta: when they come and how to protect yourself

The pages on this site place the mosquitoes in summer. The Danube Delta page recommends May–June precisely to avoid the heat and the mosquitoes of July–August; at Mila 23 there are many in the evening, at Lake Razim along the reedy shores towards evening, and in Letea Forest they are numerous in summer. Neither ARBDD nor the attraction pages publish a month-by-month mosquito calendar.

What to take:

  • insect repellent, which the pages of the Letea and Caraorman forests ask for and which the Delta page puts on the list for children;
  • long, light clothes for the evening, when you sit on a pontoon or near the reeds;
  • water and a hat for the dunes at Letea and Caraorman: there is no shade there, and in summer the sand gets hot.

The Danube Delta in autumn: September and October

Autumn is the second good window: the Delta page describes it as quiet, Caraorman Forest is also in season in September, and at Lake Razim and Gura Portiței the birds can be seen again.

In September, up to the 14th, Navrom still runs its high-season timetable; from 15 to 30 September it switches to mid-season, with only one sailing a day to Sulina. Organised trips to Letea Forest usually run until September–October. In October the low season begins: boats to Sulina sail only a few days a week, and to Sfântu Gheorghe three times a week in each direction. The Delta page gives the visiting season up to October, while the beaches at Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe have their season in June–September.

The Danube Delta in winter: what still runs

The delta does not close: the Danube Delta page describes it as accessible at any time, but you depend on boats. From October to April, Navrom Delta sails only on some days of the week: to Sfântu Gheorghe three times a week in each direction, to Sulina a few days a week, and the Crișan – Mila 23 launch has a winter timetable with different times. With the public boat, a visit to Mila 23 or Caraorman means at least one night in the village, as in summer. In winter the Ivan Patzaichin Museum in Mila 23 switches to visits booked by email at least 24 hours ahead.

In bad weather, in Tulcea, Tulcea Aquarium is open all year, Tuesday to Sunday, with aquariums and dioramas of the Delta's wildlife. Check the Navrom timetable by day on navromdelta.ro before you set off, as it also changes with the weather.

Camping in the Danube Delta: where you may pitch a tent

The ARBDD rule is short: in the reserve, tents and caravans are banned except at authorised campsites, laid out and equipped with sanitary facilities. The ban also applies to the beaches: ARBDD writes that no camping or parking area has been authorised at Vadu, and the pages of Sulina Beach and Sfântu Gheorghe Beach say the same.

For kayaks, canoes, rowing boats or SUP boards, ARBDD has approved 7 overnight points along the canals, with their GPS coordinates in the slow tourism regulation. The rules there:

  • you need the tourist access permit, the boat permit and the overnight permit;
  • the tent may be pitched only after 18:00 and must be taken down by 9:00;
  • you may not spend two nights in a row in the same place;
  • fire is banned, and you take your rubbish to the bins in the villages;
  • a life jacket is compulsory on the water.

The Danube Delta with children: permit, boat and beach

Children need a permit, like adults, but get it free; ARBDD says the permit also has an educational purpose. On Navrom Delta boats, children under 7 and pupils travel free (the 2026 fares on the beach pages). In a boat a life jacket is compulsory, and the Delta page puts it, together with insect repellent, on the list for children.

What matters by place:

The beaches are compared in the Sulina or Sfântu Gheorghe guide.

Access, fishing or car permit: what not to mix up

  • The access permit is not a fishing permit. Recreational fishing needs a separate, free permit issued by ARBDD, on top of the access permit; the rules are in the guide to fishing in the Danube Delta.
  • The car permit does not let you park anywhere: it is valid only on the public roads inside the reserve, and parking is allowed only in designated places.
  • Free does not mean no permit: pensioners, children, pupils and students get one too, just without paying.
  • The reserve is not just the delta with its canals: Vadu beach, Gura Portiței and Lake Razim lie within it, so you need the permit there too. At Razim, the lake's page requires it for boat trips, kayaking and fishing; the shore and the harbour at Sarichioi are free.

Practical: signal, cash and emergencies in the Danube Delta

  • The mobile signal is weak on the canals and in the small villages, and most villages have no cash machines: bring cash (Delta page).
  • The ARBDD centre in Tulcea is open Monday–Thursday 08:00–16:30 and Friday 08:00–14:00; in the delta there are information centres in Sulina, Crișan and Murighiol.
  • Emergencies are reported on 112. The ARBDD regulation also gives a WhatsApp number, 0731 505 496, for reports such as boats speeding.
  • The weather: the ARBDD slow tourism regulation asks you to check the forecast and bring gear suited to the season; ARBDD does not publish monthly temperatures.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the Danube Delta permit in 2026?
5 lei for a day, 15 lei for 7 days and 30 lei until the end of the year, according to permise.ddbra.ro (October 2026). Children, pupils, students and pensioners get it free.
How do I get the Danube Delta permit by SMS?
Send an SMS to 7494 with TUR1 followed by first name and surname for one day, TUR7 for 7 days or TURAN for a year. The example given by ARBDD: TUR1POPESCU ION.
Where can I buy the Danube Delta permit online?
At permise.ddbra.ro, by card. You can also pay at SelfPay machines, including at the ARBDD headquarters in Tulcea, or in cash at the information centres in Sulina, Crișan and Murighiol.
Do children need a permit for the Danube Delta?
Yes. ARBDD says access is on the basis of the permit for children too; they, pupils and students get it free.
When are there mosquitoes in the Danube Delta?
Mostly in summer, in July–August, and in the evening near the reeds, according to the pages of the Delta, Mila 23 and Lake Razim. No official month-by-month calendar is published.
When is the best time to visit the Danube Delta?
In May–June, with high water and birds nesting, before the heat and the mosquitoes of July–August. Autumn, in September, is the second good option.
Can you visit the Danube Delta in winter?
Yes, but from October to April the Navrom Delta boats only run on some days of the week. Check the timetable on navromdelta.ro; with the public boat, at Mila 23 or Caraorman you stay at least one night.
Can you camp in the Danube Delta?
Only at authorised campsites; elsewhere tents and caravans are banned in the reserve. By kayak or canoe you can spend the night at the 7 points approved by ARBDD, with an overnight permit, pitching the tent after 18:00.
Is the Danube Delta access permit also valid for fishing?
No. Recreational fishing needs a separate, free permit issued by ARBDD, on top of the access permit.

Sources

All guides