# Halmyris Fortress

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Dobruja](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/dobrogea) › [Tulcea County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/tulcea) › [Murighiol](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/murighiol)

> The ruins of a Roman and early Byzantine fortress near Murighiol, a Danube fleet station and bishop's seat, where the crypt of the martyrs Epictetus and Astion was found.

**At a glance:** Fortresses and fortifications in Murighiol, Tulcea County. Opening hours: Monday–Tuesday closed, Wednesday–Sunday 08:00 – 16:00. Ticket: 12 lei. The visit takes ½ – 1 hours. Information verified on 21 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** Monday–Tuesday closed, Wednesday–Sunday 08:00 – 16:00 — Hours from 1 October 2026: Wednesday–Sunday 08:00–16:00, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. No separate summer timetable is published for the fortress, and the site closes on some public holidays (for example on 1 May 2026) — check the announcements on the ICEM Tulcea website before setting off.
- **Ticket:** 12 lei — seniors 6 lei, pupils 3 lei
- **Visit duration:** ½ – 1 hours — a walk round the enclosure
- **With kids:** Yes — uneven ground, no shade
- **Best season:** April – October — in summer, come in the morning
- **Address:** On the DJ 229L, ~2.5 km east of Murighiol village, Murighiol, Tulcea County
- **Coordinates:** 45.02483, 29.19675
- **Website:** https://www.icemtl.ro/cetatea-halmyris/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halmyris
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3437538
- **Categories:** [Fortresses and fortifications](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/fortresses-and-fortifications), [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monuments-and-historic-sites)

## About Halmyris Fortress

Halmyris Fortress stands on a low rise near the Sfântu Gheorghe arm of the Danube, ~2.5 km east of Murighiol village, on the edge of the Danube Delta. The Romans built an earth-and-timber fort here in the 1st century, rebuilt in stone under Trajan by detachments of the I Italica and XI Claudia legions. The fortress guarded the end of the Danube frontier and was a station of the Classis Flavia Moesica fleet; next to it, former sailors founded a settlement of their own, a "vicus classicorum" known from a rare inscription.

Around 300, under the Tetrarchy, the walls were rebuilt on an irregular polygonal plan, with 15 towers and two strengthened gates, to the north and west. In the 4th–6th centuries Halmyris also became a bishop's seat in the province of Scythia: in 2001, in the episcopal basilica, archaeologists found the crypt of the priest Epictetus and the monk Astion, killed here in 290 during Diocletian's persecutions and regarded as the earliest attested martyrs of Dobruja. The fortress was abandoned in the early 7th century. Excavations began in 1981 and the site is managed by the "Gavrilă Simion" Eco-Museum Research Institute in Tulcea.

Halmyris is part of the "Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Danube Limes (Romania)" nomination, on UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List since 2020.

### What you can see

The site is an archaeological ruin, not a rebuilt fortress. The **north gate**, with its two U-shaped towers, the **west gate** on the frontier road, with its rounded bastions, and stretches of the east wall with its corner towers are all clearly visible. Next to the north gate are the 4th-century baths, with brick floors and the outlines of the pools, and some of the buildings inside the enclosure are protected by a roof. From the walls you look out over the marshy plain towards the Danube.

### Good to know

There is no marked visitor route, and the ground is uneven and without shade. The walls are fragile: do not climb on them. The relics of Epictetus and Astion are kept at Halmyris Monastery, built nearby, a separate place from the archaeological site.

## Don't miss

- The north gate, with its two U-shaped towers built around 300.
- The west gate, where the frontier road entered, with its rounded bastions.
- The baths next to the north gate, with their brick floor and the outlines of the pools.
- The site of the episcopal basilica, where the crypt of the martyrs Epictetus and Astion was found in 2001.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Tulcea take the DJ 222C to Murighiol, then the DJ 229L east for another ~3 km; ~42 km in all, about 50 minutes. It is ~155 km from Constanța (~2 hours 30 minutes), via the DN22 towards Tulcea and then county roads to Murighiol, and ~360 km from Bucharest (~4 hours 30 minutes), via the A2, A4 and DN22. The last stretch, from Murighiol to the fortress, is an unmade road.

**Public transport:** buses and minibuses run between Tulcea and Murighiol; the timetable is not published online and can be checked at the Tulcea bus station. From Murighiol to the fortress it is ~2.5 km, on foot or by taxi.

### Fees & discounts

Adults 12 lei, seniors 6 lei, pre-schoolers, pupils and full-time students 3 lei. Professional photography costs 100 lei/hour and professional filming 500 lei/hour.

### Rules

Do not climb on the walls or move the stones: the ruins are fragile. Professional photo shoots and filming are charged separately. The ground is uneven, with no laid-out paths: wear comfortable shoes and bring water and sun protection.

### Facilities

Museum tourist information point at the site · no shade inside the enclosure

## Details

- **Construction period:** 1st–4th centuries
- **Founder:** the Romans
- **State of preservation:** ruin, archaeological site
- **Historical period:** Antiquity
- **Civilisation:** Roman, early Byzantine

## Frequently asked questions about Halmyris Fortress

**How much is a ticket to Halmyris Fortress?**

A ticket to Halmyris Fortress costs 12 lei (seniors 6 lei, pupils 3 lei). More under “Fees & discounts”.

**What are the opening hours of Halmyris Fortress?**

Opening hours at Halmyris Fortress: Monday–Tuesday closed, Wednesday–Sunday 08:00 – 16:00. More under “Opening hours”.

**How long does a visit to Halmyris Fortress take?**

A visit to Halmyris Fortress takes about ½ – 1 hours (a walk round the enclosure).

**Can you visit Halmyris Fortress with kids?**

Yes, Halmyris Fortress is suitable for children (uneven ground, no shade).

**How do I get to Halmyris Fortress?**

Halmyris Fortress is located at On the DJ 229L, ~2.5 km east of Murighiol village, Murighiol, Tulcea County. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Halmyris Fortress?**

The best season for Halmyris Fortress: April – October (in summer, come in the morning).

## Nearby attractions

- [Murighiol](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/murighiol) — Villages and traditions · Murighiol, TL · 5 lei/day · 3½ – 4 hours · 4 km
  A village on the edge of the Danube Delta, ~38 km from Tulcea, with a harbour on the Sfântu Gheorghe arm, where the boat routes to the southern lakes, Uzlina and Gura Portiței set out.
- [Mahmudia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mahmudia) — Villages and traditions · Mahmudia, TL · Free · ½ – 1 hours · 14 km
  A Dobruja village on the bank of the Sfântu Gheorghe arm, ~31 km from Tulcea, with a Navrom landing stage, the ancient remains of Salsovia and the Beștepe hills behind it.
- [Caraorman Forest](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/caraorman-forest) — National parks and reserves · Caraorman, TL · 5 lei/day · 3½ – 4 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 21 km
  A strict nature reserve in the heart of the Danube Delta: oaks more than 400 years old, including the Kneeling Oak, and the highest sand dunes in the delta, on the Caraorman sand bank.
- [Crișan](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/crisan) — Villages and traditions · Crișan, TL · 5 lei/day · 1½ – 2 hours · 29 km
  Fishing village on the Sulina branch in the middle of the Danube Delta, with no road: a call for the Navrom Delta ship, with an ARBDD information centre and the launches to Mila 23 and Caraorman.
- [Mila 23](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mila-23) — Villages and traditions · Mila 23, TL · 5 lei/day · 2½ – 3 hours · 30 km
  A Lipovan fishing village in the heart of the Danube Delta, on the Old Danube, reachable only by boat; the birthplace of Ivan Patzaichin, with a museum tower dedicated to the champion.
- [Lake Razim](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lake-razim) — Lakes · Sarichioi, TL · Free · 37 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.

## Featured in the guides

- [The Danube Delta: map, what it is, the villages and what to see](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/danube-delta) — The Danube Delta on the map: the Chilia, Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe branches, villages and sights. A 580,000 ha reserve, UNESCO since 1991. Water in 2026.
- [Danube Delta trip: one, two or three days, where to start and how to get to Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/danube-delta-trip) — From Tulcea, 300 km from Bucharest: a day by boat to Mila 23, the Navrom ship to Sulina (66 lei, 3 h 30) and Sfântu Gheorghe. Murighiol, Mahmudia, Jurilovca.
- [Things to do in Tulcea: what to see in the city and around it](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/things-to-do-in-tulcea) — Ecotourism Museum Centre (the aquarium, 30 lei), museums, waterfront, river station; Celic-Dere 26 km away, Cocoș, Saon, Enisala, Halmyris, Noviodunum.
- [Fishing in the Danube Delta: the fishing permit, the 2026 closed season and where you may fish](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/guides/fishing-in-the-danube-delta) — The ARBDD fishing permit is free but needs the access permit too (5 lei/day). 2026 closed season: 9 April–7 June. Up to 5 kg a day, only in 31 zones.

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Last updated: 21 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania