# Lake Izvorul Muntelui

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Moldavia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/moldova) › [Neamț County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/neamt) › [Bicaz](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/bicaz)

> Better known as Lake Bicaz, it is the largest reservoir on Romania's inland rivers: 35 km of water on the Bistrița, below Mount Ceahlău, held back by a 127 m dam.

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**At a glance:** Lakes in Bicaz, Neamț County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 1½ – 2 hours. Information verified on 28 September 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The lake and the dam are in the open air, and the DN15 is open all year. The boats at Port Bicaz have no fixed timetable: they leave once enough passengers have gathered, usually between 09:00 and 19:00, in the warmer months. In summer 2026, traffic on the dam ran alternately in a single lane because of repairs to the spillway joints.
- **Ticket:** Free — boat trips paid separately
- **Visit duration:** 1½ – 2 hours — the dam and a boat trip
- **With kids:** Yes — the boat trip
- **Best season:** All year round — boat trips in the warm season
- **Address:** DN15, on the crest of the dam, ~4 km from the town centre, Bicaz, Neamț County
- **Coordinates:** 46.9385, 26.1026
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Izvorul_Muntelui
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q854060
- **Categories:** [Lakes](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacuri)

## About Lake Izvorul Muntelui

Lake Izvorul Muntelui, more often called Lake Bicaz, formed on the middle course of the Bistrița river after the valley was closed off between 1950 and 1960, just above the town of Bicaz, by a concrete dam 127 m high and 435 m long at the crest. The water stretches for about 35 km, up to Poiana Largului, and covers roughly 32 km²; by the dam it is up to 97 m deep. It is the largest reservoir built on Romania's inland rivers.

The lake changed the valley completely: 22 villages were moved in part or in full, and more than 18,000 people had to leave their homes; a few settlements, such as Răpciuni, disappeared under the water. The water does not reach the turbines through the dam but through a tunnel more than 4.6 km long, to the Dimitrie Leonida hydroelectric power station at Stejaru, some 15 km downstream.

Above the lake to the west rises the Ceahlău massif, and the DN15 road follows the shore along its whole length, with villages, guesthouses and landing stages along the way.

### What you can see

The DN15 runs across the crest of the dam, and you can walk along it on the pavement: on one side lies the surface of the lake, on the other the concrete wall dropping towards Bicaz. A kilometre further on, Port Bicaz has boat trips, rowing boats and pedalos, as well as houseboats. Heading north on the DN15, from the viewpoint at Hangu you see Mount Ceahlău reflected in the water, and at the far end of the lake, at Poiana Largului, the Poiana Teiului viaduct crosses the water next to Piatra Teiului, a 23 m limestone rock protected as a natural monument.

### Good to know

The water level varies a great deal from season to season and from year to year; when it is low, the banks are left bare and the scenery looks quite different from summer photos.

## Don't miss

- A walk along the crest of the dam, with the lake on one side and the 127 m wall on the other.
- A half-hour boat trip from Port Bicaz, past the wooded shores.
- The viewpoint at Hangu, where you see Mount Ceahlău reflected in the lake.
- The Poiana Teiului viaduct at the far end of the lake, with the Piatra Teiului rock rising out of the water right beside it.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Piatra Neamț take the DN15 towards Bicaz (~33 km to the dam, ~45 minutes); from the centre of Bicaz the road climbs in hairpin bends and runs right across the crest of the dam, then carries on along the lakeshore towards Poiana Largului (~38 km to the Poiana Teiului viaduct) and Vatra Dornei. The Bicaz Gorge is ~33 km from the dam, on the DN12C, which starts in Bicaz.

**Public transport:** plenty of minibuses run every day from the Piatra Neamț bus station to Bicaz (~30–40 minutes); from the town centre it is another ~4 km uphill to the dam, on foot or by taxi.

### Where to park

At the Bicaz end of the dam there is a small car park next to a restaurant, and at Port Bicaz you can park by the port, ~1 km from the dam. Do not stop your car on the crest: it is a national road.

### Fees & discounts

Access to the lake and the dam is free. Boat trips are run by several private operators from Port Bicaz; on the Romsilva boat a 30–35-minute trip costs ~30 lei for adults and ~20 lei for children, under-3s travel free, and a private trip starts at ~200 lei for 30 minutes. Rowing boats and pedalos are hired separately.

### Rules

On the crest, keep to the pavement and do not cross in front of traffic. Life jackets are compulsory on the boats and on hired rowing boats. Following drownings in past years, the police have warned that the banks are steep and the water cold and deep: do not swim in unsupervised spots, after drinking or in the evening.

### Facilities

Restaurants, terraces and houseboats at Port Bicaz · guesthouses along the lakeshore on the DN15 · toilets by the car park at the dam · petrol stations and shops in Bicaz

## Details

- **Lake type:** reservoir
- **Area:** 3,260 ha
- **Maximum depth:** 97 m
- **Boat rental:** Yes

## Frequently asked questions about Lake Izvorul Muntelui

**How much is a ticket to Lake Izvorul Muntelui?**

Admission to Lake Izvorul Muntelui is free (boat trips paid separately). Access to the lake and the dam is free. Boat trips are run by several private operators from Port Bicaz; on the Romsilva boat a 30–35-minute trip costs ~30 lei for adults and ~20 lei for children, under-3s travel free, and a private trip starts at ~200 lei for 30 minutes. Rowing boats and pedalos are hired separately.

**What are the opening hours of Lake Izvorul Muntelui?**

Opening hours at Lake Izvorul Muntelui: daily open 24 hours. The lake and the dam are in the open air, and the DN15 is open all year. The boats at Port Bicaz have no fixed timetable: they leave once enough passengers have gathered, usually between 09:00 and 19:00, in the warmer months. In summer 2026, traffic on the dam ran alternately in a single lane because of repairs to the spillway joints.

**How long does a visit to Lake Izvorul Muntelui take?**

A visit to Lake Izvorul Muntelui takes about 1½ – 2 hours (the dam and a boat trip).

**Can you visit Lake Izvorul Muntelui with kids?**

Yes, Lake Izvorul Muntelui is suitable for children (the boat trip).

**How do I get to Lake Izvorul Muntelui?**

Lake Izvorul Muntelui is located at DN15, on the crest of the dam, ~4 km from the town centre, Bicaz, Neamț County. By car: from Piatra Neamț take the DN15 towards Bicaz (~33 km to the dam, ~45 minutes); from the centre of Bicaz the road climbs in hairpin bends and runs right across the crest of the dam, then carries on along the lakeshore towards Poiana Largului (~38 km to the Poiana Teiului viaduct) and Vatra Dornei. The Bicaz Gorge is ~33 km from the dam, on the DN12C, which starts in Bicaz. Public transport: plenty of minibuses run every day from the Piatra Neamț bus station to Bicaz (~30–40 minutes); from the town centre it is another ~4 km uphill to the dam, on foot or by taxi.

**When is the best time to visit Lake Izvorul Muntelui?**

The best season for Lake Izvorul Muntelui: All year round (boat trips in the warm season).

## Nearby attractions

- [Duruitoarea Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-duruitoarea) — Waterfalls · Durău, NT · 10 lei · 3½ – 4 hours · 17 km
  A 25 m, two-tier waterfall on the Rupturi stream, in the forests below Toaca peak in Ceahlău National Park; reached on foot from the Durău resort in about two hours.
- [Lake Cuejdel](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacul-cuejdel) — Lakes · Gârcina, NT · Free · 2 – 2½ hours · 18 km
  Romania's largest natural dam lake, formed by landslides between 1978 and 1991 in the Stânișoarei Mountains, with bare spruce trunks rising out of the water; reached on foot through the forest.
- [Bicaz Gorge](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cheile-bicazului) — Gorges and canyons · Bicaz-Chei, NT · Free · ½ – 1 hours · Top 100 · 34 km
  The best-known gorge in the Carpathians: the DN12C road runs between limestone walls over 300 m high, along the Bicaz river, between Lacu Roșu and Bicaz-Chei.
- [Red Lake](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacul-rosu) — Lakes · Lacu Roșu, HR · Free · 1½ – 2 hours · Top 100 · 38 km
  A natural dam lake formed in 1837, when a mountainside blocked the Bicaz valley; the trunks of the drowned forest still rise from the water, at the upper end of the Bicaz Gorge.
- [Neamț Bison Reserve](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/rezervatia-de-zimbri-neamt) — Zoos and aquariums · Vânători-Neamț, NT · 15 lei · 1 – 1½ hours · 46 km
  The “Dragoș Vodă” reserve, founded in 1968 in Vânători-Neamț Nature Park: a small zoo with bison, deer and birds, at the edge of the forest where free-ranging bison live.
- [Neamț Citadel](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatea-neamt) — Fortresses and fortifications · Târgu Neamț, NT · 24 lei · 1 – 1½ hours · Top 100 · 46 km
  A medieval Moldavian fortress on a rocky spur above Târgu Neamț, built by the Mușatin princes and strengthened by Stephen the Great, which held out against Mehmed II's siege in 1476.

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