About Lake Razim
At a glance: Lakes in Sarichioi, Tulcea County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. Information verified on 4 October 2026.
Lake Razim, also known as Razelm, is the largest lake in Romania: it covers about 415 km² and is the centrepiece of the Razim–Sinoie lagoon complex, which spreads over more than 1,000 km² between the Danube Delta and the Black Sea. It is very shallow, no more than 2.8 m deep, and from the shore it looks like a calm sea with no end on the horizon.
In antiquity it was a gulf of the Black Sea, known to the ancients as Halmyris. Sandbars gradually closed it off, but until the second half of the 20th century it was still linked to the sea through the Portița and Periteașca mouths, through which sea fish came in to spawn. Hydraulic works in the 1970s and '80s shut these mouths, and Razim became a freshwater lake, fed by the Sfântu Gheorghe arm of the Danube through the Dranov and Dunavăț channels. To the south it joins Lake Golovița, and through it lakes Zmeica and Sinoie.
The lake is part of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. In its north lies Popina Island, a 98-hectare limestone hill and a strictly protected area, home to a species of bush cricket found nowhere else on Earth. Further south, near Jurilovca, the small rocky islet of Bisericuța rises from the water, with traces of settlement from the Hellenistic period to the 10th–12th centuries.
What you can see
On the western shore, the Lipovan village of Sarichioi has an old fishing harbour, with black wooden fishing boats tied to timber jetties and the hills of Dobruja behind; in the morning the sun rises straight out of the lake. Further south, from the walls of Enisala Fortress you can see the water stretching far into the distance. At the southern end, near Jurilovca, Cape Doloșman drops into the lake in a steep limestone bank, and on the plateau above stand the ruins of the Greek and Roman city of Argamum. Boat trips leave Jurilovca and Sarichioi for Bisericuța, Doloșman and Gura Portiței, among herons, cormorants and, on passage, pelicans.
Good to know
The lake lies inside the reserve: for boat trips, kayaking or fishing you need the ARBDD access permit. In summer, mosquitoes are plentiful along the reedy shores towards evening.
- Sunrise over the lake from the old harbour in Sarichioi, with the fishermen's boats on the water.
- Cape Doloșman, the steep limestone bank near Jurilovca, with the ruins of Argamum above the lake.
- The view over Razim from the walls of Enisala Fortress, where the lake stretches to the horizon.
- Popina Island, the limestone hill in the north of the lake, a strictly protected area, seen from a boat.
- The boat trip from Jurilovca to the rocky islet of Bisericuța and Cape Doloșman.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: Sarichioi, on the western shore, is ~30 km south of Tulcea on the DJ222 (~35 minutes) and ~18 km from Babadag. From Constanța it is ~110 km on the DN22 to Babadag, then towards Enisala and Sarichioi (~1 hour 45 minutes), and from Bucharest ~320 km on the A2, A4 and DN22 (~4 hours). Jurilovca, the starting point for the south of the lake and for Gura Portiței, is ~25 km from Sarichioi and ~26 km from Babadag, on the DJ222.
Public transport: minibuses run from Tulcea to Sarichioi several times a day (timetables are on the bus-timetable websites); there are fewer services to Jurilovca. The nearest railway station is Babadag, on the Medgidia–Tulcea line.
- Fees & discounts
Access to the lakeshore and the old harbour in Sarichioi is free. To go out on the water you need the visitor access permit for the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, bought online at permise.ddbra.ro: 5 lei for one day, 15 lei for seven days and 30 lei until the end of the year; it is free for pupils, students, pensioners, people with disabilities and residents of the reserve and the neighbouring communes. For your own boat you pay the boat permit (20 lei for seven days). Boat trips are run by private operators, each setting their own prices; ask what it costs before you set off.
- Rules
The lake lies inside the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve: the ARBDD visitor access permit is required for boat trips and kayaking, and recreational fishing is allowed only with an ARBDD fishing permit. Popina Island is a strictly protected area of the reserve: you see it from the water.
- Facilities
Guesthouses, a campsite and fish restaurants on the shore at Sarichioi · boat trips from Sarichioi and from the harbour at Jurilovca · shops in Sarichioi and Jurilovca · elsewhere the shores are natural, with no facilities
Frequently asked questions about Lake Razim
- How much is a ticket to Lake Razim?
- Admission to Lake Razim is free (ARBDD permit for the water). Access to the lakeshore and the old harbour in Sarichioi is free. To go out on the water you need the visitor access permit for the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, bought online at permise.ddbra.ro: 5 lei for one day, 15 lei for seven days and 30 lei until the end of the year; it is free for pupils, students, pensioners, people with disabilities and residents of the reserve and the neighbouring communes. For your own boat you pay the boat permit (20 lei for seven days). Boat trips are run by private operators, each setting their own prices; ask what it costs before you set off.
- What are the opening hours of Lake Razim?
- Opening hours at Lake Razim: daily open 24 hours. The lakeshore and the old harbour in Sarichioi are in the open air, with free access at all times. Boat trips are offered by fishermen and private operators in Sarichioi and Jurilovca, each with their own hours, mainly in the warmer months and depending on the wind.
- Can you visit Lake Razim with kids?
- Yes, Lake Razim is suitable for children (flat shore at the old harbour).
- How do I get to Lake Razim?
- Lake Razim is located at The old fishing harbour in Sarichioi, Strada Lacului, Sarichioi, Tulcea County. By car: Sarichioi, on the western shore, is ~30 km south of Tulcea on the DJ222 (~35 minutes) and ~18 km from Babadag. From Constanța it is ~110 km on the DN22 to Babadag, then towards Enisala and Sarichioi (~1 hour 45 minutes), and from Bucharest ~320 km on the A2, A4 and DN22 (~4 hours). Jurilovca, the starting point for the south of the lake and for Gura Portiței, is ~25 km from Sarichioi and ~26 km from Babadag, on the DJ222. Public transport: minibuses run from Tulcea to Sarichioi several times a day (timetables are on the bus-timetable websites); there are fewer services to Jurilovca. The nearest railway station is Babadag, on the Medgidia–Tulcea line.
- When is the best time to visit Lake Razim?
- The best season for Lake Razim: April – October (birds in spring and autumn).
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