# Lake Siriu

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Muntenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/muntenia) › [Buzău County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/buzau) › [Siriu](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/siriu)

> A reservoir over 10 km long in the Buzău valley, between the Siriu and Podu Calului mountains; the DN10 winds along its shore over viaducts, with views of the water and the 122 m rockfill dam.

**At a glance:** Lakes in Siriu, Buzău County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes ½ – 1 hours. Information verified on 4 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The lake can be seen from the DN10 and the roadside viewpoints at any time, all year round. On the DN10 near Siriu there may be slope stabilisation works, with alternating traffic at temporary lights and stoppages of up to an hour — check the CNAIR announcements before setting off.
- **Ticket:** Free — roadside viewpoints
- **Visit duration:** ½ – 1 hours — stops at viewpoints on the DN10
- **With kids:** Yes — DN10 traffic next to viewpoints
- **Parking:** Yes, free — lay-bys along the DN10
- **Best season:** All year round — greenest May–October
- **Address:** DN10, the viewpoint next to Siriu Dam, Siriu, Buzău County
- **Coordinates:** 45.4934, 26.2558
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Siriu
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6272651
- **Categories:** [Lakes](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacuri)

## About Lake Siriu

Lake Siriu fills the Buzău valley in the north-west of the county, where the river runs between the Siriu and Podu Calului massifs. It formed behind the Siriu Dam, begun in the 1970s and completed in December 1994: a rockfill dam 122 m high and about 570 m long at the crest, built without concrete, using only earth, rock and a clay core, all taken from local quarries. It is the second-largest dam of its kind in Romania, after Gura Apei.

The lake stretches for 10–11 km, is more than 100 m deep near the dam and was designed to hold about 155 million cubic metres of water; in practice the usual level is kept somewhat lower, around 568 m above sea level. The reservoir is Buzău County's main freshwater reserve: it supplies the towns and villages downstream, holds back floods on the Buzău and feeds the 42 MW Nehoiașu hydropower plant, which opened in 1988.

Some 300 households were moved to make way for the lake, and the Siriu cemetery and war memorial were relocated higher up the slope. The Buzău – Brașov national road was also rerouted around the lake's edge on several viaducts, among them the **Giurca Viaduct**, 276 m long on 46 m piers.

### What you can see

The lake is best seen from the car and from the stopping places on the DN10, which climbs past the dam and then runs for kilometres along the shore, high above the water. Near the dam several viewpoints look over the grassy slope of the dam and the concrete spillway running down the hillside and, on the other side, the blue-green lake winding between wooded ridges. Further up the road you cross the viaducts built together with the lake, and guesthouses and a campsite line the shore.

### Good to know

The DN10 is a narrow mountain road with rockfalls from the slopes above the lake; in recent years there have been stabilisation works with alternating traffic at temporary lights and short closures. The road across the top of the dam is a service road, closed off by a barrier.

## Don't miss

- The view from the viewpoints next to the dam, with its 122 m grassy slope and the spillway running down the hillside.
- The blue-green lake seen from above on the DN10, between the wooded ridges of the Siriu and Podu Calului mountains.
- The Giurca Viaduct, 276 m long on 46 m piers, one of those that carry the DN10 around the lake.
- The Siriu war memorial, moved higher up the slope when the dam was built, next to a car park on the DN10.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** the lake lies on the DN10 between Buzău and Brașov, roughly halfway: ~80 km from Buzău and ~80 km from Brașov, ~12 km beyond the town of Nehoiu. From Bucharest, drive first to Buzău and then up the Buzău valley on the DN10. It is a mountain road with many bends and stretches under repair.

**Public transport:** buses and minibuses run between Buzău and Nehoiu several times a day, and from Nehoiu a few local minibus services go on to Siriu, fewer at weekends; check the current timetable on the Nehoiu town hall website or at the bus station.

### Where to park

There are several lay-bys and small car parks along the DN10: one right by the dam, another by the viewpoint above it and one next to the war memorial, north of the dam. Do not stop on the viaducts or on bends; on summer weekends the lay-bys fill up quickly.

### Fees & discounts

Access to the lake and the viewpoints is free. Accommodation and any activities on the lakeshore are paid separately to each guesthouse or operator.

### Rules

The road across the top of the dam is not open to the public. At the viewpoints stay behind the parapet and watch out for traffic on the DN10. The lake lies within the Siriu Natura 2000 site: take your litter with you and only light fires in designated places. Angling requires a permit and must follow current regulations.

### Facilities

Viewpoints and lay-bys on the DN10 · toilets by the war memorial car park · guesthouses and a campsite on the lakeshore · no information centre at the dam

## Details

- **Lake type:** reservoir
- **Altitude:** 568 m

## Frequently asked questions about Lake Siriu

**How much is a ticket to Lake Siriu?**

Admission to Lake Siriu is free (roadside viewpoints). Access to the lake and the viewpoints is free. Accommodation and any activities on the lakeshore are paid separately to each guesthouse or operator.

**What are the opening hours of Lake Siriu?**

Opening hours at Lake Siriu: daily open 24 hours. The lake can be seen from the DN10 and the roadside viewpoints at any time, all year round. On the DN10 near Siriu there may be slope stabilisation works, with alternating traffic at temporary lights and stoppages of up to an hour — check the CNAIR announcements before setting off.

**How long does a visit to Lake Siriu take?**

A visit to Lake Siriu takes about ½ – 1 hours (stops at viewpoints on the DN10).

**Can you visit Lake Siriu with kids?**

Yes, Lake Siriu is suitable for children (DN10 traffic next to viewpoints).

**Where can I park at Lake Siriu?**

There is free parking at Lake Siriu (lay-bys along the DN10). There are several lay-bys and small car parks along the DN10: one right by the dam, another by the viewpoint above it and one next to the war memorial, north of the dam. Do not stop on the viaducts or on bends; on summer weekends the lay-bys fill up quickly.

**How do I get to Lake Siriu?**

Lake Siriu is located at DN10, the viewpoint next to Siriu Dam, Siriu, Buzău County. By car: the lake lies on the DN10 between Buzău and Brașov, roughly halfway: ~80 km from Buzău and ~80 km from Brașov, ~12 km beyond the town of Nehoiu. From Bucharest, drive first to Buzău and then up the Buzău valley on the DN10. It is a mountain road with many bends and stretches under repair. Public transport: buses and minibuses run between Buzău and Nehoiu several times a day, and from Nehoiu a few local minibus services go on to Siriu, fewer at weekends; check the current timetable on the Nehoiu town hall website or at the bus station.

**When is the best time to visit Lake Siriu?**

The best season for Lake Siriu: All year round (greenest May–October).

## Nearby attractions

- [Cașoca Waterfall](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cascada-casoca) — Waterfalls · Siriu, BZ · Free · ½ – 1 hours · 7 km
  A waterfall of about 8 m dropping over a sandstone ledge in a wooded gorge of the Cașoca Valley, near Lake Siriu; also known as the Pruncea Waterfall, it can be reached by car almost to its foot.
- [Bratocea Pass](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/pasul-bratocea) — Scenic roads · Brașov County · Free · ½ – 1 hours · 36 km
  The pass where the DN1A crosses from the Teleajen valley into the Bârsa region at 1,263 m, below the Ciucaș Mountains: a mountain road between Cheia and Săcele and the trailhead for Ciucaș Peak.
- [Slănic Prahova Salt Mine](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/salina-slanic-prahova) — Salt mines · Slănic, PH · 60 lei · 2 – 2½ hours · Top 20 · 49 km
  The Unirea mine, dug between 1938 and 1970, is a string of 14 salt halls over 50 m high, 208 m underground, which you reach by minibus; 100 km from Bucharest.
- [Berca Mud Volcanoes](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/vulcanii-noroiosi-berca) — National parks and reserves · Berca, BZ · 4 lei · 1 – 1½ hours · 51 km
  Two plateaus of cold-mud cones and craters, Pâclele Mari and Pâclele Mici, in a nature reserve in the Buzău Subcarpathians, with a lunar-landscape feel.
- [Covasna](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/covasna) — Resorts and thermal baths · Covasna, CV · Free · 52 km
  The spa resort in the town of Covasna, Romania's "resort of the heart": carbon dioxide mofettes, sparkling mineral springs on every corner and the Devil's Pond, a mud volcano in the central park.
- [Prejmer Fortified Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/biserica-fortificata-din-prejmer) — Monasteries and churches · Prejmer, BV · 30 lei · 1 – 1½ hours · UNESCO World Heritage · Top 100 · 59 km
  One of the largest Saxon fortified churches: a Gothic church on a cross-shaped plan, ringed by an oval wall with over 270 refuge rooms reached by timber galleries.

---

Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lacul-siriu
Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/lacul-siriu.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/lacul-siriu.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/lacul-siriu.md
Last updated: 4 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania