# Mahmudia

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

> 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.

**At a glance:** Villages and traditions in Mahmudia, Tulcea County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes ½ – 1 hours. Information verified on 30 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The village can be visited at any time; the hours are set by the Navrom Delta ship Tulcea – Sfântu Gheorghe, which calls at Mahmudia after leaving Tulcea at 13:30 and, on the way back, after leaving Sfântu Gheorghe at 07:00. From 1 May to 30 September the ship runs six days a week: from Tulcea every day except Tuesday, from Sfântu Gheorghe every day except Wednesday. From October to April there are three sailings a week: from Tulcea on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from Sfântu Gheorghe on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The timetable may change with the water level and the weather.
- **Ticket:** Free — the village; the water trip is paid separately
- **Visit duration:** ½ – 1 hours — 1–2 hours in the village and on the bank
- **With kids:** Yes — mind the water's edge
- **Parking:** Yes, free — on the street, in the village
- **Best season:** May – September — May–Sept., more sailings
- **Address:** The landing stage on the Sfântu Gheorghe arm, at the end of Strada Portului, Mahmudia, Tulcea County
- **Coordinates:** 45.08807, 29.09497
- **Phone:** +40 240 545 543
- **Website:** https://mahmudia.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudia,_Tulcea
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q970516
- **Categories:** [Villages and traditions](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/villages-and-traditions), [Deltas](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/deltas)

## About Mahmudia

Mahmudia is a village on the bank of the Sfântu Gheorghe arm of the Danube, ~31 km from Tulcea, at the edge of the Danube Delta. It is the seat of the commune of the same name, which consists only of this village and had 2,163 inhabitants at the 2021 census: mostly Romanians, with a minority of Lipovan Russians.

Roman, Byzantine and Genoese sources call the place Salsovia; the name Mahmudia appears in Ottoman times and stayed in use after 1878. About 500 m from the north-western edge of the village lies the archaeological site of Salsovia Fortress, a listed historic monument: a Hellenistic Greek settlement, built over by a Roman fort and then a Roman-Byzantine fortress, inhabited until the early 7th century. Salsovia appears in the Itinerarium Antonini and on the Tabula Peutingeriana.

The village is a starting point for the south of the delta: the Navrom Delta ship on the Tulcea – Sfântu Gheorghe line calls here.

### What you can see

On the waterfront are the ship's landing stage and, a little further on, the cranes of the cargo port; from the bank and from the water you see the **Beștepe hills**, which surround the village and belong to the Beștepe – Mahmudia Natura 2000 special protection area for birds (3,654 ha), protected for the migratory birds of the Via Pontica flyway. The landscape is steppe, with grassland, rocky outcrops and farmland. At the edge of the village, Salsovia Fortress is a place of history rather than something to look at: it is visited as an archaeological site, not as a landscaped ruin.

### Good to know

No tourist route approved by the Reserve Administration starts from Mahmudia: for boat trips on the southern lakes you leave from Murighiol, ~9 km away, where [Halmyris Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatea-halmyris) is as well. From Mahmudia you can go on towards Sfântu Gheorghe only by Navrom ship.

## Don't miss

- The landing stage on the Sfântu Gheorghe arm, where the Navrom ship to Sfântu Gheorghe leaves from.
- The Beștepe hills, seen from the village and from the water, in the Beștepe – Mahmudia Natura 2000 area.
- The Salsovia archaeological site, from the Hellenistic settlement to the Roman-Byzantine fortress.
- The ship trip along the Sfântu Gheorghe arm, towards Sfântu Gheorghe and the Black Sea.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Tulcea ~31 km (~35 min), on county road DJ222C towards Nufăru and Mahmudia; from Bucharest ~330 km (~4½ hours), from Constanța ~160 km (~2½ hours). From Mahmudia, Murighiol is ~9 km away on the same county road.

**Public transport:** the Navrom Delta ship from Tulcea harbour, on the Tulcea – Sfântu Gheorghe line, calling at Bălteni de Jos and Mahmudia; from Mahmudia you can continue on the same ship to Sfântu Gheorghe.

### Where to park

In the village you park on the street, near the landing stage.

### Fees & discounts

The village is free to visit. Navrom Delta, adult, one way: on the classic ship Tulcea – Mahmudia 36 lei and Mahmudia – Sfântu Gheorghe 56 lei, on the semi-fast ship 38 lei and 66 lei; for tickets bought online the classic-ship price applies. Children under 7 and pupils travel free, and pensioners get a reduction; these tickets are bought at the ticket office or on board, with documents. Anyone continuing into the reserve needs the ARBDD access permit: 5 lei/day, 15 lei/7 days, 30 lei until the end of the year, at permise.ddbra.ro.

### Rules

On the water, carry the ARBDD permit and your ID. This is a lived-in village: do not walk into yards, and ask before photographing people. In the Natura 2000 area keep to the existing tracks, leave no litter and do not disturb the birds. At the archaeological site do not climb the walls and do not take anything from the ground.

## Details

- **Local character:** Danube village, Lipovan community
- **Departure ports:** Tulcea, Mahmudia
- **Access by boat only:** No

## Frequently asked questions about Mahmudia

**How much is a ticket to Mahmudia?**

Admission to Mahmudia is free (the village; the water trip is paid separately). More under “Fees & discounts”.

**What are the opening hours of Mahmudia?**

Opening hours at Mahmudia: daily open 24 hours. More under “Opening hours”.

**How long does a visit to Mahmudia take?**

A visit to Mahmudia takes about ½ – 1 hours (1–2 hours in the village and on the bank).

**Can you visit Mahmudia with kids?**

Yes, Mahmudia is suitable for children (mind the water's edge).

**Where can I park at Mahmudia?**

There is free parking at Mahmudia (on the street, in the village). More under “Where to park”.

**How do I get to Mahmudia?**

Mahmudia is located at The landing stage on the Sfântu Gheorghe arm, at the end of Strada Portului, Mahmudia, Tulcea County. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Mahmudia?**

The best season for Mahmudia: May – September (May–Sept., more sailings).

## Nearby attractions

- [Murighiol](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/murighiol) — Villages and traditions · Murighiol, TL · 5 lei/day · 3½ – 4 hours · 10 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.
- [Halmyris Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/halmyris-fortress) — Fortresses and fortifications · Murighiol, TL · 12 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 14 km
  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.
- [Mila 23](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mila-23) — Villages and traditions · Mila 23, TL · 5 lei/day · 2½ – 3 hours · 26 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.
- [Caraorman Forest](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/caraorman-forest) — National parks and reserves · Caraorman, TL · 5 lei/day · 3½ – 4 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 32 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.
- [Lake Razim](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/lake-razim) — Lakes · Sarichioi, TL · Free · 32 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.
- [Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/tulcea-aquarium) — Zoos and aquariums · Tulcea, TL · 30 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 32 km
  The Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre, the public aquarium in central Tulcea, with fish from the Danube and the Black Sea, coral reef tanks and a tunnel among sturgeon, plus an exhibition on the Delta's wildlife.

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Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mahmudia
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Last updated: 30 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania