# Mila 23

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Dobruja](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/dobrogea) › [Tulcea County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/tulcea) › [Mila 23](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/mila-23)

> 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.

**At a glance:** Villages and traditions in Mila 23, Tulcea County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: 5 lei/day. The visit takes 2½ – 3 hours. Information verified on 21 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The village can be visited at any time; transport is what matters. Navrom Delta boat Crișan – Mila 23 (2026 timetable): May–September daily, from Crișan at 16:30 and from Mila 23 at 06:30; October–April from Crișan on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 16:30 and on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 15:30, and from Mila 23 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday at 06:30. When it opened in 2024 the Ivan Patzaichin Museum was open Wednesday–Sunday, 11:00–18:00; in the cold season it switches to winter hours, with visits booked by email at least 24 hours ahead.
- **Ticket:** 5 lei/day — ARBDD permit; the village is free
- **Visit duration:** 2½ – 3 hours — 2–3 hours; ideally one night
- **With kids:** Yes — life jacket, mosquito spray
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — only in Tulcea; no road to the village
- **Best season:** May – September — May–June, with high water
- **Address:** The Navrom pontoon on the Old Danube, in the village centre, Mila 23, Tulcea County
- **Coordinates:** 45.22907, 29.24691
- **Website:** https://www.primariacrisan.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mila_23,_Tulcea
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6272206
- **Categories:** [Villages and traditions](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/sate-si-traditii), [Deltas](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/delte)

## About Mila 23

Mila 23 is a fishing village in the middle of the Danube Delta, strung along the right bank of the Old Danube (Dunărea Veche), the former bend of the river that branches off the Sulina arm, where the Stipoc and Eracle channels flow in. It belongs to Crișan commune, lies about 53 km from Tulcea by water and has no road at all: the only way in is by boat. The name comes from the old measurement of the Sulina arm in miles, and the village sits roughly halfway between Tulcea and the sea.

At the start of the 20th century there were only two or three houses here and about 12 people, all fishermen. The village has grown since, but it still lives from fishing, and many locals are Lipovans, Old Believer Russians who have kept their church, their dialect and their songs. Several Olympic canoeists and kayakers came from Mila 23, among them Ivan Patzaichin (1949–2021), four-time Olympic canoe champion, and Serghei Covaliov.

The village lies within the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, and the delta has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.

### What you can see

Mila 23 is best discovered from a boat: along the Old Danube stand reed-thatched houses, pontoons and fishing boats moored under the willows. In the lanes behind the bank are whitewashed Lipovan houses with blue gables and window frames, and the village's Old Rite church.

On the site of Patzaichin's family home, the **Ivan Patzaichin Museum – Community Innovation Centre** opened in 2024: an 18 m observation tower of wood, hemp and reed, with the champion's medals and a moment from his life on each level, plus a panoramic terrace at the top. Next to it are a pavilion for cultural activities and a food corner. The guesthouses in the village serve fish borscht, and boats leave from here for the surrounding channels and lakes.

### Good to know

There are no cars in the village, and the Navrom boat from Crișan arrives in the evening and leaves early in the morning, so without your own boat or a guesthouse transfer a visit means at least one night here. The Reserve Administration's access permit is compulsory, and in summer the mosquitoes are thick in the evening.

## Don't miss

- The 18 m tower of the Ivan Patzaichin Museum, with the champion's medals and the panoramic terrace at the top.
- A boat ride along the Old Danube, past reed-thatched houses and fishing boats.
- The lanes of whitewashed Lipovan houses with blue gables and window frames.
- The Lipovans' Old Rite church, in the eastern part of the village.
- Fish borscht at a village guesthouse after a day on the channels.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** only as far as Tulcea, then on by water: from Bucharest ~300 km (A2 to Cernavodă, then via Hârșova on the DN2A and DN22, ~4 hours), from Constanța ~130 km (~2 hours), from Brăila ~90 km over the Brăila bridge and along the DN22 (~1½ hours). The car stays in Tulcea; neither Mila 23 nor Crișan has a road.

**Public transport:** train (changing at Medgidia) or coach to Tulcea. From Tulcea harbour, the Navrom Delta ship on the Sulina line stops at Crișan, from where the Navrom boat Crișan – Mila 23 leaves in the afternoon and returns the next morning. Faster, the village guesthouses and boatmen in Tulcea run boat transfers straight to Mila 23 on request.

### Where to park

Mila 23 cannot be reached by car. Leave the car in Tulcea, in the paid car parks at the harbour (Gara Fluvială or Port Tulcea Aval, where the private boats leave from); some delta guesthouses have arrangements with car parks in town for their guests.

### Fees & discounts

The village itself is free, but anyone entering the delta needs the ARBDD permit: 5 lei/day, 15 lei/week, 30 lei until the end of the year; free for pupils, students, pensioners, people with disabilities and locals; sold at permise.ddbra.ro. Navrom Delta 2026, classic ship, adult, one way: Tulcea – Crișan 50 lei, Crișan – Mila 23 30 lei; children under 7 travel free, pensioners get 50% off. Admission to the Ivan Patzaichin Museum was free when it opened in 2024.

### Rules

Carry the ARBDD permit and your ID; they are checked on the water. A life jacket is compulsory in the boat. This is a lived-in village: do not walk into yards, and ask before photographing people. Enter the Lipovan church quietly and modestly dressed, with no photos during the service. On the channels, keep away from bird colonies and leave no litter; recreational fishing needs a separate permit. Drones need ARBDD authorisation. The museum can only be visited by booking.

### Facilities

Guesthouses with restaurants and fish borscht · bars and small shops · medical post · fuel station for boats · card payment is not guaranteed, bring cash · mobile mast in the village, weak signal on the channels · no adapted access on pontoons and boats

## Details

- **Local character:** Lipovan fishing village
- **Crafts:** traditional fishing
- **Departure ports:** Tulcea, Crișan
- **Access by boat only:** Yes
- **Bird season:** May–June
- **Fishing allowed:** Yes
- **Access permit:** Yes

## Frequently asked questions about Mila 23

**How much is a ticket to Mila 23?**

A ticket to Mila 23 costs 5 lei/day (ARBDD permit; the village is free). The village itself is free, but anyone entering the delta needs the ARBDD permit: 5 lei/day, 15 lei/week, 30 lei until the end of the year; free for pupils, students, pensioners, people with disabilities and locals; sold at permise.ddbra.ro. Navrom Delta 2026, classic ship, adult, one way: Tulcea – Crișan 50 lei, Crișan – Mila 23 30 lei; children under 7 travel free, pensioners get 50% off. Admission to the Ivan Patzaichin Museum was free when it opened in 2024.

**What are the opening hours of Mila 23?**

Opening hours at Mila 23: daily open 24 hours. The village can be visited at any time; transport is what matters. Navrom Delta boat Crișan – Mila 23 (2026 timetable): May–September daily, from Crișan at 16:30 and from Mila 23 at 06:30; October–April from Crișan on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 16:30 and on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 15:30, and from Mila 23 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday at 06:30. When it opened in 2024 the Ivan Patzaichin Museum was open Wednesday–Sunday, 11:00–18:00; in the cold season it switches to winter hours, with visits booked by email at least 24 hours ahead.

**How long does a visit to Mila 23 take?**

A visit to Mila 23 takes about 2½ – 3 hours (2–3 hours; ideally one night).

**Can you visit Mila 23 with kids?**

Yes, Mila 23 is suitable for children (life jacket, mosquito spray).

**Where can I park at Mila 23?**

There is paid parking at Mila 23 (only in Tulcea; no road to the village). Mila 23 cannot be reached by car. Leave the car in Tulcea, in the paid car parks at the harbour (Gara Fluvială or Port Tulcea Aval, where the private boats leave from); some delta guesthouses have arrangements with car parks in town for their guests.

**How do I get to Mila 23?**

Mila 23 is located at The Navrom pontoon on the Old Danube, in the village centre, Mila 23, Tulcea County. By car: only as far as Tulcea, then on by water: from Bucharest ~300 km (A2 to Cernavodă, then via Hârșova on the DN2A and DN22, ~4 hours), from Constanța ~130 km (~2 hours), from Brăila ~90 km over the Brăila bridge and along the DN22 (~1½ hours). The car stays in Tulcea; neither Mila 23 nor Crișan has a road. Public transport: train (changing at Medgidia) or coach to Tulcea. From Tulcea harbour, the Navrom Delta ship on the Sulina line stops at Crișan, from where the Navrom boat Crișan – Mila 23 leaves in the afternoon and returns the next morning. Faster, the village guesthouses and boatmen in Tulcea run boat transfers straight to Mila 23 on request.

**When is the best time to visit Mila 23?**

The best season for Mila 23: May – September (May–June, with high water).

## Nearby attractions

- [Halmyris Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatea-halmyris) — Fortresses and fortifications · Murighiol, TL · 12 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 30 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.
- [Caraorman Forest](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/padurea-caraorman) — 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.
- [Letea Forest](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/padurea-letea) — National parks and reserves · Letea, TL · 2½ – 3 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · 35 km
  One of Romania's first nature reserves, protected since 1938: ancient oaks draped in lianas, sand dunes and herds of feral horses on the Letea sand bank in the north of the Danube Delta.
- [Old Lighthouse of Sulina](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/farul-vechi-sulina) — Museums and memorial houses · Sulina, TL · 20 lei · 45 min · 44 km
  The white tower of the European Commission of the Danube in the middle of Sulina, now a museum about the town called “Europolis”, the writer Jean Bart and the conductor George Georgescu.
- [Tulcea Aquarium](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/acvariul-tulcea) — Zoos and aquariums · Tulcea, TL · 30 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 46 km
  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.
- [Sulina Beach](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/plaja-sulina) — Seaside · Sulina, TL · 5 lei · 3½ – 4 hours · 46 km
  Romania's easternmost beach, where the Sulina branch meets the Black Sea: very fine alluvial sand, an unusually wide strip and water that stays shallow for tens of metres.

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