# Tulcea

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

> The Danube port town where the ships to the Danube Delta leave from: the waterfront with the River Station, the Independence Monument on the hill, the Azizie Mosque and the aquarium.

**At a glance:** Deltas in Tulcea, Tulcea County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 2½ – 3 hours. Information verified on 30 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The town can be visited at any time. The Navrom Delta ships leave the River Station at 13:30 for Sulina, Sfântu Gheorghe and Periprava, depending on the day. To Sulina: from 19 June to 14 September every day at 10:00 (semi-fast) and at 13:30; from May to 18 June and from 15 to 30 September every day at 13:30; from October to April on Monday and from Wednesday to Saturday at 13:30. To Sfântu Gheorghe: from May to September every day except Tuesday, and from October to April on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. To Periprava: from May to September on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and from October to April on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The timetable may change.
- **Ticket:** Free — the town; ships are paid
- **Visit duration:** 2½ – 3 hours — waterfront, hill and one museum
- **With kids:** Yes — promenade and aquarium
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — on the waterfront and at the River Station
- **Best season:** April – October — summer, most sailings
- **Address:** Danube waterfront, at the River Station, Tulcea, Tulcea County
- **Coordinates:** 45.18146, 28.79185
- **Website:** https://www.primariatulcea.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulcea
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11585
- **Categories:** [Deltas](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/deltas), [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monuments-and-historic-sites)

## About Tulcea

Tulcea is the seat of the county of the same name, a port town of 65,624 inhabitants (2021 census) on the right bank of the Danube, at the entrance to the Danube Delta. A Greek settlement and then the Roman port of Aegyssus stood on the spot; today's town grew under the Ottomans, as the seat of a sanjak, and became part of the Romanian state in 1878. For most visitors Tulcea is the gateway to the delta: this is where the Navrom Delta ships leave for Sulina, Sfântu Gheorghe and Periprava.

The town can be seen in a few hours, on foot, between the waterfront and the hill. Anyone who comes for the delta can combine the day with a walk through the port and what Tulcea has to show.

### What you can see

**The Danube waterfront** is the axis of the town: a long promenade with quays, passenger ships and a view of the far bank of the river. On it stands the **River Station** (Gara Fluvială), from which the Navrom ships leave, and nearby, next to the waterfront, is the [Tulcea Aquarium](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/acvariul-tulcea), the aquarium section of the Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre.

Above the town, on **Monument Hill** (the former Colnic Hora), lies the Independence Monument Park, with the ruins of the ancient fortress of Aegyssus. The **Independence Monument**, destroyed in 1916–1918 and rebuilt in 1932 and 1977, is the symbol of the town and is visible from all around the port. The History and Archaeology Museum is also there.

Elsewhere in town are the **Azizie Mosque**, built in 1877 by Ismail Pasha, **St Nicholas Cathedral**, cross-shaped and Byzantine in style, with bells cast in Bavaria in 1882, the **Choral Temple** of 1888 and **Avramide House**, from the late 19th century. The Eco-Museum Research Institute also runs the Art Museum, in the Pasha's Mansion, and the Ethnography and Folk Art Museum in the town. On the edge of town, towards Mahmudia, the Traditional Fishing Village recreates houses, a fish-processing station and a windmill on about 3 ha.

### Good to know

The Navrom ships do not leave every day for every village, and the timetable changes with the water level and the weather. Excursions into the delta start from Tulcea; the delta as a reserve has its own page, [Danube Delta](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/delta-dunarii).

## Don't miss

- A walk along the Danube waterfront, between quays, passenger ships and the far bank of the river.
- The River Station, where the Navrom Delta ships leave for Sulina, Sfântu Gheorghe and Periprava.
- The climb up Monument Hill to the Independence Monument and the ruins of the Aegyssus fortress.
- The Azizie Mosque, from 1877, with its white minaret above the bank.
- The Tulcea Aquarium, a few steps from the waterfront, for the fauna of the delta.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** from Bucharest ~297 km (~4 hours), from Constanța ~131 km (~2 hours), on national roads towards Tulcea; from Tulcea to Mahmudia ~31 km. Distances are approximate.

**Public transport:** the Navrom Delta ship leaves from the River Station, on the waterfront, into the delta. Private boats leave from Port Tulcea Aval.

### Where to park

There are paid public car parks on the waterfront and at the River Station; in summer, when the ships leave, the spaces fill up quickly.

### Fees & discounts

The town is free to visit. Navrom Delta, adult, one way, on the classic ship: Tulcea – Sulina 66 lei, Tulcea – Sfântu Gheorghe 70 lei, Tulcea – Periprava 76 lei, Tulcea – Crișan 50 lei; the semi-fast ship costs more (Sulina 76 lei). For tickets bought online the classic-ship price applies. Children under 7 and pupils travel free, and pensioners get a 50 % reduction; these tickets are bought at the ticket office or on board, with documents. Anyone going into the delta 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

At the River Station carry your ID and, if you are going into the delta, the ARBDD permit. Mosques and churches are entered with shoulders and knees covered and with a quiet voice. On the waterfront mind the edge of the quay and do not climb the bollards or the parapets at the water.

### Facilities

Waterfront with paths and benches · Navrom ticket office at the River Station · cafés and restaurants on the waterfront · museums in town

## Details

- **Historical period:** antiquity, Ottoman period
- **Departure ports:** Tulcea
- **Access by boat only:** No

## Frequently asked questions about Tulcea

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

Admission to Tulcea is free (the town; ships are paid). More under “Fees & discounts”.

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

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

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

A visit to Tulcea takes about 2½ – 3 hours (waterfront, hill and one museum).

**Can you visit Tulcea with kids?**

Yes, Tulcea is suitable for children (promenade and aquarium).

**Where can I park at Tulcea?**

There is paid parking at Tulcea (on the waterfront and at the River Station). More under “Where to park”.

**How do I get to Tulcea?**

Tulcea is located at Danube waterfront, at the River Station, Tulcea, Tulcea County. More under “Getting there”.

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

The best season for Tulcea: April – October (summer, most sailings).

## Nearby attractions

- [Danube Delta](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/danube-delta) — Deltas · Tulcea County · 5 lei/day · 7½ – 8 hours · UNESCO World Heritage · Top 20 · 0 km
  Europe's largest wetland, a biosphere reserve and UNESCO site: channels, lakes, reed beds and 365 bird species, from pelicans to egrets; visited by boat from Tulcea.
- [Tulcea Aquarium (Danube Delta Eco-Tourism Museum Centre)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/tulcea-aquarium) — Zoos and aquariums · Tulcea, TL · 30 lei · ½ – 1 hours · 1 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.
- [Celic-Dere Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/celic-dere-monastery) — Monasteries · Frecăței, TL · 45 min · 23 km
  A convent in the Tulcea hills, with a white church built in 1901–1932 reached by a monumental staircase, rose gardens and a wooden windmill listed as a historic monument.
- [Saon Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/saon-monastery) — Monasteries · Niculițel, TL · 45 min · 26 km
  A convent by Lake Saon with a white three-towered church built from 1909 and the old church of 1881, in the commune of Niculițel; a listed historic monument.
- [Noviodunum Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/noviodunum-fortress) — Fortresses and fortifications · Isaccea, TL · 45 min · 33 km
  The ruins of the Roman and Byzantine fortress near Isaccea, main base of the Danube fleet Classis Flavia Moesica, with stone-and-brick walls uncovered on the banks of the Danube.
- [Mahmudia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mahmudia) — Villages and traditions · Mahmudia, TL · Free · ½ – 1 hours · 34 km
  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.

---

Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/tulcea
Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/tulcea.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/tulcea.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/tulcea.md · Français: https://peplaiuri.ro/fr/tulcea.md · Español: https://peplaiuri.ro/es/tulcea.md · Magyar: https://peplaiuri.ro/hu/tulcea.md
Last updated: 30 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania