# Vama Veche

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Dobruja](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/dobrogea) › [Constanța County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/constanta) › [Vama Veche](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/vama-veche)

> The last village on the Romanian coast, a kilometre from the Bulgarian border: two kilometres of fine sand, terraces open until dawn and the waters of a marine reserve.

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**At a glance:** Seaside in Vama Veche, Constanța County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 3½ – 4 hours. Information verified on 28 September 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The beach is open and free at all hours. Lifeguards are on duty only during the summer season, in daylight: for 2026, Limanu town hall contracted the lifeguard service for the beaches of Vama Veche and 2 Mai. Out of season the equipped sections are packed away and only the sand is left.
- **Ticket:** Free
- **Visit duration:** 3½ – 4 hours — a day on the beach
- **With kids:** Yes — music until dawn
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — ~35 lei a day in 2026
- **Best season:** June – September — the peak is in August
- **Address:** DN39 (E87), ~1 km north of the Bulgarian border; the beach lies east of the village, Vama Veche, Constanța County
- **Coordinates:** 43.7523, 28.5766
- **Phone:** +40 241 836 388
- **Website:** https://primarialimanu.ro/
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vama_Veche
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q936239
- **Categories:** [Seaside](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/litoral)

## About Vama Veche

Vama Veche is the last settlement on the Romanian shore of the Black Sea, pressed up against the border with Bulgaria, in the commune of Limanu. The village was founded in 1811 by Gagauz settlers, who called it Ilanlâc, "the place of snakes"; the present name dates from 1913, when the annexation of Southern Dobruja moved the customs post further south and the one here became "the old customs". Until 1989 this was a guarded border zone, and the village, one of fishermen and market gardeners, was left almost untouched by the mass tourism built into the resorts to the north.

Its reputation goes back to the 1970s, when Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj sent its lecturers here on organised holidays, lodged with local families. After 1990 the beach filled up with tents, guitars and people who wanted the exact opposite of concrete hotels: Vama became the alternative end of the coast. In 2003 the "Save Vama Veche" campaign, launched against high-rise building, also gave rise to the Stufstock festival, held on the beach for several years running.

Today the village has a few hundred residents in winter and tens of thousands of people on August weekends. The beach, broad and fine-sanded over some two kilometres, is split between sections with sunbeds and stretches left free, and the water in front of it is part of the 2 Mai – Vama Veche marine reserve, almost 5,000 hectares along 7 km of coast, protected since 1980.

### What you can see

The beach runs from the edge of the village southwards, to where the sand stops at the border line. A few hundred metres offshore you can make out the rusted bow of the Greek cargo ship Akra Aktion, driven aground in a storm in February 1981 and never salvaged. To the north the shore rises into a low clay bluff that you can follow on foot as far as the village of 2 Mai. The sea faces east, so sunrise is seen straight from the sand, at around six in the morning in July.

### Good to know

Camping on the beach is banned; tents go up only in the authorised campsites in the village. The music from the terraces runs until dawn at the height of the season, and on August weekends both the village and the road down from Mangalia are choked.

## Don't miss

- The wreck of the Greek cargo ship Akra Aktion, driven aground in February 1981 a few hundred metres offshore; only a piece of the bow still shows.
- Sunrise over the sea, watched straight from the sand, at around six in the morning in July.
- The southern end of the beach, where the sand runs out at the border line with Bulgaria.
- The walk north below the clay bluff, past the waters of the marine reserve, as far as the village of 2 Mai.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** Vama Veche is the last place on the DN39 (E87), ~10 km south of Mangalia, ~55 km from Constanța and ~300 km from Bucharest (the A2 to Constanța, then the coast road through the southern resorts). The Durankulak border crossing is a kilometre further on. On summer weekends the last few kilometres down from Mangalia are slow going.

**Public transport:** the nearest station is Mangalia, the end of the line from Constanța and Bucharest, with direct trains from the capital in summer. Minibuses to 2 Mai and Vama Veche leave from the coach station next to it, a 15–20 minute ride; in season they run frequently, from early morning until evening.

### Where to park

There is no large public car park in the village: you leave the car in the paid car parks at the entrance to Vama Veche and near the beach — in 2026 a day cost around 35 lei. Many guesthouses and campsites have their own parking, so it is worth asking where you stay before you set off. On busy August weekends the spaces fill up by mid-morning.

### Fees & discounts

Access to the beach is free, both on the open stretches and on the equipped ones. You pay only for a sunbed and umbrella, at the rates displayed by each section's operator, and for parking (~35 lei a day in 2026). There is no entry fee for the marine reserve.

### Rules

Camping on the beach, on the dunes or on other unequipped ground is banned and can be fined; tents and caravans go only in the authorised campsites in the village. The water in front of the beach belongs to the 2 Mai – Vama Veche marine reserve: zone A, strictly protected, may be entered only for scientific research, while zone B allows swimming on the equipped beaches, diving, small leisure boats and traditional fishing. The Bulgarian border is less than a kilometre south of the last terraces and can be crossed only at the border point.

### Facilities

Lifeguard posts in season · sections with sunbeds and umbrellas, alongside stretches of free beach · bars and restaurants on the sand itself and along the main lane · authorised campsites, guesthouses and houses to rent in the village · difficult access on the sand with a pushchair or wheelchair

## Details

- **Beach type:** developed
- **Beach length:** 2 km
- **Lifeguards:** Yes

## Frequently asked questions about Vama Veche

**How much is a ticket to Vama Veche?**

Admission to Vama Veche is free. Access to the beach is free, both on the open stretches and on the equipped ones. You pay only for a sunbed and umbrella, at the rates displayed by each section's operator, and for parking (~35 lei a day in 2026). There is no entry fee for the marine reserve.

**What are the opening hours of Vama Veche?**

Opening hours at Vama Veche: daily open 24 hours. The beach is open and free at all hours. Lifeguards are on duty only during the summer season, in daylight: for 2026, Limanu town hall contracted the lifeguard service for the beaches of Vama Veche and 2 Mai. Out of season the equipped sections are packed away and only the sand is left.

**How long does a visit to Vama Veche take?**

A visit to Vama Veche takes about 3½ – 4 hours (a day on the beach).

**Can you visit Vama Veche with kids?**

Yes, Vama Veche is suitable for children (music until dawn).

**Where can I park at Vama Veche?**

There is paid parking at Vama Veche (~35 lei a day in 2026). There is no large public car park in the village: you leave the car in the paid car parks at the entrance to Vama Veche and near the beach — in 2026 a day cost around 35 lei. Many guesthouses and campsites have their own parking, so it is worth asking where you stay before you set off. On busy August weekends the spaces fill up by mid-morning.

**How do I get to Vama Veche?**

Vama Veche is located at DN39 (E87), ~1 km north of the Bulgarian border; the beach lies east of the village, Vama Veche, Constanța County. By car: Vama Veche is the last place on the DN39 (E87), ~10 km south of Mangalia, ~55 km from Constanța and ~300 km from Bucharest (the A2 to Constanța, then the coast road through the southern resorts). The Durankulak border crossing is a kilometre further on. On summer weekends the last few kilometres down from Mangalia are slow going. Public transport: the nearest station is Mangalia, the end of the line from Constanța and Bucharest, with direct trains from the capital in summer. Minibuses to 2 Mai and Vama Veche leave from the coach station next to it, a 15–20 minute ride; in season they run frequently, from early morning until evening.

**When is the best time to visit Vama Veche?**

The best season for Vama Veche: June – September (the peak is in August).

## Nearby attractions

- [2 Mai – Vama Veche Marine Reserve](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/rezervatia-marina-2-mai-vama-veche) — National parks and reserves · 2 Mai, CT · Free · 3 km
  The only marine reserve on the Romanian coast: the waters between 2 Mai and the Bulgarian border, with stone reefs, brown seaweed beds and mussel banks to see with a mask or on a dive.
- [2 Mai](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/2-mai) — Seaside · 2 Mai, CT · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · 5 km
  A Lipovan fishing village between Mangalia and Vama Veche, with a beach set in a small bay, a fish station at its southern end and the waters of the 2 Mai – Vama Veche marine reserve.
- [Mangalia Beach](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/plaja-mangalia) — Seaside · Mangalia, CT · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · 9 km
  The town's own beach, running from the marina breakwater towards Saturn below the promenade rebuilt in 2022; since autumn 2026 it is being widened with sand, behind four new breakwaters.
- [Callatis Citadel](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatea-callatis) — Fortresses and fortifications · Mangalia, CT · 10 lei · 9 km
  The ruins of the Greek city from which Mangalia grew: the circuit wall with its towers and the Syrian-type basilica on the clifftop promenade, steps from the beach, plus the town's archaeology museum.
- [Saturn](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/saturn) — Seaside · Mangalia, CT · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · 11 km
  The resort that runs straight into Mangalia from the north: 1970s tower hotels, a beach in the middle of being widened, a public spa sanatorium and, behind it all, the Mlaștina Hergheliei nature reserve.
- [Mlaștina Hergheliei Nature Reserve](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/mlastina-hergheliei) — National parks and reserves · Mangalia, CT · Free · ½ – 1 hours · 13 km
  A 98-hectare former lagoon between Saturn and Venus, with reed beds, open water and sulphur springs where swans, egrets and black-winged stilts stop over; you watch it from the surrounding roads.

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Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/vama-veche
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Last updated: 28 September 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania