Only 3,5 hours (260 km) away from Bucharest you can find the seaside of the Black Sea. There are several resorts where you can go and enjoy the seaside breeze and warm water but let’s see where you can go and enjoy a wild beach only for yourself, or almost… Although the beaches are called “virgin”, the beaches are no longer at the first meeting with mass tourism.
As I have a cute pet, I always love to travel with him. So all the places below are pet-friendly tested by me 🙂
Plaja Vadu (Vadu Beach)
Vadu beach is a coastal destination right in the middle of nature: you will find just sand and the sea, there is no tourist arrangement. The beach is in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, being the southern end of a long beach over 15 km.
The legislation says that in order to enter the beach legally, a special permit has to be paid and a fee is paid to the Biosphere Reserve Administration of the Danube Delta, in Tulcea. The fee is 5 lei per day (1 EUR) and 15 lei (3 EUR) per week. It can also be paid by payment order at the bank or you can pay it online here.
- How to get there: The road to Vadu starts from Mamaia or Navodari, following the DJ road 226 to Istria, Corbu village. When you reach the end of the commune, turn right onto a communal road, following the “Vadu” sign. From that point, you have to turn right at both intersections that will come to you, and then take it on a small unpaved road and quite damaged due to the pits. After that, you will arrive on a concrete road, where we recommend you to drive as slowly as possible because some of the concrete slabs are not very well trapped, and if they are approached with more than 10 km / h, you can hit your car. Don’t park your car on the beach as you will probably receive a big fire.
- Where to eat: Cherhana Vadu Pescarilor (Monday-Sunday 08:00-22:00)
- Where to sleep: Vila Romelia (40 EUR/night)
Plaja Corbu (Corbu Beach)
Plaja Corbu is one of the most beautiful wild beaches in Romania and it’s also part of Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. It has a special energy and relaxes you from the first step on the sand. There are a lot of shells everywhere. I think I spent an hour just playing with them, and without realizing it was an activity that completely relaxed me. Here you can do all kind of activities, from Windsurfing and Kitesurfing, diving, fishing at Corbu Lake, Birds watching to ATV tours.
- How to get there: You can also find the beach on GPS. It is 8 km North of Mamaia one of the most active beaches in Constanța and 13 km from Năvodari.
- Where to eat: Unbare. This is called the bar very close to the beach, where you can have a refreshing drink right on the sunbed or you can enjoy a book from the bar’s own library.
- Where to sleep: you can camp on the beach or you can pick this one of the small houses at Cazare Balliu (15 EUR/night)
Plaja Agigea (Agigea Beach)
Agia beach is a small strip of sand between Eforie Nord and Port Agigea. The cliff in Eforie is quite spectacular, much of it is sunken but you can still trace pontoons and dams. Follow the carriage on the cliff and reach the beach of Agigea.
- How to get there: You can get there by foot from the cliff in Eforie Nord, or by a car that leads to the port of Agia.
- Where to eat: Once you reach the beach you will come across with two restaurants: Pescaria Lui Matei and the Gulf of Fishermen, where you can eat fresh fish and seafood that is fished from the area.
- Where to sleep: Casa Delta (40 EUR/night)
Plaja Gostinu (Gostinu Beach)
It’s quite close to Bucharest, about 70-75 km, a little over an hour, in a kind of meadow formed by the old river. At the base of the trees, you can find the beautiful sand. Clear and warm water, with a smooth entrance, is perfect for children. Only about 20 meters of the water was barely above the knee. On a “head” of the beach is where the fishermen gathered.
You can do camping on the shore but we aware that when I was there, I found a lot of tourists that were listening to popular music really loud. Because of it, I went a bit farther on the beach where it was hard to hear the noise. From place to place you can find ashes from the barbecue and few PETs 🙁 A little too crowded for my type but if you are lucky enough, maybe there will be fewer people when you go there.
- How to get there: The road is good, it goes on DN5, then you have to turn left in Fratesti, towards the village Oinacu. Through the village Gostinu is freshly paved, you can still see the black tar on the side of the road. There’s only one really bad portion, after the dam. About 2 km, there are serious holes all the way from the dam to the second beach which is wider than the first beach (a strip of sand). Try not to get there immediately after some heavy rain as it will be more difficult to drive.
- Where to eat: There are no restaurants in the area only one small bar on the beach selling cold sodas and bears. Try to bring everything you need.
- Where to sleep: As the area isn’t developed for tourism, try to go back to Bucharest or another destination. There are no good accommodations in the area.
Plaja Sfântu Gheorghe (Sfantu Gheorghe Beach)
Stantu Gheorghe beach is accessible only by boat as it’s part of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reservation. This incredibly beautiful and pristine beach is 2 km close to the village with the same name and is one of the biggest virgin beaches in Romania.
Be aware that you will not find umbrellas or sun loungers, that means you will have to be prepared with everything you need. Before entering the beach there is a small kiosk where you can buy water or cold beer, as well as other snacks or ice cream.
If you get bored of sand and swimming, you can go on boat trips: to the Sulina, in the Caraorman forest, or even in the heart of the Delta – in Crișan, or you can go to the Letea forest.
- How to get there: The car’s role ends at Tulcea, Murighiol or Mahmudia, where it must be left to rest. From there you can take a boat, either from the Navrom Delta, or a pretty easy-to-find speedboat at the port. On the Danube, there are many phone numbers that can be called for a reservation, but a minimum number of people must gather to make the transportation. The ships from Navrom Delta circulate every day to Sfântu Gheorghe, except Tuesday. On Monday and Saturday the catamaran runs, a smaller, semi-fast ship, and during the rest of the days the classic ship, both having the same departure time (13:30). The trip with the classic ship is longer, takes about four and a half hours, but more beautiful because you can sit outside, on the deck, and admire the increasingly wild Delta as you get closer to your destination.
- Where to sleep: You can do camping on the beach or you can check-in at Casa Delta (50 EUR/night).
- Where to eat: Everywhere: at Plaja Sfantul Gheorghe you can find the best places to eat fish. Fresh or saltwater, fatty or less fatty, the fish is found in the kind of preparations you cannot get at home, even if you steal the recipes.
Plaja Sulina (Sulina Beach)
Few kilometers away from Sulina, this amazing white sand beach will take your breath immediately. Although Sulina Delta Danube is known as a beach destination than as a Delta destination it may be the place where some of the most beautiful trips in the Danube Delta begin towards Letea forest, Lake Lumina, Lake Rosu and Lake Puiu.
- How to get there: Being located on the edge of the Danube Delta, Sulina can be reached only by water with fast boats (water taxi) departing from Tulcea or Murighiol (in both localities there is guarded parking where you can leave your car), the duration of the trip is 1.5 hours. Prices start from 15 euros/pers for races organized at fixed hours and from 120 euros/boat a private race that is organized regardless of departure time. There is also public transport with passenger ships departing daily from Tulcea at 13.30 and departing from Sulina at 07.00, transfer duration 4.5 h, tariff 13 euros/pers.
- Where to sleep: Delta Est Hotel (60 EUR/night)
- Where to eat: There are several restaurants in the area, all of them serve fresh fish
Plaja Gura Portiței (Gura Portitei Beach)
Gura Portitei beach is located in a small fishing village, part of the Danube Delta reservation, between Golovita Lake and the Black Sea. With a beach of about 4 km equipped with loungers and umbrellas made of reed, this beautiful place is located 50 km south of Tulcea Municipality. The holiday village of Gura Portitei is made up of houses painted in white and blue, villas and wooden terraces and reed roof.
Once you arrive at the beach, you will enjoy the most beautiful beach that currently exists in our country. With golden and fine sand and extremely clear water that reflects the colors of the rainbow, Gura Portitei beach is quite wild and peaceful, having a few places with reed umbrellas underneath to protect yourself from the harsh rays of the sun.
A fascinating and very rare thing in Romania, which you can do in the Mouth of the Portita, is to swim with dolphins. The tranquility and wildness of the beach do not discourage dolphins from approaching just a few meters from the shore, so many tourists venture into the sea when they see them, to have an unforgettable adventure.
- How to get there: To get to Gura Portitei, from the European road E87 Constanta – Tulcea you have to turn right into Baia district towards Jurilovca, and go up to the embarkation dock on the boat to Gura Portitei, where there is a specially arranged parking with payment 7,5 RON (1,5 EUR) per day.
- Where to sleep/ eat: There is just one beautiful resort: Gura Portitei where you can sleep and eat. It’s beautiful but you need to make your reservations a few months before traveling there.
One more thing, be aware that you can find some jellyfish in the Black Sea.
There are two new members of jellyfish that have to appear in the last time in the Black Sea: Rhizostoma Pulmo and Aurelia aurita. You can easily miss to see them as you will think it’s a plastic bag. Please, be careful when swimming so you will not get stung, note that they only ‘activate’ on contact with your skin (if you will have a T-Shirt you will most probably not get stung). Check a doctor if it will happen and please, don’t use drugs or alcohol as it will not help you in this situation.
There is no prediction if there will be any jellyfish or none. In my opinion, I would say it’s not really something to worry about, just something you do need to be aware of. If there is an outbreak of them in an area, I’m sure you would find out from the screaming reactions of people around you 🙂
Btw, from our favorite TV serial Friends, try to ignore any advice that you have to urinate on the sting. It’s unlikely to help and may make the situation even worse.
