Town of Tulcea, Dobrogea Region (eastern Romania)

Town of Tulcea Fast Facts

Name:   Tulcea (Pronounced: Tool'cha)
Location:   Eastern Romania
Area:   5.4 sq. miles (14 sq. kilometers)
Nearest airports:   Constanta and Bucharest
Elevation:   100 ft. (30 meters)
Population:   63,000
First documented:   200's BC (Aegyssus)
Town of Tulcea is the gateway to the Danube Delta.

Tulcea Info

Town of Tulcea laid out on seven hills, like the city of Rome, has been an important harbor since ancient times.
Founded in the 7th century BC by the Dacians (Romanian's ancestors), Tulcea was known in antiquity as Aegyssus was first mentioned in a document written by Diodorus of Sicily, in the 3rd century BC and, later in the works of the Latin poet, Ovid, who referred to it in Ex Ponto, attesting that the town was named after its founder, Dacian leader Carpyus Aegyssus.
In the 2nd century AD, the Romans conquered Tulcea and rebuilt several areas of the town.
Tulcea was successively under Byzantine (5th - 7th century), Genoese (10th - 13th century)
and Ottoman rule before finally being reunited with Romania in 1878.

Best known landmarks of Tulcea include the Aquarium (the largest in Romania), Saint Nicholas' Church (1865), the Azzizie Mosque (1924),
the Danube Delta History Museum, Tulcea Art Museum, the History and Archeology Museum, Independence Monument, Casa Avramide - Museum of Art Collections, Aegyssus Fortress.
Tulcea's Lipovan (Russian) and Turkish minorities give the town a multi-ethnic flavor.

Tulcea Museums

Danube Delta Natural History Museum
Muzeul de Stiinte ale Naturii Delta Dunarii
Address: Str. Progresului 32
Tel: (+4) 0240 515.866
Open: Tue. - Sun.: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (May through September)
10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (October through April)
Admission charge
A great introduction to southeastern Romania flora and fauna and the traditional way of life of the Danube Delta's small fishermen communities is being offered bt the Delta Natural History Museum in Tulcea. The aquarium of the museum is home to numerous species of rivers, lakes and sea fauna.

Tulcea Art Museum
Muzeul de Arta Tulcea
Address: Str. Grigore Antipa 2
Tel: (+4) 0240 513.249
Open: Tue. - Sun.: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
(Oct. - Apr. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.)
Tulcea Art Museum houses over 700 glass and wooden icons, as well as an interesting collection of vanguard paintings and sculptures by some of Romania's prominent artists: Nicolae Tonitza, Theodor Pallady, Nicolae Grigorescu, Frederic Stork, Ion Jalea, Oscar Han, Victor Brauner.

Folk Art & Ethnography Museum
Muzeul de Etnografie si Arta Populara
Address: Str. 9 Mai nr. 2
Currently closed for renovations
Colections of agricultural and fishing tools, traditional household items, folk art, traditional costumes and jewelry.

History & Archeology Museum
Muzeul de Istorie si Arheologie
Address: Str. Gloriei
Open: Tue. - Sun.: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Tulcea History & Archeology Museum presents information and artifacts about the northern part of Dobrogea region, from ancient times to the present time. Over 90,000 archaeological objects, numismatic pieces old documents, collections of ceramics, bronze items, sculptures, epigraphic pieces, ancient jewelry and paleo-Christian objects are on display.

Nearby Attractions

Niculitel Basilica & Sarica Niculitel Winery
Bazilica Paleocrestina Niculitel
Where: 18 miles west of Tulcea
Access: car, bus
The town of Niculitel is well-known for its vineyards, but also for a Christian basilica built in 370 AD during the reign of Emperor Valerius. In 1971, a violent rain washed away the earth concealing the church, revealing a unique monument, a crypt housing the bones of four Christian martyrs (Zotikos, Attalos, Kamasis and Phillipos). The four coffins can now be seen at Cocos Monastery.
More info

Celic Dere Monastery
Manastirea Cedlic - Dere
Where: 18 miles west of Tulcea
Access: car, bus
Celic Dere Monastery (meaning "Steel Brook" in the Turkish language) was established as a monastic settlement in 1841 by Romanian and Russian monks. The monastery's museum contains various religious objects, a rich collection of old books, antique handmade carpets and the oldest icon in Romania, brought from Mt. Athos in Greece.

Cocos Monastery
Manastirea Cocos
Where: 18 miles west of Tulcea
Access: car, bus
Cocos Monastery was established in 1833. Besides the impressive collections of fine and decorative art, archeological finds and old coins, it shelters the bones of the oldest Christian martyrs discovered in Europe.

Macin Mountains National Park
Parcul National Muntii Macinului
Where: 50 miles west of Tulcea
Access: car (on DN22 between Luncavita - Jijila - Macin)
The oldest mountain range in Romania, Macin is home to unique steppe landscapes and oak forests.
400 million years ago, Macin mountain range stretched all the way to western Europe.   Its traces can still be found from Bohemia to the Massif Central (a highland region in the middle of southern France).
Tutuiatu Peak, the highest of Macin Mts., reaches today just 1,495 ft.

Day Trips from Tulcea

Danube Delta
Town of Tulcea is the main gateway to the Danube Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage Biosphere Reserve that is home to the third largest biodiversity in the world (over 5,500 flora and fauna species).
Local companies offer, small-boat, sightseeing tours and excursions as well as wildlife/ birdwatching trips.
Other Danube Delta gateways, accessible by car include villages Nufăru, Mahmudia, Murighiol and Dunavățu de Jos.
Danube Delta more info

Where: 21 miles south of Tulcea on DN 22
Access: car, bus, mini-bus from Tulcea
Town of Babadag, known during Roman rule as Vicus Novium, was first documented in 1263. Between 1262 and 1264, some 12,000 Turks, led by Sara Saltuk Baba, settled around Babadag at the request of the Byzantine emperor, Michael III. Between 1677 and 1678, the residence of the Pasha of Silistra was established here to better observe troop movements of the Russians, with whom Turkey was at war.
The Museum of Oriental Art in Babadag is worth paying a visit. Its collections feature wooden, ivory and mother-of-pearl artifacts, religious items, daggers, tea services, a splendid bridal gown sewn with gold thread, Turkish dolls, Siraz, Sirme, and Anatolia carpets, and Kashmiri shawls said to have taken a quarter of a century to complete.
Other places of interest include the Ali-Gazi-Pasha Mosque, the oldest in Romania (1522) and the nearby Kalaigi spring, in which pilgrims from all over the Balkans come to bathe their feet. Visitors also can view the ruined tomb of Ali-Gazi-Pasha, who, long ago, was the terror of the region. It is said he possessed a harem of 800 captive women.

Enisala Fortress
Where: 27 miles south of Tulcea (3 miles east of Babadag)
Access: car, mini-bus from Tulcea
A former Roman, then Byzantine and Genoese, fortress, Enisala stretches between Lakes Babadag and Razim.
400 Dacian tombs, dating from the 5th century BC, found near Enisala, attest that the area was settled long before the Roman conquest of Dacia (today Romania). Founded by the Byzantine Greeks the fortress was initially known as Heracleea or Herakleia.
Heracleea fortress was destroyed, in the 6th century AD, during the Avar invasions and, rebuilt by Genovese merchants back in the 13th century.
Sultan Mehmet I conquered the fortress in 1417 and renamed it "o Yeni Sale" (Enisala).
By the 16th century, the citadel had been abandoned.
Not far from the fortress, Enisala Peasant Museum (Gospodaria Taraneasca)
features a traditional fisherman's house displaying colorful tapestries and folk art.
Open: Wed. - Sun. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Admission charge
Enisala is one of the Europe's prime bird-watching areas.
Visitors are likely to spot white-fronted and red-breasted geese, terns, waders, pelicans, herons and warblers.

Village Jurilovca
Where: 31 miles south of Tulcea and 7 miles southeast of Babadag.
Access: car, mini-bus from Tulcea
A quaint fishing village, Jurilovca was established by Lipovani fishermen in the 18th century.
At Capul Dolosman (Cape Dolosman), east of Jurilovca, visitors can see vestiges of a 6th century BC Greek colony, the oldest ancient habitat on Romanian territory, mentioned for the first time by Hecateus from Millet (6th -5th centuries BC). Capul Dolosman is a protected area / Biosphere Reserve - a popular spot for bird-watching, especially in November when thousands of red-breasted geese arrive from the Arctic Circle. Not far from Cape Dolosman, Lake Razim, once a Black Sea bay known as the Gulf of Halmyris, awaits exploration. A thin coastal strip of land now separates the lake from the open waters.
From Jurilovca, visitors can rent a boat and travel (1 hour) to Gura Portitei, a spectacular strip of wild beach bordered by Lake Golovita, on one side, the Black Sea on the other side.
Every year, in September, Jurilovca hosts the Fish Borsch Festival (Festivalului Borșului Lipovenesc de Jurilovca), the largest of its kind in Romania.

Histria Fortress & Lake Sinoe

Cetatea Histria & Lacul Sinoe
Where: 46 miles south of Tulcea on DN22
Access: car, bus, mini-bus
Tel: (+4) 0241 618.763
Hours:
May -- September, Daily, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
October -- April, Wed. -- Sun, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Admission charge for the museum and the site
Heading south from Babadag towards Constanta, visitors will pass through Istria. Four miles east of the village, on the shores of Lake Sinoe, is the ruined Greek-Roman city of Histria. Histria Fortress, the Pompeii of Romania, was the oldest Greek settlement in Romania. Founded in the 7th century BC by Greeks from Miletos, the richest city in Ionia (Asia Minor), this trading post soon became the main Greek port on the Black Sea. The city thrived for 14 centuries, prospering under Roman and Byzantine occupation, until invading forces wiped it off the map in the 7th century AD.
The lost city features remains of Aphrodite's Temple, the Temple of Zeus, Roman baths and other public buildings from the Roman-Byzantine period. The nearby museum (open: Tue. - Sun 9:00am - 8:00pm; Closed Mon.) houses a collection of coins, ceramic items and other vestiges of the great civilizations that thrived on the Black Sea coast, or Pontus Euxin, as it was called in ancient times.
Near Histria Fortress, you can visit one of the most beautiful lagoons in the country, Lake Sinoe, an extension of Lake Razim. The lake makes an excellent bird-watching site; 267 species have been recorded. The area is a stretch of marshy land and reedbeds between the freshwater Lake Nuntasi and the brackish lagoon of Lake Sinoe (the latter was open to the sea until 1960). Lake Razim is also popular for bird-watching, especially in November when thousands of red-breasted geese arrive from the Arctic.

Tulcea Festivals and Events

International Folk Music and Dance Festival "Pestisorul de Aur" (August)
Fisherman's Day (September)
St. Andrew's Day - Patron Saint of Tulcea (November)

TULCEA TRIP PLANING INFO

Transportation

Getting to Tulcea by air

Tulcea Cataloi Airport
Aeroportul Delta Dunarii - Tulcea
Address: Sos. Tulcea - Constanta, Km. 15
Telephone: (+4) 0240 512.910
Currently, Tulcea airport is open for charter flights only.
Nearest international airports to Tulcea are:
Constanta (CND) - 65 miles south of Tulcea
and
Bucharest (OTP) - 185 miles west of Tulcea

Getting to Tulcea by Train

Tulcea Train Station
Gara Tulcea Oras
Address: Str. Portului 6
Tel: (+4) 0240 513.706
There are several daily trains from Bucharest and Constanta, via Medgidia.
Trains from/to other major cities in Romania connect in Bucharest.
The train station is located about half a mile from downtown Tulcea.

To check train and bus schedules for domestic routes please visit
RomaniaTourism Domestic Transportation section.
Note: When checking train schedules please select Tulcea Oras respectively Bucuresti Nord.

Getting to Tulcea by bus

Tulcea bus terminal is located half a mile from the city centre, near the railway station and ferry terminal.

Tulcea Bus Station
Autogara Tulcea
Address: Str Portului 28 A
(next to Navrom Ferry Terminal)
Telephone: (+4) 0240 513.304
Daily service from/to: Babadag, Braila, Bucharest, Constanta, Dunavatul de Jos, Galati, Focsani, Iasi, Jurilovca, Macin, Mahmudia, Murighiol, Partizani

Buses from Bucharest to Tulcea leave from
Augustina Bus Terminal
Address: Calea Plevnei 242 A
(near the intersection with Str. Fluviului,
15 minutes walk from Bucharest Train Terminal - Gara de Nord).
Telephone: (+4) 0743 334.840

Getting to Tulcea by car

The fastest route from Bucharest to Tulcea is:
Bucharest - Urziceni - Slobozia - Harsova - Tulcea (E60 - Route 2A - Route 22A)

From Constanta to Tulcea take the route:
Constanta - Ovidiu - Navodari - Babadag - Tulcea (DN22 - E87)

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Tulcea Taxi

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Danube Delta villages Boat Transportation - Scheduled Service from/to Tulcea

Navrom operates Danube Delta scheduled boat transportation
from Tulcea to Sfantu Gheorghe, Periprava and Sulina
as well as from Crisan to Caraorman and Mila 23.
Tickets can be purchased on-line or at Navrom tichet office / Navrom Tulcea Passenger Terminal.

Navrom Delta
Address: Str. Portului 26.
Tel: (+4) 0240 511.528
E-mail
Schedules and Ticket cost

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Danube Delta regular boat routes and stops:
Tulcea -- Patlageanca -- Ceatalchioi -- Pardina -- Chilia Veche -- Periprava
Tulcea -- Partizani -- Maliuc -- Gorgova -- Crisan -- Sulina
Tulcea -- Balteni de Sus -- Mahmudia -- Sfantu Gheorghe
Mila 23 --- Crisan
Crisan --- Caraorman

Transportation with private motor boats and rowboats is offered by private companies and individuals in Tulcea as well as in most villages in the Danube Delta.

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Tulcea Hotels

Accommodations in Tulcea include:

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Tulcea Tourist Info

Tulcea Tourist Information Centre
Tulcea Turism - Centrul de Informare Turistica Tulcea
Address: Str. Pacii 20
Tel: (+4) 0240 511.440
E-mail
Open: Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Tulcea Tourist Information Centre provides maps, brochures and information on Tulcea attractions, accommodations, restaurants and Danube Delta sightseeing.

Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Administration
Rezervatia Biosferei Delta Dunarii - ARBDD
Address: Str. Portului 34 A
Telephone: 0240 518.945
E-mail
Open: Mon. – Fri., 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Tulcea General Emergency Telephone Number: 112
Ambulance (Salvarea or Ambulanta) , Police(Politia), Fire Department (Pompieri)

Tulcea pharmacies (farmacie) open 24 hours a day:

MiniFarm
Address : Str. Isaccei 7, bl. 12
Telephone: (+4) 0240 512.370

DolceFarm
Address : Str. Iuliu Maniu 1848
Telephone: (+4) 0240 517.525

Tulcea General Hospital
Spitalul Clinic Judetean Tulcea
Address: Blvd. Corneliu Coposu 2-4
Tel: (+4) 0240 532.212
Website

Tulcea County Archives
Directia Judeteana a Arhivelor Nationale - Tulcea
Address: Str. Isaccei 103
Tel: (+4) 0240 537.944
E-mail
Hours

Tulcea Town Hall
Primaria Tulcea
Address: Strada Păcii 20
Tel: (+4) 0240 511.440

Tulcea Consumer Protection Agency
Comisariatul Judeţean pentru Protecţia Consumatorilor Tulcea
Address: Str. Păcii 17A
Tel: (+4) 0240 515.658

Tulcea Main Post Office
Oficiul Postal Tulcea Address: Str. Babadag 5
Telephone: (+4) 0240 512.222
Post offices display a postal horn symbol and the word Posta

Telephoning Tulcea from Abroad
International Access Code +4 (country code) + 0240 or 0340 (area code) + six-digit telephone number

Maps

Romania Maps (Harta Romaniei)