Tulcea
The Danube's last port before the sea — and the only way into the Delta.
Tulcea sits where the Danube splits into the three arms (Chilia, Sulina, Sfântu Gheorghe) that form the Delta. The town itself is small and modest — a few streets of merchant houses, a small Eco-Museum of the Delta worth an hour, the busy harbour where every passenger and supply boat for the Delta starts. The interesting part is everything downstream: the Lipovan fishing villages, the bird colonies, the Letea forest. Plan two or three nights in a Delta pension and use Tulcea as the gateway.
Why come here
You don't come for Tulcea — you come through it. Sleep one night here on arrival if you fly in late, then take the morning boat into the Delta. The good Lipovan pensions are at Mila 23, Crișan or Sulina — we arrange transfer and guided boat days.
Things to do
- The Eco-Museum of the Danube Delta — one hour, gets you oriented before you set off.
- Take a private boat with a Lipovan guide for one full day in the smaller channels — pelican colonies, fish soup lunch on board.
- Sleep two nights in Mila 23 — the most photogenic Lipovan village, reachable only by boat.
- Visit the Letea forest — sand dunes, ancient oaks, wild horses.
- Sulina at the Black Sea mouth — old lighthouse, abandoned cemetery, a sense of the end of Europe.
- Eat freshly caught and grilled fish at any village pension — sturgeon, carp, pike, all from that morning.
When to come
May–June for nesting birds, September for the autumn migration. Avoid June–August deep summer if you are mosquito-sensitive — bring DEET. The Delta is closed-ish in winter.