Cycling down the Danube from Belgrade to the Black Sea coast (part of the EV6)

This morning we shall enter Romania and turn Southwards, along a minor road crossing some small communities, so as to pick the river from the place it reaches the border off Baziaș. The terrain will become smoother once we reach the river valley and by the time we reach our destination for the day two sights will draw our attention: the Băbăcaia Cliff jutting out of the river (its name coming from Serbian “babo, kajte”, i.e. “woman, repent yourself”, as the local legend has it) and the 14th century Golubac Fortress with its plethora of towers indicating to its turbulent past, one where, the story goes, it withstood some 120 invasions.

• Breakfast.
• Cycling route: Bela Crkva – Zlatița – Baziaș – Pojejena – Coronini.
  Technical data: 73 km. / +450 m. / -460 m.
  • Optional visits: walk in Coronini or to the eolian park above it so as to take in the view.
• Accommodation in Coronini, in a local guesthouse.

Today we shall follow the road that follows the river just a few meters above the water level for quite a long distance. This and the following day will see us along the most dramatic part of the river, as the segment was called “The Iron Gates” for good reason. Along the way, the remnants of another 15th century fortress, known as the Tri Kule or “Three Towers” (with only two still standing) talk more about the region’s history.
Then, after going up to avoid the steep, rocky Ciucaru Mare, we shall emerge on the other side in the pleasant bay at Dubova, and the ride will slowly come to an end.

• Breakfast.
• Cycling route: Coronini – Svinița – Dubova – Eșelnița.
  Technical data: 81 km. / +1000 m. / -1050 m.
  A considerable, unexpected climb as one goes down the river and not upstream.
  • Optional visits: the Tri Kule Fortress ruins, nowadays partly submerged, can be seen off Svinița, while a walk up the Ciucaru Mare is highly rewarding in terms of views.
• Accommodation in Eșelnița, in a hotel by the river.

As the road between Orșova and Drobeta Turnu Severin sees a lot of traffic including many trucks and it has next to no shoulder (and also as there is no convenient way of avoiding it, with the road on the Serbian side of the river also being very busy for a much longer distance), we may opt to skip this 19 km. leg and have a drive instead. Either way, just before emerging from the gorges, we shall pass by the Porțile de Fier / Djerdap Dam completed in 1972, the greatest hydroelectric structure along the Danube and one of the largest of its kind in Europe. The fact that the reservoir created by the dam stretches for over 120 km. says quite a lot. After passing through Drobeta and the remnants of the first bridge across the river completed in 105 AD, we shall leave the busy road and head Southwards, across more pleasant countryside.

• Breakfast.
• Cycling route: Eșelnița – Orșova – Drobeta Turnu Severin – Hinova – Gogoșu (with the option of having a drive along the busy Orșova – Drobeta Turnu Severin leg).
  Technical data: 89 km. / +690 m. / -700 m.
  A significant climb between Eșelnița and Orșova.
  • Optional visits: the Severin Fortress going back to the 13th century, one pillar still standing from the Roman bridge across the river completed in 105.
• Accommodation off Gogoșu, in some cabins or in a guesthouse.

With busy cities left behind and not along our way for quite a while, except for the approach road to Calafat we shall have a quieter day cycling today. On the way, a character of his own, as Poet Mircea Dinescu, one of the fervent anti-Communist cultural figures of the late 1980s, purchased extensive vineyards and an atmospheric building that once hosted a small harbour office (mainly meant for the wheat trade) and the adjacent customs house completed around 1880, turning everything into a relaxed “Cultural Harbour”, complete with a beach, a restaurant (Dinescu being a well known gourmand and cook), art exhibitions and accommodation grounds. An interesting, 6 km. (return) detour before reaching quiet, laid back Calafat.

• Breakfast.
• Cycling route: Gogoșu – Gruia – Salcia – Cetate – Calafat.
  Technical data: 81 km. / +300 m. / -310 m.
  • Optional visits: the “Cultural Harbour” off Cetate.
• Accommodation in Calafat, small mid range hotel.

A smoother day on the road will wait for us, with a nearly flat terrain, a usually quiet road cutting across vast agricultural fields and locals carrying on with their slow paced lives, inviting one to follow suit. Of particular interest, if this happens to be a Friday, there is a weekly market in Poiana Mare, one where local produce, from fruits and vegetables to cereals, dairy and even pastries, are on sale, with plenty to try or merely take in. The evening will see us, of course, still in the countryside.

• Breakfast.
• Cycling route: Calafat – Poiana Mare – Ghidici – Măceșu de Jos.
  Technical data: 72 km. / +100 m. / -120 m.
  • Optional visits: the extensive Friday market in Poiana Mare.
• Accommodation in Măceșu de Jos or in a village nearby, in a guesthouse.

If we missed the market in Poiana Mare the previous day, we have a chance to see – and taste the fruits in – another one today, as the Bechet Market takes place every Saturday. Also, Bechet is the home town of Antoneta Nadu which carries on the “scoarță” (Oltenian kilim) tradition, and if the workshop is open, we may see the local weavers at work (prior notice required). Then, farther on along the way, we shall cross Dăbuleni, which is famous country-wide for the watermelons originating here. Therefore, if the tour takes place in July or August (sometimes even as late as in early September), piles of watermelons might ply the road. The best ones are those with a dark green rind and usually sellers oblige to try them by cutting off a triangle-shaped sample. Almost at the end of the cycling day, a short detour may take us to see the ruins of the Sucidava Fortress built by the Dacians and later overlapped by a Roman fort; the remains (a pillar base) of Constantine the Great’s over 2400 m. long bridge over the Danube completed in 328 AD are also quite interesting. Then, a small town, Corabia, will be our host for the night and if we arrive early enough, we may have a speed boat ride down the river, as the dock is within walking distance from our accommodation.

• Breakfast.
• Cycling route: Măceșu de Jos – Bechet – Orlea – Corabia.
  Technical data: 71 km. / +210 m. / -200 m.
  • Optional visits: the market in Bechet, a watermelon treat in Dăbuleni, the Sucidava Fortress ruins and Constantine the Great’s bridge pillar, a speed boat ride on the Danube off Corabia.
• Accommodation in Corabia, in a small hotel or guesthouse.

Meadow upon meadow will make the cycling today very pleasant, with the option of having short walks, breaks or cycling detours so as to take in the nature and man-made sights around. For instance, off Ciuperceni (300 m. off the main road) there are the ruins of a church going back to 1880 that was abandoned when the Communist administration decided to evacuate the local village in 1975; as the church is slowly being revived, to become a monastery dedicated to St. John the Wallachian, the old walls provide a good insight in the history of the region. Then, 500 m. off the main road just between Vânători and Lisa, along the meandering Călmățui there is an “întinsură” (En. a wide, nearly flat grassy valley with a deltaic aspect in parts). Then, on a hot summer day we might just head off for a bath either half the way, in Islaz, next to the place where River Olt meets the Danube, or off the town we shall spend the night in, Zimnicea.

• Breakfast.
• Cycling route: Corabia – Turnu Măgurele – Seaca – Zimnicea.
  Technical data: 83 km. / +250 m. / -260 m.
  • Optional visits: detours to see the old church off Ciuperceni, currently being restored into a monastery, then the meandering Călmățui valley off Lisa.
• Accommodation in Zimnicea, in a mid range hotel or guesthouse in the countryside nearby.

A cycling day across mostly flat terrain with slightly increasing traffic will deliver us to Giurgiu, at the Northern end of the first modern bridge over the Danube between Romania and Bulgaria completed in 1954. The medieval fortress here going back to the 14th century was defeated and almost entirely destroyed during the Ottoman invasion of 1394, but it was enlarged by the Ottomans in the 16th century. Nowadays not much remains of it, but as its ruins lie a mere 100 meters off our route, they are worth a look. Just across the street from the fortress ruins, St. Nicholas’ Convent has an interesting story, as it was initially a mosque, converted into a church by the Russian army at the end of the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829. Not too far away, in the city centre, we can see the iconic Clock Tower going back to 1771 and based on an old mosque minaret, while a walk along the North-South axis created by the București and Mircea cel Bătrân avenues is a pleasant way of ending the day.

• Breakfast.
• Cycling route: Zimnicea – Bujoru – Vedea – Giurgiu.
  Technical data: 62 km. / +120 m. / -130 m.
  • Optional visits: the ruins of the medieval fortress in Giurgiu, St. Nicholas’ Convent and exterior views of the Clock Tower.
• Accommodation in Giurgiu, in a mid range hotel.

After facing some significant traffic upon leaving Giurgiu, we shall leave the main road and head Eastwards, soon crossing the Southern tip of the Comana Woods, a nature reserve where we might like to take a walk especially in early summer or autumn. Then, after passing by the scenic, meandering Dobrița, we may make a short detour in Căscioarele to see the ruins of the 16th century Cătălui Monastery close to the shore of the beautiful homonymous lake with a small island in its center. With its name coming from a 19th century innkeeper nicknamed Oltean Niță, the town of Oltenița will welcome us with its tranquil life and particularly interesting museum hosting highly decorative ceramic finds belonging to the Gumelnița Eneolithic Culture coming from the archaeological site located a mere 3 km. NE of the city.

• Breakfast.
• Cycling route: Giurgiu – Daia – Prundu – Oltenița.
  Technical data: 76 km. / +280 m. / -280 m.
  • Optional visits: a walk in Comana Reserve, a walk around Cătălui Lake and the ruins of the homonymous monastery, a visit to the Gumelnița Eneolithic Culture Museum in Oltenița.
• Accommodation in Oltenița, in a local guesthouse or villa.

Once again a mostly flat terrain day with an alternation of villages and fields of crops will have us cross Mostiștea Creek sometimes in the afternoon. And the reservoir on the Mostiștea, between Mânăstirea and Dorobanțu, will provide a good opportunity to leave the main road and head Northwards for a little exploration of the natural background or, just next to the road, to relax in or by the pools at the Ben Beach Dorobanțu. Then, after joining the busier road coming from Bucharest, we shall approach Călărași. The city goes back to the early 18th century and its name comes from the “călărași” (En. relay riders) that used to take official documents and letters between Istanbul and Bucharest; some of them eventually settled in the area and this is how the community got its name and developed. Nowadays, apart from some period properties, the city hosts an interesting museum dedicated to archaeology along the lower Danube, while especially on a hot summer day we may appreciate the three beaches in the immediate vicinity.

• Breakfast.
• Cycling route: Oltenița – Ulmeni – Bogata – Călărași.
  Technical data: 69 km. / +170 m. / -170 m.
  • Optional visits: a walk or ride by the reservoir along the Mostiștea, a visit to the Lower Danube Museum in Călărași, a walk in town.
• Accommodation in Călărași, mid range hotel.

This morning, after cycling along a nearly uninterrupted row of villages, we shall reach Fetești and spot the Danube again. From here across the two branches of the Danube and the 19 km. stretch of land in between we have the option of having a shuttle ride or we may opt to walk the bike on the sidewalk of the two bridges and cycle down an unpaved lane (muddy if rainy) between them. When crossing the second Danube branch into Cernavodă,
we shall see the original, 4480 m. long bridge (nowadays abandoned) designed by Anghel Saligny and completed in 1895, when it was the longest bridge in Europe. Then, after passing through modern Cernavodă and with the option of visiting the Axiopolis Museum with particularly interesting pieces of large pottery from the Roman – Byzantine period, we shall call it a day off Seimenii Mici, in a green area by the extensive Domneasca Mare Lake.

• Breakfast.
• Cycling route: Călărași – Unirea – Fetești – Cernavodă – Seimenii Mici (with the option of having a drive over the Fetești – Cernavodă leg or walking the bicycle on the sidewalk of the two bridges across the Danube).
  Technical data: 78 km. / +300 m. / -310 m.
  • Optional visits: the Axiopolis Museum in Cernavodă, walk by the Domneasca Mare Lake.
• Accommodation in Seimenii Mici, in a guesthouse by the lake.

The scenery will get more diverse and dramatic today, while the Danube will come in sight quite often. Along this scenic leg, we shall pass by the well taken care of ruins at Capidava, a Dacian fortress going back to the 1st century AD, that was overlapped by a Roman fort once the Dacians were defeated at the end of the second Dacian-Roman war of 105-106 AD; it would be continually inhabited until the 11th century Pecheneg invasion when it was destroyed; the adjoining museum is well worth looking into. Farther down the road, upon reaching Peceneaga, the village we are going to spend the night in, we may opt to have a walk along the river to the curious rock formation atop Gym Hill or across the natural reserve just South of the village, where a dry valley complete with a myriad of branches create a wonderful, palm-like set of ravines.

• Breakfast.
• Cycling route: Seimenii Mici – Capidava – Horia – Ostrov – Peceneaga.
  Technical data: 88 km. / +800 m. / -850 m.
  Considerable ups and downs.
  • Optional visits: the ruins of Capidava Fortress and the adjoining museum, walks off Peceneaga into the homonymous natural reserve.
• Accommodation off Peceneaga, in a guesthouse by the river.

This day will see a different scenery from the previous days, as we shall approach some of the lowest mountains in Romania, the Măcin, reaching a mere 467 m.a.s.l. However, their rising off the nearly flat and low fields around makes them appear higher than they really are. The Southern section of the ridge (the one we shall see first) being smoother, mostly round and forested and the Northern section being rocky and barren adds to the picturesque image of the Măcin. However, before getting closer to the mountains, a detour along a side dirt road may allow us to see Iacobdeal Lake with its sapphire water. Contrary to appearances, the lake is man-made, as it is hosted by an old granite open pit mine; during the excavation, a subterranean stream was hit and the water filled the mine; the arid and rocky terrain contrasting with the lake make this a nearly unbelievable sight. Not very far from the lake, we may then stop by the ruins of the two Troesmis fortresses (the Western, respectively the Eastern ones) going back to the Getae and then the Roman times. While not much remains, the location of the ruins on a falaise above the Danube make this a highly scenic place.
Then, back to the paved road, we shall ply the Măcin crest into the homonymous town; shortly before reaching the town, a side dirt road (1.5 km.) leads towards the Dobrogea Megaliths (a 15-20 minute hike uphill from the trailhead where we may leave the bicycles), some impressive rock formations introducing one to the sometimes Moon-like terrain in the Northern part of these low, but unexpectedly diverse mountains. Once in town, facing more traffic (it will be like that all the way to Tulcea), we shall change direction Eastwards, towards Isaccea, where we shall call it a day after a history-intensive ride today. Or we may postpone that, as a two kilometer long walk or bicycle ride can take us just out of town, to the ruins of the ancient town of Noviodunum ad Istrum, a settlement that developed after the Roman conquest as a military post and the headquarters of the lower Danube fleet; today we may still see ruins of the old town and harbour.

• Breakfast.
• Cycling route: Peceneaga – Turcoaia – Măcin – Isaccea.
  Technical data: 78 km. / +500 m. / -500 m.
  A rather hilly day, especially towards the end. More traffic past Măcin.
  • Optional visits: detour to see Iacobdeal Lake and the ruins of Troesmis Fortress, detour to see the Dobrogea Megaliths (short hike required).
• Accommodation in Isaccea, mid range small hotel or guesthouse.

The background will change this morning, turning greeners and more diverse, and the hills have something to say in this, with quite a few ups and downs. An 8 km. detour (return) to Niculițel can allow us see a paleochristian basilica built towards the end of the 4th century and containing the grave of four martyrs from nearby Noviodunum: Zotikos, Attalos, Kamasis andi Philippos. Back on our route, after passing by the renowned Sarica-Niculițel vineyards and cellars, a few kilometers on, the oak tree woods North of the road will invite for a short detour. Then, after passing by Somova Lake, we shall approach Tulcea, also known as the gateway to the Danube Delta. Continuously inhabited for more than 5,000 years, the town used to be known by the ancient Greeks and later Romans as Aegyssus, getting its actual name in the 14th century. While the town we can see today is mostly modern, there is no shortage of things to do here: a walk along the promenade plying the harbour, a taste of the excellent local pastry or fish dishes (especially one particular fish soup, the “storceag”) or a visit to the elegant, 19th century house built by local businessman Alexandru Avramide and nowadays hosting an excellent art collection, but also providing a personal introduction to the Tulcea of the time. Then, while the tour ends here, we may choose to have a transfer to Bucharest (around 5 hours), spend a few days in Tulcea and relax, to take one of the regular boats into Sulina, where the central branch of the Danube flows into the Black Sea, or to explore the lakes, villages and waterways in the Danube Delta with the myriad of birds, flowers and wonderful views there…

• Breakfast.
• Cycling route: Isaccea – Tulcea.
  Technical data: 37 km. / +440 m. / -450 m. Again, rather hilly.
  Significant traffic all the way.
  • Optional visits: detour to Niculițel and visit to the paleochristian basilica, break by the Frecăței oak tree woods, visit to the Avramide Museum in Tulcea, walk along the harbour promenade in Tulcea.
  • Optional extras:
    • Drive to Bucharest (about 5 hours).
    • Accommodation in Tulcea.
    • Private tour across a part of the Danube Delta.
    • Regular boat ride into Sulina (the following day if the last one already left by the time we reach Tulcea).