Giurgiu

A trip to Giurgiu usually starts as a drive-through: this is where the main road between Bucharest and Bulgaria crosses the Danube. If you stop, you'll find a nature park with floodplain forests, monasteries, and a town with a turbulent fortress history in the flat county south of the capital.

Location and Landscape

Giurgiu County lies on the Wallachian Plain between Bucharest and the Danube, which forms the border with Bulgaria here. Fields, poplar-lined avenues, and the river meadows of the Neajlov and the Argeș define the scenery. Comana Nature Park protects the largest contiguous floodplain forest in the region, with marshlands, water lilies, and numerous bird species; boardwalks, rental canoes, and riding trails make it a popular day-trip destination for people from Bucharest. Comana Monastery, founded in the 15th century and rebuilt later, is traditionally linked to Vlad the Impaler.

Giurgiu and Its History

The county seat of Giurgiu was a contested fortress for centuries, first a Genoese trading post, then a Wallachian and, for a long time, Ottoman stronghold. Only wall remains of the fortress survive on a Danube island; the town's landmark is the 18th-century Clock Tower, once a watchtower. On the edge of town, the Friendship Bridge of 1954 stretches about two kilometers across to Ruse in Bulgaria; for a long time it was the only bridge between the two countries and carries both road and rail traffic. Near Călugăreni in the north of the county, a monument commemorates Michael the Brave's victory over the Ottomans in 1595.

Food, Getting There, and Best Time to Visit

Danube fish, vegetables from the plain, and grilled mici are typical fare, and you'll find simple restaurants for day-trippers in Comana and along the Danube. The best time to visit for nature and canoe trips is from April to June and in September; in high summer it gets hot and muggy. Giurgiu is a little over an hour from Bucharest via the DN5; the rail line to the border is being renovated. Ruse on the other side of the Danube makes a good side trip, as does Comana Monastery combined with a walk through the floodplain forest. If you're planning a day trip from Bucharest, you can easily combine nature and the Danube in a single day.