On Wednesday, MaiMultVerde Association installed the first waymarker of the Via Danubiana trail in Găujani Commune, Giurgiu County. At the same time, it launched the “Traveler’s Guide to Via Danubiana in Giurgiu County”, a document based on extensive field research covering 100 kilometers of Danube shoreline within this county. The area is rich in cultural, historical, and natural landmarks, wild beaches, riparian forests, islands, channels, and sandbanks.
The approximately 100 kilometers of the Via Danubiana route mapped by MaiMultVerde in Giurgiu County can be explored on foot or by bicycle, with the help of a GPS track available on the project’s website (https://viadanubiana.ro/) and waymarkers to be placed along the trail, connecting dikes, forests, villages, towns, and fields along the Danube into one continuous route.
„This is an area of untouched natural beauty. Our goal is not to change it, but to highlight it through minimally invasive interventions. We’ve identified a number of points of interest for nature-loving tourists along this section of Giurgiu County. We hope more people will explore the trail we mapped in the ‘Traveler’s Guide to Via Danubiana’ and that the local community will get involved by developing place-based activities – guided tours, local accommodation and food offerings, tastings, and craft workshops,” says Loredana Pană, project manager of Via Danubiana.
Via Danubiana – The Trail That Turns You Toward the River
Located just one hour from Bucharest, Via Danubiana offers numerous options for leisure and outdoor activities in Giurgiu County. Nature lovers will find a diverse range of species, making the area ideal for birdwatching and observing Danube-specific flora and fauna. The trail passes through several protected natural areas, home to over 300 plant species and a rich variety of wildlife including important invertebrates, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals.
From a cultural-historical perspective, there are several lesser-known and unmarked points of interest such as:
– the ruins of Mircea the Elder’s fortress in Giurgiu,
– the Danube bridges,
– a traditional sunken house in the town,
– and the bunker complex in Slobozia.
For food enthusiasts, culinary traditions such as the dulangaci pies (a specific dessert from the Romanian-Bulgarian Danube region), grilled pepper or eggplant salads, and goose soup could be revived and promoted locally.
The wild beaches along the Danube also have the potential to become weekend destinations for locals and tourists from across the country.
Get all the details you need for your Danube adventure in the Via Danubiana – Giurgiu County Guide.
MaiMultVerde Aims to Develop the Trail Along the Entire Romanian Danube
Via Danubiana is the first ecotourism trail that aims to follow the entire Romanian stretch of the Danube, promoting nature-based tourism and outdoor recreation in Danube-side communities. From the border to the Black Sea, the Danube offers explorers a wealth of experiences, from natural and cultural heritage to unique landscapes in Europe, including the Danube Gorge and Iron Gates, the Danube Delta, and the river’s many islands and sandbanks.
“At a macro level, the Danube is seen as a border, a shipping route, a source of fish, energy, cooling water, or waste channel. From Via Danubiana, we invite a closer look. Because the Danube—with its people and its entire natural and cultural ecosystem—is spectacular along each of its 1,000+ kilometers, not just in the gorge or the delta. Via Danubiana is both a travel companion for those eager to discover new places and a warm welcome from locals happy to host visitors,”
says Doru Mitrana, President of MaiMultVerde Association.
Everyone interested in the development of Via Danubiana in other counties along the Danube in Romania is encouraged to support the initiative. MaiMultVerde plans to map new sections of the trail, install waymarkers and signage, and produce a “Traveler’s Guide” for each Danube county, using minimal-impact interventions. More details are available here: https://viadanubiana.ro/get-involved/
Photo Credit: Larisa Baltă
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Founded in 2008, the MaiMultVerde Association has implemented environmental protection projects in line with its mission to build a culture of responsibility and volunteerism for people and nature in Romania. One of its priority areas is the promotion of a sustainable lifestyle, which it has supported over the years through various online and hands-on programs and campaigns for all ages. These have focused on promoting natural areas along the Danube, reducing plastic pollution in waterways, and protecting and developing green spaces in major cities. (www.maimultverde.ro).
Via Danubiana is part of Raiffeisen Comunități, a sustainability NGO accelerator initiated by Raiffeisen Bank Romania, with support from the Association for Community Relations.
