Activities along the River in Bucharest

Situated on both sides of the Dâmbovita River, Bucharest is Romania’s largest city where old world charm merges with cosmopolitan in this land of rivers, parks and modern high rises.

Centuries ago in the early days of the city, its river rushed through woods on this relatively hilly part of the plain. The natural twists and turns of the river were canalised between 1880 and 1883 and was later enhanced with concrete. In the 1970s the Dâmbovita Lake (aka Lake Morii) was conceived and created, much to the upset of those villages submerged under this concrete-floored lake that works nowadays to collect a healthy array of trash.

In spite of this there are some worthwhile activities based around this once great river. Foremost amongst them for me must be taking a slow boat ride as there really is so much of the country’s history and built heritage on the river banks, including some of the most beautiful parks and the Cimitirul Ghica Tei (Cemetery). If you are truly adventurous you can join some of the locals who bravely take to the imperfect waters of the Dâmbovita to swim and wind-surf... just make sure your travel insurance is up to date!