Romania · Bucharest and Wallachia

Lacul Morii

Directions

Lacul Morii, the Mill Lake, is a reservoir of about 2.5 km² on the Dâmbovița in the west of Bucharest, about 6 km from the centre, between Crângași and Giulești to the north and Militari to the south.

How it formed

It was finished in 1986, mainly to protect the city from floods, with a dam 15 m high and earth embankments running for about 7 km. It is up to 7 m deep, keeps a reserve of volume for floods, and maintains a steady flow in the Dâmbovița. A church was demolished to make way for the lake.

Visit

Getting there

Nearest settlement: Chiajna

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

Take the metro to Crângași and walk about 10 minutes through Crângași Park, which has toilets and water, then climb the steps to the embankment. The full loop is about 12–14 km, 2.5–3 hours on foot or just over an hour by bike. The paved eastern embankment is the busiest and the place for sunset. The north is quiet, with works under way in parts, the west is an unpaved dirt path with little shade and mud after rain, and the south is newer and calmer.

Angels’ Island, on the north side, has been rebuilt with a beach and pontoons for non-motorised water sports, reached by a jetty; check that it is open. Windsurfing, kayaking and paddleboarding go on here, but with no regular public rental. Come on a weekday morning for quiet, as the embankment fills up on warm weekends.