Overlooking the Danube River along Romania’s border with Serbia, Dubova is a picturesque town in the country’s south-west. It is located along a 134-kilometre section of river known as the Iron Gates, which separates the southern Carpathian Mountains from the northwestern Balkan Mountains.
Things to do in Dubova
A highlight of visiting Dubova is seeing the Danube's Big Boilers, a spectacular stretch of river framed by two craggy cliffs. Join a guided boat tour to explore this narrow gorge where the water flows so quickly that whirlpools are created, making the water appear as though it is boiling. Gaze up at the vertical limestone walls of the Ciucarul Mare and Veliki Strbac mountains, then learn about the 4,000-year human occupation of the Veteran’s Cave.
Carved into a cliff to the north of Dubova is the Rock Sculpture of Decebalus, which depicts the face of a local king who fought three wars against the Roman Empire. It’s best viewed from a riverboat or the bridge that spans the Mraconia, a small tributary of the Danube.
Adjacent to the Rock Sculpture of Decebalus is the Mraconia Monastery, which was originally established in 1523. It was largely destroyed during the 18th-century Russo-Turkish War and partially reconstructed in the 1930s before the monastery was flooded by the Danube’s waters. As a result, it has become affectionately known as the “Underwater Monastery”.
Getting around Dubova
Dubova is around 3.5 hours’ drive from Timișoara and three hours from Timișoara Traian Vuia International Airport, which has flights to destinations across Europe. Having your own vehicle is the most convenient way of getting to Dubova and the town is small enough to explore on foot. Boats can be hired in Dubova for visiting the Big Boilers.