Drobeta Turnu Severin isn’t usually the first name that pops up when people discuss visiting Romania or relocating here. But this is my hometown, and I consider it one of the most underrated cities in the country.
You have an incredible history at your feet, the cost of living is much lower than the national average (but so are the average salaries, unfortunately), and the city itself is green, clean, and surprisingly safe.
So today we’re going to talk more in-depth about Drobeta Turnu Severin: we’ll look at Drobeta Turnu Severin in depth: what makes this city tick, why you should visit, and why – just maybe – you should consider making it your new home.
We already talked about the best restaurants in Drobeta Turnu Severin, so make sure to check that article as well.
Now, back to the city of Drobeta Turnu Severin… why should you even consider visiting it? Definitely not for the long name – it’s a real gem of a city, with many pleasant surprises for those who decide to go off the beaten path to visit it.
What and where is Drobeta Turnu Severin?
Called “Severin” by locals and “Drobeta” by the rest of the country, this city sits in the southwestern corner of Romania, right on the bank of the Danube River.
It is an extremely old settlement, dating back to the Roman times. It was in Drobeta where Roman architect Appolodor of Damascus had built Trajan’s Bridge (in the early 100s AD), the bridge over the Danube: the place that the Romans used to invade and conquer Dacia almost 2,000 years ago.
And, by the way, you can still visit the tiny bit of the bridge that’s still standing today, after all these years!
Drobeta was the first urban center in the region and the third in the country. It can also be considered the birthplace of the actual Romanian civilization since here’s where the Romans entered… and the rest is history!
However, the city has been destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries and just a few structures from the Roman era are still standing. But you do have them around, so that’s a huge bonus for the history buffs. I mean… being able to visit a city that’s at least 2,000 years old is not something you should easily pass up!
Right now, Drobeta Turnu Severin has a population of around 75,000 to 80,000 people (and slowly declining). In the past years, the city has undergone serious modernization. In my opinion, it has become one of the more beautiful cities in Romania.
It is definitely one of the greenest, thanks to its numerous parks and the recent focus on maintaining public spaces – including a complete rehabilitation of its main parks which will hopefully be completed this year.
I initially decided to write about it many years ago, after visiting it during an evening and deciding it’s actually worth sharing. Here are the old photos – and know that today things are at least just as beautiful:
How to Get Here & Getting Around
Before we get into the pros and cons of living here, you need to know how to actually reach us. Drobeta Turnu Severin does not have its own commercial airport, but it’s nicely connected to some of the main cities in the country:
- By Air: The closest major airports are in Craiova (about 110 km away) and Timisoara (220 km away). From there, you can rent a car or take a train/bus.
- By Train: The city is connected to the national CFR railway network on the route Timisoara – Bucharest. While they aren’t the fastest in Europe, the route along the Danube is scenic.
- By Car or Bus: Driving is straightforward. While there is no direct highway yet, the roads are decent. Just be aware that the final stretch from Orsova (if you come from Timisoara) offers beautiful views but can be winding.
Getting Around the City: One of the best things about Severin is that you don’t really need a car. You can walk from one side of the city to the other in about 30-40 minutes if you can keep up the pace. Usually, anything you might want is a 15-minute walk away (at most).
If you don’t feel like walking, taxis are very affordable, with a ride between the farthest points costing around 4-5 Euros.
As of last year, ride-sharing apps like Uber and Bolt are also fully operational here, making it even easier for foreigners who want to avoid the hassle of calling a dispatcher or negotiating with drivers.
There is also public transport – a few buses that cover the entire city, so you definitely have options.
PROs of moving to / visiting Drobeta Turnu Severin
Here are all the main things that I consider an advantage if you decide to either visit the city or make it your home for the long term:
– Affordability: this is one of the cheapest cities in the country – from rent to buying a house or apartment to food and service costs.
– Other countries are close: You are right on the border with Serbia. In 15 minutes, you can be in another country (crossing at the Iron Gates I dam), eating a traditional pljeskavica and enjoying the Serbian bank of the Danube. Note: Serbia is not in the EU, so you will always need your passport or ID card to cross.
Also, Bulgaria is very close, with the city of Vidin being a two-hour drive away.
– Walkability: As mentioned, the city is compact. You save hours of your life not sitting in traffic (and traffic has become intense here, as the number of cars increases).
– Attractions: It has great parks, a medieval citadel, and old Roman ruins. The Danube promenade is perfect for evening strolls, but so is the “new center” pedestrian promenade, filled with restaurants, bars and plenty of people.
– Strategic Location: You are close to Orsova (where you can see King Decebalus’ Statue), a beautiful tourist spot, and Baile Herculane (named after Hercules), famous for its thermal baths and incredibly clean air.
– Safety: It is considered extremely safe. Crime is almost non-existent, and traffic is minimal compared to larger hubs.
– Climate: It is one of the warmest cities in Romania with the mildest winters due to the sub-Mediterranean influence. If you hate harsh snows, you’ll love it here.
– Modern Amenities: We now have better shopping options (including a small, but modern mall) and the city is constantly being renovated.
– It’s never crowded: you’ll feel as if you are always on vacation in a silent, relaxing area.
– Internet Speed: Like most of Romania, the internet here is blazing fast, making it a hidden paradise for digital nomads or remote workers who earn foreign salaries.
CONs of moving to Drobeta Turnu Severin
To keep things as objective as possible, I am also listing all the major disadvantages I can see (mostly related to living here long term).
– The Job Market: The city has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, and finding a well-paying local job is very difficult. Only move here if you have a guaranteed monthly income (like a signed job contract or, even better, a remote job or pension).
– Demographics: The population is mostly either young (up to high school age) and elderly. Most university-aged students and middle-aged professionals move to larger cities for better work options.
– Language Barrier: While the younger generation generally speaks English well, older people don’t. They might know some French or other European languages, but English is rare among the 60+ crowd.
– Nightlife: It’s not a 24/7 city for sure. During the week, the town basically “turns off” around 10 PM. If you are looking for clubbing and wild parties, you won’t find many options here – although there are some over the weekends. It’s a place for relaxation, not raving, more than anything else, though.
– Healthcare: Locals consider the public health system sub-par for complex issues, preferring to travel to Craiova or Timisoara for major treatments. However, there are private clinics with good doctors for routine check-ups and standard issues.
– Connectivity: While improved, we still lack a direct highway to Bucharest or the West. The express road is in the planning stages, but construction is still many years away.
– Few expats: The expat community is small here (but locals are extremely friendly, like most Romanians, and would certainly do their best to make you feel at home).
– Little entertainment: It doesn’t offer a lot of options for your spare time: very little in terms of entertainment, theater, concerts, art, social clubs and so on – like most, if not all, smaller cities in the country.
Top Things to See in Drobeta Turnu Severin
There are lots of attractions here in the city, but I will take a different approach now and share photos of the main ones. This way, you know exactly what to expect:
1. The Kinetic Fountain & Central Parks
Located in the city center, the Kinetic Fountain is a local icon. The surrounding parks are the “living room” of the city, and it looks amazing, just like the view over the city’s main theatre does:
2. The Water Tower (Castelul de Apa)
This is an iconic landmark. You can actually climb up for a panoramic view of the city. It has been renovated and looks fantastic lit up at night.
3. The Cathedral
You can’t have a Romanian city without an amazing church – and this one has a full-blown Cathedral. Built recently, it is impressive, huge, and worth seeing – also located in a central location.
You simply can’t miss it, as you can see its towers from most areas of the city.
4. The Pedestrian Area (Strada Crisan)
This long pedestrian street is the heart of the “new city center.” In the middle, there is a large stage for events, small fountains, and plenty of pubs and terraces.
It is where the Christmas Market is held in winter and where locals cool off in summer.
It is on this street where you can find the Olympic pool that operates year-long, or the Cremma Sunny Beach outdoors pool that operates during the summer.
5. The Medieval Citadel (Cetatea Severinului)
The Citadel has been beautifully restored and offers spectacular views over the Danube. You can walk through the fortress walls and really feel the history, too:
6. The Iron Gates Region Museum
You also have the Museum, where the Roman ruins can be found, as well as the remaining bits of Trajan’s bridge.
Finally, there are plenty of other smaller things you can and should discover in the city – but if you’re just traveling, you can probably cover them all in one day.
Conclusion
All in all, I am sure that the right kind of person will fall in love with Drobeta Turnu Severin. It is perfect for those who prefer a calmer pace, a smaller community, and raw natural beauty over man-made entertainment and chaos.
It is an ideal spot for digital nomads, retirees, or families who bring their own income and want a safe, affordable, and green place to live.
Just remember my golden rule: bring your job with you, don’t come looking for one. If you can do that, you might just find that this quiet city on the Danube is exactly what you were looking for.
I am a journalist and local expert who has been documenting life in Romania since 2013. Based in Constanta (after living in Bucharest and Drobeta Turnu Severin), I provide up-to-date, on-the-ground advice for expats and travelers. My articles are based on real life experiences and plenty of research – from paying Romanian bills to exploring the wild “Rawmania” countryside.
Wow! It’s a lovely place C! Looks very relaxing and lovely. It sort of reminds me of Houston suburbs which are built like this. I think it would be a nice place to retire in as long as you didn’t need a job like you said (pretty much goes for all of Spain, save for the big cities). Amazing the reach of the Roman Empire . Trajan was born in Santiponce Seville, and has a bridge named for him all the way over there. It would be cool to see the Danube over there, we went on a cruise in Budapest and it was so lovely. I like this series 🙂 .
I didn’t know where Trajan was born and he’s considered one of the most important people in Romania’s history. There are some really nice things to see on the Danube here – actually near Orsova (30 km away)… and then some nice restaurants to chill at 🙂
Yeah, Santiponce boasts two Roman Emperors, Trajan and Hadrian. I think that was one of the reasons why Seville was so prosperous in those days 🙂 .
Hello Calin I was at the Herculane last month and really liked the area for the magic forest and it’s a relaxing kind of town… what do u know about this town?
I was thinking if I retire I will go there for the summer and perhaps Spain or Costa Rica during the winter .
Yes, I know Baile Herculane, as it is very close to Drobeta Turnu Severin. I am glad you enjoyed it and I hope you will be able to call it your home (even for just part of the year) when you retire.
Drobeta-Turnu Severin looks cute with all those fountains. Is there any nature nearby, like for hiking or swimming? The Baile Herculane area looks nice. The Danube looks very imposing, does it ever flood? Google Maps has what looks like strip mines just to the northeast. Is that the outline of a fortress that I see on Insula Simian? I like Drobeta-Turnu Severin very much, but I would worry that I would feel a bit isolated there. I think I would end up bothering you and the Mrs. too much.
In English, we say “pedestrian” not “pietonal” and we usually talk of medical examinations, not investigations.
On the subject of refugees, I hope this doesn’t go bad for Germany. Sweden has been taking in many refugees from some of the same hot spots over the years and I’m afraid it hasn’t gone that well for them. We also shouldn’t forget that 70% of the “refugees” come from Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia, Macedonia, Serbia and African nations, in other words, most are economic migrants and not war refugees. But there isn’t anything that can be done about it now. I have already noticed the cheap rents have dried up in some of the German towns I was eyeing for retirement. One has to shake one’s head when one considers the Germans have destroyed some 40,000 apartment units in East Germany since reunification in an effort to get the vacancies down and the rents up.
Hello Sturat, there are a lot of areas for hiking and swimming nearby, as well as nice bicycle routes in the nature, outside the city (as an add-on to Teil’s questions). The Danube never floods because we have the Portile de Fier (Iron Gates) nearby, which is the hydroelectric power plant of the country and also serves Serbia. In other words, it’s all under control and even if there were any dangers, the city itself is a few tens of meters above the Danube.
I wouldn’t mind you “bothering” us a lot, it seems that there are still a lot of things – basic things – that I have to learn about the English language.
Regarding Simian, there’s an interesting story about the “fortress” there: when Portile de Fier were built, the island Ada Kaleh sank. It was the home of the largest Turkish population in the area, with houses, shops and all the nice stuff – my grandmother used to tell nice stories about the place. However, everybody left when the island sank and the government decided to rebuild, later on, a replica of their fortress on Simian Island. But apparently it was not enough and nobody decided to move there. There are talks for a few years now about turning the island into a touristic attraction, but I don’t think that will happen too soon.
Calin, the last thing I want to do is give you a complex about your English. It is very, very good. I just want you to get that last bit of polish so that you dazzle even brighter than you do already!
I had an interesting experience at a pen-pal website where I contacted a Romanian retired teacher. I wrote him in Romanian and he responded with, “Sa nu crezi ca ai scris foarte bine in limba romana. Ai ceva greseli…” Talk about taking the wind out of my sails! What did he expect? Perfection?
Question about possibly retiring to Romania. Will I have to pay Romanian taxes? If I have a monthly social security and other incomes totaling $2,000 u.s would I have to pay the 16% flat tax? I plan to ask a Romanian tax preparer too. I am very serious about retiring to Romania and Drobeta Turnu Severin sounds very nice. Figuring out how to hold on to my precious retirement income is important as I expect to have no means of earning money or getting a job in Romania.
Hello Otto, I think that it would be best to speak with a tax person as they know better and even if you have to pay the 16% in tax (which might go as high as 21.5% if you also have to pay for national health insurance) – they can find ways out.
As far as I know, if you are already paying tax for the money (or, better said, this is the income after tax) you should not have to pay tax again – it would count as double taxation. But surely a taxperson knows best.
Hello All, I am taking into cosideration all previous comments, where the comment of Otto is important to be clarified. However, what about cost of properity is it high ? in terms of renting to own small appartment or house.
Thanks
Hello Emad,
Check out one of my past articles to learn about rent and property prices in Romania: https://www.romaniaexperience.com/examples-of-properties-for-rent-in-romania-with-rent-prices/
olx.ro is the best website for finding real estate and cars in Romania. I have spent hours fantasizing about which house I would buy or which apartment I would rent. I never knew purple was such a popular color for painting one’s interior walls! I have already “selected” the Dacia 1410 with only 105,000 km on it that I am “going to buy” for a whopping 400 Euros…
I’ve really enjoyed your blog and your retirement series is a great idea. My wife and I plan to retire in Romania in less than two years. We’re looking at Cluj but are open to suggestions. Read in one book there are an unusually high amount of English speakers in Oradea.
I am happy to hear that, Wade! The North-Western cities are usually my recommendations too and we’ll surely cover them all – although I won’t have a personal knowledge on them as I do with Drobeta.
It’s nice seeing other places covered. Great idea for a series of posts! I had considered this area until I realized how hot summers were there compared with the more mountainous regions. I definitely can’t wait to visit though.
I am glad you like it! I will add more cities to the list soon and hopefully cover the most important ones in just a few months time!
Thanks a lot for this accurate report about your out of the beaten tracks city.
Do you know how easy or difficult it is to get to Drobeta Severin from Cluj by bus or train?
Thank you
Hello Julien,
I don’t know anything about buses – there might be some direct rides, but most likely they will go just like the trains. The train ride is divided in two: Cluj – Timisoara, then a train from Timisoara – Drobeta. It’s a 10 hour ride on the train, though…
Really great info! It would be really helpful to expand this series to other, less known cities that may be good for aspiring retirees.
I am happy you found this useful. I am planning to cover the major cities first and while I do that, I am doing research on other hidden gems as well. Not going very fast since this is a one-man-show, but we’ll get there 🙂
Hello C
Recently I started searching about Romania,especially about Drobeta Severin
. I’m polish ,who lives in London …. I met love my life who is Romanian he comes from your city . We are planning to live there, so glad that I found your article ,but a bit concern if I will be able to work in your country 🙁 with English language . As I read in that city is not many opportunities to work especially if I don’t know Romanian 🙁
I’m an expat living part-time in Severin. C.’s evaluation is spot on. It’s like a storybook town especially in the winter when it snows. But it’s 3.5 hours to the nearest airport.
I am happy to hear that you agree with everything I’ve said about the city. There’s a closer airport than Timisoara – it’s in Craiova and it has international flights too, but the offer is extremely limited at the moment.
Hello C. Love your articles, insight, photos and videos. Looks like a wonderful place to retire and enjoy life. Retired 54 year old male and his 50 year old wife (we are active and workout 5 days a week) but would like somewhere cheaper and more relaxed pace of life than here in the U.S. Debating Romania, Serbia and Ukraine. Strong state retirement income, but a bit concerned about taxes on my retirement income abroad and health insurance. Any guidance on which of the three countries would
better suit us. Thank you
Ed, I am sorry, but I know nothing about Serbia and Ukraine. But I do believe that prices would be similar in all these three ones, so probably choosing the easiest one to retire to would be the best option.
C, thank you for your super fast response and advice, I appreciate it. Also, thank you for keeping us all informed about the pros and cons.