The Bistrița is a river in the Romanian regions of Maramureș, Bukovina and Moldavia. It is a right tributary of the river Siret. At Chetriș, near Bacău, it flows into the Siret. Its source is in the Rodna Mountains, at the foot of the Gârgalău Peak. It flows through the counties Bistrița-Năsăud, Suceava, Neamț, and Bacău. The towns Vatra Dornei, Bicaz, Piatra Neamț, Roznov, Buhuși, and Bacău lie along the Bistrița. The Bistrița is 283 km (176 mi) long, and its basin area is 7,039 km2 (2,718 sq mi).

The Siret or Sireth is a river that rises from the Carpathians in the Northern Bukovina region of Ukraine, and flows southward into Romania before it joins the Danube. It is 647 km (402 mi) long, of which a 559 km (347 mi) section is in Romania, and its basin area is 44,811 km2 (17,302 sq mi), of which 42,890 km2 (16,560 sq mi) in Romania. Its average discharge is 250 m3/s (8,800 cu ft/s). In ancient times, it was named Hierasus.