Travel guide
Moldova Travel Guide
Most visits to Moldova are based in Chisinau, with day trips into the countryside: underground to the wine cellars of Cricova and Milestii Mici, north to the cave monastery of Orheiul Vechi and out to the monasteries of the Codru forests. The country is small and nowhere is far from the capital, so four days cover the essentials, best in the autumn harvest.
Updated 2026-10-09
Deep dives
Deep dive
Underground Wine Cities and the Wine Country of Moldova →
Near Chisinau, Cricova and Milestii Mici keep their wine in the galleries of old limestone mines, toured by car past streets named after wines. Moldova's wine country and its festival.
Deep dive
Orheiul Vechi, a Monastery in the Cliffs of the Raut Valley →
North of Chisinau, Orheiul Vechi's cave monastery is cut into a limestone cliff above a loop of the Raut river. A church stands on the ridge, with the village of Butuceni below.
Deep dive
Monasteries in the Forests of Codru and the Cliffs of the Dniester →
Moldova's monasteries stand in the beech forests of the Codru hills, Capriana and Curchi among them, and in the Dniester cliffs at Saharna and Tipova. A drive through the countryside.
Itinerary
Four Days in Moldova, From the Capital to the Cliffs of the Raut →
Four days in Moldova from a base in Chisinau: the city, the underground cellars of Cricova and Milestii Mici, and the monasteries of Codru. One night is spent in Butuceni, below Orheiul Vechi.
Ways to Experience This Destination
The great cellars of Cricova and Milestii Mici keep their wine in the galleries of old limestone mines just outside Chisinau, toured by car, and estates across the hills offer tastings of the native Feteasca and Rara Neagra grapes.
A monastery cut into a limestone cliff above a loop of the Raut river, a church on the ridge and the village of Butuceni below, where families take in guests for the night.
Capriana and Curchi stand in the beech forests of the Codru hills, and Saharna and Tipova in the cliffs above the Dniester.
A green capital of parks and lakes along Stefan cel Mare Boulevard, with the cathedral park and its arch, the national museums, the Central Market and wine bars pouring the country's bottles.
Moldovan cooking is village cooking: mamaliga with sheep's cheese and sour cream, zeama chicken soup, placinte pastries and sarmale, with the wine of the family cellar.
City guides
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to visit Moldova?
Late spring, with blossom and green hills, and above all September and October, the season of the grape harvest, with National Wine Day in Chisinau on the first weekend of October. Summer is warm and good for the countryside, and winters are cold.
What languages are spoken in Moldova?
Romanian is the state language, and Russian is widely spoken, above all in Chisinau and the towns. English is spoken by many younger people and in hotels and wine bars in the capital, less so in the villages, where a few words of Romanian or Russian help.
What is a casa rurala?
A rural guesthouse, usually a village family's own home with a few rooms for guests, where the family cooks dinner — zeama, placinte, sarmale — and pours the wine of its own cellar. They are found below Orheiul Vechi in Butuceni and Trebujeni, in the villages of the Codru hills and along the Dniester, and a night in one is the way to see the Moldovan countryside at its own pace.
Entry rules, visa types and practical notes live on the Moldova overview.
This overview comes from Visaja's worldwide missions database (visaja.com), checked against official government sources; for binding answers, the mission itself always has the final word.