Itinerary
- Day 1
Chisinau
You'll arrive in Chisinau and connect with your guide for the transfer into the city. The afternoon takes you through the historical center where you'll see Stefan the Great monument, the Bell Tower, Lord Nativity Cathedral, Triumph Arch, and Parliament building. Stefan cel Mare Square and City Hall round out the walking tour of central Chisinau. By evening, head to a local restaurant for welcome dinner featuring traditional Moldovan cuisine to start your trip.
- Meals
- Dinner (Welcome dinner at a local restaurant serving traditional Moldovan cuisine)
Included Activities
- City historical exploration including Stefan the Great monument, Bell Tower, Lord Nativity Cathedral, Triumph Arch, Parliament, Central Square Stefan cel Mare, and City Hall
Landmarks Stefan the Great monument Bell Tower Lord Nativity Cathedral Triumph Arch Parliament Central Square Stefan cel Mare City Hall 
- Day 2
Chisinau to Curchi to Butuceni
You'll start your day with breakfast, then head underground into Cricova Wine cellars for a tunnel tour followed by a wine tasting lunch. In the afternoon, you'll visit the Curchi monastery where you can meet with local monks and learn about the community. After that, you'll explore the open-air museum complex at Orhei Vechi, which has caves, churches, and a 19th-century house-museum spread across the grounds. By evening, you'll settle into the traditional village of Butuceni for dinner featuring local dishes and homemade wine to wrap up the day.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Wine tasting and paired lunch at Cricova winery tasting hall), Dinner (In house with traditional dishes and home-made wine)
Included Activities
- Cricova Wine cellars tour - underground tunnels and wine production process
- Wine tasting and paired lunch at Cricova winery tasting hall
- Visit Curchi monastic complex and speak with local monks
- Orhei Vechi open-air museum complex - caves, grottos, churches, hermitages, and fortress
- Orthodox Cave Monastery walk
- Visit 19th century Moldavian house-museum
Landmarks Cricova Wine Cellars Curchi Monastery Orhei Vechi (Old Orhei) Orthodox Cave Monastery 
- Day 3
Saharna - Tipova - Lalova - Butuceni
Head northeast into rural Moldova toward Saharna Monastery, which sits dramatically against forested cliffs with 22 waterfalls nearby. You'll climb up to Grimidon Hill to visit a small chapel there. From Saharna, continue on to Tipova, where the largest cave monastery complex in Moldova cuts into limestone cliffs along the Nistru River (dating back to the 11th century). Stop in Lalova village for a traditional Moldovan lunch with a local family. Later, return to Butuceni and join a hands-on cooking class making plăcinte (traditional pastries) with a local cook. Dinner that evening pairs the food you made with Moldovan wine.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Traditional Moldovan lunch hosted by local family in Lalova village), Dinner (Dinner of prepared plăcinte paired with a glass of Moldovan wine)
Included Activities
- Visit to Saharna Monastery and 22 waterfalls
- Climb to Grimidon Hill chapel
- Visit to Tipova cave monastery complex
- Traditional Moldovan lunch hosted by local family in Lalova
- Hands-on masterclass preparing plăcinte with local cook in Butuceni
Landmarks Saharna Monastery Grimidon Hill Tipova Monastery Nistru River Lalova village - Day 4
Soroca Fortress, Gypsy Quarter, Pocrovca, Struve Geodetic Arc, Clisova Noua, Chisinau
After breakfast, you'll head north to historic Soroca on the Nistru River to see the 15th-century Soroca Fortress built in 1499 by Stephen the Great and learn about its military past. Check out the Gypsy Quarter with its flamboyant mansions inspired by famous buildings like the Bolshoi Theatre, and stop at Gypsy Hill for photos. Following lunch, you'll visit Pocrovca, home to Moldova's Old Believers Russian Orthodox community and their distinctive wooden church, then see the nearby Struve Geodetic Arc, Moldova's only UNESCO site marking 19th-century survey work. A stop at Clisova Noua lets you explore the Arta Rustica handicrafts museum with traditional carpets, garments, pottery, and wooden looms. You'll return to Chisinau for hotel check-in and dinner.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Countryside breakfast), Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Soroca Fortress 15th-century visit with guided tour
- Gypsy Quarter exploration
- Gypsy Hill photo stop
- Pocrovca Old Believers wooden church visit
- Struve Geodetic Arc UNESCO site viewing
- Arta Rustica handicrafts museum visit
Landmarks Soroca Fortress Gypsy Quarter Soroca Gypsy Hill Pocrovca Old Believers Church Struve Geodetic Arc Arta Rustica Museum - Day 5
Transnistria Full Day Excursion
You'll enter Transnistria (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic), an unrecognized breakaway state between Moldova and Ukraine with its own currency and government. Start in Bendery to see the 16th-century Tighina Fortress and its museum, then wander through Soviet-era sites and grab a meal at a Soviet-style café. Head to Tiraspol, the capital, for a walking tour showing the Drama and Comedy Theatre, Lenin and Suvorov Monuments, Parliament, and House of Soviets along the Dniestr River. Lunch features Soviet-style dishes. Later you'll tour the KVINT cognac distillery to see the production and taste locally made spirits, then finish at a Sturgeon Fish Farm to learn about caviar production and taste black caviar. You'll overnight in Tiraspol.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Soviet-style dishes at local restaurant), Dinner
Included Activities
- Tighina Fortress 16th-century visit with on-site museum
- Bendery city exploration including Soviet relics
- Soviet-style café Stolovka SSSR visit
- Tiraspol walking tour including Drama and Comedy Theatre, Lenin Monument, Suvorov Monument, Parliament, House of Soviets, and Dniestr River
- KVINT cognac distillery tour and local spirits tasting
- Sturgeon Fish Farm visit with caviar production learning and black caviar tasting
Landmarks Tighina Fortress Bendery Tiraspol Drama and Comedy Theatre Lenin Monument Tiraspol Suvorov Monument Tiraspol Parliament of Transnistria House of Soviets Tiraspol Dniestr River KVINT Cognac Distillery Sturgeon Fish Farm Tiraspol - Day 6
Tiraspol to Comrat to Congaz
After breakfast, you'll travel south to experience Gagauzian culture and traditions in the region. Your first stop is Comrat, the capital, where you'll tour the Central Cathedral, check out local museums, and walk through the food market to get a feel for daily life. Next comes a wine tasting at Comrat-Vin winery paired with a traditional lunch. From there, you'll head to Besalma to see the Museum of History and Ethnography, which includes a folk group performance. You'll then continue to Congaz to visit the ethno yard Gagauz Sofrasi. For the night, you'll stay in authentic countryside accommodation and take part in a culinary master class where you'll learn to make traditional pastry from scratch.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Gagauzian style lunch at Comrat-Vin winery restaurant with traditional dishes including kavurma (lamb roast), guzlemea (salty pastry with sheep cheese stuffing) and other local delicacies), Dinner (Gagausian dinner)
Included Activities
- Visit Central Cathedral in Comrat
- History and Ethnography Museum in Comrat
- Visit Turkish Library in Comrat
- Walking tour of Central Market in Comrat
- Comrat-Vin winery visit and wine tasting
- Museum of History and Ethnography in Besalma
- Folk group performance of local Gagauzian women dancing and singing
- Gagauz Sofrasi ethno yard tour
- Village museum visit in Congaz
- Culinary master class making traditional salty pastry 'giuzlemea' with sheep cheese
Landmarks Comrat Central Cathedral Comrat History and Ethnography Museum Turkish Library Comrat Central Market Comrat Besalma Museum of History and Ethnography Gagauz Sofrasi Ethno Yard - Day 7
Capriana Monastery, Milestii Mici Wine Cellars, Chisinau
Leaving the Gagauzian region, you'll head toward Chisinau with stops at two remarkable sites. First is Capriana Monastery, Moldova's oldest, founded by Stefan the Great in the beautiful Codrii forest region, which reopened in 1989 as a symbol of national revival after being closed during the post-war period. Then you'll explore one of the world's biggest wine cellars at Milestii Mici, a Guinness World Record holder storing over 1.5 million bottles. You'll travel through 200km of underground tunnels by buggy to see wines like Pinot, Traminer, Muscat, Riesling, and Feteasca. Wine tasting and lunch happen in the underground tasting hall. You'll return to Chisinau for hotel check-in and a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch in underground tasting hall at Milestii Mici winery), Dinner (Farewell dinner at local restaurant in Chisinau)
Included Activities
- Capriana Monastery visit
- Milestii Mici underground wine cellar tour by buggy (200km of tunnels)
- Wine tasting at Milestii Mici
- Underground tasting hall lunch at Milestii Mici
Landmarks Capriana Monastery Codrii Forest Milestii Mici Wine Cellars - Day 8
Departure
Your final morning is free until you head to the airport. You'll leave with memories of Moldova's wine cellars, monasteries, and warm hospitality.
- Meals
- Breakfast
