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On the road in Moldova

Top Sights and Highlights of Moldova

Moldova is the least well-known, and perhaps the most surprising, country in this guide: cave monasteries above a river bend, world-famous underground wine cities and a medieval fortress on the Dniester. Everything lies within a few hours' drive of the capital, Chișinău, ideal as a follow-on from a road trip through Romania.

5highlights in this guide
1Guinness World Record (largest wine cellar)
🚗all easy to combine on a single road trip
Photo: Orheiul Vechi · Sovernigo · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Chișinău is the logical base for Moldova: all five highlights below lie at most one and a half to two hours' drive from the capital, and combine well into a road trip of a few days.

The cave monastery of Orheiul Vechi above the Răut river

Orheiul Vechi

A cave monastery carved into the limestone cliffs above a loop of the Răut river, with traces of habitation going back thousands of years. Moldova's most photogenic landscape, and on the UNESCO tentative list.

📍About 60 km north of Chișinău, via the road towards Orhei and then on to the village of Trebujeni. Allow a good hour's drive.
The Triumphal Arch on Great National Assembly Square in Chișinău

Chișinău, city centre

The Triumphal Arch and the Nativity Cathedral dominate Great National Assembly Square, surrounded by a compact, green capital with wide boulevards and parks.

📍The central starting point of your route through Moldova, with all the other highlights in this guide within easy reach.
Wine racks in the underground passages of Cricova

Cricova, underground wine city

A former limestone quarry converted into a network of underground streets lined with wine cellars, which visitors tour by car or golf buggy. One of the country's best-known attractions.

📍About 15 km north of Chișinău, easy to combine with a visit to the capital on the same day.
Underground passages with wine barrels at Mileștii Mici

Mileștii Mici

Holder of the Guinness World Record for the largest wine collection in the world, with around 1.5 million bottles spread across some 200 km of underground galleries in a former limestone quarry.

📍About 20 km south of Chișinău, combines excellently with Cricova into a "wine route" around the capital.
The round fortress of Soroca on the bank of the Dniester

Soroca Fortress

A well-preserved, round medieval fortress from 1499, built by Prince Ștefan cel Mare on the banks of the Dniester. One of the best-preserved fortifications in Moldova.

📍About 160 km north of Chișinău, close to the border with Ukraine. Allow around two hours' drive, easy to combine with a day trip.

This selection is a starting point. Combine it with the prices and validity periods of the Moldovan vignette to complete your route.

Photo credits (Wikimedia Commons) Orheiul Vechi: Anna Stavenskaya, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chișinău: MarianaSenkiv, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cricova: Cepaev, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mileștii Mici: Vladikh, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Soroca Fortress: Photobank MD, public domain · Hero (Orheiul Vechi): Sovernigo, CC BY-SA 4.0