Day 1: Arrival day

On arrival at Chisinau International Airport, you will be transferred to your accommodation in Chisinau. After settling in, you can have a walk through downtown and explore the city centre on your own.

Day 2: Discovery of popular dishes in Moldova in Lalova village

The day will begin with Chisinau city tour. Chisinau is the main administrative, scientific and cultural centre of Moldova. During the tour, you will discover pieces of history and culture of the city such as the Nativity of Christ Cathedral, the Bell Tower, the Arch of Triumph, the Monument of Stephen the Great, etc.

After Chisinau city tour, the day will continue with the excursion at the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History built in 1905 in the oriental style, thus being a unique building of this kind in Moldova. Here, you will discover famous archaeological treasures, carpets, national costumes and other valuable exhibits and you will be able to see the “millenary smile” of the nicest deinotherium of Moldova.

Then, you will travel to Lalova village where you will visit Hanul lui Hanganu guesthouse, the perfect choice for a quiet and full of emotions stay. Here, you will surely fall in love with some of the most popular dishes in Moldova. During lunch, you will discover the taste of such delicious dishes as Potatoes with meat in a pot, cooked following a recipe containing secrets passed down from generation to generation and Pancakes with sour cherries and sweat cream, a sweet and sour dessert that is hard to forget.

After lunch, you will visit Tipova Cave Monastery. Located near Tipova village, the monastery with the same name is considered one of the oldest monastic establishments on the territory of Moldova. The heritage, which consists of 18 rooms, dug into the rock at an astounding altitude, represents an impressive museum in the open air. The Tipova River, on its flow to the Dniester, creates many waterfalls with the height above 10-16 meters, which a long time ago used to move the millstones of the numerous watermills.

After visiting Tipova Cave Monastery, you will return to Chisinau, where during dinner at the restaurant, you will be enveloped in the traditional atmosphere, created by the traditional style of the restaurant, the traditional dishes and of course the traditional live music show – the special flavor of the restaurant.

HIGHLIGHTS: Chisinau city, National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History, Hanul lui Hanganu guesthouse, Popular Moldovan dishes at Hanul lui Hanganu guesthouse , Tipova Cave Monastery

Day 3: Wine experience at Cricova winery and traditional dinner in Chisinau

The first stop of this day will be at Curchi Monastery. The monastery is surrounded by a high wall of stone, set with towers at each corner, creating the impression of a fortress. The Nativity of Virgin Mary Church built in 1775 by Iordache Curchi is an example of neo-byzantine style, while St. Nicholas Church has monumental forms built in classicism style with baroque elements.

The day will continue in Butuceni village, near Orheiul Vechi, where at Butuceni guesthouse you will learn how to prepare “placinte” (traditional Moldovan pastry) and roll-ups during a culinary masterclass, which will be served at lunch together with other traditional specialty, such as “zeama” (chicken noodle soup).

Next, you will set off on a time travel to Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei) to see a natural amphitheater revealing a territory which was first inhabited 40 000 years ago. The Cultural, Natural and Landscape Reserve Orheiul Vechi includes a series of historical and cultural monuments as well as natural landscapes in the gorge of the Raut River. Ancient fortifications, cave monasteries, monks and hermits – here you can follow the history of this region. The originality of Orheiul Vechi landscape is due to the gorge of the Raut River, dug under the form of a canyon in the limestone layers of the former Sarmatian Sea, about 14 million years ago.

After visiting Orheiul Vechi, you will enjoy the day at Cricova winery – the only wine enterprise that was awarded the highest state prize “The Order of the Republic” and has been declared by law a national cultural heritage. During the excursion at Cricova winery in the tourist train, at a depth of 80 m, you will discover the wonders of this place.
Cricova underground galleries are formed by over seventy streets covering an area of nearly 120 km, each bearing Bacchic names: Sauvignon, Cabernet, Cahors, etc. The jewel of the underground treasure is the National Collection, including over 600 types of wine totaling about 1 million bottles. Here you will admire the oldest bottle of wine - "Jewish Easter Wine", dating from 1902, discover the tastes of Cricova wines.

After discovering Cricova wines you will enjoy a traditional dinner at a local restaurant in Chisinau.


HIGHLIGHTS: Curchi Monastery, Butuceni guesthouse, "Placinte" and roll-ups masterclass at Butuceni guesthouse , Traditional dishes at Butuceni guesthouse , Cultural, Natural and Landscape Reserve Orheiul Vechi, Cricova winery