Moldova Tours and Travel

Day 1 – Chisinau

• Arrive into Chisinau at your own convenience and self-transfer to the hotel.
• Meet your local guide and driver at 8:00am in your hotel lobby and discuss the itinerary for the day.
• You’ll begin your tour visiting an abandoned sports centre which was heavily used during the peak of the Soviet Union – nowadays it’s fallen into disrepair.
• Visit Moldova Film and the surrounding area, including the Tele Radio Moldova, here you’ll find another impressive mosaic.
• Cable car station – a real relic of the Soviet era, now fallen into disrepair and a shell of its former glory. Your guide will explain the history of its use.
• Lunch at a local restaurant.
• Mosaic, Peace, Science, Labor, Creativity, Art – formally attached to the Palace of Culture of the Iskozh Plant which is now a Mazda showroom. A perfect example of communist states shift towards capitalism.
• Visit the Lenin monument which use to be located outside parliament, here you’ll also find a partly abandoned Expo centre.
• Along the journey back to Chisinau, you’ll visit another impressive Soviet mosaic – your guide will be able to explain the artwork.
• Cosmos Hotel and Grigori Kotovski Monument – you’ll have the opportunity to take pictures outside of the hotel.
• Railway station and the partly covered mosaic, close by is the Sergei Lazo monument.
• To conclude the busy day, visit The National Hotel. Depending on the entrance, you can enter the abandoned hotel.
• Dinner and overnight stay in Chisinau.

Day 2 – Chisinau – Old Orhei – Chisinau

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Meet your local guide and discuss the itinerary for the day.
• Depart Chisinau and take the scenic journey to Curchi stopping along the way for photo opportunities.
• Arrive at Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei) renowned for its natural beauty and complex history. Visit the functioning monastery and caves which were used to hide from the Ottomans.
• Take advantage of the beautiful natural scenery, where you’ll be able to hike.
• Lunch at a local eco restaurant in Butuceni and enjoy the stunning scenery.
• Continue to Curchi Monastery – Founded by Stephen the Great in 1773, the beautiful monastery is dedicated to the “Birth of the Mother of God”. Explore the complex with your knowledgeable local guide.
• After a busy day, take the relaxing journey back to the capital. There are options to stop along the route to stretch your legs and enjoy the road trip.
• Return to Chisinau, dinner and drinks.
• Overnight stay in Chisinau.

Day 3 – Chisinau

• Start your city walking tour of Chisinau. See one of the most stunning monasteries in the city which was thankfully spared destruction under Communism, and see the infamous city prison which has been declared a breach of human rights amongst other things.
• We’ll see the enormous World War II Memorial and climb some tanks and surface to air missiles at the Military Museum!
• Visit the local flea market, great for antiques and Soviet kitsch!
• After lunch at a local Moldovan restaurant, we’ll give you the chance to explore the capital city of Europe’s least visited country at your own pace. This is a great chance to visit the national museum of Moldova, walk out of town and see the brutalist architecture masterpiece that is the partially abandoned Chisinau city circus (also the first circus in the entire USSR) or see the impressive Komsomol monument from the Soviet-era.
• We’ll later head up the abandoned National Hotel, which was a former InTourist Hotel during the Soviet times to catch the sunset over Chisinau.
• Dinner and drinks in the evening at the best steakhouse in town, and cheapest in Europe!
• Overnight in Chisinau

Day 4 – Chisinau

• Breakfast at the hotel – end of tour.
• Tour can be extended to Tiraspol, Gagauzia, Romania and Ukraine.