Things to do in Chisinau, Chisinau District: The Best Bus Tours

The tour is planned in such way, that you never get bored: - Pick up at hotel/apartment - 45 minutes drive to Cricova - 2 hours excursion in the wine cellars - 1 hour drive to Old Orhei - 1 hour exploration of the site - 1 hour for relaxing lunch/dinner - 1 hour drive back to Chisinau/hotel Total time needed: 7 hours

Inclusions: Snacks, Wine tasting, Professional guide, Local guide, Hotel pickup and drop-off, Private tour

Exclusions: Lunch, Drinks

A day tour through the country that doesn't exist by public transport and walking, offering you the most authentic experience of local life. The walking route is around 9-10km's which stretches in both Bender and Tiraspol city. Visiting the main sights, immersing yourself in history, having lunch at a soviet canteen, exploring the local market and transport helps you understand the situation in the autonomous state stuck in frozen conflict.

Inclusions: Fortress Entrance Fee, Return Transport , Trolleybus Ride, Private Guide

Exclusions: Lunch, Museum Entrance Fee, Souvenirs and other expenses

Do you want to learn how to cook Moldovan traditional food? Today is your lucky day! At "Casa Parinteasca" Craft Centre you will get to know not only the Moldovan traditional costumes and ethnographic customs but you will also learn how to cook the best known Moldavian dish - "sarmale - cabbage or vine leaf rolls". Here you will enjoy a very special lunch. Traditional dishes will be served with the best local wine, while the organic herbal teas, accompanied by homemade jams will surprise you with their amazing taste. After lunch, we will visit the Honey Museum from Raciula, learn about the life of bees, taste a different kind of honey and other honey products. On our way back to Chisinau you will visit also Frumoasa Monastery.

Inclusions: Guiding Services, Private Transportation, Admission Tickets

Exclusions: Personal Expenses, Souvenirs

Today I invite you to discover Transnistria. The old USSR is still alive and well in this autonomous region. It is a breakaway territory within the internationally recognized borders of Moldova. The country's national coat of arms still includes the traditional hammer and sickle and the Lenin statue hasn't yet been pulled down. This communist state is called "the last remaining Stalinist dictatorship in Europe". First stop is at Bender Fortress. In 1713, the fortress, the town, and the neighboring village Varniţa were the site of skirmishes (kalabalik) between Charles XII of Sweden, who had taken refuge there with the Cossack Hetman Ivan Mazepa after his defeat in the Battle of Poltava. After it, we will tour the city of Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria and drive north up to Dubassary city, along the Dniester River. You will be amazed about the communist monuments still to be seen on the way and about small towns like Grigoriopol and Dubasari!

Inclusions: Guiding Services Private, transportation, admission Tickets,Other

Exclusions: Personal Expenses, Souvenirs, Food, Drinks, Snacks

Start the day with a visit to Curchi Monastery, a real pearl of our religious life. Here you'll see several churches, and among them - the "Virgin's Assumption" Cathedral, built by the drawings of genius architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Next stop to the Museum of Handicrafts and National Carpets, which by the way is protected by UNESCO. In the museum, we will see the process of carpet weaving using the old traditional ways. Further drive to the Old Orhei reserve, where you will have the possibility to experience the real village life of Moldova and also photo shooting local people. Don't miss the opportunity to arrange a lunch with a local family in Trebujeni village. In the afternoon we will visit the Open Air Museum Complex, which is "arguably Moldova's most fantastic sight". Here you'll see an Orthodox cave monastery called "St. Maria Dormata" expanded and modified inside the cliffs by the monks over the centuries!

Inclusions: Guiding Services, Private Transportation, Admission Tickets

Exclusions: Personal Expenses, Souvenirs, Food, Drinks, Snacks

If you want to dive deeper in Moldova's history join me for this tour and let's drive to Hancesti town to see the Manuc Bey Mansion and it's museum, where the local guide will explain in details how this small country appeared on Europe's map. The mansion itself is a French-style castle, complete with a winter garden, guard towers, and a park. It was built in the second half of the XIX century by Alexander Bernardazzi, Moldova's most famous architect and for several decades has been owned by the Mirzoian family, Manuc-Bey's descendants. On the way back to Chisinau, let's visit Milestii Mici Underground Wine City, mentioned also in the Guinness Book of Records for having the biggest wine collection in the world. The length of this underground winery is 200 km at a depth of 40-85 meters. The constant temperature of 12-14ºC and the humidity of 85-95 % of this „kingdom of wine" ideally contribute to the full revelation of natural characteristics of elite wines.

Inclusions: Guiding Services, Private Transportation, Admission Tickets

Exclusions: Personal Expenses, Souvenirs, Food, Drinks, Snacks

With my 5+ years of experience as a guide and interpreter, you can rest assured that you are in the right hands.

Inclusions: Experienced Guide

Exclusions:

The Republic of Moldova was Soviet for almost 50 years and it has left its mark, one is Transnistria. And why not a trip to the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria? A small return to the USSR for a day, to say "I was there" .., to discover a territory without territory ... .., a country without a country ... The political situation is still complex today with Moldova, the tension is palpable but not dangerous for a foreign tourist. Visiting Transnistria is possible because it is not instinctively against tourism. Our agency organizes this trip with a mixture of discovery, pleasure of the palate and meeting with the soil. You will be able to discover the authentic aspects of a region still under a model that was thought to be out of date.

Inclusions: Professional guide, Private transportation all day, Tickets to all sites included in the itinerary

Exclusions: Optional excursions, Food and drinks, Personal expenses

Excursion to Cricova winery and Tiraspol city, Transnistria, 2 excursions in one day. You will depart to one of the most fascinating places in the  world, Cricova cellars. Founded in 1952, the cellars are situated underneath the small Cricova town and form an underground city. Your trip will continue in the Transnistria region, Tiraspol city, the capital of the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldovan Republic. The town was founded thanks to the Peace Treaty of Jassy, which was concluded after the Russian-Turkish War (1787-1791) between Turkey and Russia.

Inclusions: Professional guide, Hotel pickup and drop-off, Wine tasting, Local Driver/guide, Business lunch

Exclusions: Food and drinks except indicated, Souvenir photos (available to purchase)

Excursions to Milestii Mici Winery and Tiraspol Transnistria. We will be driving a distance of approximately 20-miles (30 km) from Chisinau. Once there, you'll have an excellent opportunity to visit one of the oldest wine production sites in Moldova – the wine cellar "Milestii Mici". The total length of underground streets reaches approximately 125-miles (200 km), and its depth varies between approximately 130-270 feet (40-85 meters). Here you can see more than 2 million bottles, which have been recorded in the Guinness Book of Records in 2005. Your trip will continue in Transnistria region, Bender Fortress, Tiraspol city, the capital of the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldovan Republic. The town was founded thanks to the Peace Treaty of Jassy, which was concluded after the Russian-Turkish War (1787-91) between Turkey and Russia. In Transnistria will have lunch.

Inclusions: Professional guide, Hotel pickup and drop-off, Wine tasting, Local Driver/guide, Business lunch

Exclusions: Food and drinks except mentioned., Souvenir photos (available to purchase)