MyPassportStory
Your travels, worth telling.
MyPassportStory › Destinations › Moldova
π²π©Things to Do in Moldova
From underground wine cellars holding millions of bottles to the cliffside monastery of Orheiul Vechi - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Moldova remains one of Europe's least-visited countries, and its main claim to fame is genuinely unusual - the largest wine cellar in the world by bottle count, built in former limestone mine tunnels with enough underground road network to require a map. A cliffside cave monastery and a low-key capital round out a short trip. Here are 4 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Milestii Mici Wine Cellars
Holds the Guinness World Record for the largest wine collection in the world, stored in roughly 200km of underground tunnels from a former limestone mine - tours are conducted by car given the scale.
π MileΘtii Mici
π The cellars are 20km south of Chisinau with no bus to the gate - the tour is driven, literally: you follow your guide's car through 200km of underground streets, so a taxi or hire car is required.
Cricova Wine Cellars
Another vast underground wine cellar network, with streets named after wine varieties and a collection that reportedly includes bottles once belonging to Hermann GΓΆring, recovered after WWII.
π Cricova
π Cricova is 15km north of Chisinau; minibuses run to the town, but the cellar tours are booked in advance and most visitors arrive by taxi or on an organised trip.
Orheiul Vechi
A cave monastery complex carved into a limestone cliff above the Raut River, with archaeological remains spanning multiple civilizations across several thousand years of settlement.
π Trebujeni, Orhei District
π Minibuses from Chisinau's north station run to Butuceni and Trebujeni, about 90 minutes, leaving a walk up to the cave monastery above the Raut river.
Chisinau
Moldova's capital, with wide Soviet-era boulevards, the Triumphal Arch, and a noticeably slower, less touristed pace than most European capitals.
π ChiΘinΔu
π The capital has no metro: trolleybuses and marshrutkas cover it, and the central park, the cathedral and the Triumphal Arch are all within a 15-minute walk of each other.
Mark Moldova, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Moldova?
3-4 days covers Chisinau, one of the major wine cellars and Orheiul Vechi well, given the country's small size.
What's the best time to visit Moldova?
May-September has the most comfortable weather for visiting Orheiul Vechi and exploring Chisinau on foot. The wine cellars maintain a constant cool temperature year-round regardless of season outside.
Is Moldova good for a first-time visit?
Yes - Chisinau is easy to navigate, and wine cellar tours are well organized for visitors, though it's worth checking current conditions for travel near the Transnistria border region specifically.
Do I need a visa to visit Moldova?
Many nationalities, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and the EU, can visit visa-free for short tourist stays. Check the official visa information for your nationality: mfa.gov.md.
What are some things to do in Moldova on a tight budget?
Moldova is one of the least expensive countries in Europe for food and accommodation, walking Chisinau's boulevards and parks costs nothing, and wine cellar tours (while not free) are inexpensive relative to the scale of the experience.
Can I rent a car in Moldova, and what licence do I need?
Yes, and the wine cellars practically require one - Milestii Mici is toured from inside your own vehicle. EU licences are valid as issued; other visitors should carry an International Driving Permit alongside the home licence. Minimum age is usually 21 with a credit card. Rural roads vary from good to broken within a few kilometres, and note that hire cars are generally not insured for travel into Transnistria, the breakaway region on the eastern bank, which has its own checkpoints. Official information is published by the government at gov.md, with visitor guidance at moldova.travel.