I am pretty sure that when it comes to Moldova, Chisinau is most likely the only place you have heard about. Maybe, someone mentioned Old Orhei and Transnistria, the country nobody recognises. It’s no wonder as we don’t have world-famous attractions that tourists flock to visit: we don’t have castles or palaces, we don’t have majestic mountains or important ruins, but we do have some beautiful places. Let’s talk here about the top cities to visit in Moldova.
Top cities to visit in Moldova
Chisinau
Why to visit Chisinau
Well, this one is pretty simple: Chisinau is the capital of Moldova and the largest city in the country.
What to see and do in Chisinau
There are lots of interesting places in the city, I will list just some of them and you can click this link to read a longer post about things to do in Chisinau.
- Museums, including the two biggest – the Museum of History and the Museum of Ethnography – and multiple smaller ones.
- Amazing parks, including the Botanical Gardens, Valea Morilor and Dendrarium.
- Soviet architecture and the stunning buildings from the times of the Russian Empire.
- Soviet mosaics.
- Murals and street art.
- The central market.
- A very special place called Eternity Memorial Complex: it is dedicated to the soldiers who fell during the Second World War.
- And, of course, you can’t miss the burgeoning food and wine scene of Chisinau: traditional cuisine, fusion, modern interpretations, international cuisine, everything can be found here, and everything can be paired with good wine which, by the way, Moldova is famous as a producer of.
You can easily spend 3-5 days in Chisinau, and take some time to visit the nearby wineries: Milestii Mici (has the largest wine cellar in the world stretching for 200 kilometres) and Cricova (the second in Moldova with 120 kilometres of cellars). Both wineries organise tours with wine tastings and food.
Balti
Why to visit Balti
Balti is the second largest city in the country (if we don’t consider Tiraspol in Transnistria) and is lovingly called here the northern capital of Moldova.
What to see and do in Balti
Balti isn’t as interesting as Chisinau and some other cities in this list, but there are some places not to miss:
- Its parks, including the Municipal park, the Alley of Classics, Maria Square with carousels.
- Churches as Sts. Emperors Constantine and Elena Cathedral and St. Nicholas Cathedral.
- Pedestrian street with its restaurants and buildings.
- Mosaics and street art.
- The central market.
- The City Lake with nice views.
- And the airport (not in use anymore) with small old planes and helicopters. This one is a bit tricky: I entered the territory without any problems and nobody stopped me, but it looks like it is guarded by both people and dogs.
I think that 1 day in Balti is enough as the city is quite small, its centre is quite compact and every place is really close to each other.
How to get: buses depart from Chisinau to Balti every day almost every hour, usually more than twice an hour, from Gara de Nord (Northern bus station).
Soroca
Why to visit Soroca
Soroca is one of the most famous cities in Moldova, partly because it is home to the only fortress in the country. The other one is in Transnistria.
What to see and do in Soroca
Soroca has many interesting places, which are very varied in their nature:
- The stunning landscape created by the Dniester River.
- Soroca Fortress (is closed for renovations at the moment).
- Bechir’s ravine nature preserve with amazing views and white stones.
- The Gypsy Hill with fancy buildings.
- Old buildings in the city centre.
I spent 1 day in Soroca, and I am still not sure whether it was enough. Visiting Bechir’s ravine took quite some time, and by the time I got to the city itself it was afternoon, so I did everything else in a hurry to catch the bus back to Chisinau. You may want to spend 1,5 days there just to do everything calmly.
How to get: buses depart from Chisinau to Soroca every day almost every hour, usually more than twice an hour, from Gara de Nord (Northern bus station).
Orhei
Why to visit Orhei
Nowadays, because of the political implications involving its ex-mayor, Orhei is a bit of a controversial city, but that same ex-mayor did a lot to renovate it, so Orhei is always in the spotlight.
What to see and do in Orhei
This city has quite some places of interest:
- The famous amusement park Orheiland.
- Chateau Vartely winery.
- Churches, including the one of St. Dumitru which is on our 5 lei banknote.
- Old buildings in the city centre.
- The picturesque Orhei Lake.
- Stone quarries close to the city with magnificent views.
Orhei is a relatively small city, so 1 day should be enough, though you may want to spend a night there to have more than 1 day to truly enjoy the winery and other places I mentioned.
An important thing to mention: Old Orhei is probably the most popular tourist attraction in Moldova, but it is different from Orhei. Orhei is a city, but Old Orhei is an area about 20 kilometres away from Orhei between Trebujeni and Butuceni villages.
How to get: buses depart from Chisinau to Orhei every day almost every hour, usually more than twice an hour, from Gara de Nord (Northern bus station).
Hincesti
Why to visit Hincesti
Hincesti is a very small town about 30 kilometres away from Chisinau, but it is home to a monument of national importance.
What to see and do in Hincesti
- The newly restored mansion of Manuc bey, the main reason people visit Hincesti.
- Hincesti Winery.
- The memorial park.
Like I said, there isn’t much to see, so 1 day is more than enough. But, if you travel there by car, you can stop at Bardar to see water lilies (when it’s their blooming season) and go to Bardar zoo club (it’s small, and kids will specifically love it).
How to get: buses depart from Chisinau to Hincesti every day from Gara de Sud (Southern bus station). Hincesti is located between Chisinau and the main southern destinations of Moldova, so almost every bus leaving the Southern station will pass through the city.
Comrat
Why to visit Comrat
Comrat is the capital of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia in the south of Moldova. The local people called Gagauz have their own traditions, customs and food, though there are many similarities with the Moldovan ones. The Gagauz language though is absolutely different, being of the Turkic group. And Russian is very popular here. Comrat and the adjacent villages are a good place to experience this different culture.
What to see and do in Comrat
- The local ethnographic museum.
- Comrat Winery with delicious wine and local food.
- Central market.
- The monument to Lenin!
When planning the trip, keep in mind that it is about 100 kilometres away from Chisinau, and if you take public transport, it will take about 1,5-2 hours to get there. Comrat is also quite small, so 1 day is enough to see it, but there are some interesting places like Gagauz Sofrasi restaurant with traditional food in Congaz village, so you may want to stay a bit longer in the area.
How to get: buses depart from Chisinau to Comrat every day almost every hour, usually more than twice an hour, from Gara de Sud (Southern bus station).
Tiraspol
Why to visit Tiraspol
Tiraspol is the capital of Transnistria, an unrecognised state that is considered part of Moldova. Russian is the most common language here, though Romanian and Ukrainian are spoken as well. The city has a pretty unique atmosphere and I absolutely love it!
What to see and do in Tiraspol
There are many points of interest in Tiraspol:
- Parks, including the Botanical Garden with sakura trees and Catherine’s Park.
- Memorial of Glory
- The Dniester River waterfront.
- The green market.
- The mini fortress of Tiraspol.
- The fountains in front of the cinema.
- Sheriff Sports Complex.
- Soviet and Russian Empire architecture.
- The monument to Lenin!
- Delicious food, specifically the Back to USSR restaurant: the food is amazing!
- Try shopping here.
Frankly, it’s my second favourite city in Moldova after Chisinau: it is very nice, clean and has a special charm. In my opinion, 1 day isn’t enough, so I would recommend staying 1,5-2 days to truly experience Tiraspol. And in case you decide to spend the night there, I have just the place for you: Park Hotel. I stayed there myself, the hotel is new, the location is great, the staff is very friendly, and my room had a balcony overlooking the river.
How to get: buses depart from Chisinau to Tiraspol every day almost every hour, usually more than twice an hour, from Gara Chisinau Centru (Central bus station).
Bender
Why to visit Bender
Bender is another city in Transnistria at the Dniester River. Like Tiraspol, it has its own charm and is totally worthy of a visit.
What to see and do in Bender
There are plenty of places to see in the city:
- The fortress, of course! The area is very lively and lovely.
- Many monuments and memorial complexes.
- Parks: I like the one at the intersection of Calinin and Lenin Streets.
- The train history museum.
- The Dniester River waterfront.
If you have a full day here, then I think it’s enough: Bender is quite small.
How to get: buses depart from Chisinau to Bender every day from Gara Chisinau Centru (Central bus station). Bender is located between Chisinau and Tiraspol, so every bus heading to Tiraspol will pass through the city. If it’s not the Bender bus specifically, you will have to tell the driver to stop in Bender: I went to Tiraspol twice, and the Tiraspol buses never stopped in Bender.
And there you have them, the top cities to visit in Moldova. If you visited another city that I didn’t mention, please tell in the comments section why you liked it 🙂
More on Chisinau, Moldova:
The excellent answer, gallantly 🙂