Country's codes
International phone code for Moldova: +373
3 letters: MDA
2 letters (internet domain): .MD
Digital country code: 498
Standard EAN-13 (country barcode): 484
Olympic country code: MDA
🇲🇩 Moldova Travel Guide
Moldova punches well above its size. It holds some of the world's largest wine cellars, medieval monasteries carved into limestone cliffs, and a countryside blanketed in sunflowers and vineyards. Travellers who make it here are rewarded with genuine local encounters, bargain prices, and a pace of life that feels untouched by mass tourism.
Top Attractions in Moldova
🍷 Cricova Wine Cellars
An underground city of wine tunnels stretching over 120 km beneath the Moldovan hills, housing millions of bottles of world-class sparkling and aged wines.
⛪ Orheiul Vechi Cave Monastery
A dramatic clifftop complex where Orthodox monks have inhabited limestone caves above the Răut River since the 13th century — one of Eastern Europe's most striking spiritual sites.
🏛️ Chișinău City Centre
The Moldovan capital blends Soviet-era grandeur with lively parks, art galleries, and a buzzing café and restaurant scene fuelled by local wine and farm-fresh produce.
🏰 Soroca Fortress
A perfectly preserved 16th-century circular stone fortress on the banks of the Dniester River, built by Stephen the Great to defend Moldova's northern frontier.
Best Places to Visit
- 🏙️ Chișinău – The capital: parks, markets, Soviet architecture, and Moldova's most vibrant dining scene.
- 🍷 Cricova & Mileștii Mici – Underground wine cities with guided cellar tours and legendary tastings.
- ⛪ Orheiul Vechi – Clifftop cave monasteries and unspoilt Moldovan countryside at its most beautiful.
- 🏰 Soroca – A riverside fortress town with a fascinating Roma heritage and sweeping Dniester views.
- 🌿 Tipova Monastery – The largest cave monastery complex in Eastern Europe, hidden in a dramatic gorge above the Dniester.
Things to Do in Moldova
- Tour the underground galleries of Cricova or Mileștii Mici and taste wines straight from the cellar.
- Hike to Orheiul Vechi at sunset and watch the monastery lights flicker on above the river valley.
- Explore the Central Market (Piața Centrală) in Chișinău for local cheese, smoked meats, and fresh produce.
- Visit a traditional Moldovan village to experience mamaligă, folk pottery, and carpet weaving.
- Attend the National Wine Festival in Chișinău each October — a joyful celebration of Moldova's most prized export.
Travel Tips for Visitors
- ☀️ Summers are warm and sunny, perfect for vineyard and monastery visits; 🍂 autumn is harvest season and the best time for wine tourism.
- 🚌 Minibuses (marshrutkas) are the main intercity transport — cheap, frequent, and connecting most towns from Chișinău's central bus station.
- 💳 Cash is king outside the capital; ATMs are available in cities but rural areas and monasteries are cash-only.
- 🇲🇩 Moldovans are exceptionally welcoming — a little effort with basic Romanian phrases goes a long way and will earn warm smiles wherever you go.
📌 Useful Country Information
Quick Facts
Total area: 13,068 sq mi (33,846 sq km)
Population (2023 est.): ~2.51 million
Capital: Chișinău (~700,000)
🇲🇩 Chișinău: Capital City Profile
Other major cities: Tiraspol, Bălți, Bender, Cahul
Currency: Moldovan Leu (MDL)
National name: Republica Moldova
Language: Romanian/Moldovan (official); Russian and Gagauz also spoken
Ethnicity/race: Moldovans 75.1%, Romanians 7%, Ukrainians 6.6%, Gagauz 4.6%, Russians 4.1%, Bulgarians 1.9%, other 0.8%
Religions: Eastern Orthodox 90.1%, other Christian 2.6%, other/none 7.3%
National Holiday: August 27, Independence Day (declaration of independence from the Soviet Union, 1991).
Currency: Moldovan leu (MDL)
Background
🇲🇩 Moldova is a small, landlocked republic in Eastern Europe, nestled between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. Its terrain is a gentle mosaic of rolling hills, river valleys, and some of the most fertile agricultural land in Europe — a landscape shaped for centuries by vineyards and sunflower fields.🕊️ Moldova declared independence from the Soviet Union on August 27, 1991. However, the breakaway region of Transnistria along the eastern Dniester River declared its own separation in 1990 and remains a frozen conflict zone outside Chișinău's control to this day, with Russian peacekeeping troops still stationed there.
🍷 Moldova is one of Europe's oldest and most prolific wine-producing nations, with a winemaking tradition stretching back over 5,000 years. The underground cellars of Cricova and Mileștii Mici — the latter holding a Guinness World Record for the largest wine collection — are among the country's most iconic landmarks.
🇪🇺 Moldova applied for European Union membership in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and was granted EU candidate status the same year — marking a historic turning point in the country's journey toward closer European integration.
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