Join me as my travels take me through Moldova – Europe’s least visited country!
Moldova is a rather isolated country located in Eastern Europe. Cheap flights to the capital, Chisinau, are few and far between, and in all honesty – there’s not that much to do here. We arrived on a bus from Iasi and spent just one full day exploring the streets of Chisinau, and it felt like we managed to see everything we wanted – including one of the last surviving statues of Vladimir Lenin in Europe! Moldova appears to have little focus on tourism – with efforts concentrated on national development and the long-term aspiration of EU membership. Nevertheless, we found Moldova to be a welcoming and fascinating country – littered with Soviet mosaics, murals, and buildings. Whether you’re a history buff, a nature lover, or a foodie, Moldova promises an unforgettable journey off the beaten path.
Sections of this article:
Taking the bus from Iasi to Chisinau:
Click here to read about my adventures through Romania before entering Moldova!
We purchased tickets for the bus online using the InfoBus website. We were sent confirmation and QR Code emails at the time of purchase, and the journey cost us 15 euros pp. The website is very efficient and shows the various services they run throughout the day. InfoBus acts as a travel company selling tickets on behalf of the companies that run the route (similar to Trainline in the UK) – our actual bus company was called “Sarvalteh Auto”. The bus terminal in Iasi is basically opposite the train station and is very easy to find. We arrived around 30-40 minutes early, and our minibus was already there waiting with “Chisinau” clearly displayed in the window in both Latin and Cyrillic. The driver was very friendly and spoke perfect English and Russian. The journey was scheduled to take around 2 hours 45 minutes but ended up taking closer to 4 hours due to congestion around the border region. The border crossing was extremely straightforward; all the passengers on the bus had their passports collected and returned to them stamped after about 5-10 minutes. You do not even need to disembark! This is the same for both the Romanian and Moldovan checkpoints.
We asked our driver to drop us on the side of the road when we were nearest to our hotel (without disrupting his route to the central bus station) and walked around 10 minutes from there.
We stayed at “Bed and Breakfast Olsi”, which cost us £19.50pp per night for a twin bedroom with an en-suite bathroom. The hotel was very comfortable and in a pretty decent location. The breakfast was quite basic, but the price was included in our booking.
What to do in Chisinau:
. Victory Memorial and the Eternal Flame
. Ciuflea Monastery (St Theodor Tiron Convent)
. Dendrarium Park
. Piata Centrala
. Chisinau is filled with elaborate Soviet mosaics, and you’re sure to pass quite a few if you wander through these streets. Our favourite was, “The City is Flourishing and Being Built” mosaic located at Chisinau Central Bus Station! 10/10 for the highly Soviet name!
. The National Museum is worth a miss if tight for time!
If you’re a wine connoisseur, you can also take a day trip up to Cricova Winery to see one of the most impressive wine cellars in Europe. We unfortunately didn’t have time to visit on this trip, but the excursion is said to be one of the top things to do in Moldova!
Taking the bus from Chisinau to Tiraspol:
We took a minibus from Chisinau Central Bus Station to Tiraspol. Contrary to the information we saw online, we bought tickets from the ticket office located INSIDE the bus terminal. We purchased one-way tickets for around 45 Leu and found the minivans parked at the back of the bus terminal. There were quite a few of them waiting in line, and we were told they left every 15 minutes or so. The drivers were very organised and pointed us in the right direction for the earliest departure, where our ticket was checked, and we headed on our way to the disputed territory of Transnistria!
Click here to read about my continued adventure to Transnistria!
Where to buy a Moldovan flag patch:
I love collecting things. I decided a long time ago that I would attempt to collect a sew-on patch from each new country to put on the bags that I travel with.
As mentioned above, Moldova really isn’t renowned for its tourism! That said, there are a couple of souvenir shops in central Chisinau, and I managed to pick up a flag patch at one of these small shops for around 3 euros. Not quite the design I would usually settle for but a patch is a patch! I’d always rather have one from the place itself as opposed to finding something on Amazon when I get home!
I loved Moldova! Yes, it can be a bit rough around the edges – but if that is your thing, it should definitely be on your bucket list and not keep you away. We did not feel unsafe at all while in Moldova (just ensure to watch your pockets in the markets!), and I would highly recommend visiting if you get the opportunity. We managed to secure a direct flight to London Luton from Chisinau for 60 euros – not too bad if you ask me…
