Must-see attractions in Moldova

The archaeological and ecclesiastical complex at Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei), about 50km north of Chişinău, is an important historical site and a place of…

The fantastic Tipova Cave Monastery is built into cliffs that tower some 200m above the Dniestr River's right (west) bank, in the tiny village of Tipova…

This impressive Ottoman fortress, outside the centre near the Bendery–Tiraspol bridge, was built in the 16th century and saw keen fighting between Turkish…

This gloriously solid behemoth on the Dniestr dates to the late 15th century and the reign of Moldavian Prince Ştefan cel Mare. It was built on the…

The most impressive sight at Orheiul Vechi is the Cave Monastery, built inside a cliff high above the gently meandering Răut river. It is marked by a…

The main highlight of the Parcul Catedralei is the city's main Moldovan Orthodox church, dating from the 1830s, with rich interior frescoes. The bell…

The highlight of this massive and wonderful exhibition is a life-sized reconstruction of the skeleton of a dinothere – an 8-tonne elephant-like mammal…

Occupying one end of the Centre of Culture and Military History, this once-musty museum now hosts a moving exhibit on Soviet-era repression. Stories of…

This impressive museum contains artefacts from the region of Orheiul Vechi, including Golden Horde coins and 14th-century ceramics; a rare, 2000-year-old…

Dab in the middle of Chişinău, this park is popular with families and canoodling teenagers on benches, and makes for great strolling. The highlight is the…

A stunning 70m bell tower marks this serene monastery (1861), 7km south of Tiraspol. You can climb the bell tower for a bird's-eye view of the monastery's…

A massive facelift was half-finished at the end of 2018, with the gorgeously restored main wing open to visitors. The focus is on contemporary Moldovan…

You can get fantastic views of the Dniestr and the perfectly partitioned fields of Ukraine beyond from this curious obelisk, which was erected in 2004 to…

Parcul Grădina Publică Ştefan cel Mare şi Sfînt is a first-rate people-watching area. Ştefan was Moldavia's greatest medieval prince and ubiquitous symbol…

This is where Russia's national poet Alexander Pushkin (1799–1837) spent three years exiled between 1820 and 1823. You can view his tiny cottage, filled…

Since 1897 Kvint has been making some of Moldova's finest brandies. Book private tasting tours in English two days in advance (US$10 to US$70 per person,…

Near the bridge over the Răut River, this inconspicuous building houses a museum with objects recovered during archaeological digs around Orheiul Vechi,…

Aside from the usual range of Lenin statues, tanks and other Soviet time pieces, about the only sight in Comrat is this museum dedicated to Gagauz culture…

No period of Transdniestran history is ignored at this relatively interesting museum, starting with photos of late-19th-century Tiraspol, moving to the…

A landmark, the neoclassical National Library is worth popping into both to check out the beautiful interior with its spiral staircases, and for the free…