Moldova

PRO TIPS:

  • No visa required for US citizens (as of Oct 2025) for a short tourist stay.
  • Get some cash out at an ATM in town as there were a few times I needed it, including paying for my hostel.
  • Download Yandex Go as that will work as your uber around town. I also used it to get to/from the airport and it was very reasonable.
  • I felt very safe walking around.

CITY: CHISINAU

HOW LONG: 5 NIGHTS

ACCOMMODATION:

I stayed at the best hostel in Chisinau, it’s even in the name: Hostel Amazing Ionika 🙂 When looking at reviews this is was the only highly rated hostel listed on hostelworld so it made the decision easy. It was great! I love this size of hostel: big enough to have a some potential new friends, but small enough to feel cozy and easy to meet people. Pretty immediately upon arrival, I met 6 other backpackers and we formed a little group for our week here. We explored during the day & had dinner together each night. Also, random side note, but it was the most incredibly traveled group I’d ever met. I think the average number of countries been to by the group was 80 countries, which is wild. One South African guy had been to 150 countries!!! Anyway, there was good wifi, a kitchen, curtains & personal plugs on the bed. One note: they only accept payment in cash. Overall it was a great stay & I’d recommend!

WHERE TO EAT:

Here are my fav restaurant spots:

  • La Șezatoare – Great, authentic local Moldovian food in a cool atmosphere. I tried plăcintă which is like a filled pie (I chose cheese stuffed!).
  • Little Napoli – Yummy pizza right around the corner from the hostel! It was so good & easy that we went twice.
  • Sincer Café – Popular brunch spot.
  • Pasio Coffee – Cute spot for breakfast. I had a smoothie bowl – first one in a while!
  • Coffee Monkey – Perfect spot for an afternoon snack or lunch. It was very popular with lots of great energy.

WHAT TO DO:

Chisinau honestly wasn’t the prettiest city I have ever been to, but I enjoyed spending a half day meandering around with a Swedish girl I met at the hostel. We stopped by The Triumphal Arc & the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ’s Nativity. We also visited the outside of the Military History Museum because they had cool airplanes, tanks, etc. Valea Morilor Park is also worth a visit.

There are two main day trips visitors to Moldova go on:
  • Transnitstria – officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is a self-proclaimed breakaway state that is internationally recognized as part of Moldova. It is a de facto independent territory that declared independence from Moldova in 1990 and has its own government, currency, and military. Transnistria is known for its unique Soviet-era atmosphere, with landmarks, infrastructure, and cultural elements from that era still present. I booked this tour through my hostel & it was excellent! We got to see lots of Soviet era monuments, buy local stamps, & see beautiful churches. We also had a meal at a Soviet Cantina. Of note, some countries list this location as Level 4: DO NOT TRAVEL, but we had no issues. You do need your passport as they see it as an international border. They won’t stamp, but instead give you a slip of paper that is required as you leave so don’t lose it. Pro tip: Don’t bring any cameras (only your phone).

  • Monasteries & Wine Cellars – Moldova has some of the largest wine cellars in the world as well as some beautiful monasteries. I had planned to do this until last minute some of the guys in my group decided they wanted to do an overnight in Ukraine, & I decided to join them. It was an incredibly eye-opening experience & I’m glad I went.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

My time in Moldova ended up being quite the adventurous week! Between Moldova itself, visiting the autonomous region of Transnistria & my overnight in Ukraine all while hanging with some of my most traveled new friends, I had some of my memorable experiences. I will say that Moldova won’t go down as one of my favorite countries & I wouldn’t say you need to add this to the top of your bucket list. But overall I had a great week!

BUDGET FOR 5 DAYS IN MOLDOVA:

  • Accommodation: $119 ($24 per night) – this included double paying for accommodation one night (hotel in Ukraine + my hostel back in Chisinau)
  • Food: $108
  • Activities: $115
  • Local Transportation: $58
  • Miscellaneous: $35 (insurance for Ukraine + postcards/stamps)

Total: $435 (Daily average: $87) 

Transportation to next destination: $200 (Flight to London + flight to Jersey)

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