4 Best Local Tours in Chișinău

The tour turned out to be even better than I expected and was a wonderful experience of immersion into Moldavian history and culture. Veaceslav was perfectly on time in picking me up at my hotel and within minutes was already pointing out all the significant sites around Chisanau as we drove out the city. I soaked up the narratives on different villages, the explanations of various periods of Moldavian history, geopolitics and traditions. Veaceslav was definitely extremely knowledgeable and his friendly demeanor and natural rapport made this the perfect private tour. He also helped me take some wonderful photos for the memories. i enjoyed the visits to the Curchi monastery, the Turkish bath and Butuceni village with its cave monasteries and traditional peasant lodgings. The tour ended with a delectable lunch at one of the pensions in the village where all the food was locally sourced. I highly recommend this tour And assure anyone booking this that they will have as wonderful an experience as I did with Veaceslav! Hope to be able to come back to Moldova soon and do another tour with him.

Perhaps the title is a spoiler for most foreign travellers who plan to visit Transistria but locals prefer to call their land like that. No matter what the name it's definitely a place worth visiting which drives you back to the soviet eras but not only that. I won't say anything more about the trip, I will leave the rest to Veaceslav, the cool and friendly tour guide, who will provide you with lots of historical details and of course anything you need to know about the destination. So, if you ever happen to find yourselves in Moldova don't skip this trip to Transistria. It will be something to remember.

I had a really good experience visiting Transnistria with Veaceslav. I came alone to Chisinau from Bucarest to visit this country, As it was sometimes described as a dangerous place on the Internet, I felt way more confident visiting it with a local.
Finally, it turned out to be a pretty safe and peaceful place ! But it is still the "sovietic style" place I'd expected it to be.
Veaceslav is an excellent guide, he knows everything there's to know about the country : traditions, politics, economy, hitsory, … I definitely recommend !

We were expecting to have a trip back to Soviet Union. The surprise was that the region is really developing. The fortress and a park in Benderi are renovated. Main streets are quite clean and people are friendly in Tiraspol. There is also modern real estate start to appear. So those who are really for hard core experience has to hurry up.

In this trip we enjoyed professional guide of a very friendly local. He showed us great views, churches, rural life, historical sites. We even had some de-tours to eat walnuts growing in Moldova:) And of course, Old Orhei is a must-see if you are visiting Moldova!

Veaceslav was on time and the tour I went to provided a lot of insight into Moldovan culture. Even though one of the wine tours was cut short due to a technical problem, I highly recommend the wine tour as it was great fun and informative! :)

We booked a tour to Transnistria and Milesti Micii winery, and it all went great! The tour itself is amazing, and Veaceslav gave us the best interaction and information we could’ve asked for, driving us safely in a very comfortable car.

Kat is one of the best guides we ever have had on our tours! She is a pro, very friendly and knows what she is talking about. We can highly recommend her as a guide anywhere in Moldova!

My day tour with Kat Pro (Ecaterina) was easily the best tour I've ever had. In fact, I wouldn't call it so much a "tour" but instead a great day out with a really good friend who just happened to know lots of fascinating history and local information.
I've tried to think about the best way to describe the day, going through a few rough drafts, and I think the best way is to describe the special touches Kat provided, those things that go beyond the expectations of the average tour and make the experience truly memorable.

I originally booked my tour a few months back for a trip to Bender Fortress and Tiraspol. Naturally, Kat met and exceeded those expectations. She brilliantly recounted the events at Bender: Suleiman the Magnificent, Charles XII of Sweden, Baron von Munchausen, et al. Likewise, in Tiraspol, she took me to the key sights and explained their significance: the tank monument and memorial to those who died in the Afghanistan and Transnistrian war, the Suvorov monument, the cathedral to Christ's birth (Christmas Cathedral), the House of Soviets, etc.

But, again, it was the extra touches Kat provided that made it a fabulous day. For example, en route to Bender we stopped to buy watermelons and fresh grapes from roadside vendors; we went shopping at the Sheriff Hypermarket; we explored the different neighborhoods in Tiraspol; we took lunch in the very stylish Hotel Russia restaurant; and we made an impromptu stop at the impressively elegant Mimi winery. We talked about travel, life and a mutual affection for cats. Again, this was more a grand day out with a good friend than a purchased, scripted tour. I might forget that the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent built the Bender stone fortress in 1538, but I'll always remember chatting and munching on grapes by the roadside and searching for a cat themed mug in the Sheriff Hypermarket.

It was a great, full day made magnificently memorable by Kat. Many thanks.

My day tour with Kat Pro (Ecaterina) was easily the best tour I've ever had. In fact, I wouldn't call it so much a "tour" but instead a great day out with a really good friend who just happened to know lots of fascinating history and local information.
I've tried to think about the best way to describe the day, going through a few rough drafts, and I think the best way is to describe the special touches Kat provided, those things that go beyond the expectations of the average tour and make the experience truly memorable.
I originally booked my tour a few months back for a trip to Bender Fortress and Tiraspol. Naturally, Kat met and exceeded those expectations. She brilliantly recounted the events at Bender: Suleiman the Magnificent, Charles XII of Sweden, Baron von Munchausen, et al. Likewise, in Tiraspol, she took me to the key sights and explained their significance: the tank monument and memorial to those who died in the Afghanistan and Transnistrian war, the Suvorov monument, the cathedral to Christ's birth (Christmas Cathedral), the House of Soviets, etc.
But, again, it was the extra touches Kat provided that made it a fabulous day. For example, en route to Bender we stopped to buy watermelons and fresh grapes from roadside vendors; we went shopping at the Sheriff Hypermarket; we explored the different neighborhoods in Tiraspol; we took lunch in the very stylish Hotel Russia restaurant; and we made an impromptu stop at the impressively elegant Mimi winery. We talked about travel, life and a mutual affection for cats. Again, this was more a grand day out with a good friend than a purchased, scripted tour. I might forget that the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent built the Bender stone fortress in 1538, but I'll always remember chatting and munching on grapes by the roadside and searching for a cat themed mug in the Sheriff Hypermarket.
It was a great, full day made magnificently memorable by Kat. Many thanks.

Due to the coronavirus (and being from a country that had cases), I wasn't able to visit Transnistria, but Veaceslav had already double checked and planned alternate options to replace the tour...a sign of a prepared tour guide!

I really enjoyed the tour of Old Orhei + Curchi monastery as a result, which gave some insight into an authentic countryside experience. I saw women walking to wells, people selling flowers on the side of the street, men doing repairs "old school" with limited machinery, and even, some rare soviet cars from the 1950s. And of course, there were beautiful views of the numerous lakes, rivers and valleys. Veaceslav drew my attention to many details and gave thoughtful anecdotes - some historical, some personal - that really gave the tour a special touch. I really enjoyed this moment and recommend Veaceslav as a tour guide to get the insider Moldovan experience.

We, three guys from Iceland in Moldova because of a football game, decided that we would like to explore Transnistria and we we so lucky too contact Mr. Veaceslav who took us to this trip.

Everything was super and it was more like we were travelling with a friend rather that a guide from the first moments.

He has everything with him which a great guide has to have and we would like to give him our best recommendations.

The Transnistria tour is something I would not like to have missed.

The tour to Old Orhei with Veaceslav was a nice and interesting experience. Veaceslav has a lot of knowledge of the places we were visiting and Moldova in general. He a is a friendly guide who looks after the guests and was easy to communicate with from the moment I made the booking. I would recommend anybody visiting Moldova to see Old Orhei for its natural beauty and historical significance.

Hi can only from start to finish this tour was excellent with great guide catIushka she was full of information and very fun to be with I enjoy my day very much
Thank you catiushka

The tour was everything that was advertised and more. Great insight into the country and culture. Personal stories and experiences added flavor that guidebooks could never offer.

I really enjoyed my tour with Veaceslav, he is incredibly well informed, attentive and fun to explore the country with. Highly recommended

i had a very good day with a professional, friendly and knowledgeable guide 😀
I higly recommand his services !

No trip to Moldova would be complete without a visiting Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria.

Transnistria is a thin strip of land wedged between Moldova and Ukraine that has a border crossing, parliamentary government, a standing army and even its own currency. It has all the trappings of an independent nation—but isn't.

Oh sure, it declared independence from Moldova in 1990 and fought a war two years later. And it's got a constitution and a flag and even a coat of arms. But you won't find it on many maps, and not a single member of the United Nations recognises its existence.

It's stuck in its communist past, so felt like we had travelled back in time to the Soviet Union. Not many places still proudly display statues of Lenin, the communist star or old Soviet tanks. I don't think you can find anywhere else on the planet like it. So it definitely made for an interesting day out.

Our guide was friendly, chatty and informative. But I felt it could have been more educational. However, I highly recommend this tour.