A Taste of Moldova Group Tour

Fly to Chisinau. On arrival transfer to the hotel and check in for five nights. Enjoy a welcome dinner at a typical Moldovan restaurant. (D)

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Embark upon a morning walking tour of Moldova’s capital. Discover shops and restaurants lining Chisinau’s main street, Stefan cel Mare, stop at Central Cathedral, admire the Parliament building, and spend time in Stefan cel Mare Park, where granite sculptures of Romanian literary figures can be found along the Alley of Classics. The city tour will include wine tasting at the centre of Chisinau. Moldovan Wineries proudly display their wines in individual stands, all decorated in national style. The festival has plenty of local colour, with traditional music and dance and people dressed in national costumes. Lunch will be in a local restaurant with typical Moldovan food with the afternoon free to explore Chisinau by oneself. (B,L)

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Head out of Chisinau to the village of Horodiste. Here, meet Thierry and Tatiana, and have the chance to sample some of the exquisite cheese they make at their small business Fromage - fabricat in Moldova. The couple buy milk from locals to make their real French cheeses, and the small cheese production has become common cause for the whole village as they work together to provide the huge amount of milk needed to make these delicious cheeses.

After your fill of cheese tasting, drive to Orheiul Vechi, a unique 13th-century cave monastery carved by Orthodox monks into a remote limestone cliff. Enjoy a delicious lunch at a local restaurant and then transfer to Cricova cellars for some wine tasting These enormous cellars are very famous, and the collection includes a bottle of wine dating back to 1902. Vladimir Putin celebrated his 50th birthday here, and Yuri Gagarin once visited and got so tipsy he got lost amongst the bottles! (B,L) ;

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Drive to the south of the country and explore the Gagauzia region, an area of three towns and more than 20 villages scattered throughout the three districts of Comrat, Cedar-Linga and Vulcanesti. Enjoy a sightseeing tour of the capital Gaguzia- Comrat and enjoy a traditional lunch with local wine. In the afternoon visit the National Gagauz History and Ethnographic Museum. Here meet with the director Lyudmila Marin-Karachoban, whose late father founded the museum in 1966. He was a Gagauz poet, artist and teacher who dedicated most of his life to the rediscovery of the traditions of this nation within a nation. Lyudmila tells the story of the museum with anecdotes of her father’s life, a revered person throughout the region. Late afternoon return to Chisinau. (B,L)

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Visit the capital of Transdniestr, a self proclaimed independent republic with its own currency, police force and border guards. Located 40 miles southeast of Chisinau in the Nistru Valley, Tiraspol is considered to be a living museum of Soviet culture. With a population of 200,000, the city has its share of Lenin statues and monuments such as a T-34 tank on a pedestal. Whilst here, tour the Historical Museum and visit the Kvint brandy factory to sample some high quality cognac before embarking upon a sightseeing tour of Tiraspol. Return to Chisinau in the evening. (B,L)

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