Transnistria/Moldova

Take a tour of some of Europe’s last unexplored corners, a place where the former Soviet Union looms large and a fascinating Eastern European culture awaits. Moldova is Europe’s least visited country and the gateway to the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Transnistria), a country that ‘doesn’t exist’ and a Soviet time capsule where the hammer and sickle still proudly adorns the national flag. 

The tour begins with a train journey from Bucharest in Romania to the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, taking in beautiful scenery before passports are checked on the border and the train’s wheels are changed, ready for former Soviet rails. After exploring the capital Chisinau, the tour will head to picturesque villages and a medieval cave monastery – carved into cliffs and occupied by a single monk – before heading to the underground wine city of Cricova. We’ll then move on to the fabled breakaway state of Transnistrivia in Moldova’s east, now known as Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. Here we’ll tour the soviet relics of the capital, Tiraspol, and watch the National Day parade, one of the nation’s most celebrated national holidays.