9-day wine tour to Romania and Moldavia

Program

DAY 1 – FLIGHT TO BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

Today you take your flight to BUCHAREST, the capital of Romania. On arrival you will receive a transfer to your hotel and check-in. After check-in, you are expected in one of the nicest rooftop bars in the city for a glass of wine as a welcome drink.

Overnight in Bucharest.

DAY 2 – BUCHAREST (B, D)

After breakfast, meet your guide for a walking tour of the historic center of the Romanian capital. In Bucharest, you will have the chance to see the impressive Palace of the Parliament, known as the second largest building in the world. The palace was built by the infamous dictator Nicolae Ceausescu during the Romanian communist era. After this walking tour of the Old Town, enjoy a traditional dinner at one of the oldest restaurants in Bucharest, the Manuc Inn.

Overnight in Bucharest.

DAY 3: BUCHAREST – MIZII – CASTLE OF PELES – BUCHAREST (B)

After breakfast you will visit one of the most famous wineries in Romania. Its wine range has countless gold medals at special competitions and is now housed in a new, modern cellar, surrounded by nature. Here you will have the chance to taste six of their best wines:

• the Muscat Ottonel and Cuvee X (white)
• Rose and Cameleon Pink (rose)
• Feteasca Neagra
• Cameleon Red (red)

You will also get a guided tour and see how their wines are prepared. You can also buy their delicious wines to take home.

After the wine tasting and guided tour, your journey continues with a visit to the former Royal Palace of Romania, Peles Castle. It was built by Carol I of Hohenzolern Zingmaringen. The castle is beautifully situated in the middle of the forest and is surrounded by the Carpathians. After visiting Peles Castle, travel back to Bucharest.

Overnight in Bucharest.

DAY 4: BUCHAREST – IASI (BY PLANE) + IASI CITY TOUR (B, D)

After breakfast, depart for the airport for a short flight to Iasi, the cultural capital of Romania and former capital of the country. During a city tour you will visit the well-known Palace of Culture, the iconic building of Iasi, the former Palace of Justice and now a museum complex. The list includes one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, Gheorghe Asachi Library and Iasi National Theater.

In the evening you will have dinner in the most authentic and traditional restaurant of Iasi and a wine tasting. You can taste their Aligote from 1986 and Muscat Ottonel from 1994 (both white), Busuioaca de Bohotin (rose), Merlot (red) and a sparkling Bucium. All the wines you taste come from the nearby wine region of Bucium, where in 1469 Saint Stephen the Great designated the city of Suceava wine regions on Socola Hill. These wine regions grew in size over time, eventually spreading over four of the seven hills surrounding the city of Iasi.

Overnight in Iasi.

DAY 5: IASI – DOLHESTI – NEAMT CITADEL – AGAPIA MONASTERY – IASI

After breakfast, travel towards the village of Dolhesti, located about a two-hour drive from Iasi. Here you get a tour of the village and visit a blacksmith. Lunch will be served by a family from the village where you can try delicious local food and drink. Afterward, travel on to the Neamt Citadel, a fort from the 14th century, used as a defense against the Ottomans and not alone. It is one of the few well-preserved medieval fortifications and this is a perfect opportunity to learn about how the Romanians lived and protected in their country hundreds of years ago.

After lunch, head to the remote Agapia Monastery in the Carpathians. The Agapia Monastery has one of the largest nun communities in Romania. In total, more than 250 nuns live there. After visiting the Agapia Monastery, travel back to Iasi.

Overnight in Iasi.

DAY 6: IASI – REP. OF MOLDOVA – WINE HOUSE VISIT – CHISINAU + TOUR OF THE CITY

After breakfast you will leave for the Republic of Moldova, the neighboring country east of Romania. The Republic of Moldova is internationally known for its wineries and wines and you will discover why. Immediately after the border crossing you will visit a first winery, also the most famous and most visited in Moldova. You will take a tour of the winery with their electric train that leads you through the underground tunnels named after famous wines: Champagne, Merlot, Riesling and more. After the tour, enjoy lunch with some of the best Moldovan wines in this underground wine tasting. During the wine tasting, try the Negru de Cricova, a red dry wine, and their famous sparkling wines (white and pink).

Then you will reach Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova. You will have a tour of the city center with the Arch of Triumph, the Metropolitan Cathedral and much more.

The evening is free after the tour.

Overnight in Chisinau.

DAY 7: CHISINAU – OLD ORHEI COMPLEX – WINE HOUSE VISIT – CHISINAU

After breakfast, your day starts with a visit to the Old Orhei Museum Complex, located in a rocky gorge at a depth of over 200 meters. The Old Orhei complex is located about 60 kilometers from the capital Chisinau on the river Raut. The unique landscape carved by the river with high walls up to 200 meters, has created an ideal place in prehistoric times for habitation, defense and construction of religious buildings.

The next stop of the day is at a winery near Old Orhei. Here you will have lunch and a wine tasting. As an extra you get the great view over the rolling hills of Moldova. The wines you will taste here are the Feteasca Regala (red), the Ice Wine Riesling and other types of wine.

Return to Chisinau in the evening.

Overnight in Chisinau.

DAY 8: CHISINAU – WINE TASTING (B, L)

After breakfast, you will head to the last wine tasting of the tour, in the southeast of Moldova. The founder, pioneer and respected winemaker is a 20th century personality who dedicated his life to wine. By applying and applying the knowledge he gained in Western Europe, he managed to build the first castle in Moldova. This prompted him to produce great wines and raise the standards by implementing new technologies in the industry. Today you will take a tour of the castle and try the best wines: Merlot (red), Muscat (white) and the Ice Wine Riesling (white). After lunch you have the afternoon at leisure.

Overnight in Chisinau.

DAY 9: FLIGHT TO HOME (B)

After breakfast you will be brought to Chisinau International Airport according to your flight schedule for your flight back home… or an extension of your trip to another beautiful wine region of Romania or Moldova. If you want to extend your wine trip, you can also go to one of the neighboring countries, for example the wine regions of Hungary or Bulgaria. In this case, the journey is from Chisinau, Moldavia to Bucharest, Romania. Then you travel on.