Six days trip to northeast Romania and the Republic of Moldova from Iasi

Welcome to Iasi, the ‘Cultural Capital of Romania’ and ‘City of Hundred Churches’!

You will enjoy a few pleasant hours in the second largest city in Romania, enter its bohemian atmosphere, and witness the animated occidental lifestyle.

The tour of Iasi starts at one of the most impressive buildings of the city, The Palace of Culture, where you will notice its flamboyant Neo-Gothic style and admire the beautiful Palas Garden, in the back. Next, the tour guide will take you on a walk along the main historical street of Iasi: Stefan the Great, dedicated to one of our most iconic historical figures.

The tour will end up on the University’s hill, and afterward, you will be transferred back to your hotel in the city center.

You will be picked up from your hotel by your guide and start the journey to the region of the UNESCO Painted Monasteries. They are some of the best-known historical sites in Romania and a must-too-see.

Your first stop of the day will be at Voronet Monastery, the most famous of the total of 7 Painted Monasteries, known as the Sistine Chapel of the East. Its western wall features the best-preserved Last Judgement fresco in Romania. The next monastery is Moldovita Monastery. Often called ’A Parchment in Red’, the exterior frescos imply colors, which are mainly yellow ochre combined with amazing hues of red, blue, and green.

Along with the ones at Voronet, Moldovita Monastery’s frescoes have best preserved their colors, which are astonishingly fresh and vivid. Sucevita Monastery is chronologically the last monastery to be decorated in this famous style as it has the appearance of a real fortress, with towers and walls, a true masterpiece for Romania’s patrimony. The church preserves the Moldavian Architectural Style that combines elements from Byzantine and Gothic art with various motifs of the old wooden churches built in the region. The dominant colors of the frescoes are purple, red, and blue. They appear against an emerald green background, defining an amazing chromatic effect.

In the evening you will be transferred to your boutique hotel in the nearby town.

You will leave the region of the Painted Monasteries and you will head to Neamt Citadel. Once, it was one of the mightiest fortifications of the Moldavian medieval state, and then it remained in ruins for hundreds of years. Since 2015, Neamt Citadel has been restored and included as a historical monument of Neamt County.

The next stop of the day is at Agapia Monastery, one of the biggest nun communities in Romania. The interior of the church is decorated with frescoes painted by Nicolae Grigorescu, one of the founders of modern Romanian painting. He painted the church at a young age, and despite this, it is a true masterpiece.

Close to the monastery is Popa Musem. Over the years has become an exhibition and creative space, established by the popular creator Neculai Popa, but also a tourist destination for numerous visitors. Here you can admire, in addition to the naive sculpture works created by Neculai Popa or the masks sewn by his wife Elena Popa, an exhibition of Romanian naive paintings and a private collection - accessible to the public (ethnography, archaeology, numismatics, religious objects).

Sturdza Castle is one of the few Neo-gothic monuments in the region, built between 1880 and 1904 by George and Maria Sturdza. It is located in a verdant botanical garden, with exotic species such as Ginko Biloba and many more. The whole interior of the castle was painted by Maria, and nowadays the ceilings and some of the walls keep the original decorations.

The castle is under renovation and can be visited inside only during the weekends. From Monday to Friday we visit the garden and the nearby monastery.

After the castle, we will reach back to Iasi.

Today we cross the border into our neighboring and sister country, the Republic of Moldova.

On our itinerary is Cricova Winery, situated at a depth of 50-80 meters, representing a real underground city! The Moldavian cellars where Vladimir Putin keeps his wine are so big you need to drive through them. With a length of more than 120km (70miles), Cricova owns the title of the largest winery in the country.

In this unique underground city, you will have the opportunity to discover the steps to wine tasting and try a selection of a great range of Moldovan wines.

The main attraction of the day is the capital city of the country, Chisinau. Known as the ‘City of White Stone’, it does not stop to impress through its massive socialist architecture that perfectly blends with modern buildings and monuments.

During the city tour, you will visit the most iconic sites of the city, such as the Parliament and the Presidential House, together with the City hall designed by the famous Russian architect Alexander Bernadazzi.

After the city tour, we will check in and spend the night in Chisinau.

We will start the day with an early drive to the Old Orhei Complex, located in a rocky gorge surrounded by the Raut river. The place represents one of the most famous and probably oldest settlements in the country.

The highlight of the day is the nearby, a place where ancient traditions have been kept alive for hundreds of years. We will visit the household from the 1900s where the host will delight us with some of the best traditional Moldovan dishes you will ever taste.

After lunch and the best Moldovan complimentary drinks, we will head back to Iasi. In the afternoon we will reach Iasi and we will check in at the hotel.

After breakfast and check-out, you will be transferred to the airport.