Guided Tours in and around Chișinău
Advisory note, October 2026: The UK FCDO tells travellers to avoid all travel to Transnistria and has no warning for the rest of Moldova (GOV.UK ). In the US advisory, Moldova sits at Level 2 and Transnistria at Level 3 (travel.state.gov ). Russian drones from the war in Ukraine have entered Moldovan airspace, and flights into Chișinău have had short closures. Look at both advisories and your airline before you pay for anything.
How Tours Work Here
Most guided experiences in and around Chișinău are sold by the place itself: the winery, the museum or the reserve. Each one asks you to book ahead, and some set group sizes. This table shows who to contact for each.
| Experience | Notice | Booking route |
|---|---|---|
| Cricova, Mileștii Mici, Castel Mimi | Book ahead | The winery directly |
| National Museum of History guide | 24 hours | Museum phone line |
| Orheiul Vechi foreign-language guide | A day ahead | Reserve contact number |
| Tip-based city walks | Reserve on the platform | Booking platform |
Winery Tours
All three big wine estates keep to guided visits, and the lengths and prices differ.
- Cricova lists six tours, from the 70-minute Underground City tour at 400 MDL through Business at 700, Expert at 950, Național at 1,300 and Premium at 2,000 to the four-hour V.I.P. tour at 3,100 MDL. Souvenir bottles add 250 MDL. Partner booking pages show weekday and weekend rates, and list guiding in Romanian, Russian, English and French. Reserve through cricova.md .
- Mileștii Mici offers a 50-minute Winery Tour at 350 MDL, a 90-minute “Hai, Noroc!” session at 800 MDL with three wines and a two-hour “Univers” session at 1,200 MDL with five. Longer menus climb to about 2,200 MDL. The winery does not include a transfer in its prices, so arrange one yourself. The cellar is in the Guinness World Records book for its more than 1.5 million bottles stored along 55 km of galleries. Details are at milestii-mici.md .
- Castel Mimi is open daily. Its tours run from 1 h 10 (Family, about 400 MDL) to 2 h 30 (Fusion, 1,350 MDL on weekdays and 1,450 on weekends). Children aged 0 to 12 pay 180 MDL and teenagers 13 to 17 pay 280 MDL.
Museum Guiding
The National Museum of History arranges guided tours for groups of 5 to 30 people. A Romanian-language tour costs 150 MDL for adults and 100 MDL for reduced tickets, while a foreign-language tour costs 300 MDL and 200 MDL. Reservations need a full day’s notice, by phone on +373 22 24-04-26. The Ethnography and Natural History Museum gives guided tours to groups on request. Entry itself is 50 MDL at both museums, and both are closed on Mondays.
A Guide at Orheiul Vechi
The reserve, 55 km from the capital, charges 200 MDL per Romanian-language tour and 300 MDL per foreign-language tour. A tour takes about 1.5 hours and covers 1 to 10 visitors. English, Italian and French guides must be requested a day in advance on +373 676-11-711. Entry is 20 MDL on top. The reserve tourism page lists the current prices.
Free Walking Tours
GuruWalk and FreeTour.com both list walks in the capital, from several independent guides. They start at different places, including Ștefan cel Mare 81 or 93, the top of Columna street, the area by the National Opera and the lions outside the Organ Hall. Reserve on the platform, check the day’s start time and tip the guide at the end.
Jewish Heritage Guiding
Guided visits to the sites of the city’s Jewish past can be arranged through the Jewish Community of Moldova (jcm.md ) or with a private guide. The route passes memorials and a cemetery, so expect a quiet, respectful tone and dress accordingly.
City Tourist Trolleybus
The city has run a tourist trolleybus, with a reported fare of about 30 MDL. Season and price can change, so check visit.chisinau.md before planning around it. Ordinary buses and trolleybuses cost 7 MDL.
To compare organised city and cellar tours with transport included, search Viator .
Read more: Walking tours in Chișinău . A 2-day Moldova itinerary fits one guided outing and a day in town.