Tour to Old Orhei &Cave Monastery &Cricova cellar tour

Overview

Available languages

Russian

English

Romanian

Mobile ticket

Dear Guest,

This tour perfectly combines Moldova’s rich medieval history with its world-famous wine culture in one unforgettable day.

Begin your journey with a comfortable pickup from your location in Chișinău and travel to Cricova Wine Cellars, one of the largest underground wine cities in the world. Explore the impressive tunnels, learn about Moldova’s winemaking traditions, and enjoy a guided wine tasting in an elegant setting.

After the tasting, continue to Old Orhei, the most picturesque and historically significant place in Moldova. Visit the Old Orhei Archaeological Complex and the Medieval Town Museum, where ancient civilizations, dramatic limestone cliffs, and traditional rural life come together.

The experience concludes with time for lunch in Butuceni (lunch is optional and paid separately).

This tour is unique for its perfect balance of culture, history, nature, spirituality, and wine, all guided by local experts who bring Moldova’s stories to life.

Additional Info

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What To Expect

Old Orhei Archeological Complex

With great pleasure, we kindly suggest you a special weekend for acquaintance, appreciation, and tasting of the best Moldovan wines. During this visit, you will discover various wines’ flavors and wonderful traditional cuisine. Today we’ll visit one of the most picturesque sites of Moldova – the Cultural and Natural Reserve «Orheiul Vechi» (Cave Monastery Complex) — 55 km from Chisinau. Here you will see an Orthodox cave monastery called “St. Maria Dormata” expanded and modified inside the cliffs by the monks over the centuries ago and preserved in a functional state. After the excursion, we’ll have lunch with a folk program at the Moldovan family pension located in the neighboring village.

1 hour • Admission Included

Butuceni

The large territory of Old Orhei is filled with historical and archeological sites that are possible to explore. Visitors passionate about medieval architecture and history have an opportunity to see ruins and elements of buildings, holy places, and citadels discovered after archaeological excavations. These medieval historical sites include the Medieval Citadel, The Tatar Bath, The Monastery of the Birth of Virgin Mary, the Mosque and Caravanserai. In addition, the Old Orhei archeological complex includes ruins and historical sites belonging to different historical periods and traditions.

1 hour • Admission Not Applicable

What‘s Included

Bottled water

guide

Snacks

Air-conditioned vehicle

Cricova cellar wine tasting

Lunch

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Options

Old Orhei Cricova tasting

Duration: 7 hours
wine tasting: Historic Wonders & Wine: Old Orhei, Cave Monastery & Cricova Cellar Tasting Tour"
car or minivan
Pickup included

Old Orhei&Cricova (NO tasting)

Duration: 7 hours
Pickup included

Reviews

5.00

15 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Great tour!
Abby S,,Feb 3, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00
This was a great full day tour! It was the highlight of my trip to Chisinau and is a must do in my opinion. You are able to see beautiful places outside of the city! Our guide Ekaterina was incredibly kind and knowledgeable, making our tour both really fun and interesting!
Great Unique experience!
hussainj984,,Jan 30, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
It’s my first trip to a country that is in Eastern Europe, I was a bit hesitant, but with Marcel and Liliya, everything was great! Although the weather was not perfect, Marcel did his best to ensure we would have a great experience. He got us coffee, took us to a traditional Moldovan restaurant, and he did his best. Note that he is a great multilingual! He knows Russian, Romanian, English, Italian, and even a couple of Arabic words! I would definitely recommend such an experience
Great tour!
Maphhp51,,Jan 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Nice tour, nice places. Our guide Lilia was great. She showed us everything and explained every detail about the monasteries and Moldavia life. Recommended!!
Nice trip to Orhei
mariavQ315UV,,Apr 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The tour to Orhei is well organized. We had a good balance between toutist and local experience. The guides were helpful and responsive.
Personal and informative
V5814LPdavidr,,Apr 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Korina was an excellent and very knowledgeable guide with plenty of interesting facts as we drove and walked unhurried. Great choices for morning coffee and cake and lunch. Recommended.
Super personal and fun experience
maximbuz,,Apr 17, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The Trip was super fun and personal and we became friends quickly with the guide - he even invited us to go fishing. Perfect first day in Moldova, highly recommend!
Fantastic day trip with lots of background knowledge
Jens S,,Apr 17, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a wonderful day and learned a lot during the trip. Highly recommended and recommended.
Exceptional Day
Traicha J,,Jan 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Wonderful full day tour, Lily was a fabulous guide and we were looked after so well. We learned so much about Moldova. As it was Epiphany Lily took us to Curchi monestry to get some holy water and see the monestary. Then to Old Orhei monestry which is at a spectaclar location. Lily was an excellent driver and we had a fabulous day.
Great day in Moldova
joannalR5988DJ,,Nov 16, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The trip to Orhei Veci, Butuceni and Cricova was very good. We enjoyed it a lot. The guide, Liliya, guided us perfectly - she talked in an interesting and comprehensive way. I recommend the tour!
Traveling back in time…
saby23ro,,Oct 29, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
It was a very interesting experience with a lot informations. Our guide Liliya was amazing, she took pictures of us, she told us a lot of historical stories about the places and the people who lived there she was very kind with us.