Visit Romania (Iasi) - Moldova - Ukraine (Odessa)

On arrival at Iasi International Airport, you will be transferred to your accommodation in Iasi. After settling in, you can have a walk through downtown and explore the city centre on your own.

Chisinau is the main administrative, scientific and cultural centre of Moldova. During the tour, you will discover pieces of history and culture of the city such as the Nativity of Christ Cathedral, the Bell Tower, the Arch of Triumph, the Monument of Stephen the Great, etc.

After Chisinau city tour, you will be able to see the “millenary smile” of the nicest deinotherium of Moldova. You will find it at the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History, next to other famous archaeological treasures, carpets, national costumes and other valuable exhibits. The museum was built in 1905 in the oriental style, thus being a unique building of this kind in Moldova.

During the lunch at the restaurant, you will enjoy Moldovan traditional dishes.

You will continue your trip by exploring a new city, this time an underground city. During the excursion at Cricova winery in the more tourist train, at a depth of 80 m, you will discover the wonders of this place. Cricova underground galleries are formed by over seventy streets covering an area of nearly 120 km, each bearing Bacchic names: Sauvignon, Cabernet, Cahors. The jewel of the underground treasure is the National Collection, including over 600 types of wine totaling about 1 million bottles. Here you can admire the oldest bottle of wine - "Jewish Easter Wine", dating from 1902 and discover the tastes of Cricova wines.

The first stop of this day will be at Curchi Monastery. The monastery is surrounded by a high wall of stone, set with towers at each corner, creating the impression of a fortress. The Nativity of Virgin Mary Church built in 1775 by Iordache Curchi is an example of neo-byzantine style, while St. Nicholas Church has monumental forms built in classicism style with baroque elements.

Next, you will set off on a time travel to Orheiul Vechi (Old Orhei) to see a natural amphitheater revealing a territory which was first inhabited 40 000 years ago. The Cultural, Natural and Landscape Reserve Orheiul Vechi includes a series of historical and cultural monuments as well as natural landscapes in the gorge of the Raut River. Ancient fortifications, cave monasteries, monks and hermits – here you can follow the history of this region. The remnants of the first human settlements were found in the stone more caverns from here. On the rocky hill, you will find the ruins of a strong Geto-Dacian fortification, which acted as a sanctuary for celebrating religious holidays and rituals in this prehistoric community. The originality of Orheiul Vechi landscape is due to the gorge of the Raut River, dug under the form of a canyon in the limestone layers of the former Sarmatian Sea, about 14 million years ago.

You will have lunch at a guesthouse in Butuceni village where you will taste dishes from the local cuisine.

After a copious meal, you will visit Château Vartely winery in Orhei town. Château Vartely is a modern complex, which comprises 4 hotel-type houses, 2 restaurants, 3 tasting rooms, and a huge inner yard. In the cellars and then in tasting rooms you will be acquainted with the particularities of Château Vartely wines, you will learn how they are made, kept and served and you will have the opportunity to taste some of them.

This day is dedicated to wineries discovery! In the morning, you will visit Et Cetera family winery in and take part in the excursion and wine tasting carried out by the owner of the winery who will inform you about the methods of wine production and maturation. At Et Cetera winery, you will enjoy a lunch prepared from products of the region and Crocmaz village.

After lunch, the trip will continue to the French style Château Purcari winery in Purcari village. If you are a wine enthusiast or just love to be in beautiful, pristine surroundings and listening the songs of birds, Purcari estate is definitely the place you need to visit. The old mansion’s galleries feature great collections of Purcari wines, some bottles dating back to 1948. The winery is famous all over the world due to the legendary wine “Negru de Purcari” - the elixir that in 1878 was highly appreciated on the international more arena by being awarded the gold medal at Paris World Exhibition. In the tasting room, decorated in royal style, you will have the opportunity to taste Purcari wines including “Negru de Purcari” wine, which has been the choice of some of the world's most recognized dignitaries.

In the morning, you will discover Tighina Fortress located in Tighina town and built in the 15th century by the prince of Moldova, Stephen the Great. Originally built as a small wooden fort, it was later fortified in stone by the prince of Moldova, Petru Rares. Occupied by the Ottomans in 1538 (in a campaign lead by the sultan Suleiman the Magnificent), the fort was strengthened in 1541 and became the center of an Ottoman "raya" (in which were included the surrounding Moldavian villages). In the 18th century, the fort was strengthened by Moldovan craftsmen under the direct supervision of Dimitrie Cantemir. Tighina Fortress is an architectural ensemble of irregular quadrilateral plan, surrounded by wide walls, 2-3 meters thick, made of limestone and brick.

In the afternoon, you will have lunch at a local restaurant in Tiraspol.

After lunch, you will enjoy a city tour of Tiraspol and you more will discover Vladimir Lenin’s monument and the tank left from the Second World War. The city seems to be a vestige of the Soviet past. Nevertheless, you will be amazed by the contrasts, one of which is the football complex „Sheriff” - a pearl of contemporary architecture.

The journey will continue at Asconi winery founded in 1994 and located in Puhoi village. The winery achieved a lot due to modern wine making technologies. Nowadays at Asconi estate European varieties are grown, but special attention is paid to indigenous varieties such as Rara Neagra, Feteasca, etc. One of the features of Asconi winery is that they pick up the grapes mechanically at night when the grapes are still cold. During the excursion and wine tasting at the winery you will be able to discover the wonders of this place, whereas during dinner you will enjoy local cuisine dishes.

After dinner, you will be transferred to the hotel in Chisinau.

In the morning, you will depart to Odessa city, known as the pearl of the Black Sea.

Once arrived in Odessa, you will have lunch at a local restaurant where you will enjoy Ukrainian traditional dishes.

During the city tour you will discover the varied architecture of urban development which will allow you to take a journey through all the old epochs and styles. You will see such architectural pearls as the Opera and Ballet Theater, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, Potemkin Stairs, considered the city's flagship, the Seaside Boulevard and the De Ribas Street serving as a meeting place for locals and tourists. In addition, you will discover the Port of Odessa and its extraordinary history and see the statue of Duke De Richelieu, who was the Governor of the city.

On departure day, you will be transferred from the hotel to Odessa International Airport. If your flight is in the afternoon, you will have the option to explore Odessa for a while on your own in the morning.