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Keep Calm and Cabernet On: Wine Tasting Adventures in Moldova

5 days

Easy

In five glorious days, you’ll sip, feast, explore a “country that doesn’t exist” and discover why Moldova might be Europe’s most underrated, overpoured and gloriously tipsy secret.

Forget Paris. Skip Rome. Say “no thanks” to Venice gondolas. This autumn we’re taking you to Moldova – Europe’s least visited country, which is code for: no crowds, no rip-offs, just lots of wine and weird fun. This isn’t just a trip. It’s a time-warp adventure through rolling vineyards, Soviet-era curiosities, hearty food, and bars where the beer is cheaper than water.


Why Moldova?

  • Hidden Gem: The least visited country in Europe. You’ll basically have the place to yourself.
  • Wine Wonderland: Underground cellars so massive you need a car to tour them.
  • Soviet Nostalgia: Explore Transnistria, a country that technically doesn’t exist but takes its Lenin statues very seriously.
  • Affordable Luxury: Fancy wine, beer, and food at “is this a typo?” prices.
  • Authentic Adventure: No busloads of tourists, no boring itineraries – just raw, real, ridiculously fun Moldova.

Tour Highlights

  • Chisinau: Moldova’s capital is a mash-up of Soviet blocks, leafy boulevards and hip bars serving Europe’s cheapest craft beer.
  • Wine Country: Award-winning vineyards that don’t bother with pretension – they just pour generously.
  • Pridnestrovie: A living Soviet museum where time froze in 1985 but the brandy is timeless.
  • Cuisine: Pies (plăcinte), polenta (mămăligă) and enough carbs to make your jeans regret coming along.
  • Hidden Gems: Abandoned brutalist hotels and babushkas who will not take “no” for an answer when offering homemade moonshine.
What's included?

    • Accommodation (central hotels – no Soviet bunk beds, we promise!)

    • Transport (because 200km of wine tunnels is too far to walk)

    • Breakfasts (fuel for tippling)

    • All tastings (wine, beer, spirits – basically hydration)

    • Local & Western guides (one to explain, one to translate your drunken mumbles)

    • Free bottle of Moldovan wine per person per day!

    Exclusions

      • Flights (sadly, Tipple Tours hasn’t invented teleportation…yet)

      • Extra meals & drinks (though with Moldovan prices, you’ll barely notice)

      • Insurance (for both your trip and your dignity)

      • Liver transplant (please consult your doctor or your bartender)

      • Regret management (we provide the fun, you provide the bad decisions)

      • Bail money (Pridnestrovie takes karaoke very seriously)

      Please note
        • Between the pies, polenta and wine tastings, your trousers might give up by Day 2.
        • Forget your diet, your detox plan and your sense of moderation. Moldova doesn’t recognize them.
        • Be ready to explain to your friends where Moldova is, at least 12 times, before and after the trip.
        • Pridnestrovie is on the itinerary. No, your friends won’t believe you when you tell them you visited a country that doesn’t exist.
        • Babushkas will try to adopt you. Resistance is pointless. Accept the pies.
        • Bring curiosity, an adventurous liver and a sense of humour. Everything else we’ve got covered.
        • Come ready to explain to airport customs why you’re returning with a suitcase full of wine.
        What to bring
          • Warm Clothes: Chilly evenings as wine only warms the soul not your toes.
          • Swimwear: You never know when a wine fountain or Soviet-era lake might appear.
          • Sunscreen: Moldova’s sun doesn’t care that you’re only here for the booze.
          • Comfortable Shoes: Those wine cellars are longer than some subway systems.
          • Elastic Waistbands: The pies are not optional.
          • An Extra Suitcase: Those bottles of Moldovan wine aren’t going to smuggle themselves home.
          • Earplugs: In case your roommate takes karaoke night a little too seriously.
          • A sense of humour: Mandatory for Soviet theme parks and surprise babushka encounters.