Boutique hotels in Moldova

Moldova is a small country between Romania and Ukraine that has made wine for thousands of years. Its capital, Chișinău, is leafy and relaxed, and in the countryside you find vast underground cellars, limestone gorges with cave monasteries and villages where guesthouses serve home cooking.

Chișinău

The capital has Soviet-era boulevards, a triumphal arch, wide parks and a growing café scene. A few boutique hotels with spas and rooftop restaurants sit in the center.

The wine country

Cricova and Mileștii Mici are enormous underground cellar complexes, with tunnels that run for over a hundred kilometers, while Purcari and Castel Mimi are estates with on-site accommodation. Wine tasting here is relaxed and good value.

Countryside and old towns

Orheiul Vechi is a cliff-top archaeological landscape with a cave monastery above a river, with guesthouses in Butuceni village. Soroca has a round medieval fortress on the Dniester, and Țipova has a cave monastery in a limestone cliff.

Good to know

Prices are low and hospitality is warm, but boutique hotels are few outside the capital. Moldova's wine festival is held in early October. Check your government's official travel advice for the region near the border with Transnistria. The best months are May to June and September to October.