Moldova

OFICIAL NAME

Republic of Moldova

CAPITAL

Chisinau (Kishinev). Population 750,000

GEOGRAPHY

Moldova is a small landlocked state in southeastern Europe – one of the most highly populated republics of the former USSR. Area - 33,845 sq km, population 4.4 mln. To the north, east and south Moldova, is bound by Ukraine; to the west by Romania. The River Prut constitutes the border with Romania. The country has rich pastures and wooded slopes, ideal for wine-growing.

CLIMATE

Moderate continental. Warm summers (+23 C to  +33 C) and moderate winter (-10 C to +5 С). 

TIME

GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

GOVERNMENT

Republic. President - Vladimir Voronin (since 4 April 2001), Prime Minister - Vasilie Tarlev (since 15 April 2001),  Parliament - 101 members (next election to be held NA 2005).

POPULATION

4 431 570 (July 2001). Moldovan/Romanian - 64.5%, Ukrainian - 13.8%, Russian - 13%, Gagauz - 3.5%, Jewish - 1.5%, Bulgarian - 2%.

LANGUAGE

Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language), Russian (official), Gagauz (a Turkish dialect).

RELIGION

Eastern Orthodox - 98 %.

MONEY

The moldovan leu, 1 leu=100 bani. Banknote 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 lei, coins - 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 bani.

There are a lot of exchange offices ("Casa de schimb valutar"). No commission.

Travelers' checks and credit cards are accepted, preferential Visa and Master Card. American Express - in few places.  Sometimes additional fee is collected for credit card usage (2-4%). In Chisinau there are enough 24-hours working bankomates. 

BANKS

Business hours from 9.00 to 12.00 and 13.00 to 18.00. Holidays - Saturday and Sunday. In big commercial centers banks branches are working without holidays.

COMMUNICATIONS

Country code for Moldova - 373, Chisinau - 2. To call abroad - 00. Mobile telephone - GSM 900 networks in use. Roaming agreements in operation. Coverage extends over the central area of the country. Network operators include Voxtel and Moldcell.   Internet - more than 10 providers, many internet-cafe.

SHOPS

Business hours from 08.00 to 19.00, holiday - Sunday. In Chisinau there are many big commercial centers working without holidays till 20.00. There are some 24-hours shops.

CUISINE

Moldova has highly nutritive food consisting of a wide range of fruits and vegetables and different types of herbs and spices. Vegetables are boiled, baked, or stewed, but rarely fried. Many dishes are made from pickled and canned vegetables and fruits such as green and red peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, plums, apples, and watermelons. Many of the main course dishes, both meat and fish are cooked on a gridiron over charcoal. 

Polenta or "Mamalyga" is widely eaten in Moldova and it is the national (traditional) dish. Mamalyga is eaten with salted fish, sheep's cheese, with milk or sour cream.

Typical is "Zama" - chicken soup with noodles.

Very popular are "Sarmale" - rise with meat in cabbage or grape leaves. 

Another national pastries are "Placinte" (palatinate or pies) with curd cheese, pumpkin, potatoes, and with apples.

An excellent desert is nuts in plumps with cream.

Moldovan traditional beverage is wine. Practically all people in country area made wine (sometimes 2-3 tons). Also are very popular local juices of very high quality (especially apple juices).

VISA

Most travelers to Moldova (except CIS citizens and Romanians) require a visa. Also everyone except US, Canadian, Israeli and EU-member citizens require an invitation or proof of pre-booked accommodation from a company or organization. Visitors can get a visa at the Moldovan embassies or consulates or directly at the airport in Chisinau and at such border crossing points with Romania as: Leuseni, Cahul or Sculeni, but not at the border with Ukraine. With this country Moldova doesn't have necessary agreements and if travelers have to cross the border from Ukrainian side then they need to get a visa from Kiev or Minsk Moldovan representation. Visitors that need also an invitation have to make the arrangements that the invitation to be present at the crossing border point. Visitors that intend to come by train need to get ahead their visas.

There are two types of invitation:
1. Private - for personal (friends or relatives) invitation
2. Business - that need official business invitations ($ 8)

Visa costs are the following:
1. Simple, travel and business visas:
· For one visit (one month) - 60 USD
· For two visits (one month) - 75 USD
· For many visits (one month) - 105 USD
· For many visits (two months) - 150 USD
· For many visits (three months) - 180 USD
· For many visits (six months) with permanents residency up till 90 days - 240 USD
· For many visits (twelve months) with permanent residency up till 90 days - 300 USD
2. Transit visas:
· Simple transit visas - 30 USD
· Double transit visas - 60 USD

CUSTOMS

Import of any currency in Moldova is free, but for sum more than $5000 is neccessary to declare. Export of currency is limited to $5000. 

Export up to 2 liters of dry wine or 1 liter of alcohol.

Customer declaration filled at the entrance in Moldova is strongly recommended to keep until departure.

HEALTH CARE

A number of large medical institutions operate in Chisinau, including the Republican Clinical Hospital. Elderly travellers and those with existing health problems may be at risk owing to inadequate medical facilities. There is a reciprocal health agreement with the UK for urgent medical treatment. Otherwise, all services and prescriptions are charged for and doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment; medical insurance is strongly recommended.

TRANSPORTATION

One can get to Moldova by airplane, bus, train, and car. International flights to Moldova use Chisinau airport. The direct flights into Moldova are from Amsterdam, Athens, Bucharest, Budapest, Istanbul, Moscow, Prague, Paris, Rome Tel-Aviv and Vienna. An option is to fly to Bucharest and then take a bus or train to Chisinau. Buses can also be taken from Suceava in Romania to Chisinau. Trains from Bucharest are the most economical.
The only major airport in Moldova is located in the city of Chisinau, which was reconstructed and modernized. Airlines fly regularly to Chisinau - Air Moldova, Moldavian Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Tarom, Turkish Airlines. There are no internal flights in Moldova.
The roads in Moldova are in good condition. The road infrastructure is fairly well developed and main roads correspond to the European Standards. On national and international roads the maximum speed limit is 90 km/h. In built-up areas the maximum speed limit is 60 km/h. Buses are available to Romania, Russia and Ukraine. The bus routes connect about 90% of the cities, towns and villages of Moldova.
By train you can get also to other big cities such as Bucharest, Sofia, Moscow, Odessa. Train fares are inexpensive. Railway assures major cargo transport and there are connections with the most important seaports from the region - Constanta (Romania) and Odessa (Ukraine).
Other form of transportation popular for short tours is by the boat on rivers and lakes.
Public transportation in Chisinau consists of buses (1 lei fare), trolley buses (0.75 Lei) and route microbuses (2 lei). Most of them run from 6 am to 11pm. Taxis are available all day long and could be ordered by phone. It is wise to ask for the fare in advance. Taxi companies are mainly with non-English speaking drivers, but all you need is to tell them the address (the price should not exceed 25-30 lei through the city). The rate is 1,5-2 lei per 1km.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

• Jan 1 - New Year’s Day
• Jan 7-8 - Moldovan Christmas
• Mar 8 - International Women’s Day
• May 1 - Labour Day
• May 9 - Victory and Commemoration Day
• Aug 27 - Independence Day
• Aug 31 - Limba Noastra (National Language Day)

Easter is celebrated in accordance with the Orthodox Church calendar and varies from year to year. Monday after Easter is also a holiday

SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS

In spite of economic and political problems, there are many interesting places in Moldova. There are still can be found ancient culture places, bronze and iron period monuments. Travelers named it "The Museum under the Open Sky". Centuries that past left here numerous natural, archaeological, historical, architectural monuments. Moldova is poetically called "the blossoming orchard". Orchards and vineyards occupy more than half a million hectares.
There were estimated for about 1400 densely located tourist objectives. The main attractions of Moldova include wine tours, historical sites, architectural monuments and natural sites. This is a unique country with its beauty, traditions and legends even though.
Many of Moldova's attractions are in the countryside - a composite of green rolling hills, rich river valleys, picturesque roadside wells, whitewashed villages and fruitful orchards and vineyards.

Interesting places to visit are the historical places located on the banks of the rivers (with steep mountainous banks) were scientists have found the remains of medieval towns and cave monasteries (10th century). There are 30 Orthodox monasteries (some of them date from 15th century), wood churches. Other interesting historical places are natural and rock ancient and medieval fortresses.

There are more than 40 parks in Moldova (old arrangements of different tree species, exotic plants, lakes around the noblemen's houses) from which 20 are in good repair. The biggest park is Tzaul (46 ha). Natural Reservations offer quite and beautiful places. There are more than 385 such protected zones. Within these the most interesting are caves and coral formations (toltry). In five caves there were found remainders of a civilization existing here 50000 years ago. The biggest cave called "Cinderella" (or Emil Racovitza) is located in the northern part of the country. The cave is 89 km in length and is the third longest gypsum cave. It was named so because of its underground beauty. Also in the northern part of Moldova near the Rudi village the scientists found more than 250 archeological monuments, one of which is an antique town Methonium, known by Herodot, a Greek ancient philosopher.
Naturally beautiful and interesting places are the oak old forests or Codrii. The oldest oak tree is more than 600 years old.
The biggest animal that ever lived on this territory is "Denoterium" a breed of what is known as Elephant. Animal's skillet is now preserved in the ethnographic museum and by size is considered to be the second biggest in Europe.

Among the most interesting tours are wineries visits. The most popular of them are situated in the center of the country around capital city such as: Cricova, Cojusna, Milestii Mici, and others. In all of them you get to taste different types of wine and hear about history of this old Moldovan tradition.

There are 18 health resorts in Moldova one of that uses a unique method of healing with wines. This method is applied to the people, which have been exposed to radiation. The health resorts are also using mineral waters or springs (that are more than 21 in Moldova), which are rich in different mineral components.
Beautiful architectural monuments can be seen in cities and towns. In the north among interesting places Baltsy(also called Northern capital) - can be seen enormous Lenin mural, the bell tower of Nikolayevsy Cathedral, which was leveled by Stalin and rebuilt in 1994, the university, and the state theatre. In the center the most important place to visit is capital city - Chisinau. This city, almost completely rebuilt after World War II, is located on the Bik River and is surrounded by the rolling hills of the Kodry Mountains. Many of Chisinau's architectural sites can be seen along the main street - the Boulevard Stefan the Great (Stefan cel Mare). For example, Victory Arch and the bell tower for the Cathedral of Nativity. Other things to do in Chisinau include theme walks. Stefan the Great Park is a writer walk lined with statues and bust of Romanian and Moldovan authors. There are also Museums of History and Archaeology, Museum of Nature and Ethnography as well as theatres and Botanical Gardens. One of the other towns that attract tourists is Soroca, located on the Ukrainian border; this city hosts a well-preserved, medieval fortress. Also, there is Tighina, being Moldova's oldest settlement; there is evidence of human habitation in the second century BC. Additionally the city of Tiraspol is located on the Dniester River is attractive to tourists because it is a living museum of soviet culture. Finally Cricova has the world's largest wine cellar that has more than 81 miles of tunnels.

Tours
Some of the places or tours proposed for visit:

Chisinau - capital city (2-3 hours excursion) It is the capital of Republic of Moldova: the political, economic, cultural and urban center. This year the city has celebrated its 565 anniversary. It is a green city and white stone city with a population of 752,5 thousand people. Chisinau is located on seven hills and although it was burnt five times it always revives because it is said that a town located on seven hills will live forever (like Rome). Chisinau has its unique architecture and history, museums and theatres. The city is poetically called "a flower of stone that is washed upon the soft and sunny rain". This is the first place visited by all the tourists and visitors of Moldova.

Orheiul Vechi - natural and historical complex (46 km north of Chisinau, 45 minutes drive; 3-4 hours excursion; an optional dinner at a peasant household ($4 per person) You will get a chance to visit a historical museum under the open sky. It is an ancient settlement (from Paleolithic epoch) on the steep banks of the river Raut. This is a remote spot that draws most visitors. It was inhabited up until 18th century. Two medieval cities were located here, one of which was a Golden Horde town. The complex includes Geto-Dacian Fortress (8 - 3 cent. BC); the monastery carved in a cliff; the Palace of the chief magistrate of the Orhei district; the stone bathing houses from the 15th century, the ground fortifications of the medieval city, the peasant household museum of 18th century, and others.

Cricova Winery - underground wine town (13 km north of Chisinau, 15 min drive, 3-4 hours tour) Cricova winery is an underground cellar with streets, passages and rooms stretching for more than 60 km like a labyrinth (the longest underground tunnels (130km) in the world). Every tunnel is like a city street bearing the name of a kind of wine that is produced there such as: str. Cabernet, str. Pinot. This is the oldest wine enterprise where are preserved and aged more than 648 types of wines. Due to its placement and the limestone rock, the temperature is constant all year round and stands at 12o-14o C and humidity of 97-98%. These are very favorable conditions for preserving and filtering wine. The Cricova winery has a fine collection of wines. There is one bottle dated from the beginning of the century that is worth $100,000. Its size and the quality of the wines impress many tourists who visit the winery. The whole enterprise is located under 60 miter thick layer of land in the limestone rock. You get to taste fine collection wines and even take some as a present.

Soroca Fortress - (174 km northeast of Chisinau, 2,5 hours drive; 7 hours total tour; a halt at a magnetic field "magic road" and an optional dinner at a local restaurant "Old Fortress".) This is a chance to look at one of the most ancient and well-preserved fortress on the bank on the river Dniester. Because of its unique architecture there is no similar fortress in Eastern Europe. Built here during the rule of Stefan the Great (15th century) it was a strong and important defensive point of medieval Moldova. Another interesting place to visit in Soroca is the Gypsy quarter with their rich palaces. The city itself has celebrated last year its 500 anniversary.

Capriana Monastery - (30 km northwest of Chisinau, 0,5 hour drive; 3-4 hour total tour). It is mentioned as one of the oldest monastery (15th century) in Moldova, reconstructed by Stefan the Great in 1470. The monks' monastery includes the complex of 3 churches, one of which was the most beautiful in Moldova. It was also one of the richest monasteries. Capriana monastery is a representative example of Orthodox Christian life of people during many centuries. Any other of 30 monasteries can be visited.

Transdnistrea, Tiraspol - (77 km southeast of Chisinau, 1-hour drive; 5 hours total tour). Tiraspol is the capital of self-declared autonomous state: the "Trans_Dnister Republic" This little sliver of land is one of the last places in the world that practices a pure Stalinist form of government. It is like stepping back in time to the years prior to perestroika and glasnost. You have a chance to feel yourself in that time.

Gagauzia, Comrat - (105 km south of Chisinau, 1,5 hours drive, 5-6 hours total tour). A tour to the southern Moldova where is concentrated the Gagauz autonomous territorial unit. Gagauz people (Christianized Turks) have their unique culture, character, language, traditions, aspiration, and its capital. You will have a chance to visit the only Gagauz University in the world. On the way to Gagauzia visitors stop at a little redbrick castle - a hunters house from 19th century whose owner was a legendary person with big influence in several rival countries.

Accommodation and meals
There are about 25 hotels and motels in Moldova offering from one to five star services. Many tourists prefer to rent an apartment because the low rent price. The hotel prices are similar to those in developed countries, but the quality of services doesn't correspond all the time to the international standards. Hotel prices could be 6 to 20 times higher than apartment rent ones but with less safety guarantee. Nevertheless many travelers enjoy their visits and some of them even would like to stay in the country for their whole life.
Restaurants are very numerous and vary. They offer all different countries meals (Indian, Latino-American, Georgian, Turkish, Jewish, Chinese, Moldovan, and many others). Also there are many pizza places and cafeterias as well as three McDonalds restaurants.