{"id":39950,"date":"2023-03-23T17:23:44","date_gmt":"2023-03-23T15:23:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/?post_type=country&p=39950"},"modified":"2024-09-09T11:41:04","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T09:41:04","slug":"moldova","status":"publish","type":"country","link":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/country\/moldova\/","title":{"rendered":"Moldova"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Moldova is one of the least visited countries in Europe, a tiny, former Soviet country filled with loads of surprises and unusual places to visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For all the practical information and things to do, don\u2019t forget to check my Moldova Travel Guide<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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need to know for traveling in Moldova<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Quick facts<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Capital:<\/strong> Chisinau<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Population:<\/strong> 2.6 million (138th)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language:<\/strong> Moldovan, which is like Romanian, a Romanic language. Russian is widely spoken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Area<\/strong>: 33,851km\u00b2 (135th largest country)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Visa<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Up to 103 nationalities, including all high-GPD countries (see the full list here<\/a><\/strong>) can get a free visa on arrival valid for 90 days within a 180-day period.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Getting in<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Chisinau has the main international airport, but you can easily travel overland from Ukraine and Romania.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Travel Insurance<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

IATI Insurance<\/a><\/strong> is the most versatile insurance for any destination, including Moldova<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GET A QUOTE<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Best time to visit<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Harvest season, from mid-September to mid-October should be the best time, as wine is a big deal in Moldova and one of the highlights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spring should be great too, as the weather is pleasant and the countryside becomes colorful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summer is high season, but most of Moldova has a continental climate, so it can get overwhelmingly hot, while winter is freezing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Money<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The official currency is Moldovan Leu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 USD = 18 MDL<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find ATMs and pay by card in many cities, but not in rural areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Budget: <\/strong>starting at $35 a day for budget backpackers. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The unrecognized country of Transnistria<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Moldova<\/picture><\/figure>
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Transnistria is a breakaway territory that legally belongs to Moldova. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a Russian-speaking and Soviet-nostalgic, unrecognized territory for which a separate visa is required, they use a different currency and basically, it acts like an independent country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read my Transnistria travel guide<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Top experiences in Moldova<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Wander around the ghost country of Transnistria<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A country within Moldova which was never recognized by the UN. Read my Transnistria travel guide<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Drink wine<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moldovan is a wine country and, as well as visiting all the wine bars in Chisinau, you must see how villagers produce it in the traditional way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Spend one night in a Moldovan village<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moldova is by far, the most traditional country in Europe, a country filled with timeless and super authentic villages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Discover the Soviet Heritage of Chisinau<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loads of concrete and Soviet architecture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Check our 12-day Moldova itinerary<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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tips for Moldova<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Accommodation<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

There are hotels and hostels all across the country for all pockets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FIND YOUR HOTEL HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Activities<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

From Chisinau, there are endless activities, day trips and excursions that you can easily book with just one click. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LEARN MORE<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Transportation<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Marshrutka is the way to go, as distances aren\u2019t particularly long and you just get so many options all day long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a train line in Moldova but it is not that convenient unless you are traveling to places outside of Moldova, like Odessa or Bucharest. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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ALL MY ARTICLES ON MOLDOVA<\/h3>\n\n\n","protected":false},"featured_media":40862,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39950","country","type-country","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country\/39950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/country"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}