Chisinau City Tour with Cricova Wine Tunnels

Underground wine tunnels reached by electric train, with three tastings included.

A six-hour tour of Chisinau, Moldova's capital, combines a walking route through the city's Russian Empire and Romanian architecture with a descent into Cricova's subterranean wine complex. Your guide leads you through the underground streets, the maturing cellars, and the sparkling wine production section, ending in the National Oenotec tasting halls where you sample three wines with nuts and biscuits. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included. The guide speaks English or Russian.

Step-by-step itinerary

Chisinau city tour and Cricova winery visit

• Walk around Chisinau city
• Explore Chisinau architecture styles
• Visit Cricova underground streets
• See wine maturing section
• Tour sparkling wine production
• Taste 3 types of wines
• Enjoy nuts, biscuits, and water

The experience

Chisinau spreads across seven hills along the Bik River, and the tour starts with a walking introduction to the city's layered architecture: Russian Empire facades, Romanian-style buildings, Soviet-era structures, and modern additions that make the capital harder to pin down than its name. Your guide walks you through the streets and explains what makes this green city worth the visit, moving past the first impression of a typical post-Soviet capital to show you why people actually stay.

The core of the tour is Cricova's underground complex, a labyrinth of tunnels carved beneath the surface and known worldwide for its wines. You travel through the tunnels by small electric train, stopping at the underground streets, the maturing section where wines age in the cool dark, and the sparkling wine production area. The National Oenotec, the national wine collection, is where the tastings happen: you sample three wines paired with nuts, biscuits and water.

The tour runs six hours total with hotel pickup and drop-off from selected hotels. An air-conditioned vehicle transports you between Chisinau and Cricova. The guide is a live professional who speaks English or Russian, and the minimum drinking age is 18.

What’s included

• Professional guide in English or Russian.
• three wine tastings with nuts, biscuits and water.
• electric train transport through the Cricova tunnels.
• access to the underground streets, maturing cellars, sparkling wine production section and the National Oenotec.
• air-conditioned vehicle.
• hotel pickup and drop-off from selected hotels.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (18 to 56 years) · Under 18: can't be booked

GroupUp to 4

Live guideEnglish and Russian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Hi Moldova DMC

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to see Chisinau's architecture and history in a single morning or afternoon, then spend the rest of the day underground exploring one of the world's largest wine complexes. The six-hour length fits a half-day itinerary when you have other plans in the city or the region.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Russian.

What exactly is Cricova and why is it called an underground city?

Cricova is a vast network of wine tunnels and cellars beneath the surface, with underground streets, production areas and storage sections that form a complete subterranean complex. It's known worldwide for its scale and its wines, and you travel through it by electric train rather than on foot.

How much of the tour is walking in Chisinau versus time in the Cricova tunnels?

The tour splits between a walking route through Chisinau's city center and the underground Cricova complex. The exact breakdown depends on the pace, but Cricova, the main event, takes up the larger portion of the six-hour day.

What do the wine tastings include, and will I need to buy anything extra?

Three wines are included in the tour, served with nuts, biscuits and water in the National Oenotec tasting halls. Souvenirs and lunch are not part of the package, so plan accordingly if you want to purchase bottles or eat a full meal.

Does the tour include hotel pickup, and which hotels are covered?

Hotel pickup and drop-off are included from selected hotels in Chisinau. Confirm your hotel is on the list when you book, as not all accommodations are covered.