Old Orhei cooking class from Chisinau: Make placinte

Make placinte, then eat what you cooked

A half-day class from Chisinau to Old Orhei, an archaeological zone 60 km away among three villages on the Raut River, where you explore museums and a rocky church, then learn to cook traditional Moldovan placinte and eat your creation at lunch. The guide speaks English or Russian.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Old Orhei and cook placinte

• Travel from Chisinau to Old Orhei
• Explore archaeological and historical complex
• Visit museums and ancient rocky church
• Participate in traditional placinte cooking class
• Enjoy lunch with your placinte creation

The experience

How do you spend a morning in Moldova without just looking at old things? You go to Old Orhei, a quiet archaeological complex built into the landscape around the Raut River among the villages of Butuceni, Morovaia and Trebujeni, and you make lunch yourself. The first two hours are exploration: you walk through two modest museums and see the ancient rocky church that sits in the hillside, the kind of place that anchors a country's sense of how far back it goes. The setting is unusually still: no crowds, no noise, just the river and the villages built the way they were built centuries ago.

Then comes the master class. You learn to cook placinte, the traditional Moldovan pastry that appears at every table here, and you do the work yourself: rolling dough, filling it, folding it the way it's meant to be folded. This is not a demonstration you watch from a stool. You're at the counter making it, and when lunch arrives, what you eat is what your hands made. The guide speaks English or Russian, so the instructions are clear whether you're following in one language or the other.

The trip runs four to six hours total, with an air-conditioned vehicle picking you up in Chisinau and bringing you back. Lunch and all entry fees are included. Tips for the driver and guide are separate.

What’s included

• Lunch.
• air-conditioned vehicle with pickup from Chisinau.
• master class in cooking traditional Moldovan placinte.
• entry to the museums and archaeological sites.
• all fees and taxes.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to Saturday

AgesAdult (21 to 85 years) · Under 21: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Russian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 6 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortInfant seats availablePets welcomeNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Hi Moldova DMC

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English or Russian, so you can follow comfortably in whichever language you prefer. The class itself is hands-on cooking, not a walking tour, so it suits anyone who wants to learn by doing rather than by listening to history from a distance.

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Russian.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is Old Orhei and why is it worth the drive from Chisinau?

Old Orhei is an archaeological and historical complex 60 km from Chisinau, situated on the Raut River among three villages. It contains two museums, an ancient rocky church carved into the hillside, and represents Moldova's oldest cultural roots. The site is known for being exceptionally quiet, with impressive landscapes and traditional architecture that has survived centuries.

Do I actually cook the placinte myself, or watch someone else make them?

You cook them yourself during the master class. You work with the dough, fill and fold the pastries the way they're traditionally made, then eat what you've prepared at lunch. It's hands-on instruction, not a demonstration.

How much time do I spend actually exploring Old Orhei versus cooking?

The first two hours are spent exploring the museums and the ancient rocky church. After that, you move into the master class and lunch. The full experience runs between four and six hours depending on the pace.

What's included in the price, and what do I need to pay extra for?

Lunch, the master class, all entry fees and taxes, and the air-conditioned vehicle from Chisinau are included. Tips for the driver and guide are not included and are paid separately. Alcoholic beverages are not included.