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Ffestiniog Travel · Escorted tour

Moldova & Eastern Romania

Escorted rail journey through Moldova and Romania's painted monasteries and wineries

Illustration of Moldova & Eastern Romania

Ffestiniog Travel's 11-day escorted tour explores Moldova and eastern Romania, two regions rarely seen by British travellers. The journey begins in Iaşi, crosses into Moldova for winery visits and village monastery exploration, then returns to Romania for stays among the painted monasteries of Bucovina. A tour leader from London accompanies the entire group; a local Romanian guide joins in Moldova and Romania. The route combines coach travel, rail journeys (including the narrow-gauge Moldovita steam railway and a cross-border train where bogies are changed from Russian broad gauge to European standard gauge at the frontier), and stays in city hotels and village guest houses. Days feature winery visits with included tastings and lunches, visits to cave and cliff-top monasteries, a chartered vintage tram tour of Iaşi's system, and drives through river valleys and mountain scenery. Groups are small, capped at 12, and most meals and all monastery admissions are included.

What to know before you look closer

  • Only one departure is scheduled (September 2027); confirm availability before planning.
  • The from-price is set at the lowest tier; Ffestiniog Travel typically offers accommodation options (hotels in cities, guest houses or homestays elsewhere), so the final hotel and room standard may vary.

Day by day

  1. Day 1overnight: Iaşi

    Flight to Iaşi, Romania

    Early flight from London via Vienna for a mid-afternoon arrival in Iaşi for an overnight stay in a centrally located hotel.

  2. Day 2overnight: Chişinau

    Chişinau

    A short drive brings us to the Moldovan border from where we continue through pleasant scenery to Chişinau, Moldova’s capital city, for a 2-night stay. There will be time to explore this charming city with its surprising number of parks and other green spaces.

  3. Day 3railovernight: Chişinau

    Mimi Castle & Winery

    Taking the train to Bulboaca, we visit a winery and elegant chateau to enjoy wine tasting, lunch (all included) and time to look around the beautiful surroundings. Return to Chişinau by train.

  4. Day 4overnight: Butuceni

    Cricova & Butuceni

    Our first visit today is the nearby Cricova winery for an underground tour of its vast complex where wine is produced on an industrial scale and underground transport is by ‘golf cart’. Wine tasting and lunch are again included. We continue to the remote village of Butuceni, nestling deep in a river valley and dominated by its tiny monastery on a cliff top. There will be time to visit its underground chapel which opens onto the cliff face. 2-night stay in the village with evening meals included.

  5. Day 5overnight: Butuceni

    Tipova

    Visit the village of Tipova where the River Dniester has carved a deep wide valley offering superb views across to Transdniester, the disputed breakaway part of Moldova still under Russian influence and where, of course, we don’t venture. We visit Eastern Europe’s largest cave monastery and lunch (included) is in the charming nearby riverside village of Lalova.

  6. Day 6railovernight: Iaşi

    Across the Border

    Return to Chişinau to enjoy a little free time before catching the late afternoon train to Romania. At the border, our train is lifted to replace the Russian broad gauge bogies with those for the European standard gauge. We reach Iaşi in late evening and transfer to our hotel for a 2-night stay.

  7. Day 7overnight: Iaşi

    Iaşi by Tram

    Iaşi is a tram enthusiast’s paradise. As well as modern trams, there are many older trams of the sixties and seventies from various German cities still in regular operation. We hire a vintage tram for the morning for a tour of the system. Afternoon at leisure for independent sightseeing as the city has much to offer.

  8. Day 8overnight: Moldovita

    Probota Painted Monastery

    Visit one of Bucovina’s famous painted churches at Probota, with lunch (included) in a village en route, before driving to the province of Bucovina and the village of Moldovita. Here we stay for the 2 nights on full board.

  9. Day 9railovernight: Moldovita

    Moldovita & Sucevita

    We ride the scenic Moldovita narrow gauge steam railway (a former forestry line), visit the Moldovita and Sucevita painted monasteries and enjoy a stunning drive through mountain scenery.

  10. Day 10railovernight: Iaşi

    Gura Humorului to Iaşi

    After a short visit to Voronet Painted Monastery and the regional market town of Gura Humorului, we catch the mid-afternoon train back to Iaşi, arriving early evening.

  11. Day 11

    Iaşi to London

    Transfer to the airport for the afternoon flight via Vienna to London, arriving mid-evening.

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 3Train to Bulboaca for wine tasting and lunch at Mimi Castle winery, returning by rail to Chişinau.
  • Day 5Visit to Eastern Europe's largest cave monastery at Tipova, overlooking the River Dniester valley and Transdniester beyond.
  • Day 6Late afternoon train from Chişinau to Iaşi with a bogie change at the border, replacing Russian broad-gauge bogies with European standard-gauge bogies.
  • Day 7Morning charter of a vintage tram for a tour of Iaşi's tram system, which includes older trams from German cities still in regular service.
  • Day 9Ride the Moldovita narrow-gauge steam railway, a former forestry line, and visit the painted monasteries of Moldovita and Sucevita.

Included

  • Flights in Economy Class by scheduled airline
  • Rail travel as specified
  • Other travel by private mini-coach
  • Hotel accommodation in Chişinau and Iaşi
  • Other accommodation in good quality guest house or family homestay with en-suite facilities
  • All breakfasts, 4 lunches and 4 evening meals
  • Admissions to wineries with wine tasting and Painted Monasteries
  • Airport and other transfers
  • Services of a tour leader from London and throughout the tour plus local professional Romanian guide within Moldova and Romania
  • All local taxes/fees
  • All gratuities

Questions travellers ask

Is the train travel included?
Yes. Rail travel as specified is included, such as the Chişinau-Bulboaca wine-estate journey, the cross-border train with bogie change, the vintage tram charter in Iaşi, and the Moldovita narrow-gauge steam railway.
Is this an escorted tour?
Yes. Ffestiniog Travel provides a tour leader from London throughout the trip, plus a local professional Romanian guide within Moldova and Romania. Groups are capped at 12 travellers.
Which flights are included?
Scheduled economy-class flights London-Iaşi-London via Vienna are included, with early departure and mid-afternoon return.
What meals are included?
All breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 4 evening meals are included. In Moldovita (days 8-9), accommodation is on full board. Other meals are at the traveller's expense.
What is the accommodation?
Hotels (Grand Hotel Traian in Iaşi, Hotel Manhattan in Chişinau) for cities; good-quality guest houses or family homestays with en-suite facilities for villages (Butuceni, Moldovita).
How much walking is involved?
The tour includes city walks in Iaşi and village exploration, plus visits to monasteries on foot, but no hikes or mountaineering.

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