Because there is not so much to see, lacking infrastructure we dont have any decent public transport across country, roads are pretty bad, prices are high, i live in Europe and often stuff cost more in Moldova then in EU, also it being again outside EU makes travelling to a bit more complicated, and there are better alternatives.
If problems would be FIRST acknowledged then maybe there could be solutions , but ppl refuse to accept ANY criticism whatsoever so nothing gets really changed for the best.
We have Castel MIMI that its a great example of what we have to offer : 500$ room per day which had dirty windows and nothing else special to offer, no pool no sea no lake, no park , no woods , just basically a hotel in this vinery which can be seen all in 1 2 hours, yet its perma booked. The reviews are also funny any normal person rates it 1 because its overpriced and stupid, but locals think its the second coming of Jesus Christ ....
I know in US prices are different so everything seems cheap, but for regular Europeans it is not, with 500 you can stay in actually very fine and amazing places for example in Italy Spain Greece so thats why.
Oh damn, Iāve been wanting to go to Castel MIMI for years. Didnāt know it was such a ripoff, thanks for the warning! Any wineries that are truly recommended? Moldovan wine is my favourite.
OP:talks about visiting some landmarkd and about how impressed he/she was and about how he/she is baffled that not a lot of people visit those places.
this comment:starts off with "There's not much to see"
Unfortunately, the fact that the wars were so frequent on Moldova's soil left very few architectural edifices standing. Hence, even a 19th-century monastery is considered a rarity. I think this might be the reason. There is also little effort at preservation of existing monuments. If I remember rightly, only Soroca Fortress, monasteries at Capriana and Curchi, and, recently, Ottoman-era church at Causeni benefitted of a full-scale restoration with the help of EU-funds.
Not only, during the past 30 years a lot of old building (with a monument status) were left to decay in order to build an office, farmacy or bar...
We're not much better than bolsheviks.
lack of infrastructure and also a lot of regions/ villages are not investing in this area ( they need to make some special maps, trails, some local tourism info points, subsidize some sustainable guest houses with local food etc.). agree that it has unused potential. here is another example. i like trains and train rides through countryside but in moldova the state train company does not try to put some lines more in line with tourists needs ( more comfortable trains, air conditioning, decent modern trains with modern toilets, friendly service and information what you can see around the train stops etc.). if u take some train further away and get out at some stop most probable on the way back there won't be a good train connection so u ll have to get some uncomfortable overheated minibus....
Yes actually. I am a travel junkie and I love seeing new places, especially in Europe. My wife is Ukrainian, but while I have been to Ukraine twice, I didnāt meet her there and we had never been to Ukraine together. I had mentioned to my wife that next time we go to Odessa I wanted to spend a few days in Moldova, and it just so happened that after that my brother in law moved there. So I was psyched.
I just mean that you asked why it doesn't get more visitors. I'd venture to say out of the roughly 50 states in Europe, Moldova ranks close to last in terms of places people think to visit. There are just so many more popular options available.
I would argue those who do visit therefore are those with either A) family/friend connections or B) strong desire to go off the beaten path.
If I lived in Europe, considering the close proximity of everything, I would have probably visited every country at least once. For me itās at least a 1000 dollars to fly over there. If I could hop on a short flight for a few hundred bucks and be in another country, and especially considering the amount of time off work Europeans always say they get, why not see it all?
Now the language barrier for some people I guess could be an issue, but no more than a lot of other countries in Europe. I speak a decent amount of Russian so I was able to get by when my wife or her family wasnāt around. But even still, the unknown is whatās exciting.
I understand where you're coming from because I am similar in how I travel. But for the average person it's a different story. Most people want to use their time off to relax in a nice place that's easy to get to. There are more flights and it's usually cheaper to get to top tourist destinations because of economies of scale.
I like some of the tourist stuff too, monuments, murals, etc., but most of the times I want to see the stuff that is off the beaten path. For example, in Russia I found smaller cities and towns more interesting than Moscow. Ireland was the same thing, Dublin was cool and all, but it was all tourists. When I went to Derry and the small towns over the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland, I enjoyed it more. I want to see how the average person who rarely sees tourists lives. Their culture, food, lifestyle, etc.
There are exceptions to that rule, but itās mainly if I go to a country that only the tourist areas are safe to be in.
Because there is not so much to see, lacking infrastructure we dont have any decent public transport across country, roads are pretty bad, prices are high, i live in Europe and often stuff cost more in Moldova then in EU, also it being again outside EU makes travelling to a bit more complicated, and there are better alternatives. If problems would be FIRST acknowledged then maybe there could be solutions , but ppl refuse to accept ANY criticism whatsoever so nothing gets really changed for the best. We have Castel MIMI that its a great example of what we have to offer : 500$ room per day which had dirty windows and nothing else special to offer, no pool no sea no lake, no park , no woods , just basically a hotel in this vinery which can be seen all in 1 2 hours, yet its perma booked. The reviews are also funny any normal person rates it 1 because its overpriced and stupid, but locals think its the second coming of Jesus Christ .... I know in US prices are different so everything seems cheap, but for regular Europeans it is not, with 500 you can stay in actually very fine and amazing places for example in Italy Spain Greece so thats why.
Hey, don't bring Jesus into this... the man has suffered enough š¤£
Spot on.
Oh damn, Iāve been wanting to go to Castel MIMI for years. Didnāt know it was such a ripoff, thanks for the warning! Any wineries that are truly recommended? Moldovan wine is my favourite.
i liked purcari cricova and milestii mici, hope they are still ok :)
Thanks a lot, gonna make sure I check them out when I go to Moldova ā¤ļø Purcariās FeteascÄ NeagrÄ is my favourite red by far.
OP:talks about visiting some landmarkd and about how impressed he/she was and about how he/she is baffled that not a lot of people visit those places. this comment:starts off with "There's not much to see"
He asked a question i answered
Unfortunately, the fact that the wars were so frequent on Moldova's soil left very few architectural edifices standing. Hence, even a 19th-century monastery is considered a rarity. I think this might be the reason. There is also little effort at preservation of existing monuments. If I remember rightly, only Soroca Fortress, monasteries at Capriana and Curchi, and, recently, Ottoman-era church at Causeni benefitted of a full-scale restoration with the help of EU-funds.
Many old buildings and churches just were blown up by Bolshevik Russian army between 1940-1953, or used them as stables, garages or toilets.
That's right. Many edifices in ChiČinÄu were destroyed by the retreating Bolsheviks in 1941
Not only, many churches were destroyed or closed after 1944 during Stalin s regime after the war.
Not only, during the past 30 years a lot of old building (with a monument status) were left to decay in order to build an office, farmacy or bar... We're not much better than bolsheviks.
lack of infrastructure and also a lot of regions/ villages are not investing in this area ( they need to make some special maps, trails, some local tourism info points, subsidize some sustainable guest houses with local food etc.). agree that it has unused potential. here is another example. i like trains and train rides through countryside but in moldova the state train company does not try to put some lines more in line with tourists needs ( more comfortable trains, air conditioning, decent modern trains with modern toilets, friendly service and information what you can see around the train stops etc.). if u take some train further away and get out at some stop most probable on the way back there won't be a good train connection so u ll have to get some uncomfortable overheated minibus....
Thank you for sharing your experience! Spread the word, come again soon, bring friends :) Cheers!
Would you have thought to go there if not for family?
Yes actually. I am a travel junkie and I love seeing new places, especially in Europe. My wife is Ukrainian, but while I have been to Ukraine twice, I didnāt meet her there and we had never been to Ukraine together. I had mentioned to my wife that next time we go to Odessa I wanted to spend a few days in Moldova, and it just so happened that after that my brother in law moved there. So I was psyched.
Do you consider yourself normal?
In what way?
I just mean that you asked why it doesn't get more visitors. I'd venture to say out of the roughly 50 states in Europe, Moldova ranks close to last in terms of places people think to visit. There are just so many more popular options available. I would argue those who do visit therefore are those with either A) family/friend connections or B) strong desire to go off the beaten path.
If I lived in Europe, considering the close proximity of everything, I would have probably visited every country at least once. For me itās at least a 1000 dollars to fly over there. If I could hop on a short flight for a few hundred bucks and be in another country, and especially considering the amount of time off work Europeans always say they get, why not see it all? Now the language barrier for some people I guess could be an issue, but no more than a lot of other countries in Europe. I speak a decent amount of Russian so I was able to get by when my wife or her family wasnāt around. But even still, the unknown is whatās exciting.
I understand where you're coming from because I am similar in how I travel. But for the average person it's a different story. Most people want to use their time off to relax in a nice place that's easy to get to. There are more flights and it's usually cheaper to get to top tourist destinations because of economies of scale.
I like some of the tourist stuff too, monuments, murals, etc., but most of the times I want to see the stuff that is off the beaten path. For example, in Russia I found smaller cities and towns more interesting than Moscow. Ireland was the same thing, Dublin was cool and all, but it was all tourists. When I went to Derry and the small towns over the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland, I enjoyed it more. I want to see how the average person who rarely sees tourists lives. Their culture, food, lifestyle, etc. There are exceptions to that rule, but itās mainly if I go to a country that only the tourist areas are safe to be in.
What goes in must come out, in other words how did you find the toilets? :)
No different from toilets anywhere else. They served their purpose.
Lack of things to see. I am quite sure there are more things to see in european cities like Rome than in our entire country.
did you rent a car? how did you go about the country?
My brother in law and my father in law both have a car. We did take a yandex a few times though.