The World Travel and Tourism Council has awarded over 20 Moldovan hotels, wineries and guesthouses with the COVID-19 Safe Travel Certificate.
If your travel plans always include destinations that offer new foods and wines, then Moldova may well be a sensible destination in the post-covid world. The least-visited country in Europe experienced an 83% drop in tourism since the pandemic gripped the world, has recently made steps in proving it’s safety, and eagerness to do business.
The country offers many remarkable food-based experiences, from fine dining and tastings of award-winning wines at fairytale-like chateaus along the country’s wine route, to countless places offering traditional home-made food.
Moldova is one of the few countries in Europe where slow simple life is within reach, sustainable farming practices offer great produce, and the villages charm visitors with deep history and unspoiled nature.
Between reflective moments and time spent on appreciating the finer foods and wines, the country also offers activities for the more adventurous traveling. With a landscape filled with centuries-old forest, there are opportunities to hike, kayak and bike. For those people with a more robust appetite there’s the chance to participate in the Cricova Cellars marathons – the largest underground wine cellar – recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.
This year Moldova will celebrate 30 years of independence, and so the Soviet architecture is still visible, especially in Transnistria. And the cultural output of the country is celebrated by the opening up of writers’ and artists’ homes which have been turned into museums. The house of Moldova’s foremost contemporary poet Grigore Vieru in the village of Pererâta, is an example of the economical and perfectly composed peasant architecture. Meanwhile, Russian poet Alexander Pushkin’s house in Chișinău, where he was exiled, is a sample of early 19th century urban history.
Perhaps it’s time to pop open a bottle of Modovan red wine and pour over a map as you plan your next overseas trip in the post-pandemic travel season.