Moldova was one of those countries I kept in the back of my mind as a possibility rather than a fixed part of the route. Before I even left for Europe, I had a rough sense of where I wanted to go, but Moldova was one of the places I left open depending on how realistic it would be to reach on a low budget. Once I got farther into the trip, though, I kept circling back to the idea of making it happen.
The main question was whether it would be worth the effort for such a short visit. In the end, that uncertainty became part of the reason I wanted to go. Moldova was not one of the easy, obvious stops on the route, and that alone made it more interesting to me. When the right option appeared from Constanța, I decided it was worth taking the chance.
Why I Decided to Make Moldova Happen
At first, most of the transport options I found looked more complicated than I wanted them to be. Some routed awkwardly through Ukraine, others felt too frustrating to piece together, and nothing about it seemed especially smooth. But while I was in Constanța, my Couchsurfing hosts mentioned an overnight bus to Chișinău that made the whole thing suddenly feel more realistic. Even better, one of their Moldovan friends was taking that same bus the night I wanted to leave. That changed everything.
So with that, Moldova went from optional to real. It was no longer just an idea on the map. It became the next stop.
A Rough Arrival in Chișinău
Coming from my voyage in Romania, the overnight journey was not exactly pleasant. I nearly missed the bus because it left from in front of the train station rather than the bus station, and without Wi-Fi and help from my new friend, I might have actually missed it altogether. Once on board, there was not much to enjoy other than the fact that I was finally on my way. It was dark, sleep was hard to come by, and between the police stop, the border crossing, and the rough roads in southern Moldova, the ride was far from restful.
After about ten hours on the road, I arrived in Chișinău around 5 a.m. in cold, wet weather. Finding the hostel became its own small mission, but once I finally got there, I was welcomed in and immediately crashed for several hours. It was not the smoothest arrival, but it was one of those moments where just making it felt like its own small victory.
One Day in Moldova
Chișinău did not strike me as a conventionally beautiful city, but that did not stop me from enjoying it. In fact, part of what I liked was the gray, older, and somewhat rougher feel it carried. It felt different from the polished image people often expect from European capitals, and because of that, I appreciated it on its own terms.
With only one day there, I kept things simple and walked through the city, taking in statues, monuments, churches, the old circus building, and one of the local parks in time for a distinctly Moldovan sunset. That was enough to make the stop feel real. I was well aware that one day was nowhere near enough to understand the country, but it was enough to know I was glad I had gone. Moldova felt like a place that deserved more time than I could give it on this visit.
There was also something satisfying in simply having made it there. Moldova was one of the poorer countries in Europe, and it carried a different energy from the places I had just come through. It did not feel glossy or overly curated. It felt more raw, more grounded, and more curious to me because of that.
Budget snapshot
Note: These costs reflect my trip at the time of my visit.
- Transport from Constanța: 60 RON
- Chill Hostel: 150 MDL
- Lunch: 110 MDL
- Eggs, wine, chocolate, and beer: 50 MDL
- BlaBlaCar out of Moldova: 22 RON
Approximate total at the time: about $35
Leaving with More Curiosity Than Time
Before leaving, I picked up some Moldovan wine and Bucuria chocolate. The first bottle I chose was not exactly the smartest pick, but I redeemed myself later by getting much better wine through BlaBlaCar before heading to Iași, where I ended up enjoying it with my Couchsurfing host. Even that small detail stuck with me. Moldova left me wanting a better second try, not because the first was bad, but because it made me more curious about what I had missed.
That is really what I took away from the stop. One day in Moldova was not enough, but it was enough to turn the country from a maybe into a place I genuinely wanted to return to. Next time, I would want a fuller itinerary and more time to experience what lay beyond Chișinău. For a short stop, though, it absolutely felt worth making.
From Moldova, the route carried on through Bulgaria and Serbia.
