Aug 21-24
We decided to add a short trip to Moldova, figuring we might never be closer. I found an overnight train from Bucharest Nord station to Chișinău, Moldova, for just $115 roundtrip for the two of us—a great deal!
The entire 360 km journey takes about 13 and a half hours. We were aware the border crossing could take quite some time (2-3 hours) because they need to change the train’s wheels. Yes, you read that right—they change the wheels! This is due to the European standard tracks being slightly narrower than the Moldovan tracks, known as Russian Broad Gauge. This wheel change typically starts around 3:00 AM.
The carriages were Moldovan, of the classic ex-Soviet type. From the travel blogs we read, it seemed the sleeper compartments would be old but comfortable. Unfortunately, I couldn’t book a two-person sleeper and had to settle for a four-person sleeper, meaning we would share with two strangers. Upon boarding, we found the sleeper compartment unsuitable to share with the two Moldovans we were matched with, who didn’t speak English. I spoke with the conductor and offered to pay (~$50) for an “upgrade” to a two-person sleeper. After the train left the station, he relocated the Moldovan couple and converted our compartment for two people. This made the journey bearable, as we then had sufficient room for our luggage and could spread out. We never found out what happen to the “relocated” Moldovan couple.
The Train
Milestii Mici
The primary reason for our trip to Moldova was to visit the largest wine cellar (Milestii Mici) in the world, which houses over 1.5 million bottles of wine. We toured 5 km of the 55 km of underground galleries, originally created from lime mining operations.
Around Chisinau
Border Crossing Traffic – Moldova to Romania
Nancy couldn’t handle another overnight train journey, so we booked a ride to Constanța via gettransfer.com. While this was a good plan, the expected 6-7 hour drive turned into an 11-hour ordeal due to a 4-hour wait at the Moldova-Romania border.
