Cricova Winery
Cellars 60 m down, visited on a guided tour · 400 MDL per person for the tour without tasting, per the site
The guided tour through the underground streets and the classic sparkling wine section, with a tasting at the end · from 4 wines on the 700 MDL package, per the site.
Worth it if you want a guided underground visit with a tasting, not a walk around on your own. The site asks you to book ahead by phone, and the tour starts exactly at the booked time · arriving late cancels the booking. One review says tickets are easy to buy on the spot, though. It is a steady 10-12 °C down there, bring a jacket. Price comes up as a complaint in two of the five stored reviews: one calls the 400 MDL entry without tasting a little pricy, and the site adds 100 MDL per person after 16:00, at weekends and on public holidays. Two reviewers also found the tour short or rushed, and one warns it gets busy, so arrive with time to spare. In winter one review advises against the bus because of the irregular schedule and suggests a taxi.
Cricova is an underground cellar complex about 15 km in a straight line north of central Chisinau, at Str. Chisinaului 124 per the Google address. Its own site calls it the largest underground complex, dates the place to 1952, says the wines are kept 60 metres down and that it was the first company in the country to make sparkling wine by the Méthode Traditionnelle. You go down into the cellars on a guided tour · the site asks you to book ahead by phone, and one review says tickets are easy to buy on the spot. The standard route, per the site: the underground streets, the ageing section, the classic sparkling wine section, the National Collection and the tasting complex, the cinema, then the tasting. One review describes a sort of electric train through the galleries, groups called in turn, and a film served with a glass of sparkling wine. Excursion packages, per the site, start at 400 MDL per person for the tour without tasting and go up to 700, 950, 1300, 2000 and 3100 MDL, with 4 to 9 wines and food on the expensive ones. There are cheaper options: MATINAL at 250 MDL, Monday to Friday at 10:00 only and without tasting, and a social package at 200 MDL for organised groups of at least 15 people. Tours run in Romanian, Russian, English, French, Turkish and Italian, again per the site. Packages with food are served in the Regatul Vinului complex, open daily 10:00-23:00 per the site, and one review confirms there is a restaurant and free WiFi at reception. Worth knowing, from the site: it stays 10-12 °C underground with 97-98% humidity all year, 100 MDL per person is added after 16:00, at weekends and on public holidays, the tour starts exactly at the booked time and a late arrival cancels the booking, and pets are not allowed.
Digest of the reviews
What 262 reviews from the last 12 months say
Google Reviews
Based on 5,298 reviews
We read 620 Google reviews for Cricova, sorted newest first. 585 are from the last year, 262 of them with text. The bars show how many of those 262 mentioned each theme.
What their own numbers say
Whether they recommend bookingstated by 342 of 585
- yes275
- no37
- not sure30
Which day they wentstated by 357 of 585
- weekday213
- weekend140
- public holiday4
How long they waitedstated by 337 of 585
- no wait158
- up to 10 min87
- 10-30 min66
- over an hour14
- 30-60 min12
The tasting is what people talk about afterwards
The tasting94 of 262 36%
The sparkling wine35 of 262 13%
What the reviews say
Of 262 reviews with text, 94 talk about the tasting · it is the most mentioned theme, ahead of the tunnels. The packages differ a lot and people quote the sums: 40 euros with six pours, or the basic tour with no tasting at all. Sparkling wine comes up separately 35 times, with a nod to the classic method. One visitor writes about tasting wines 26 years old.
The guide makes the visit
The guide88 of 262 34%
The organisation23 of 262 9%
What the reviews say
88 reviews mention the guide, and some name them · Liliana, Natalia Salari. Another 23 praise the organisation outright, with „well organized" recurring month after month. The one reservation concerns the English-language tour: a few write that the group was large and that they struggled to follow. If you want a particular language, ask when booking which language the tour at your chosen hour runs in.
An underground city, crossed by electric cart
The history of the place39 of 262 15%
The electric cart22 of 262 8%
The collection12 of 262 5%
What the reviews say
You do not walk it. 22 reviews describe the electric cart that carries you through the tunnels, and 39 talk about the history of the place. The collection, including the cellars that carry famous names, comes up only 12 times · far less often than we used to claim. 27 visitors mention the film shown along the way and 10 the glass poured at the start.
The price splits opinion
The price45 of 262 17%
What the reviews say
45 reviews discuss the price and they do not agree: 14 call it expensive or touristy, 5 say plainly that it is worth the money. The sums quoted: 500 lei per person, 1,000 lei for two on the basic tour with no tasting, 40 euros with six pours. Separately, 12 reviews describe the tour as rushed, almost all of them in a large group. Pick your package before you arrive, not at the desk.
The jacket is not optional
The cold in the tunnels25 of 262 10%
What the reviews say
25 reviews mention the cold in the tunnels, and several write plainly „bring warm clothes". It is the practical tip that repeats most across the whole corpus. One visitor recounts being told off at reception for having nothing warm with them, which says something about how often it happens.
It’s actually worth coming to Chisinau almost solely for this attraction.
TomSpecial thanks to our guide, Liliana.
Игорь КоржовWay too expensive for Moldova for a too rushed 1h tour.
Aleix Veciana CabréBiggest underground winery and so cold, lovely touristic place.
Safarali Mammadov
- The cellars, impressive in size and atmosphere, per a review
- The tasting at the end, recommended in several reviews
- Guides described as knowledgeable and good English speakers, per reviews
- The electric train through the galleries and the film served with a glass of sparkling wine, per a review
- The tasting rooms, praised in a review
- The on-site shop, where you buy what you just tasted, per a review
An underground wine city - you explore it by little electric train through the galleries. Guaranteed "wow".
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“A wonderful spot for wine lovers and unique places. The cellars are impressive in size and atmosphere. We took a tour with a tasting; the tour was very intensive and interesting, but a bit short. The guide was knowledgeable and answered almost all of our questions. The tour was a bit pricey, but we got five glasses of different wines, which were quite tasty and fragrant. Overal…”
“Wow - what an incredible place! On arrival you are greeted by beautiful terraces and beautiful gardens - it is a site to behold. There is a grand entrance and collecting tickets (or buying them) is easy enough! It is very busy though so get there with time to spare! On entry to the cellars, you get on a sort of electric train and you are called by group. You explore years of …”
“I highly recommend visiting the Cricova underground winery in Moldova — it’s a must-see for every tourist. It’s best to book your ticket in advance, and you can conveniently pay online by card. The winery is accessible by bus, but during winter I wouldn’t recommend it, as the bus schedule can be irregular and you may end up waiting outside for a long time. Taking a taxi is a b…”
- Price, raised as a complaint in two of the five stored reviews · one calls the 400 MDL entry without tasting a little pricy
- A surcharge of 100 MDL per person after 16:00, at weekends and on public holidays, per the site
- Two reviewers found the tour short or rushed, and one says it gets busy · arrive with time to spare
- Booking ahead is expected and a booking is cancelled if you are late, per the site · in winter the bus schedule is irregular, per a review
- It is cold underground, 10-12 °C per the site and around 12°C per a review · bring warm clothes