Cricova Winery
120 km of tunnels 60 m underground, crossed by electric cart · book ahead
Drive tour through street-named tunnels + 4 Méthode Traditionnelle sparklers tasting + optional Cernăuți hall.
The most visited winery in Moldova, 15 km from Chișinău · 120 km of tunnels 60 m underground, crossed by electric cart, with a tasting at the end. Book ahead, 275 of the 342 visitors who answered say it is needed. Bring a jacket. The price splits opinion, and in a large group the tour can feel rushed.
Cricova is an «underground wine city» - a labyrinth of 120km of galleries at 60m depth under Cricova town (15km north of Chișinău), excavated in limestone since 1952. Pioneer of Méthode Traditionnelle (champenoise) in Moldova - first producer in the country to use this technique for sparklers. Tunnels have street names («Cabernet», «Pinot», «Sauvignon»), street signs, intersections and one-way - you drive through with your own car or winery minibus. Key attractions: Putin's cellar (Vladimir Putin donated a spade here on a visit), Yuri Gagarin's cellar (the cosmonaut got lost here after his first «tour»), Cernăuți hall with decorative vaults, sparkling wine cellar with ~1.3 million bottles. Standard programme: tour + tasting of 4-6 sparklings and still wines + optional banquet hall. Tours in RO/RU/EN/FR/IT.
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 tasting, the most mentioned thing in the reviews
- 120 km of tunnels, crossed by electric cart
- The guides, some of them named by visitors
- Sparkling wine made by the classic method
- The history of the place, with cellars carrying famous names
- 15 km from Chișinău
- «Cabernet» street sign in tunnel
- Cernăuți hall with decorative vaults
- car at tunnel entrance
- Crișan bottle in candle-lit niche
- banquet hall at 60m depth
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…”
- Book ahead · 275 of the 342 visitors who answered say a booking is needed
- Bring a jacket · the cold in the tunnels is the most repeated tip in the reviews
- The price is disputed · 14 reviews call it expensive or touristy, 5 say it is worth the money
- In a large group the tour can feel rushed · 12 reviews describe it that way
- Ask when booking which language the tour at your chosen hour runs in