I visited what can be described as Moldova's best tWHS (much better than its sole WHS Struve location for sure!) in 2023. The Archaeological Landscape of Old Orhei or Orheiul Vechi in Romanian is a perfect half day trip from Moldova's capital Chisinau, approximately 60 kilometres away.

The ancient city of Orheiul Vechi is a natural and historical complex located on a narrow bend of the Raut River. It is best visited by car as the different components are quite far from each other on foot. The natural landscape of limestone rock, eroded by the river, is combined with archaeological vestiges of the ancient Trypillian civilization. As a result of archaeological excavations, cultural layers were discovered from different epochs, such as the Paleolithic, Eneolithic, and Iron Age, so it really has potential as a Cultural Landscape. In theory, a ticket must be paid once you approach Orheiul Vechi, but this is only applied for its main component, the Orthodox monastery and the several caves with inscriptions. Upon getting close to the area at the base of the valley, you'll be asked to park your car, pay the entrance ticket and walk quite uphill for a couple of hundred metres. I visited all the other components at leisure without having paid any ticket, namely the remains of the Tatar Baths, the remains of the Governor's Palace and Medieval Fortress, the Medieval and Geto-Dacian Walls, and the remains of a mosque and a church.

The cave hermitages and/or chapels, and …

My visit to Orhei Vechi was made in October 2023, I had already been touring Moldova for several days, and I have to say that in general Moldova, unlike what many people think, is a country that has many interesting places to offer, I find it incredible that Moldova only has the ridiculous Struve Geodesic Arc as the only WHS. Orhei Vechi is undoubtedly one of those places that should be inscribed within the world heritage of Moldova.

To get to Orhei Vechi I took a Marshrutka from the central bus station of Chisinau towards the village of Butuceni, I must mention that this village itself is quite picturesque and interesting, it is a traditional Moldovan village, wooden houses painted blue and a quite pleasant rural atmosphere, from the village there is a path that ascends to the cliffs where the incredible views of Orhei Vechi are located with an imposing monastery (where a wedding was taking place), a tower and a cross, nearby there is also another cave monastery dug into the rock. I took the last marshrutka to Chisinau again, leaving at 15:45pm, remember to go early in the morning to make the most of the time in the area.

I just got back from a weekend jaunt to Moldova. As previously mentioned, this small country sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine gets few visitors, although, I think the country is actively trying to change this. To get there, we just rented a car for the day which was relatively inexpensive. The area surrounding Orhei is famous for its codrii or old growth forest. The site is located just off the Raut river and it was a very pretty area, even though it was winter and the trees and fields were bare. The limestone and shell cliffs where the monastery is located is pretty spectacular. Entering the 600 year old Pestere Monastaire, the air immediately became hot and humid, the stairs were dark, and it gave the cave a relative feeling of mystery. The monastery itself is one of the most impressing little sites I've ever visited. Only a couple of monks reside there presently, and they were busy at work cleaning the pulpit. We were shown the old monks' cells, the earthquake crack, the stone "balcony" and really enjoyed the history from the head monk. I'm not sure how long the country can maintain the sanctity of this spot, since it is touted as the most important in the country. I hope it is soon inscribed and awarded some funds to try and keep it as much the same as possible. If you happen to be in the vicinity of Moldova, stop by and definitely head to Orheiul Vechi. It …

The Republic of Moldova is not a very touristy place and really has no extraordinary places to offer. (The most touristy part is the Cricova wine cellars - the so called underground city, that - for obvious reasons will not find its way to the WH.) The second most important tourist attraction is Old Orhei (Orheiul Vechi). Theoretically you can visit the site by public transport - but buses to Ivancea are rare, and from there you have to find another bus. We rented a car in Chisinau.

The northbound motorway to Orhei and Balti is well signposted. After a half an hour we reached the mountainous region of the Raut river gorge. We knew that the exit to Orhei Vechi must be somewhere here, but to find the actual place was not that easy. We missed the small signboard at least three times - but the local people were helpful and showed the way for the fourth time. (Fortunately almost everybody speaks or at least understands Russian.) Afrter finding the exit everything turned to be easy. Ivancea on the way to the site is a pretty Moldavian village, with all houses painted light blue. After Ivancea we arrived to Orhei Vechi itself. Before crossing the Raut river there is a small visitor center where you can buy the ticket, and leaflets about the site. (English and Russian also available) On the other side there is a small mound. Climbing up you encounter some children trying to sell artefacts or …