Lonely Planet Destination Editor for Central & Eastern Europe Sandie Kestel l recently traveled to Moldova and Transnistria. Here, she shares some tips and insights for anyone planning a similar trip.
When I told people I was planning a trip to Moldova, responses were mixed, ranging from “Amazing!” to “Why?”, right through to “Where is that?”. This little country between Romania and Ukraine might not be on many travelers' radars, but once it made its way onto mine, I couldn’t shake it.
My sister and I like to get off the beaten track and we share an interest in the history and architecture of the former Soviet Union. A friend of hers had toured Moldova and the unrecognized republic of Transnistria over New Year with Young Pioneer Tours (YPT) and returned with stories and photos we couldn’t get enough of. We booked onto the YPT Transnistria National Day & Gagauzia Tour right away, adding some extra time in Chişinău to explore the city on our own.
Touring around brought us to several different hotels, but one stands out: Hotel Chişinău. This Soviet-style behemoth is an impressive building with a grand entrance and great character. Rooms are very basic and yes, a little shabby in places, but staying here is more about traveling back in time to the Soviet era than living in the lap of luxury, so it fits right in with the focus of our YPT tour. [And there is hot water, you just need to run the taps a little longer than you normally would…]
If this doesn’t sound like your thing, I recommend the more modern Bristol Central Park Hotel, where we spent our first night in Chişinău before joining our YPT group. The location right in the city center is excellent, and rooms are spacious with all mod cons.
We spent a lot of our time in Chişinău seeking out relics from bygone times and oddities.
We headed to leafy Valea Morilor Park to seek out the tiny Little Prince Statue and the even tinier Little Prince’s Rose – two moments of whimsy along the railing by the lake.
Mosaics from the Communist era are few and far between, but we did find some including one small one on Strada Tighina and another much larger one on Strada Vasile Lupu. Our biggest finds were not hidden, but forgotten.
The gigantic Chişinău State Circus in the city center has been abandoned since 2004 and sits as a reminder of a time long past. Despite the decay, the building itself is fascinating. We were especially taken with the dancing clown emblem above the former entrance, with the one headless clown giving the structure a haunting edge. We also got to explore the abandoned National Hotel across the road from Hotel Chişinău from the inside. Our YPT guide Ravi took us into the Soviet-era hotel, now in an advanced state of
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As the temperatures fall, so are airfare prices. Frontier Airlines is running its «Full Size Sale», which provides fares as low as $19 to destinations around the United States. Best of all, the flights can be booked five days of the week, whereas previous promotions from Frontier have been more limited in date availability. The sale ends on October 31, 2024 at 11:59pm EST, however tickets can be purchased for travel through February 26, 2025. This makes the sale a great option for travelers and families looking to take a winter getaway, or fly to a destination with warmer temperatures. Travel + Leisure spotted a variety of one-way flight deals including:
Cruise lines are banking on a new destination type to help them boost revenue, and it’s not emerging destinations like Dominica or those currently trending, like Costa Rica: it’s their own private islands.
A getaway to warmer weather just got easier and cheaper.Avelo Airlines recently announced four new routes from the Orlando, FL area, and is celebrating with $46 fares. With the expansion of new routes, Avelo will be opening a new crew base at Lakeland International Airport, which is one hour and 15 minutes south of Orlando Airport, and one hour east of Tampa Airport, making it an alternative option for passengers visiting each of the two major Florida cities. From Lakeland, Avelo will launch service to Rochester, NY, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Concord, NC (which is near Charlotte, NC) and Manchester, NH (which is near Boston, MA). The low-cost carrier operates its flights from regional airports that are adjacent to major cities, which explains the Manchester and Concord airport options. Each new route will operate twice weekly, and Avelo states they are the only airline to operate direct service between each of the markets.
A Russian supporter of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has been charged with murder in Germany over the fatal stabbing of two injured Ukrainian soldiers who were recovering from operations in Bavaria.
“As far back as I can remember, I knew I was different,” says Alexander Smalls. Growing up in a Gullah Geechee household in Spartanburg, North Carolina, the chef says he recognized the implication of those differences—in appearance, history, and cuisine. “I discovered early that my friends did not eat any of the foods that I ate. My foods were more akin to West Africa, you know, and very much pronounced in that way,” he says. It wan't until he moved to New York as an adult, that he assimilated the value of that diasporic connective tissue. “Food was a big part of cultural expression and identity of the African diaspora,” he says.
A last-minute trip to Europe is as romantic as it sounds. Not only is the spontaneity thrilling, but European countries lend themselves very well to travelers who appreciate local customs and enjoy exploring new places without a rigid itinerary. Often, impulsively turning down a cobblestoned street will lead you to an exceptional hole-in-the-wall wine bar, a short-notice boutique hotel booking will be the best place you’ve ever stayed, or a chance encounter with a local will lead to a life-long friendship. But come 2025, you will need to do a little planning before you cross the pond. Next year, the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) will come into effect. This rule will require visitors from visa-exempt countries to obtain a travel authorization before entering 30 European countries and this includes US travelers.