The Dniester crosses the localities of Delacău, Gura Bîcului, Puhăceni, Speia, Șerpeni and Telița in the Anenii Noi region. At the same time, the district lies within Moldova’s Wine Route region. This places river landscapes and winegrowing side by side as two distinct ways of experiencing the destination: one follows the places along the Dniester, while the other leads to the area’s architecture, winemaking and museums.
Wine, architecture and hands-on experiences
Castel Mimi in Bulboaca is a local architectural monument dating from the late 19th century. The tourist complex includes a museum and an art gallery for young artists. It also has several creative workshops, including ones devoted to folk art and cooking. As workshop offerings may change, it is best to confirm in advance what will be available during your visit.
Winemaking can also be explored through specific details. The Dionysos-Mereni winery offers tours of its production areas and insights into the technological processes involved in winemaking. Visitors can also see rare equipment and exhibits from the 19th century. Confirm your reservation before travelling and check whether the exhibition is open. On the Codru Wine Route, the tour goes to Castel Mimi; its programme includes a visit to the castle and lunch or dinner at the Bufnița Albă restaurant. Check in advance whether the restaurant and meals will be available.
Mereni: Architecture and remembrance
The Museum of History and Ethnography in Mereni is housed in a former building of the “Rejep” people’s bank, constructed in 1910–1911. Notable features include the mixture of clay, horsehair and bird eggs used to build it; its floor is laid with terracotta from Germany. Together with Castel Mimi, the museum offers a different architectural perspective: the unusual early-20th-century bank building stands alongside a late-19th-century architectural monument.
Another place in Mereni offers a solemn historical perspective. The open-air museum complex is dedicated to the victims of communism. The “Trenurile Marii Dureri” monument commemorates the deportation trains that carried tens of thousands of people from Bessarabia to Siberia in inhumane conditions. The immersive “Coridorul Morții” installation is a 35-metre-long tunnel symbolising the suffering and dehumanisation of the condemned and deported. In 2025, an exhibition at the museum focused on the traditional shirt with Altiță embroidery and its stitching techniques; this year refers to that exhibition at the time, not to a current programme.
More discoveries in the localities
The Museum of History and Ethnography in Speia was founded in 1981. In Mereni, the wooden Dealul windmill, also known as Mahalaua Țiganilor, also tells a story of craft history: it is more than eight metres tall and has its original millstones. Another prominent landmark is the 38-metre-high metal cross on the hill in Mereni. These very different sites—a museum, a mill and a monument—invite visitors to experience history not only through exhibitions, but also through architectural forms and places of remembrance.
Fossils, forest and seasonal fields
The Pădurea Hîrbovăț landscape reserve lies between Hîrbovăț and Bulboaca. The Dobruja pear grows there naturally. A very different view of nature is offered by the palaeontological site at Calfa, a geological or palaeontological natural monument in Anenii Noi District. Calfa’s fossil collection is considered one of the richest, most diverse and oldest collections from the Middle Sarmatian in Europe. The deposits preserve remains of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, molluscs and plants that accumulated at the foot of a cliff 10–12 million years ago.
Seasonal landscapes are another possible discovery. The one-kilometre-long lavender field near Cobusca Nouă is visited for its scenery and for photography; visitors receive a small aromatic flower bouquet when they leave. As it is a seasonal attraction, check the timing and local access in advance. Near Troița Nouă, there is also a large field of red poppies that is suitable for photo sessions. The blooming period and access are not specified.
Choose your focus
If you are planning your trip around a particular theme, you can choose among several different focuses: winemaking and architecture, museums and places of remembrance, or Calfa’s natural history and the seasonal fields. These places and themes offer different ways to experience Anenii Noi, without any one of them explaining the entire region.
Discover more destinations: Ialoveni District, Sîngerei District, Drochia District, Soroca District, Soldanesti, Straseni, Călărași District, Cahul District
Return to the main travel overview: Moldova.
