LocationsOn foot or by bike: Four new tourist routes to explore in Sireți
October 7, 2026
Just 17 km from Chișinău, Sireți invites visitors to slow down and discover the village from a different perspective. Four new tourist routes, two for walking and two for cycling, connect the locality’s better-known landmarks with scenic viewpoints, springs and lesser-known places to stop and enjoy the surroundings.
The tourist routes were developed with the support of the Mayors for Economic Growth (M4EG) facility, funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Sireți Town Hall. The EU and UNDP’s support also covered the development of the locality’s tourism identity, helping position Sireți as a destination worth discovering.
The new routes are part of wider changes taking place in Sireți through M4EG’s Mission Economy programme, which starts by listening to residents and understanding how they experience their locality, what they would like to change and where they see potential. These insights help define a common direction for Sireți and shape a set of practical actions to move towards it, with tourism development forming one part of the bigger picture here.
A walk through the village or towards the monastery
Visitors who prefer walking can choose between two 2.7-km routes. Each can be completed in around 45 minutes, not including time for photographs and stops along the way.
The “Monastery Route/Road” leads to the Monastery of St. Great Martyr James the Persian. From there, visitors can continue to a viewpoint offering panoramic views of the hills surrounding the village. The route also passes by the Sensory Garden, near the School Museum. The walk ends in the centre of the village, where visitors can stop at a local café.
The “Heart of the Village” route takes visitors past the Skete of the Holy Great Martyrs Mercurius and Catherine, the Church of St. Nicholas the Hierarch, the House of Culture and the Memorial of Glory. The route also includes stops at the Ștefan Țopa Spring and two public squares.
Two trails for those who choose to cycle
For those looking to explore Sireți on two wheels, there are two options: the “Lake Valley” and the “Ancient Oak Trail”. The first is 14.6 km long, starts near the town hall and passes by a scenic viewpoint and along the shore of the Ghidighici lake. It is a moderately difficult route.
The “Ancient Oak Trail” is of a similar length but has a greater elevation gain, making it a more challenging option for cyclists.
The new tourist routes are part of a portfolio of initiatives through which Sireți is showcasing its local attractions, people and tourism potential. For visitors, they offer an invitation to step off the beaten path and discover the places, stories and landscapes waiting to be explored not far from Chișinău.
Moldova, emerging on the travel map
The four tourist routes in Sireți, Strășeni district, are part of a growing portfolio of tourism initiatives supported by UNDP across the Republic of Moldova. To date, UNDP has supported the development of 31 tourist routes, opening up new ways for both residents and international visitors to explore the country while helping local communities strengthen their economies and attract more visitors.
Interest in visiting Moldova is growing. Last year, the country welcomed more than 90,000 foreign visitors, an increase of around 34% compared with 2024, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.
Significant growth was also recorded in domestic tourism, referring to travel by Moldovan residents within the country for tourism purposes. Statistics for 2025 show that travel agencies recorded 111,800 domestic tourists, or 20,500 more than in 2024, representing an increase of more than 22.5%.
The growing attractiveness of the Republic of Moldova as a tourism destination is also reflected in international reports. In the first half of 2026, Moldova recorded the highest increase in tourist arrivals in Europe, at 25% compared with the same period of the previous year, according to the latest data published by the World Tourism Organization.
