Gorges & cliffs

Țipova

A spectacular gorge on the steep bank of the Dniester, where the oldest cave hermitage in Eastern Europe stands, carved into the rock. The wild landscape, the waterfalls and the quiet make Țipova a place of rare beauty.

Țipova is a place of rare beauty in Rezina district, situated on the right bank of the Dniester, where a deep gorge shelters the most impressive cave monastery in the Republic of Moldova, considered also one of the largest in Eastern Europe. Here wild nature, history and legend intertwine in an unforgettable landscape, protected as a landscape reserve.

The cave monastery

Țipova monastery is carved into the limestone rock that "hangs" above the Dniester and comprises several churches and dozens of cells arranged on levels and linked by tunnels and galleries. The origins of the complex are very old, the first cave settlements in the area being attributed to a period reaching back to the early Middle Ages, and the ensemble was extended over the centuries, its churches and cells arranged on several levels and linked to one another by passages cut into the rock. Today the monastery is an important place of pilgrimage and an impressive testimony to cave monastic life, considered one of the largest complexes of its kind in the region.

Gorge and waterfalls

The river Țipova has carved a spectacular gorge, with sheer cliffs, caves and a series of waterfalls descending the slopes. The path to the monastery climbs stairs cut into the stone, offering broad views over the Dniester and allowing visitors to admire the falls along the way. The Țipova landscape reserve, extending over a few hundred hectares between the villages of Horodiște and Țipova, protects this complex of cliffs, caves and woods on the river's right bank, a corner of wild nature of rare beauty.

The legends of the place

Țipova is wrapped in legends. One of them says that the ruler Stephen the Great was married here to Maria Voichița, while another, of mythological inspiration, links these cliffs to the poet Orpheus, who is said to have spent the last years of his life in the area. These stories add a particular charm to the place and turn it into a destination for cultural pilgrimage.

Getting there

Țipova lies about 40 km from Chișinău in a straight line across the Dniester, reachable from Rezina and the villages of Horodiște and Lalova. The route involves a descent and then a climb on made-up paths, which is why comfortable footwear and a reserve of water are recommended. The place is often visited together with Saharna monastery, forming one of the finest routes along the Dniester bank.

What there is to see

The oldest cave hermitage in Eastern EuropeSheer cliffs on the Dniester bankWaterfalls and gorge

Activities

Drumeție

Pelerinaj

Fotografie

Type: Gorges & cliffs
Area: Raionul Rezina
Season: Spring, Summer, Autumn

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Where to sleep, eat and taste nearby

Places to stay, eat and taste from our directory, sorted by distance. Every one rates at least 4 stars on Google with over 100 reviews.

Stay2.5 km

Pensiunea MUZE

4.7(108)

Pensiunea MUZE is at Țipova, in the commune of Lalova, Rezina district — the village above the Țipova cave monastery, one of the most striking on the bank of the Dniester, and a few kilometres from the waterfall in the gorge. The property has its own website, and the entrance and parking are adapted for wheelchair access. For the route of the Dniester monasteries — Saharna, Țipova, Rezina — sleeping in the village itself changes the plan considerably: you go down to the monastery early in the morning, before the groups climb up, and you have the whole day for the gorge.

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Stay7.6 km

Hanul lui Hanganu

4.6(453)

The Hanganu family's agritourism guesthouse, in the village of Lalova, on the bank of the Dniester, some 100 km from Chișinău. Rustic rooms and traditional cooking.

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Stay14 km

Villa Ana

4.7(105)

Villa Ana is a small hotel, registered on Orhei street at number 20. The public data about the locality is contradictory, so the exact position is worth confirming directly before setting off — especially if you are arriving in the evening. The property welcomes families with children. No other services are detailed: no meals, no parking, no particular facilities. It is the kind of accommodation suited to a transit night rather than a stay. For anyone travelling along the country's northern axis, it may be useful to have the number to hand as a fallback.

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Restaurant14 km

Drive Cafe

4.6(128)

Drive Cafe is a gastropub in Rezina, a town set on the bank of the Dniester, in the district that also holds Saharna monastery. The hours stretch from ten in the morning to eleven at night, and on Saturday and Sunday until one in the morning — a sign that the weekend has a different rhythm. It has a terrace, takes children and groups and accepts bookings. Parking, in the courtyard or on the street, is free. The bar-restaurant format makes it suitable both for a meal and for a long evening after a day on the north-eastern monastery route.

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Restaurant14 km

Plai

4.0(108)

On bulevardul Alexei Șciusev, in Rezina, the town on the right bank of the Dniester, facing Rîbnița. It is registered as an events venue, not as a restaurant with an à la carte menu — and that defines its function. It opens at ten in the morning and runs until eleven at night, on every day of the week, with no day off. It is, therefore, the address for weddings, christenings and group meals in the Rezina area, not the place you walk into on impulse for lunch. Wheelchair access is not provided.

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Restaurant14 km

Retro

4.4(330)

A café and bar on the walkway along the central street in Rezina, right in the promenade area of the town on the Dniester. Long hours, identical all week, from ten in the morning to midnight — it works as well for the morning coffee as for a drink late in the evening, which in a town of this size means a great deal. Terrace, bookings accepted, breakfast served, space for groups and families with children. Free parking of its own and on the street. Prices in the mid range. Dogs are not admitted.

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