Rezina District
Administrative seat: Rezina
A spectacular district on the bank of the Dniester, home to the cave monasteries of Saharna (with 22 waterfalls) and Țipova — the oldest cave hermitage in Eastern Europe.
Rezina district is situated in the north-eastern part of the Republic of Moldova, in the Centre Development Region. Its seat is the town of Rezina, set on the right bank of the Dniester. The Dniester river marks the district's eastern limit here, with the Transnistrian region lying beyond it; directly across the river, facing Rezina, is the town of Rîbnița, to which the district seat is linked by a bridge.
Geography
With an area of approximately 622 km², the district has a hilly relief characteristic of the Moldavian Plateau, with high, rocky banks dropping steeply towards the Dniester valley. The population density is about 68 inhabitants/km². The deep valleys, the river gorges and the streams that flow into the Dniester have created a particularly picturesque landscape, with limestone cliffs, forests and waterfalls.
Population and economy
At the 2014 census, the district had around 42,500 inhabitants, the majority of Moldovan/Romanian ethnicity (over 93%), with Ukrainian and Russian minorities. The economy is agricultural and agro-industrial, focused on viticulture, fruit growing and cereal cultivation, but the cement factory at Rezina, one of the largest enterprises of its kind in the country, also plays an important role. The district's population has undergone a gradual decline in the post-war decades, from over 50,000 inhabitants recorded in 1959.
Heritage and tourism
Rezina district is famous for its cave and valley monasteries, carved into or built on the steep banks of the Dniester. Saharna Monastery, a monastic complex with a waterfall and a gorge of particular beauty, is one of the most visited places of pilgrimage in Moldova, tied to local traditions and legends. Nearby is also the Țipova complex, with its cave hermitage cut into the rock and its spectacular waterfalls. These sites, together with the river landscape, make the district a reference destination for religious, cultural and ecological tourism. The villages of the Dniester valley preserve a rich heritage of folk architecture and traditions, and the rocky banks of the river offer trails and viewpoints appreciated by visitors. The district, in its current configuration, was reorganised as part of the administrative reforms of recent decades.
What the area is known for
Places to visit in Rezina District
Saharna
A natural and spiritual complex on the bank of the Dniester, famous for its string of natural waterfalls and for its monastery and cave hermitage. A hiking trail along the stream links wild nature with places of prayer.
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.
More to see in the area
Key facts
- Type
- District
- Region
- Central region
- Administrative seat
- Rezina
Detailed statistics (population, area) are updated from official sources (the National Bureau of Statistics).
What to find in Rezina District
Everything we have documented here — sights, places to stay, meals and wineries, with real Google ratings.
Monasteries
(2)
Mănăstirea Țipova
A cave monastery carved into the limestone of the Dniester bank, with cells and a cave system dated to the 11th century — one of the oldest and largest in Eastern Europe. Access on foot only, with about 200 m of elevation difference.
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Mănăstirea Saharna
The Holy Trinity monastery, founded in 1776, in a gorge with a waterfall of roughly 4 metres and the cavity known as the "Gypsy's Pit". One of the largest pilgrimage centres in the country and, unlike Țipova, easy to visit.
See detailsNature
(2)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.
See detailsSaharna
A natural and spiritual complex on the bank of the Dniester, famous for its string of natural waterfalls and for its monastery and cave hermitage. A hiking trail along the stream links wild nature with places of prayer.
See detailsWhere to stay
(4)
Pensiunea MUZE
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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Villa Ana
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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Hanul lui Hanganu
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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Hotel - Restaurant Dumbrava
Dumbrava operates at Șoldănești, a small town in the north-centre of the country, set between the Răut valley and the bend of the Dniester — a convenient distance from the cave monasteries of Saharna and Țipova. It is a hotel and restaurant in the same place, with an outdoor terrace and the option to book, in the mid price bracket. Families with children are welcomed. For the route of the Dniester monasteries, Șoldănești is a logical point of support: you have a good road towards Rezina and towards Saharna, and in the evening you do not have to look for somewhere to eat.
See detailsWhere to eat
(5)
Drive Cafe
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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Retro
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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Restaurantul / Terasă "Lilia"
On strada Mihai Eminescu, in the centre of Rezina, on the right bank of the Dniester. The terrace is part of the name and of the identity of the place, used intensively in the warm season. Hours from nine in the morning to eleven at night, every day, with breakfast served and vegetarian options on the menu. Of the venues in the area, it is the best equipped for accessibility: parking, entrance, toilet and wheelchair-adapted places — the full combination, rare in the provinces. Bookings accepted, free parking. Prices in the mid range.
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Galanto Cafe
Galanto Cafe stands on the walkway along the central street in Rezina, a town on the bank of the Dniester. It runs daily from ten in the morning to half past eleven at night, with breakfast served — a window that covers both the morning coffee and the late evening, in a town with limited options. It has a terrace, takes children and groups and accepts bookings. The seating is wheelchair accessible, parking in the courtyard and on the street is free, and prices sit in the mid range. Pets are not admitted.
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Plai
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.
See detailsAnd nearby, beyond the district border
Places in neighbouring districts, less than 40 km away, if you want to stretch the route.
Restaurantunder 1 kmDrive Cafe
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.
See detailsRestaurantunder 1 kmPlai
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.
See detailsRestaurantunder 1 kmRetro
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.
See detailsRestaurantunder 1 kmGalanto Cafe
Galanto Cafe stands on the walkway along the central street in Rezina, a town on the bank of the Dniester. It runs daily from ten in the morning to half past eleven at night, with breakfast served — a window that covers both the morning coffee and the late evening, in a town with limited options. It has a terrace, takes children and groups and accepts bookings. The seating is wheelchair accessible, parking in the courtyard and on the street is free, and prices sit in the mid range. Pets are not admitted.
See detailsRestaurantunder 1 kmRestaurantul / Terasă "Lilia"
On strada Mihai Eminescu, in the centre of Rezina, on the right bank of the Dniester. The terrace is part of the name and of the identity of the place, used intensively in the warm season. Hours from nine in the morning to eleven at night, every day, with breakfast served and vegetarian options on the menu. Of the venues in the area, it is the best equipped for accessibility: parking, entrance, toilet and wheelchair-adapted places — the full combination, rare in the provinces. Bookings accepted, free parking. Prices in the mid range.
See detailsStayunder 1 kmVilla Ana
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.
See detailsWhere to stay in Rezina District
Hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs in the area, on one map — prices compared across Booking, Airbnb and other platforms.
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Frequently asked questions
Questions about Rezina District
Which town is the seat of Rezina District?
The administrative seat is Rezina.
Which part of Moldova is Rezina District in?
Rezina District belongs to the Central region.
What is there to visit in Rezina District?
Among the highlights: Mănăstirea Saharna, Mănăstirea Țipova, Malul Nistrului.
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Where to stay
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From record-breaking underground cities to family wineries. Almost all of them take visitors by appointment.
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