Butuceni (Orheiul Vechi)

Butuceni (Orheiul Vechi) takes 1 day to see: an Orthodox monastery carved into a limestone cliff over a bend in the Räut river, inhabited by monks since the 13th century, is the reason to visit. April-October is best for hiking the canyon trails. It's very cheap by European standards. It's Moldova's most important archaeological and religious site, with ruins spanning Stone Age settlements, a Golden Horde fortress and the cave monastery, all within the same steppe landscape along the river.