Travelling to Moldova from Belgium and neighbouring countries

IThe options at a glance

Travelling from Belgium to Moldova, you will in practice choose between a direct low-cost flight, a flight with a change on a traditional airline, or the long way overland. The capital's airport is officially called Aeroportul Internațional Chișinău "Eugen Doga" and has the code RMO. Almost all international scheduled flights land there, and there are no domestic flights.

The airport lies on the south-eastern edge of the city. To reach the centre, take a taxi, ideally booked through an app or at the official taxi rank, or use public transport, which is cheaper but slower. If you arrive by car or coach, you cross the Prut border from Romania and are then still about an hour and a half to two hours from the capital.

The fuel cost is our own estimate based on the distance; coach and air fares fluctuate heavily with the season and when you book. Always check the current timetable, as the range of flights from Chișinău changes quickly: in spring 2026 Wizz Air, SkyUp and FlyOne between them cancelled a series of planned summer routes.

IIFlying from Belgium

The only direct link between Belgium and Moldova is Wizz Air's Brussels South Charleroi-Chișinău route. The airline increased the frequency from four to seven flights a week in December 2025 and based a fifth aircraft in Chișinău in September 2026, confirming Charleroi as a daily destination (Logos Press, May 2026). With more than thirty routes to sixteen countries, Wizz Air is the largest airline at the airport.

No one flies direct from Brussels Airport (Zaventem) to Chișinău in 2026. You can, however, travel with one change, including these combinations that appear in the 2026-2027 winter timetable:

• Austrian Airlines (Lufthansa Group) via Vienna, daily;
• Lufthansa via Frankfurt;
• LOT Polish Airlines via Warsaw;
• Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, with several connections a day;
• TAROM via Bucharest-Otopeni.

Air Moldova, for years the national carrier, did not appear in the timetable data we consulted for 2026. The Moldovan airlines you will come across are HiSky and FlyOne. Their networks change a great deal from season to season: in 2026 FlyOne added Geneva, Málaga and Tashkent among others, but dropped routes elsewhere.

Bear one regional risk in mind: because of the war in Ukraine, drones sometimes enter Moldovan airspace. The authorities may then close the airspace temporarily, causing flights to be delayed or cancelled (Dutch travel advice, September 2026). On the day you travel, follow your flight status with your airline.

IIIFlying from the Netherlands, France, Germany and Luxembourg

If you live near a border, an airport in the neighbouring country may work out quicker or cheaper. In 2026 direct flights to Chișinău are mainly on offer from Germany and France, and almost entirely with Wizz Air.

Wizz Air also flies direct from Chișinău to Berlin (daily), Hamburg and Stuttgart. The frequencies above come from airline announcements and timetable data for autumn 2026 (AeroRoutes); they differ between summer and winter. Low-cost airlines charge separately for hold luggage, which quickly adds up for a week in the countryside or a suitcase full of wine.

IVDriving to Moldova

By car, Chișinău is about 2,390 kilometres from Brussels on the route through Cologne, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Passau, Vienna, Budapest, Oradea, Cluj-Napoca and Iași. That is around thirty hours of net driving; realistically, allow three days at the wheel with overnight stops near Vienna and in Transylvania. From Amsterdam it is about 2,430 kilometres, from Paris 2,520 and from Luxembourg 2,220 (OSRM route calculation, October 2026).

Satnavs sometimes suggest a shorter route through Poland and Ukraine. Don't take it: Ukraine is a country at war, and Belgian travel advice also strongly advises against any transit through Transnistria.

Tolls and vignettes in 2026

If you buy an Austrian two-month or annual vignette online, it is only valid from the eighteenth day after purchase; bought at a sales outlet, it is valid immediately. You can buy the Moldovan vignette in advance on the official portal or on arrival; if you are stopped without proof of payment, you risk a fine of more than 1,200 lei.

Documents and insurance

According to Belgian travel advice, every vehicle in Moldova must have third-party liability insurance, and you would do well to have your insurer confirm that your green card is valid there (the country code MD must not be crossed out). Bring the original registration certificate along with your Belgian driving licence. There is zero tolerance for alcohol behind the wheel.

Border crossings with Romania

• Albița-Leușeni: the main road, via Vaslui and Huși, with the shortest drive to Chișinău;
• Sculeni: close to Iași, handy if you spend the night in that city and are heading north or to Bălți;
• Galați-Giurgiulești: in the far south, on the Danube, the logical choice if you are driving to Cahul or Găgăuzia.

Waiting times vary widely, peaking around public holidays and in summer. Moldova has no motorways: after the border you drive on national roads through villages, and driving at night is not recommended.

VBy coach

International coaches from various operators run daily between Belgium and Moldova, departing from Brussels and also from German cities such as Aachen. A single Brussels-Chișinău ticket costs from about €123 on booking sites in 2026; expect to spend more than thirty hours on the road.

An alternative is the coach to Bucharest, followed by the new FlixBus line. Since 12 September 2026 FlixBus, together with its Moldovan partner Gal Trans, has run twice a day between Bucharest and Chișinău, with a stop at Otopeni airport; the journey takes about eight hours (Romania Insider). Local operators also run buses between Iași and Chișinău.

On cheap ticket sites, check the name of the operator, the departure point and the luggage rules, and keep your travel document within reach: the coach stops at every border for checks.

VIBy train via Bucharest or Iași

There is no direct train from Western Europe to Moldova. The classic rail link is the Prietenia ("Friendship") night train between Bucharest and Chișinău. It leaves Bucharest Gara de Nord daily at 19:06 and arrives in Chișinău at 8:44 the next morning; the return service departs at 16:50. In Ungheni the carriages are jacked up and fitted with different bogies, because Moldova uses the wider Russian gauge of 1,520 millimetres (Seat61, October 2026).

• A berth in a second-class four-berth compartment costs 182 Romanian lei (approx. €34), a first-class two-berth compartment slightly more.
• You can book 60 days ahead with Romanian Railways (CFR Călători) or 30 days ahead with Moldovan Railways (CFM, railway.md).
• There is no restaurant car, only a buffet counter selling simple snacks and drinks (mainly cash); bring your own food and water.

Since 16 January 2026 a regional train has run between Iași (Socola station) and Chișinău on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays: departing Chișinău at 6:27 and returning from Iași at 17:36, each time taking almost five hours. Timetables change; check them with CFM.

If you want to travel all the way by rail, you go from Brussels through Germany, Austria and Hungary to Bucharest, which takes at least two days of travel and several changes. It is more practical to fly to Bucharest and take the night train from there.

VIIArriving from Romania or Ukraine

Romania is the natural gateway for most travellers. Several airlines fly daily from Bucharest to Chișinău, including TAROM and Wizz Air; there is also the night train and FlixBus. From Iași, just over 150 kilometres from Chișinău, the overland journey is shortest. If you are combining Romania and Moldova, you could for example fly to Bucharest or Iași and fly home from Chișinău a week later.

Ukraine is still a country at war in 2026. Belgian travel advice for Moldova calls for vigilance because the situation in Ukraine can change quickly, and strongly advises against any transit through Transnistria to Ukraine (diplomatie.belgium.be, July 2026). Separate and strict travel advice applies to Ukraine itself, which you should consult before even considering it. If you do enter from Ukraine, use a border post under Moldovan control and not the Transnistrian checkpoints.

VIIIEntry rules, children and pets

Belgian, Dutch, French, German and Luxembourg citizens travel to Moldova without a visa. A valid identity card or passport is enough; make sure your document is valid for at least three months after your planned departure. You may stay for up to 90 days within any 180-day period (City of Chișinău). For a longer stay you need a residence permit. In exceptional cases the border police may ask about the purpose of your trip, a hotel booking or a return ticket.

• Children need their own valid travel document. If a minor travels with one parent or without parents, bring signed consent from the other parent(s), preferably with a copy of their ID. If you are unsure whether a Belgian Kids-ID is enough, play it safe with a passport or check with the Moldovan embassy.
• Cash of €10,000 or more must be declared to customs on arrival.
• Pets: expect to need a microchip, a valid rabies vaccination and a European pet passport. Because Moldova is not an EU member, extra requirements may apply on return to the EU, such as a blood test for rabies antibodies. We were unable to confirm the exact rules for 2026: check with the FASFC and the Moldovan embassy before you leave.

The Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends registering your trip through Travellers Online.