A EUROPEAN holiday hotspot that has yet to become popular with British tourists could make for a very cheap break – especially for wine lovers.
Not only is the country known for its wine, but it even has a huge underground system with 'booze trains' taking you around
Moldova, a landlocked country in Europe that hopes to become part of the EU, is often overlooked by travellers.
The country has just 2.5million people, with more than 800,000 living in the capital Chisinau.
And fewer than 350,000 tourists visited the country last year – compared to 71million tourists visiting Spain in 2022.
However, it makes for an interesting – and cheap – holiday destination.
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A study by Bounce found that the average bottle of wine costs just Ā£3.52 in the country.
And it has some of the highest percentage of vineyards in Europe, around 3.6 per cent of the country.
Therefore it isn't surprising that it is home to the largest wine collection in the world.
The cellars at wine-making plant Milestii Mici are in the Guinness World Record Books, with more than 1.5million bottles of wine underground.
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7Visitors are taken around by underground electric 'trains' similar to golf buggies around the storage.
Leaning into their fame for booze, there is also the Strong Drinks Museum – which is the largest bottle-shaped building in the world.
As the country is landlocked, you might not expect the country to have a beach.
However, there is a popular man-made beach – but it's found on a lake rather than the ocean.
Found on Chisinau Lake,the sandy beach is popular with tourists with sunloungers and umbrellas.
Other attractions across the country include the huge waterpark Varu Varu Aquacity, which has wave pool, 18 slides, and one of the "largest kids pools" in Europe of nearly 1,000m2.
It might seem like an unlikely holiday destination, but is praised for its "unspoiled countryside and superb wine tours" according to Lonely Planet, who also praised its "roads-less-travelled charm".
Flights to Moldova from the UK start from Ā£64 and hotels can be found for as little as Ā£23 a night.
The Foreign Office warns against travel to Transnistria, an area between Moldova and Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict with Russia.
However, the rest of Moldova is open to Brits.
Tourists will need at least three months on their passport but don't need a visa if visiting for less than 90 days.
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And Brits get around 223 Moldovan Leu for Ā£10.
Here's another little-known holiday destination not far from Moldova, but with cheap flights and beer.
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