Soroca Fortress
Soroca Fortress
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4.0
119 reviews
Excellent
56
Very good
41
Average
14
Poor
5
Terrible
3
TimisoaraMarius
timisoara193 contributions
Jun 2016 • Friends
Soroca is a small city in the northeastern part of Moldavia, on the right bank of Dniester River. To go there, take M2 from Chișinău, and travel for about 2 hours. Soroca is 170 km away from Chișinău. The road is not a highway, but it is very good. It is a pleasure to drive on this route, as there are few cars, and the road is lined of each side by rows of walnuts for more than 100 km. The main attraction in Soroca is the Fortress located very close to the waters of Dniester. The Fortress was built in a place wherefrom Tartars retreat in 1389. The actual building was erected on the base of a former wooden-earth-madden Fortress (1380 A.D.) and it was documented in a written treatise between Moldavia and Poland in 1499. Soroca Fortress is well preserved and shows an unusual architecture for this geographical area. It looks more like a Normand Fortress, as found in France or England. It is round, like a gigantic tower with five defense bastions. Although not completely restored, it offers a well organized circuit, interesting aspects to be seen, and beautiful sightseeing on both Dniester and the city of Soroca. Look for some tips below.
1. Tickets: adults 5 MDL Lei (aprox 20 cents), children 3 MDL Lei.
2. Monday and Thursday is closed.
3. Although not big, the Fortress tour may last for 1 to 2 hours.
4. A written booklet about the Fortress is lacking, so use the net to find out details.
5. Explanations given by the director, who also plays the guide role, are very helpful and documented.
6. There is a small ferry close to the Fortress that crosses Dniester and if you get a valid passport you can visit a little bit of Ukraine.
7. Try a visit up on the hill to the Thanksgiving Candle (walking down using the staircase or by car). From there it is open a great landscape on the area.
8. A round tour through the gipsy's village could be interesting, but for sure, it is unusual.
9. If you are hungry, try Soroca restaurant, nearby the Fortress.
1. Tickets: adults 5 MDL Lei (aprox 20 cents), children 3 MDL Lei.
2. Monday and Thursday is closed.
3. Although not big, the Fortress tour may last for 1 to 2 hours.
4. A written booklet about the Fortress is lacking, so use the net to find out details.
5. Explanations given by the director, who also plays the guide role, are very helpful and documented.
6. There is a small ferry close to the Fortress that crosses Dniester and if you get a valid passport you can visit a little bit of Ukraine.
7. Try a visit up on the hill to the Thanksgiving Candle (walking down using the staircase or by car). From there it is open a great landscape on the area.
8. A round tour through the gipsy's village could be interesting, but for sure, it is unusual.
9. If you are hungry, try Soroca restaurant, nearby the Fortress.
Written 13 June 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SimoneP06
Innsbruck, Austria62 contributions
May 2011 • Friends
I visited this fortress in a sunny day of may in 2011. We were visiting the eastern part of Romania and we also went to Soroca. After a long road we arrived to this small city on Nistru river bank. It is a big fortress and it has an important place in the history. We had a guide, a local man, that told us it story and he is very gifted in telling it's storry because it made it more interesting. So if you go visit it I strongly recomend to ask a guide to tell the story of the fortress. you can walk around through it, take pictures and buy souveniers. It's has big walls and it looks strong , just like any other fortress, but it is different and unique by it's story.
I was more impressed by this city's life where at 15 o'clock on a Wednesday the shops were going to be closed , you do not see people walking around on the streets, or children to play in the park. The buildings are small, 4 floors, with sad windows , and despite the fact it was a spring day you would think that it is a autumn sad day.
Visiting this city was important to me because i got to make a difference between life in a small city on an eastern european country and a small city on a western european country and I am glad that I took this trip.
I was more impressed by this city's life where at 15 o'clock on a Wednesday the shops were going to be closed , you do not see people walking around on the streets, or children to play in the park. The buildings are small, 4 floors, with sad windows , and despite the fact it was a spring day you would think that it is a autumn sad day.
Visiting this city was important to me because i got to make a difference between life in a small city on an eastern european country and a small city on a western european country and I am glad that I took this trip.
Written 9 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mikhail K
Moscow, Russia13 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
Soroca is a great fortress with rich history. Nikolay Bulat works here as director of museum and also tells about historic events. His enthusiasm and great story-telling skills are appreciated by Moldova, he is #1 guide on Moldova. Also you could find near this fortress gypsi mansions with crazy design mashed-up from different styles.
Written 16 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
zimpsych
Milton Keynes, UK36 contributions
Feb 2015 • Family
A lovely visit to the unique Soroca Fort in Soroca, on the Dniester river guarding a shallow seasonal ford between Moldova and Ukraine. This attraction is usually closed as it is under restoration but we managed to wangle a peek inside. The extreme winter chill was cancelled by the warmth, with and passion of the wonderful Nicolae Bulat, local historian and director of the Soroca Museum of History and Ethnography. He can (and in fact should) be contacted before planning your trip to Soroca, and will be able to let you know if and when the fort is open. Personally I'd love to have been able to buy him lunch and listen to more of this encyclopedic knowledge of the area and its history.
Preferably visit in spring or summer, when the area will be green and lovely and the local orchards and vineyards bursting with fruit. Understand that this is a work in progress, funded in part by the EU, and be prepared to feel the history rather than expecting glossy guide books. And do talk to Nicolae.
Preferably visit in spring or summer, when the area will be green and lovely and the local orchards and vineyards bursting with fruit. Understand that this is a work in progress, funded in part by the EU, and be prepared to feel the history rather than expecting glossy guide books. And do talk to Nicolae.
Written 21 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
K. D
Alsace, France45 contributions
Oct 2013 • Solo
One of the best historic monument of the country is Soroca Fortress. Nice, rare different and still not reconstructed.
Written 17 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
diamondsprings
Diamond Springs, CA270 contributions
Oct 2013 • Couples
The fortress is under renovation until May 2014, however, it is open sometimes. Our hotel desk clerk called the town historian, Nikolai, who usually works at the Ethnographic Museum. She learned that while the museum was closed on Sunday, Nikolai would be opening the fortress around 12:00 noon that day. I don't know if that is a regular schedule, but if you get a chance to go in, it is well worth it. Nikolai said the fortress is 75% original and it is really lovely inside with great views from the top tier.
Written 26 October 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
OliviaPetraComan
Brasov, Romania457 contributions
Apr 2012 • Friends
It is a very well preserved fortress, but that's about it. It isn't marketed at all. It's got a single information poster and no other stories accompanying it (which applies to most attractions in the Republic of Moldova). You should definitely have some prior historical knowledge in order for you to enjoy the visit. And even if you've got the historical background, it just leaves you with the feeling that it's a construction like many others. Would have I gone through all the trouble I did to visit it if I knew how big of a tourist trap it was? I still wonder...
Written 2 May 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kristina Doba
Chisinau, Moldova190 contributions
Apr 2019 • Friends
In the medieval period the Fortress of Soroca was part of a huge Moldovan defensive system, which comprised four fortresses on the Nistru river, two on the Danube and another three in the northern part of the country. With this “stone belt of fortresses”, the country borders were well protected. Soroca fortress was built at the Nistru river crossing, on older fortifications. In 1499, on the order of Stefan cel Mare.
Written 8 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Piotr M
Warsaw, Poland1,096 contributions
Jun 2019 • Friends
the Fortress in Soroca is well preserved and worth visiting, situated by the river and the promenade, it is a popular place for locals and tourists, and the entrance is less than 3 euro
Written 5 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carol H
De Pere, WI1,035 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
Built in a perfect circle on the Nistru River, its four tours and rectangular entrance tower (all spaced equally apart) provide a multitude of picturesque photos. The limestone walls are more than three meters thick, 18 meters high on the inside,and 21 meters high on the outside. During the Medieval period, this fortress was part of a huge defense system: the "Stone Belt of Fortresses."
There is not much to see inside, but one can walk around the upper level, which offers sweeping views of the river along with that of the outlandish mansions of Gypsy Hill.
There is not much to see inside, but one can walk around the upper level, which offers sweeping views of the river along with that of the outlandish mansions of Gypsy Hill.
Written 10 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Доброе время суток! мы собираемся приехать небольшой группой в крепость 12 августа. надо ли заказывать заранее экскурсовода или все по ходу дела??
Written 4 August 2022
Доброй ночи ,подскажите пожалуйста вы в эту субботу работаете
Written 14 November 2019
I read somewhere that Soroca is closed in the cold season? Can anyone confirm opening dates? I would love to visit in late Feb/early March.
Written 7 February 2019
Mykola K
Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
Какой режим работы крепости и сколько стоит билет?
Written 9 September 2016
A Tripadvisor member
билет стоит дешево, дети 3 и взрослые 5 леев, хотя обещали подорожание до 10 леев.
Режим работы с 9 до 18.
Есть телефон директорат крепости, говорит на румынском и русском, автор книг по истории крепости, проводит классные экскурсии для детей
Written 12 September 2016
Билет от 3 до 5 лей был раньше. Дети 3 Лея и взрослые 5 лей. Но хотели поднять уже цены и до 10 лей за осмотр. Подняли или нет, я так и не в курсе, однако в любом случае цена не большая. Так что добро пожаловать!)))
Written 11 July 2019
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