Cotnari

Cotnari is a commune of Iai county, in Romania, with a population of about 8.500. It

is composed of 11 villages (Bahlui, Crjoaia, Hodora, Horoditea, Cireeni, Zbereni,
Cotnari, Valea Racului, Iosupeni, Lupria and Fgt).

Understand
Cotnari has an ancient tradition in the wine production. It mainly has a hilly
landscape and this factor favoured the quality of the grapes. The vineyards of Cotnari
are attested since 15th century. Here, it is produced the most famous wine of Romania,
called Gras de Cotnari, and of course, others wines like Feteasc, Tmioas
Romneasc and so on; the wines are produced by the company Cotnari S.A.
(http://www.cotnari.ro/). Cotnari is the right place for those who want to discover
more about the procedures of wine production and also to immerse themselves in a
wonderful landscape characterised by vineyards.

Get in
By plane
Due to the proximity of Cotnari to Iai (approximate 65 km), which is the capital of
the county Iai, travellers could come to the International Airport of Ia i and, from
there, they could take a bus to Cotnari; Auto Balmir (phone: +4-0766-771.006) is the
company that offers this service. The other nearest airports are: the International
Airport tefan cel Mare of Suceava (at a distance of 95 kilometres) and the
International Airport George Enescu of Bacu (at a distance of 103 kilometres).
By train
There are departures from Bucharest to Iai; this services are offered by the national
company of trains, CFR, ( http://www.cfrcalatori.ro/ ); from there, travellers have to
take the bus in order to reach Cotnari. Another alternative is to rent a car from a
specialized company (for example, http://iasi-rentacar.ro/ ).
By car
From Bucharest, travellers have to follow the European road E60 to Urziceni; from
Urziceni they have to follow the European road E85 that leads to Roman. Once they
arrive in the Iai county, the E85 road becomes E583 . This road has to be followed

until it is reached Trgu Frumos and from there it has to be followed the national road
DN28 that arrives to Cotnari.
From Iai, travellers have to follow the European roads E58, E583 and after that the
national road DN28.
By bus
There are daily departures from Iai to Cotnari, offered by the company Auto Balmir.
The trip takes aproximatively 2.30 hours.

Get around
Cotnaris mainly attractions could be reached by walking.

See
The vineyard Cotnari is, undoubtedly, the most important attraction of the place but
there are also another attractions that are worthwhile to be visited.
The vineyard Cotnari is attested since 15th century and the wines produced here
have obtained several medals at national and international contests. The company
Cotnari S.A. offers tourist packages that could include the visit of the vineyards, of
the wine cellar and also tasting of wines and traditional food.
The Geto-Dacian Fortress from the Ctlina Plateau. It goes back to 4 th century BC.
In 1885, the archaeologist Dimitrie Butculescu found here a lot of objects made by
stone, bones, stag horns and ceramics.
The Castle with the Bell Tower which now it is the headquarters of Cotnari S.A.
The ruins of the Latin Academy that has been created by the lord of the Moldavia
region, Despot Vod, in 1562. That was the first romanian college and it is also
known as the Latin School.
The ruins of Curtea Domneasc that goes back to the 15th and 16th centuries.
Unfortunately, today there could only be seen some cellars of the construction.
National Reservation of Ctlina Forest where live protected species of birds and
animals and where could also be found protected flora. In these reservation there are
also seculiar trees that may reach even 200 years.

Saint Paraschevas Church was raised between 1491 and 1493, and it is considered
to be a foundation of the lord Stefan the Great, one of the most important lords of the
Moldavia region.
Cucuteni Archeological Complex which is located not far from Cotnari, at only 12
kilometres distance.

Eat
Travellers who visit the wine cellar and vinoteque of Cotnari S.A. could also eat
there, having the chance to discover traditional food. Another places to eat are:
Agritourism Poiana Iai, in Deleni, +4.0722637248 (at a distance of 16 kilometers
from Cotnari)
Rareoaia Inn and Restaurant, in Hrlu, +4.0232-720422 (at a distance of 12
kilometers from Cotnari)

Sleep
Because of the fact that Cotnari is still a rural place travellers could find hotels or
B&B in Trgu Frumos, a city situated at a distance of only 18 kilometres. Here are
some options:
Hotel Trgu Frumos, Street Petru Rares 57, in Trgu Frumos, +4.0232-71.03.13
Guesthouse Gigas, Street Buznei 1E, in Trgu Frumos