The Best Things to Do in Chisinau, Moldova: 3-Day Travel Guide

All the best things to do in Chisinau, Moldova for first-timers, organised into an easy-to-follow 3 day Chisinau itinerary (city map included).

Green, clean, and characterised by a blend of elegant boulevards and Soviet-era buildings, Chisinau is a small but charming city.

Much like Tbilisi, it’s the kind of place that rewards both intentional lingering and efficiency – you could easily spend a leisurely couple of weeks soaking it in, or breeze through in a well-planned few days and still leave feeling fulfilled.

If you intend to use Chisinau (pronounced ki-shuh-nau) as a starting point for a broader journey around Moldova (perhaps even a 10-day road trip, which was our approach), then three days in Chisinau – including two full days in the city and an extra day to explore the surrounds – is sufficient in my opinion.

Based on my recent visit, my Chisinau itinerary highlights the best things to do in Moldova’s capital, from classic parks, churches and museums in the city centre, to monuments, mosaics, flea markets, and other alternative attractions.

It also covers the world’s biggest underground wine cellar, Milestii Mici Winery (30 minutes from Chisinau), and the two Petru Costin museums.

5 quick tips for visiting Chisinau

1. Airport to the city: Chisinau Airport is a 30-minute drive from downtown. Bus #30 and minibus #165 run every 40 minutes between 6am and 11pm. The fare is 6 lei. Outside of these hours, use an app to book a taxi for ~120 lei.
2. Local SIM card: Moldcell has good coverage around Moldova (and in parts of Transnistria), and is the easiest SIM I’ve ever purchased – no ID, no contract. We paid 100 lei for 40 MB of data, which was more than enough for two weeks.
3. Taxi apps: Though I am not a huge fan of Yandex Go, this seems to be the most-used app in Chisinau. Fares average 60-100 lei, and payment can be made by linking your card to the app.
4. Payment methods: Card and contactless payment are accepted throughout Chisinau and in every major town/city across Moldova, including at most hotels. For withdrawing Moldovan lei, we used Victoriabank ATMs, which are contactless and carry a 50 lei withdrawal fee (the cheapest we could find). Our Wise cards worked perfectly in Moldova.
5. Tipping culture: Tipping is not mandatory, but 10% is appreciated for table service at restaurants on top of the ‘service fee’ that might be added to your bill. 10% is also standard for guides and drivers.

Where to stay in Chisinau

Chisinau is compact and fairly flat. I recommend staying in the central zone – anywhere between Strada Ismail and Strada Serghei Lazo is ideal.

We stayed at the London Boutique Hotel, which has a convenient location at the south-east corner of town, walking distance from the Cathedral Park, and with a handful of excellent specialty coffee shops nearby.

We passed through Chisinau again for a couple of nights later in our trip, and when London Boutique was booked out, we wound up staying in an Airbnb for those extra nights. There are some great apartments available on the outskirts of the city with parking included. If you struggle to find a hotel within your budget range, do have a look at the platform for a wider selection of offerings.

Once you’re fuelled and ready to go, head to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ’s Nativity, Chisinau’s main house of worship and the seat of the Moldovan Orthodox Church. Given that more than 95% of Moldovans identify as Eastern Orthodox, the 1836-built cathedral and park that surrounds it form the natural heart of the capital.

The somewhat austere Empire-style facade (the doric columns make it look more like an art museum to my eye) is contrasted with a richly ornamented interior. Many churches in Moldova have an ethereal feel, with pastel frescoes and big, low-set windows to let in the natural light – but not this one. Christ’s Nativity is all dark marble and honeyed candle glow.

On the left side of the square as you exit the church, the Three Martyrs Monument pays tribute to a poet, journalist and engineer murdered amid political tensions in August 1917.

Chisinau’s most recognisable landmark, The Triumphal Arch or Holy Gates, stands directly ahead at the top of Cathedral Park. Erected in the 1840s, it commemorates the victors of the Russo–Turkish War, and apparently housed a 6-tonne bell cast from melted-down enemy canons.

Pass through the arch to enter Great National Assembly Square, which stretches out in front of the stark Government House building.

This square sometimes sees demonstrations, but at the time of our visit, it was hosting a Romanian cultural festival. We were lucky to find the square closed to traffic – a rare opportunity to get a car-free photo of the arch.

Walk to the north-western corner of the square and cross the road to see the Stephen the Great Monument up close. Crowned and holding a cross overhead, Moldova’s national hero is remembered for defending Orthodox Christianity and national identity in the face of 15th-century Ottoman invasions.

The historical coat of arms of Moldavia is emblazoned on the statue’s base, depicting a wild ox flanked by a divine star, a crescent moon, and a stylised sun. Keep an eye out for similar symbols – they appear all over the country.

Chisinau’s cultural precinct lies behind the Government House. Follow the edge of the park southwest and turn down 31 August Street (named for Language Day, when in 1989 Moldovan was given the status of state language) to see the facades of the Nicolae Sulac National Palace and the National Library of Moldova, plus a beautiful Moldovan Carpet mural painted on the side of a disused sports complex.

Opposite, the Licurici Republican Puppet Theatre (below right) sports a cool Soviet-style relief sculpture on its facade.

The central foyer and stairwell of the National Museum of Fine Art (above) have been beautifully restored and are worth the 50 lei ticket price alone. Collections of canvases and sculptures span three floors, with the watercolours by avant-garde painter and set designer Theodor Kiriacoff Suruceanu the real stand-outs for me. (His style is remarkably similar to Petre Otskheli, my favourite Georgian artist.)

The National History Museum also costs 50 lei, and is similarly good value for money, with exhibitions spanning centuries of Bassarabian and Moldovan history. The palatial halls upstairs are beautifully decorated with restored Soviet-era flourishes.

I found the gulag commemoration particularly interesting, and also enjoyed the Iasi-Chisinau Operation Diorama, a massive 45-by-11-metre painted canvas depicting the decisive WWII campaign. The use of real military artefacts and a sound installation make the diorama room immersive.

On the ground floor of the museum, there is a branch of the popular Romanian bookshop Carturesti. You can find some nice made-in-Moldova souvenirs here alongside English-language books. Before you leave, walk through the museum gardens to see the Ka-26 helicopter and a retro tractor.

In between museum visits, I suggest you grab a quick lunch at the nearby Galbenus. Buffet-style canteens where you pay by weight for portions of home-style chow – borscht, sarmale cabbage rolls, mamaliga cornmeal – are an institution in Chisinau. This particular one was recommended to us by a local.

Located behind the Puppet Theatre, Marlene is a sweet cocktail bar. If the timing is right, consider popping over at 4pm for a refreshing tipple in the courtyard. (If it’s still too early, you can save it for Day 2.)

In the late afternoon, walk down to explore the parkland and mosaics around Valea Morilor, one of several urban lakes in Chisinau. To get down to the sunken reservoir, you can follow the Cascade Stairs at the north-eastern corner of the park. The 218-step flight was built in the 1950s, and is reminiscent of the Yerevan Cascade or the Potemkin Stairs in Odesa. It was recently restored.

On the way to the Cascade, stop for a photo of the Ethnography Museum, a beautiful oriental–Moorish building that dates to 1905.

There are several things to see inside Valea Morilor Park. I suggest circumnavigating the lake in an anticlockwise direction – this takes around 30-45 minutes.

At the western end of the lake, the Moldexpo International Exhibitions Centre contains some interesting Soviet modernist architecture, including the glazed Pavillion #8. A heads up: There are lots of loud street dogs in the area, but we did not find them to be aggressive.

In front of what is now the Madison Park banquet hall, you will find a statue of Vladimir Lenin (below right), which was apparently relocated to this corner of the park from its original spot in front of the Government House. There are two agriculture-themed low relief sculptures on the building facade.

If you’re into Socialist art, it is very much worth the short detour away from the lake to view the ‘Electrification’ mosaic on Strada Vasile Lupu. This vivid geometric panno rendered in primary colours is fitted to the side of an electrical engineering school.

Returning to the lake, the terrain on the southern shore changes to forest as you work your way along a gently sloping trail through the pine trees. A fenced-off, dilapidated tower is all that remains of a Parachute Station (below left), where thrill-seekers could once strap on a harness and launch into the lake below.

When you’re ready to leave the park, exit via the Granite Stairs at the eastern corner of the lake. Look closely at the top of the 1962-built colonnade, and you will notice it is decorated with small mosaic friezes that depict different lake sports and leisure pursuits.

Directly to your left, a little further up the street, the Chisinau Water Tower was built by Alexander Bernadazzi in 1892. Inside, the Chisinau City Museum closes at 6pm, but you have the option to return here tomorrow if you want to summit the spiral staircase for a city view.

From the stop in front of the colonnade, jump on the #12 trolleybus for a quick ride up Pushkin Street, then alight at the edge of Cathedral Park for your dinner reservation at Fuior.

One of Chisinau’s best-regarded restaurants, Fuior puts a fine-dining spin on national classics such as potato dumplings and truffled barley porridge. While I enjoyed the experience of eating here, I must admit we found the food a bit underwhelming – but maybe we ordered the wrong items. It’s certainly worth a try, so I’ll let you be the judge.

For something no-frills and budget-friendly, there is a branch of La Placinte two blocks up. We ate at this restaurant chain several times during our stay in Chisinau and were never disappointed.

Cap off your first day in Chisinau at Plincuvin Wine Boutique on the opposite side of the park, where Moldovan wines are served by the glass alongside grazing platters. Feteasca Neagra, Viorica and Saperavi (yes, the Georgian kind!) are all available to try.

Of the handful of wine bars we visited in Chisinau, this one had the best vibe. It’s especially nice to stand on the sidewalk at one of the barrel tables.

Day 2: Alternative Chisinau – markets, mosaics & monuments

After ticking off most of the must-sees on Day 1, today is an opportunity to explore some of Chisinau’s lesser-visited corners. Soviet-era mosaics, monuments, and lively markets are among the highlights.

We managed to do all of the below in a single day, but I will acknowledge that it’s a very full schedule. If it feels overwhelming, remember that many of these are just brief photo stops.

After coffee/breakfast at one of the cafes mentioned above (Sincer is a good option for today), first on the agenda is Chisinau Central Market.

The city’s main agricultural market has both open-air sections and undercover halls, with the outdoor fruit and vegetable area being the most photogenic. As it was early summer at the time of our visit, we found plenty of cherries, strawberries, and new potatoes. It was interesting to see a huge selection of dried prunes of every shape and colour.

The indoor meat and dairy pavilions are very retro. I didn’t notice the ‘no photos’ sign on the way in, and was chastised by one of the aproned lady butchers who pointed at my camera and decidedly proclaimed, ‘No smoking!’. So many former Soviet Republics are funny about photography at markets – I experienced the same in Uzbekistan. Thank goodness Georgia didn’t inherit this rule.

After a browse, it’s time for your first Soviet mosaic of the day. This full-wall panel is located inside the waiting room of the Central Bus Station, directly behind the market. Titled The City is Flourishing and Being Built, it was created in 1974 by artist Mikhail Burya.

You are free to climb the stairs to the mezzanine level for a closer look at the opposing side of the mosaic, which has the same flower-and-circle motifs. It looks like some of the panels were damaged and replaced by wall paintings.

A block back towards the market, the Strada Tighina side of the Moldtelecom building (former Ministry of Communications) is also decorated with a mosaic panel, this one depicting a telephone and a jet plane (below left). It is attributed to Mikhail Burya and Nicolae Cotofan.

Head southeast along Stefan cel Mare Boulevard and at the next major intersection, you will see the iconic Hotelul National on your left. Completed in 1978 by architects A. Gorbuntov and V. Salaginov, the Intourist (as it was then known) was unique in Chisinau for its inclusion of a ‘currency bar’, where 14 different legal tenders were accepted.

With demolition plans on hold, the Brutalist building lies abandoned and derelict; its massive fountain dry. The facade decoration – balconies painted with the colours of the Moldovan flag – is a recent addition.

On the opposite side of United National Square, the austere facade of the Constantin Brancusi Exhibition Centre is adorned with Natalya Vlasova’s life-sized sculptures of female muses. In combination with the unornamented apartment blocks that rise up behind the single-storey building, they are very striking indeed.

Pop inside if you wish, but note that there are no works here by the Romanian sculptor for whom the centre is named.

Cross the road to photograph the Monument to the Liberation of Chisinau, which remembers the city’s liberation from Nazi forces in 1944 with a tall obelisk and bronze sculpture. It sits directly in front of the Chisinau Hotel, the oldest hotel in the city, which opened its doors in the 1950s. Unlike the Hotelul National, this one is still functioning. (I passed on the chance to stay here – I imagine the rooms are a bit like the Hotel Uzbekistan in Tashkent or the Sevan Writers House in Armenia.)

The final Soviet-era hotel in this area, the Cosmos Hotel, is located a little further down Constantin Negruzzi Boulevard en route to the Railway Station. This Brutalist landmark was the tallest building in Chisinau (at 73 metres) at the time of its completion in 1983. The small plaza in front hosts an equestrian statue of the Moldovan-born political activist Grigory Kotovsky.

Before you venture down to the Cosmos, make a short detour to Ciuflea Monastery. As you walk along Strada Ciuflea towards the gate, the church’s nine gilded onion domes appear above the treeline.

This church was consecrated in 1858, and follows a Russian‑Byzantine style. The two Aromanian brothers who sponsored it are both interred inside. In the Soviet period, Ciuflea functioned as a temporary cathedral after the Nativity Cathedral was shuttered and retrofitted as a museum.

The interior is similarly dark and moody, with the use of diffused light to illuminate the golden iconostasis extremely effective in setting the mood. I love the inclusion of neon lighting in Moldovan churches. The letters here spell out ‘Christ is Risen’.

Five minutes south-east of Hotel Cosmos on foot, the Chisinau Railway Station is the point of arrival/departure for international trains from Bucharest and Kyiv. Even if you plan to take the famous night train out of Chisinau down to Bucharest (not recommended in summer due to the notable absence of AC!), I suggest coming down to the station during daylight hours for a peek at the architecture and the monuments nearby.

The station itself was inaugurated in the 1870s, and completely restored in the late 1940s following its partial destruction in WWII. The castle-like facade is straight out of Transylvania.

At the back of the station, near the platforms, a Soviet-era cafeteria building is topped with a lovely mosaic featuring the contemporary Moldovan coat of arms. On the tracks, there is an old E 785-63 steam locomotive, produced in Poznan in the 1950s.

The Monument to the Deportees or Train of Pain (below left) remembers the thousands of families deported from Moldova by Stalin’s regime. It is located in front of the station entrance.

Cross the tracks via the pedestrian bridge off Strada Tiraspol to visit the Lokomotiv Second-Hand Market (below right). This flea market is open Tuesday to Sunday, but is at its biggest and best on the weekends.

There are a few shops peddling vintage and antiques, but the majority of the stalls are dedicated to new and used clothing and shoes. The market is completely outdoors, so bear in mind that most vendors do not show up in bad weather.

The Calea Basarabiei Market is another flea market in Chisinau that is open 7 days.

Moving now to the opposite side of town, grab a taxi to the Muzeul Regiei Transport Electric Chisinau, a small independent museum dedicated to the city’s beloved trolleybuses. There is not a word of English within the exhibitions, but the visual displays that trace the history of Chisinau’s first konka trams in 1889 through to electrification in 1913 and today’s modern network are fascinating.

The curator was very excited to show me the scaled map of the tram network, which lights up with the flick of a switch to illustrate the different routes.

The museum is located on the grounds of the tram depot, and there are several vintage vehicles parked outside that you can explore.

Entrance to the museum is free. Judging from Google Maps, it shuts over the winter, so be sure to double-check recent reviews (and opening hours) before you make the trip out.

The Bucuria Factory where Moldova’s signature sweets are made is located right across the road from the tram depot. If you haven’t yet tried Bucuria’s lapte de pasare marshmallow sweets, or their Chisinaul de seara chocolate-glazed prunes, there is a shop attached to the factory where you can buy boxes and pick-and-mix singles direct from the source.

One of Chisinau’s most recognisable landmarks, the State Circus, is located three kilometres north-east. To get there, you can either jump on bus #26 or book a taxi. This icon of Soviet Brutalism is a must-visit for anyone interested in architecture of the period. I had initially overlooked it, but I’m glad I decided to make the trek out to see it in person.

With a capacity of almost 2,000 people, this was the first circus of its kind built in the USSR. Architects Ala Kirichenko and Semyon Shoikhet were responsible for the distinct angled design that references a traditional Moldovan folk dance, while the clown relief sculpture above the entrance is the work of Valeriu Rotari. Very sadly, it is quite damaged.

The circus operated from the early 1980s right through to 2004, when it was abandoned. It is currently under reconstruction, although work appears to be progressing slowly. The building remains sealed off – a great shame, because the interior looks absolutely spectacular.

From the circus, it’s a 20-minute walk or short trolley ride back over the Bic River to reach the final points of interest on the east side of Chisinau, behind Cathedral Park.

These include the ‘No Thermonuclear Weapons’ mosaic, an anti-nuclear propaganda piece that shows two hands snapping a missile in half, rendered in tesserae tiles on the side of an apartment block, and the nearby Red Mill Building, an 1850s steam mill that is slated to be transformed into a cultural centre.

To get back to the city centre, follow the pedestrian alley down Grigore Vieru Boulevard, passing the To the Heroes of Lenin Comsomolians Monument, another striking Soviet statue, this time dedicated to the young patriots who gave their lives in WWII.

On the western facade of the Turist Hotel directly opposite, there is a great sgraffito mural (below left) depicting different Chisinau landmarks (church domes as well as the circus and other Soviet-era edifices) in a palette of rusty tones.

The next section of the boulevard, known as the National Carpet Pedestrian Alley (above right), is paved with coloured bricks arranged to evoke the folk motifs found in Moldovan weaving. Follow it to the end, and you will soon be back in the centre of the city.

For dinner, I recommend Taproom by Litra, a microbrewery and BBQ house on Stefan cel Mare Boulevard.

Day 3: Around Chisinau – wineries & Soviet relics

With three days in Chisinau, you have time to venture out to the periphery of the city and visit a winery, plus two excellent museums. It is an efficient and budget-friendly option to hire your own car for this. We used Car4Rent, and were very happy with the service. If you’re not keen on self-driving, I would suggest finding a private driver rather than trying to use public transport.

Collect your car no later than 9am from the Car4Rent office, then join the R1 Highway to start heading west. On your way out of Chisinau, make a pitstop at Zity Mall to photograph the pink-toned Former Palace of Culture mosaic, created by Pavel Vladislavovich Obukh in the 1980s.

You may also wish to stop at the 19th-century Jewish Cemetery on the opposite side of the highway, where there is a funeral hall and the ruins of a synagogue.

Your first destination, the Soviet Open Air Museum of Petru Costin, is a 30-minute drive west via the highway. This is one of two museums outside Chisinau founded by Petru Costin, an ex-customs official who amassed a huge collection of artefacts and confiscated items throughout his career.

Dozens of granite busts, stone statues and other objects – essentially everything that is too big to fit inside Costin’s flagship indoor museum (up next) – are strewn over a grassy hill, linked by walking paths. Give yourself an hour to see everything.

Some of the Communist period sculptures are instantly recognisable as monuments to Lenin. Others depict Moldovan party officials. There is just one image of Stalin in the mix. Some are mounted with plaques that explain how they found their way out of junkyards and into the museum.

Next, drive 20 minutes south-east to reach the main Petru Costin Gallery in Ialoveni. This was by far the most interesting museum we visited in Moldova, largely thanks to our wonderful guide, Natalia, who walked us through the exhibitions spread over four floors.

There are rooms filled with collections of transistor radios, TV sets, war medals and uniforms, handmade Orthodox icons, samovars, and various other collectibles.

The menacing Red Room, with its Soviet banners and Lenin statues, and the recreated Soviet-era school classroom are the highlights.

Call in advance to book the tour with Natalia. The full program takes 90 minutes or more, and costs 80 lei per person. There is an additional 20 lei fee for bringing in a camera. Abridged tours are also available for 40 lei.

Make sure you leave the museum on time for your appointment at Milestii Mici Winery, conveniently a short 10-minute drive from Ialoveni. The world’s biggest underground cellar boasts a collection of 2 million wine bottles housed inside 50 kilometres of tunnels – part of a limestone quarry that was excavated to source the building blocks for Chisinau. The tunnel system spans some 200 kilometres in total, reaching all the way back to the centre of the city.

Until a few years ago, you could queue up and drive your own car through the wine tunnels. Nowadays, you must pre-book a guided tour. Electric buggies ferry you between four subterranean stops, with opportunities to disembark and study the bottle racks and barrels on foot.

There are at three slots every day at 11am, 1pm and 3pm (possibly more during the peak period). I recommend booking in for 3pm (contact details here). Officially, the tour lasts for 50 minutes, but we ended up spending 1.5 hours below ground. Temperatures inside the cellar average 12-14°C, so remember to bring a jacket!

When you first arrive at the winery, remember to visit the office to check-in and pay. Depending on the program you choose, there is an option to do a three-glass wine degustation at the end. Just keep in mind that the legal blood alcohol concentration limit for driving in Moldova is 0.03%, so you will need a designated driver for this stop.

The 30-minute drive back into Chisinau from the winery takes you right past another iconic landmark, the Blocul Locativ Romanita.

Originally designed to be a sanatorium with a panoramic cafe on the top floor, the building was completed in 1986 by architect Oleg Vronsky and engineer A. Marian. When the sanatorium idea was abandoned, its 17 floors were instead turned into apartments.

The name Romanita means ‘chamomile’ in Romanian, a reference to the tower’s uniquely round shape and the petal-like arrangement of its concrete balconies. Many families still live in the building – from the outisde, you can clearly see how some households have altered their living spaces or windows.

You are free to walk under the base of the tower, and to climb the staircases that lead up to a round balcony for some great photo angles.

Map of Things to Do in Chisinau