Things to Do in Chișinău: A Complete Guide with Walks and Local Tips

This guide is based on my own trip to Chișinău: two walking routes I tried myself, local food stops, and a few surprises further out. I’ve also included easy day trips and suggested itineraries, so you can plan whether you’ve got a single day or a whole week.

Moldova doesn’t often make the shortlist for a European city break. Wedged between Romania and Ukraine, it’s usually mentioned in the news describing its independence struggles or for the war next door. I visited Chişinău, and beyond, in March 2025 and, for me, that image felt far away. I came away surprised by how much this under-visited country has to offer.

Chişinău is calm, compact and affordable. A city with leafy parks, beautiful buildings, and unexpected quirks. For sure, you’ll find plenty of brutalist soviet concrete, but it’s the contrasts which make this city fun and worth exploring.

With a recent uptick in affordable International flights, Moldova is opening up to an increasing number of visitors. It may not be on the tourist radar just yet, but it’s certainly a place to watch out for. Whether you’re in Chişinău, the capital of Moldova for a day or a week, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy. And I hope this guide and map will be helpful to you.

Map of Things to Do In Chişinău

Here’s my map of recommended things to see and do in Chișinău. It includes two walking routes plus food, drink and cultural highlights to help you shape your visit. You’ll also find my suggested itineraries for one, two, three or more days in the city further down.

For accommodation, I’ve created a separate guide with recommendations and a dedicated map – see Places to Stay in Chișinău.

Here’s a closer look at each route — with photos, highlights and tips to guide you through

Walking Route 1 – Central Sights & Parks

Explore Cathedral Park

Begin at 📍Cathedral Park (Parcul Catedralei), the city’s central park and square and heart of the city.

The 📍 Metropolitan Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ dominates the park, a white-walled Orthodox church topped with a black dome. Built in 1830. The bell tower was destroyed in 1962 and rebuilt again in 1997. During the Soviet period, the cathedral became an exhibition space but religious services resumed following Moldovan independence in 1992.

At night the cathedral is particularly striking, with the light coloured façade illuminated against the night sky. The exterior is fairly minimalist, compared with many Orthodox Cathedrals in Eastern Europe in fact it reminds me of the Lutheran cathedral in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. However, on the inside it’s a very different story. The cathedral is very ornate and filled with gilded iconostasis, as many are in the Orthodox tradition.

When we visited during the day there was a service in progress inside. We lingered a while at the back listening to the singing reverberated around the large central dome. A stirring experience and not the time to take photos. Here’s a quick ‘point and shoot’ at the ceiling above everyone’s heads while we were leaving.

Directly across the road is the 📍 Triumphal Arch (Arcul de Triumf), built in 1840 to celebrate the Russian victory over the Ottoman Empire. It may not rival Paris for size, but its position on the main boulevard makes it one of the city’s most photographed landmarks. It’s also worth visiting at dusk when it’s often lit up.

The huge building, providing a backdrop is 📍Government House of Moldova (Guvernul Republicii Moldova) with the 📍Great National Assembly Park in front of it. It’s on Bulevardul Ștefan cel Mare which is one of the main arterial roads through the city and different parts features in both my walking routes.

Wander through Stephen the Great Central Park

Next, cross over to the adjoining park. 📍 Stephen the Great Central Park (Grădina Publică „Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt”) is a shady space, lined with trees and busts of Romanian and Moldovan cultural figures, plus a central water feature. One thing you’ll notice about the parks in Chişinău is that they are clean, tidy and relatively litter free.

At the entrance of the park stands the 📍 Stephen the Great Monument, honouring the medieval ruler who defended Moldavia against the Ottomans. Locals often lay flowers here, especially on national holidays.

Take in Bulevardul Ștefan cel Mare

A short walk along 📍 Bulevardul Ștefan cel Mare takes you to the Parliament of Moldova, a sweeping structure with a broad front lawn.

Opposite stands the 📍 Presidential Palace (Președinția Republicii Moldova), rebuilt after damage in the 2009 protests. Together they anchor the city’s political heart.

Visit National Museum of Ethnography

Next, head south on to Strada Alexei Şciusev. You’ll find the 📍National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History, the oldest museum in Moldova, housed in a striking Moorish-style building. Its exhibits cover everything from folk costumes to dinosaur fossils – a slightly eccentric mix but very Moldovan. With the inside of the building as remarkable as the outside, you may find 50 Leu (£2.25) entrance fee worthwhile.

Wander and Relax in Valea Morilor Park

Continue up the hill, until you reach the entrance of 📍Valea Morilor Park, a favourite escape for locals. Head for the📍 Cascade steps where the view opens out over the park and its lake – an unexpectedly beautiful sight in the middle of Chişinău, The steps remind me of the Potemkin Stairs in beautiful Odesa, Ukraine, just 3 hours away from Chişinău. A visit we made, in happier times, a few years ago.

Before you head down the steps, take a look around. You’ll find a neoclassical-style 📍 Rotunda, a bright white pavilion that feels like it’s been lifted straight from a 19th-century postcard. It’s a popular photo stop and a favourite local backdrop for wedding photos.

Along the nearby walls you’ll also spot 📍murals and fading street art, many depicting old Chişinău buildings and adding a slightly scruffier, lived-in charm to the park.

If time allows, loop right around the water. I’d allow an hour, at least, to see everything and more if you want to stop in one of the cafes, or enjoy the beach and activities including an amusement park,

These are some points of interest to look out for:

• 📍Little Prince Statue – check the railings for this cute little man
• 📍Adventura park and Beach – mini theme park/play area with beach, paddle boards, cafe’s
• 📍Moldexpo International Exhibitions Centre – with 📍Lenin Statue close by
• 📍Parachute Tower (not currently operational)
• 📍Green Theatre – An amphitheatre for outside concerts

Did I mention the stairs? Yes there’s a few as you leave the park. Here’s a recommendation for the lovely📍Coffee Eri at the top, for a top notch coffee and sweet treat should you need it. You’ll have earned it!

Climb the Water Tower for City Views

Next is the 27 metre tall disused water tower which is part of the 📍 City History museum. There’s an lift up to the penultimate level, so just one more short staircase! for the panoramic views of Chişinău at the top. The entry fee – 50 MDL (about £2.25/€2.60) includes entry to the exhibitions as well as the tower. These showcase the cities development through the centuries, but no signage in English.

Return via City Museums

You will pass these museums and may want to go in. Of the three, my pick would be the National Museum of Fine art.

• 📍Moldova State University Museum
• 📍National Museum of History
• 📍National Museum of Fine Art

If you detour a little further, you will also find the striking modern concert hall 📍Palace of the Republic (Palatul Republicii)

Finish in Eugen Doga Pedestrian Street

This street is easy to miss. A picturesque cobbled street with statues, outdoor seating, smaller boutique shops and cafes in the heart of Chișinău and a good choice to spend some time at the end of the route.

There’s a distinctive sculpture at the entrance: the “Lovers’ Monument”. It’s lit up beautifully with old-style lanterns at night. It’s only a short street, but it’s characterful. It’s named after the Moldovan composer, Eugen Doga. Look down and you’ll notice some of the walk way are decorated as piano keys.

Once you’ve completed this walk, you’ll have passed many of the major landmarks in Chisinau and, if you haven’t stopped off already, you’ll be ready for a bite to eat.

Or you could move straight onto Route 2 which is much shorter.

Walking Route 2 – To Chişinău Rail Station

I highly recommend the walk from the centre to the city railway station. It’s a short walk, maybe around 30 minutes, but this route tells the story of Chişinău in miniature: faded Soviet ambition, bursts of modern gloss, painful history, and flashes of unexpected grandeur. If you only have an hour to spare in the city, this is a walk I’d recommend. Whether you’re catching the train to Bucharest, or not, it’s definitely worth the detour to visit the station!

Enjoy Bulevardul Ștefan cel Mare & Chişinău Central Market

Leave 📍Cathedral Park and head south along the busy Bulevardul Ștefan cel Mare where there’s plenty to catch your eye on both sides. To the right, take in the street and its distinctive classical buildings including 📍 Chişinău City Hall and📍Organ Hall (A concert venue). The neighbouring 📍 Tourist Information Office (highly recommended) is also here.

On the left, you will pass the 📍 Chişinău Central Market. It’s a completely different world to the central boulevards of the upper town, with a real market buzz and practically anything available.

As you go further down Bulevardul Ștefan cel Mare, the classical buildings are replaced with walls of Soviet-era flats rising above the boulevard. With each balcony enclosed in its own way, it creates a patchwork effect. Shops and cafés line the ground floor, making the block feel like a self-contained slice of city life.

Visit Ciuflea Monastery on United Nations Square

Bulevardul Ștefan cel Mare ends at📍 United Nations Square, and there’s something to take in on every corner. On your right, 📍 Constantin Brâncuși Exhibition Center is hard to miss thanks to the line of monumental female sculptures clinging to its façade. Very dramatic and a little surreal, floating out of the wall. Inside, the exhibition space itself is quite modest, but the exterior alone is worth pausing for.

Take a short detour to your right down Dacia Boulevard and the skyline suddenly erupts in gold domes. This is 📍Ciuflea Monastery, one of Chişinău’s most striking religious landmarks. Its sky blue walls with white accents and gleaming cupolas are distinctly Russian Orthodox. It was built in the mid 19th century and it reminded me of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Yalta, Crimea, which we visited shortly before the Russian incursion in 2014. Step inside if the gates are open: the interior is beautifully painted and still very much in use as a working monastery.

Back on the main Boulevard, you can’t miss 📍Hotelul Național on your left. It was part of the Soviet-era “Intourist” hotel network and it’s not been used as a hotel since the early 90s. The balconies are painted in flag colours – an eyesore to some and a symbol of past times to be preserved for others.

Moving onto the start of Bulevardul Negruzzi, you’ll find 📍Hotel Chişinău. Built in the 1950s, you’ll find chandeliers along with dark furniture and dark corridors. Definitely stepping back in time, but possibly not in a good way! It can still be booked, but the reviews aren’t great! Out front stands a📍Liberation Sculpture. A classic “liberation” style with a soldier and a woman striding forward, arms flung wide to greet the future, together. Definitely in the category ‘faded glory’, both are a reminder of how this was once the gateway into the capital.

More Soviet Landmarks on Constantin Negruzzi Square

As you walk towards the next junction, 📍 Constantin Negruzzi Square, you’ll see it’s also dominated by another relic of the Soviet imagination. Look out for📍Cosmos Hotel. Opened in 1983, it was meant to be space-age, with its honeycomb balconies and sloping roof, plus huge illuminated rooftop sign. It’s now looking very jaded and it’s temporarily closed. To me, it’s begging for someone with some architectural imagination to revive it and turn it into something striking and stylish for people to enjoy once again.

The 📍 Grigory Kotovsky Statue stands in front commemorating his role in the Russian civil war. He’s a Soviet military officer and political activist and he’s riding his stallion.

Directly opposite Cosmos is a sharp reality check: the gleaming 📍Atrium shopping mall. Glass and steel, this is modern Chişinău looking forward. The contrast is stark, but that’s exactly what makes the city fascinating.

Finish at Chişinău Railway Station

If you approach the Station Square on Fridays and at the weekend you will likely see 📍Chisinau Flea Market. It’s a makeshift affair, not the chic vintage stalls you might imagine, but everyday items spread out on the pavement. Definitely more about practicality than nostalgia and collectibles.

Infront of the Railway station building, there is a small park with fountains and 📍 The Monument To The Deportees (Monumentul Deportaților).

Then on to the station itself, Gara Feroviară, What a beauty! Originally built in the 19th century, it was rebuilt after WWII in a style that mixes ornate arches with almost cathedral-like mosaics inside. The red-tiled roof and arched façade make it one of the city’s most photogenic buildings. Step inside the main hall and you could almost forget you’re in Chişinău – it feels more like a ceremonial palace than a transport hub.

The space, though is mostly pretty deserted, with the line to Odesa, Ukraine via Tiraspol currently suspended. The main event is the train service to Bucharest. Here’s the story of our trip on the Prietenia – the ex soviet sleeper service.

I’ve travelled on quite a few sleeper trains in Europe but this one really is unique. Track gauges are different sizes in Romania and Moldova, so the train is hoisted up at the border crossing for the wheels to be changed over.

Food and Drink in Chişinău

Here’s a taste of what we tried in Chișinău — from comforting pork-and-polenta dishes to soups, sausages, and the hearty classics you’ll spot on most local menus.

Pictured: (1) brânză, smântână și tocană de porc (Pork stew, polenta with cheese and sour cream), (2) supă gulaș (Goulash Soup), (3) zeamă (herby chicken noodle soup), (4) mămăligă cu friptură de porc , (fried pork with polenta, egg, cheese and sour cream) (5) cârnați (fried sausages, served with chips and mustard), (6) ficăței cu piure (chicken livers with mash)

Beyond these, other Moldovan staples to look out for are mici (grilled sausages), plăcinte pastries, and sarmale (stuffed cabbage rolls).

Two names dominate the city’s dining scene: Andy’s Pizza and La Plăcinte. Andy’s leans international (pizzas, pastas, burgers, even sushi), while La Plăcinte focuses on traditional Moldovan dishes – especially the stuffed pies it’s named after. Here you’ll also find mămăligă (cornmeal polenta with sour cream, cheese, egg, garlic sauce, and sometimes fried pork), sarmale, hearty soups, and simple grilled meats.

Whichever you choose, expect generous portions, casual surroundings, and prices that are hard to beat: a main dish usually costs 100–150 MDL (£4–6 / €5–7), and a pint of beer is around £1–1.50.

Other places we tried were 📍Lud’s pub which is up on the 5th floor of the 📍Bristol Central Park Hotel with good views of the city. There the focus was very much on International cuisine.

For something artisanal, book a table at 📍Fuior close to Cathedral square or to enjoy a meal in one of the craft ale houses in Chişinău try 📍Taproom by Litra

Coffee Shops and Cafes

This is 📍 Cafe Eri which is typical of the coffee shops we saw and tried in Chişinău. The quality of the coffee was excellent.

Chains like 📍 Tucano + specialty stops (📍Pasio, 📍Coffee Monkey, 📍Raccoon) are all worth trying. A cappuccino is ~40 MDL (£1.50/€2).

Things to Do Beyond Central Chişinău

Most of Chişinău’s main sights cluster neatly along the two walking routes above, but there area few things further out which would be worth exploring if you have time. You could visit them in a taxi, on the bus or by car.

• 📍Wooden Church from Hirișeni (Village Museum) – A 17th-century timber church, painstakingly relocated from northern Moldova in 2009. Its steep shingled roof and interior frescoes are beautiful, though the doors aren’t always open. Time your visit with a service if you want to see inside.
• 📍Romanița Collective Housing Tower – Nicknamed “the daisy”, this 1970s Soviet social-housing project became Chișinău’s tallest building. Apartments are arranged in a circular plan around a central core, still home to small families and lower-income residents today.
• 📍Chișinău State Circus – A landmark of Soviet brutalism, currently closed despite confusing reports to the contrary.
• 📍Central Cemetery, (Armenian Cemetery) & Memorial “Eternity” – One of the city’s oldest cemeteries, with ornate tombstones and the yellow-and-white Chapel of All Saints. Nearby stands a 25-metre red pyramid with an eternal flame.
• 📍Petru Costin Gallery & 📍Open-Air Museum – A collector’s trove, from the world’s largest horseshoe collection to medals, sculptures, and the infamous “Red Room” packed with Lenin memorabilia.

Winery Tours

Wine is such a large part of the Moldova story, a visit to a winery while you are in Chișinău is an easy choice to make, if you like wine.

Here’s how to plan your Moldova wine tour which includes our trips to Cricova and Castel Mimi and some other winery recommendations.

Other Half & Full Day Tours from Chișinău

Independent travel to some of Moldova’s highlights can be tricky, unless you hire a car. And driving in Moldova is not the faint hearted! We went on these group tours (paid for with our own money) and can highly recommend them:

• Transnistria Tour from Chisinau – Explore a Soviet Time Capsule and here’s my write up – Transnistria Day Tour From Chișinău – worth it?
• I was very excited to go to old Orhei, which is Moldova’s most famous historical site and took this group tour of Old Orhei. Here’s my detailed write up on the cave monastery and the archeological complex.

Here are some tours, popular from Chișinău:

Suggested Itineraries for Chișinău

Whether you’ve got a single day in Chișinău or a week to explore Moldova, here are some suggested itineraries to help you make the most of your time.

One Day in Chișinău

• Cover both of my suggested walking routes (skip the lake extension on Walk 1 if short on time).
• Don’t linger too long in museums.
• Try Moldovan food and wine at La Plăcinte.

Two Days in Chișinău

• Day 1: Walk Route 1 at a relaxed pace, with museums and a loop around the lake if the weather’s kind.
• Day 2: Walk Route 2, including the market and Ciuflea Monastery. Add a half-day winery tour (Cricova or Mileștii Mici) or Old Orhei. For a fuller day, combine Old Orhei and a winery, then fit Route 2 into the evening or Day 1.

Three Days or More in Moldova

• Days 1 & 2: Follow the 2-day itinerary above.
• Day 3: Take a day trip to Transnistria.
• More time? See my map of Chișinău for out-of-centre highlights, or head further afield: Gagauzia, Manuc Bei Mansion, Soroca Fortress, Bălți, or more wine tours.

Getting to Chişinău & Transport in the City

Car hire is available in Chişinău. You’ll need a valid driving licence (an International Driving Permit is recommended if your licence isn’t in Romanian or another EU language), a passport, and a credit card for the deposit. Prices are lower than in Western Europe, and fuel is cheap, compared to many other European countries.

Cross-border rentals are possible but must be arranged in advance — most agencies require extra insurance and paperwork if you want to drive into Romania or Ukraine.

Places to Stay in Chișinău

We stayed at Art-Rustic Boutique Hotel, paying £45 a night, room only. From the outside, it looked like it had been lifted out of a frontier movie, but the bar was characterful, staff lovely and the room and bathroom were clean and nice. There was good wifi. If you are looking for something traditional with welcoming staff and within easy walking distance from the centre I would recommend it..

More comprehensive listings on the map.

Practicalities

More Reading on Moldova

Here’s some more tips and information based on my trip to Moldova:

• Things to Do in Chişinău: Walks and Surprises in Moldova’s Capital
• Visiting Old Orhei (Orheiul Vechi): Moldova’s Cave Monastery & Dramatic Landscapes
• Plan Your Moldova Wine Tour: Wineries Plus Tastings in Chișinău
• Transnistria Day Trip from Chișinău – Worth It?
• Chisinau to Bucharest Sleeper Train: Europe’s most Unusual Rail Journey

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