“I am still wondering what could have happened if each of us had had all the time in the world to get the exact answers to these existential questions: who are we? Where are we coming from? Where are we going? We would have probably traveled for many years, studying the hidden meanings of words, searching through the history and legends of various places, formulating our conclusions. In an attempt to decipher some of the unwritten stories of Moldova, I set my route and started my travel notes in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.”
(Extract from the Article “Chisinau, Republic of Moldova“, In-flight ‘Carpatair Magazine’ 3^rd edition 08.2007-11.2007)

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WORTH VISITING

Christmas Cathedral was built in 1836 and stood gloriously for over 100 years before being badly damaged by World War II fighting, but was restored immediately after.

The Cathedral of St. Tiron the Martyr was built in 1856. It includes a convent and the shop where you can buy Orthodox souvenirs.

Stefan cel Mare Park was named after the great Moldavian ruler who defended his people against invading armies in the 15th century. The park runs along a boulevard which also bears his name. The park and its fountain provide a colorful background for weddings, chess matches, and family strolls.

Stefan cel Mare (Steven the Great) Monument is sited at the park entrance. The Monument is in bronze and is quite popular among the tourists who want to take photos.

The National Museum of History and Archeology of Moldova is the most prestigious museum in the country, hosting precious exhibits of historical and archeological heritage. The show-rooms take up 1,700 sq m and offer the visitors a tour into Moldova’s history spanning from antique times to present days.

More than 18,000 archeological pieces, an impressive collection of 45,700 original photos and photocopies, as well as 1,750 original armament pieces of the 16th to the 20th century emphasize the originality and peculiarity of Moldavian society during its historical formation.

The building of the Organ Hall is an architectural monument of great beauty in the city center. It was designed and built at the end of the 19th century - the beginning of the 20th, predominantly in classic style, but also containing some elements of romantic art. Before 1974, the building hosted financial institutions such as the National Bank. In the 70's, a group of artists and the first conductor of the Philharmonic Symphonic Orchestra promoted the idea of building a new concert hall with an organ inside. As a result, the interior of the building was reconstructed so as to be suitable for a hall of chamber concerts and organ music.

15 September 1978 was the day when the organ first sounded during the Organ Hall inauguration concert. Ever since that day, distinguished musicians, orchestras and ensembles have often been invited to perform in the Organ Hall.

Piata Marii Adunari Nationale (The Great National Meeting Square) is the biggest square in the city. It is surrounded by important sights such as the National Government, Arch of Triumph, the Cathedral and Stefan cel Mare Park. This is also the place where the citizens of Chisinau welcome the New Year and various other celebrations are being held.

The Cathedral Ensemble located in the Cathedral Park is considered an architectural pearl of Chisinau. It was built between 1830 and 1836 in the style of late Russian classicism.

"Alexandr Pushkin" House and Museum

The great Russian poet A.S. Pushkin spent 3 years in Moldova, between 1820-1823, where he had been exiled. He lived in the house of General Inzov, where he wrote "The Gypsies", "The Black Shawl", "To Ovid", "The Faithful Greek Woman Does Not Cry", the first episode of the famous poem “Eugene Onegin”, all these works belonging to the universal patrimony of literature.

The “Pushkin” House and Museum is open to the visitors daily between 10:00-17:00.

The Botanical Garden in Chisinau, today the Research Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, covers an area of 104 hectares and hosts approximately ten thousand species of plants. It was founded in 1950 by the Russian Academy of Science.

The Garden is placed in the southeastern part of the city, in Botanica district, being easily accessible from the city center.

Cricova Winery (13 km north of Chisinau) is an underground cellar with streets, passages and rooms stretching on more than 60 km shaped in a labyrinth form. Every tunnel is like a street bearing the name of the wine variety produced there. This is the oldest wine enterprise where more than 648 varieties of wines are preserved and aged. Due to its placement and the limestone rock, the temperature is constant all year round and stands at 12-14 °C with the humidity of 97-98%. These are very favorable conditions for preserving and filtering the wine. The size of the winery and the quality of wines impress many tourists who visit this place.

The “Milestii Mici” cellar complex, only half an hour-ride from Chisinau, is currently the biggest wine collection in the biggest underground wine town in Europe, entering also the Guinness Book of Records for this achievement. The underground wine city stretches over 200 km of galleries at a depth of 40-85 m, from which more than 50 km are used. The complex holds approximately 2 million bottles of wine dating back to the 70-80’s.

ENTERTAINMENT

WHAT TO BUY

Useful information

Tourist guide

Airport information

Chisinau Airport Miniguide

Click & Fly Chisinau

Carpatair offers:

Flights from Chisinau to ROMANIA: Timisoara, Bacau, Bucharest-Otopeni,Constanta, Craiova, Iasi, Sibiu

Flights from Chisinau to ITALY: Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Florence, Milan-Bergamo, Rome-Fiumicino, Venice, Verona

Flights from Chisinau to GERMANY: Dusseldorf, Munich, Stuttgart

Flights from Chisinau to UKRAINE: Chernivtsi, Lviv

Carpatair offers:

Flights to Chisinau from ROMANIA: Timisoara, Bacau, Bucharest-Otopeni, Constanta, Craiova, Iasi, Sibiu

Flights to Chisinau from ITALY: Ancona, Bari, Bologna, Florence, Milan-Bergamo, Rome-Fiumicino, Venice, Verona

Flights to Chisinau from GERMANY: Dusseldorf, Munich, Stuttgart

Flights to Chisinau from UKRAINE: Chernivtsi, Lviv

Buy flight tickets for destinations to and from Chisinau

For information about the flight schedule, please access our Timetable

City map

Population of the city

752,000 inhabitants

Currency

1 MDL (moldavian lei) = 100 bani

Language

Romanian

Religion

90% Orthodox

Local time

GMT+2 hours in winter; GMT+3 hours in summer

Weather information

Current conditions as of 2:58 pm EET

Light snow showers

Humidity:	91
Visibility:	2.8 Km
Sunrise:	7:24 am
Sunset:	5:11 pm

-8 °

High: -1 ° Low: -3 °

> Detailed Forecast

Public Transportation

The most popular form of transport is by bus. Within Chisinau and its suburbs, privately operated minibuses known as "maxi-taxis" generally follow the major bus routes and circulate more frequently. Other means of transportation include trolley buses; they run from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Taxi

If you choose to take a taxi in Chisinau, the minimum charge is 20 Moldavian Lei. Price can vary between 20-50 Moldavian Lei, depending on the route. It is highly recommended that you negotiate the price before you take a taxi.

Foreign Embassies and Consulates in Republic of Moldova

Embassy of Romania in Republic of Moldova
Address: 66/1 Bucuresti Street

277012 Chisinau
Tel: +(373) 22 211 813, 22 213 037

Fax: +(373) 22 228 129

E-mail: ambrom@moldnet.md
Website: http://chisinau.mae.ro/

Embassy of GERMANY in REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Address: 35 Maria Cebotari Street (Jolly Alon Hotel)

2012 Chisinau

Tel: +(373) 22 20 06 00, 20 06 01, 20 06 02

Fax: +(373) 22 23 45 22, 23 46 80

E-mail: info@chisinau.diplo.de

Website: http://www.chisinau.diplo.de/

Embassy of ukraine in REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Address: 17 Lupu Street

Chisinau

Tel: +(373) 22 58 21 51, 58 22 84

Fax: +(373) 22 58 21 08, 58 22 19

E-mail: emb_md@mfa.gov.ua

Website: http://www.mfa.gov.ua