Stay on the main boulevard and you get the official portrait. Turn one block away and you get the biography.
01Central Market
Loud, crowded and useful. It shows daily Chisinau rather than brochure Chisinau.
- Watch your belongings
- Carry cash
- Do not buy half a suitcase of cheese in the first hour
02Soviet modernism
Late-Soviet buildings and mosaics remain part of the cityscape. Some are beautiful; others argue loudly with the definition of beautiful. That is part of the fun.
- Look above shopfront level
- Stay off restricted property
- Photograph from public space
03Old residential streets
Low houses and courtyards near the centre reveal a much smaller scale of city life.
- Respect private property
- Look for gates and carved details
- Walk in daylight
04Eugen Doga Street
A short pedestrian street linking the formal centre with cafés and evening life.
- Good in the evening
- Do not expect a huge district
- Treat it as part of a longer walk
Cost
- Street wandering — free
- Market — limited only by your self-control
- Coffee and snacks — generally moderate
What matters
- 01Look up for mosaics
- 02Keep valuables secure at the market
- 03Respect private courtyards
- 04Give Soviet architecture a chance
Sometimes the best monument to an era is an ordinary apartment block nobody thought to retouch.
