Grădina Publică „Alunelul" (Alunelul Public Garden)

What you'll see

„Alunelul” is not a tourist sight in the classic sense, and that is precisely why it deserves a mention: it is the park where you can see how Chișinău lives away from the central boulevard. Broad paths run between mature planting, there are play areas for children and open stretches where people come to walk in the evening or at weekends. The visit lasts as long as you want — thirty minutes for a circuit, longer if you come with children.

For a visitor on a short schedule, it is the right stop if you are already in Buiucani and need a break between two sights. The layout, with adapted parking and step-free access, also makes it practical for anyone using a wheelchair or a pushchair.

Getting there

The address is 11/2 Strada Calea Ieșilor, in the Buiucani district. From Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt Boulevard, the city's main artery, it takes about fifteen minutes by car or by the trolleybus heading north-west. There are parking spaces, including adapted ones. Check the exact position on the map.

When to go

The park is open permanently, round the clock, all seven days. The best windows are the morning, when the paths are empty, and the early evening, when the area comes to life. Saturday and Sunday afternoons are the busiest, particularly in the play areas. Late spring and early autumn are the periods when the planting looks its best.

What to combine it with

A few minutes away, on the same Calea Ieșilor, is DinoPark — the combination works very well for an afternoon with children, with intense activity in one place and free movement in the other. If you have a car, you can carry on towards the centre and end the day in the Grădina Publică „Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt”.

The selection of places to eat in the city is in the restaurants section, and the country's other green spaces and outdoor destinations are grouped under nature. The rest of the capital's sights are in the Chișinău guide.