Parcul Catedralei (Cathedral Park)

The centre of the city, literally

There is no more efficient way to begin a visit to Chișinău than Parcul Catedralei. It sits in Piața Marii Adunări Naționale, beside Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt Boulevard — the artery around which the entire modern city was organised. Everything to do with administration, culture and public life is within a few hundred metres.

The park is classified both as a city park and as a tourist attraction, and its role is twofold: a thoroughfare for tens of thousands of people daily, and a stage for national events. On ordinary days it is quiet; on public holidays, the square and the park become a single crowded space.

What you'll see

The main paths are broad and shaded, with benches along their whole length. From the park you look directly onto the square and the institutional buildings that frame it. This is where the seasonal markets and the stages for open-air concerts are set up.

For a visitor, the real value is orientation: if you understand the geography of this park, you understand the map of the whole city centre. All the capital's major sights are at most a 15-minute walk from here.

Hours and access

Open at all times, 24 hours a day, every day of the week, no ticket. The entrance is wheelchair accessible, and there is accessible parking in the area. The park is suitable for children.

Being in the centre, parking a car at peak times is difficult — walk if you are staying centrally.

When to go

Early morning, if you want photographs without crowds. Evening, if you want to see what the city looks like when people come out to walk along the boulevard. In December the winter market is set up here, and on 27 August, Independence Day, the square becomes the epicentre of events.

What to combine it with

Everything. The Teatrul Național Mihai Eminescu and the Teatrul Național de Operă și Balet „Maria Bieșu” are on the same boulevard, a few minutes' walk away. The Palatul Național „Nicolae Sulac” is on Pușkin Street, right next door.

It is also the best starting point for a walking tour of the centre: see the visitor guides for routes and the history section for the context that explains why this square has, every time, been where things were decided in Moldova. For a hotel a few steps away, see the selection of places to stay in the centre.