Backpacking in Chișinău | Moldova

Posted: June 12 2019

In June 2019 I went Backpacking in Chişinău, Moldova. Chişinău was the gateway to Backpacking Transnistria, namely Tiraspol and Bender.

Transnistria is a de facto state sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine. I love exploring these places.

My first trip to Moldova was in the winter of 2013/2014. Everything was grey, drab and very cold. So I wanted to give Chişinău another chance. To see it in more favourable conditions. And I am glad I did. I had a ball in Chişinău.

In 6 days, I backpacked Chişinău, Tiraspol and Bender, slept in 3 different hostels, met lots of cool peeps and drank a shit load of beer. I was on holiday after all.

Let's go Backpacking in Chişinău (all 'sights' are linked to Google Maps and text in blue are (mostly) internal links to other pages on Nomadic Backpacker):

Air Moldova 834 London to ​Chișinău

Arrival stamp at ​Chișinău International Airport KIV, Moldova

I rode Trolleybus # 30 from the airport to central Chișinău. (more details coming soon)

I stayed 2 nights at the Amazing Ionika Hostel

Backpacking ​Chișinău in the rain.

Arc de Triomphe, ​Chișinău

Flashback photo. Moldova December 2013

Cathedral Nativity of the Lord, ​Chișinău

Stephen the Great Monument/Stefan cel Mare si Sfant

Moldovan post office

Grigorii Kotovskii monument. He escaped from prison in Chişinău. Read more about him on wikipedia.

Memorial Complex "Eternity"

Memorial to Victims of Stalinist Repression

Typical dinner at a popular cantina. Found all over the former Soviet empire. This lot costs me 46MDL (current rate of exchange is 1€=20MDL).Grilled veg, beans, bread and Kefir. This is at the Gălbenuș – Casa Presei, about a block and a half from the Arc de Triomphe.

Backpacking is thirsty work. In Beer Time, Chişinău with a 'local'?? beer.
How does a HF MÜNCHEN qualify as a local beer? The first night I had a Kozel which is Czech. No one drinks Moldovan beer it seems.

Beer Time is located in a cellar. Literally. I only came here cos my favourite bar of the same name, in Tbilisi. 55MDL for 500ml. I guess I'm paying for the TV and free wifi and atmosphere. There is no link to their location nor their FB page as I thought 3€ was too much and the service sucked.

Backpacking for blog posts is tiring, 'specially with 11 planned posts in just a weeks vacation. Here I am with a 15 Lev pick me up.

Then I went Backpacking in Tiraspol

And Bender

​And then back in Chişinău, I stayed again at the Amazing Ionika Hostel and a friend I made in Tiraspol was also back in town so we met up and had a few more beers together and shot the breeze.

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Related posts:

• How to get to and from Chişinău International Airport
• How to get from Tiraspol to Chişinău​
• Backpacking in Bender
• Backpacking in Tiraspol
• How to get from Chişinău to Tiraspol
• Facts about Transnistria for the backpacker