Chișinău is the capital and largest city in Moldova. It’s also the country’s main commercial and cultural center, and contains 1/3 of Moldova’s population. The city still has a feel of the Soviet era, with many large, imposing brutalist buildings. Many facilities and parks are somewhat rundown but there’s a concerted effort to modernize. There’s surprisingly good running in Chișinău, owing to the city’s numerous, large parks.
In central Chișinău, the running highlights are some combination of our ‘runseeing’ tour, Dendrariu Park, & Morilor Park, which features a 2.5 km lake loop. Another great place to run in Chișinău is Rose Valley Park, with several km of trails. We also like running in Râșcani Forest-Park, La Izvor Park, and the National Botanical Garden.
Notes: Note that many of the parks are somewhat hilly! Also, the paths in some of the parks are a bit rundown — many are in some state of renovation.
