--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Iași, Romania | Wimup" description: "Moldavia's old capital on its hills: the Palace of Culture, the carved Three Hierarchs, Copou's literary lime tree and fortress monasteries. The Wimup guide to Iași." url: https://wimup.com/city/iasi type: City guide updated: 2026-11-01 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Iași Iași, Romania · Europe · By Wimup Editorial, 12 min read Iași was the capital of Moldavia from 1564 to 1859 and Romania's capital again from 1916 to 1918, and it still behaves like one. The country's first modern university, its oldest national theatre and its largest pilgrimage are all here, spread over a run of hills above the Bahlui. ## Quick answer Give the first day to Ștefan cel Mare Boulevard: the Palace of Culture and its four museums at one end, the carved Three Hierarchs and the Metropolitan Cathedral on the way. Spend the second in Copou, with the university's Hall of Lost Steps, the park and the Botanical Garden. Use a third for the monasteries on the southern hills, or drive out to the Cotnari vineyards. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** May · Jun · Sep · Oct - **Ideal length:** 2–3 days - **Budget per day:** $40–80 - **Language:** Romanian - **Getting around:** On foot and by tram - **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://www.turism-iasi.ro/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Iași ### 1. Palace of Culture Landmark · Piața Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt 1 A neo-Gothic palace finished in 1925 on the site of the old princely court, now home to four museums: history, art, ethnography and science. The halls alone are worth the ticket; leave time for the clock tower. - **Time:** 2 to 3 hrs - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Weekday morning - **Tip:** Museums close on Mondays Links: [Official site](https://palatulculturii.ro/?lang=en&utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. Church of the Three Hierarchs Church · Bulevardul Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt 28 Vasile Lupu's church of 1637 to 1639, its outer walls covered top to bottom in carved stone patterns. Walk all the way round before going in; inside lie Lupu, Dimitrie Cantemir and Alexandru Ioan Cuza. - **Time:** 45 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Dress for a working monastery Links: [Official site](https://www.manastireasftreiierarhi.ro/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 3. Metropolitan Cathedral Church · Bulevardul Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt 16 Romania's busiest pilgrimage church, holding the relics of Saint Parascheva since 1888. Come on an ordinary day for the space; come in mid-October for the queue of pilgrims that runs down the boulevard. - **Time:** 30 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Early morning - **Tip:** Services run through the day ### 4. Copou Park Park · Bulevardul Carol I The city's oldest park, laid out from 1834, holds the Lions' Obelisk and the old silver lime under which Eminescu is said to have written. It is small enough for an hour and pleasant enough for an afternoon. - **Time:** 1 to 2 hrs - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Spring and autumn - **Tip:** Pair it with the university ### 5. Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Landmark · Bulevardul Carol I 11 The country's first modern university, founded in 1860, in a main building whose Hall of Lost Steps carries Sabin Bălașa's vast murals. Ask at the entrance; the hall is open to visitors outside events. - **Time:** 30 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Weekday - **Tip:** Look up at the ceiling paintings Links: [Official site](https://www.uaic.ro/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 6. Botanical Garden Garden · Strada Dumbrava Roșie 7-9 Founded in 1856 by Anastasie Fătu and run by the university, it is the oldest botanical garden in Romania and one of the largest. Greenhouses, a rose garden and long wooded paths reward a slow morning. - **Time:** 2 hrs - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** May and June - **Tip:** Wear shoes for long walks Links: [Official site](https://www.botanica.uaic.ro/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 7. Golia Monastery Monastery · Strada Cuza Vodă 51 A walled monastery in the centre with a tower of about 30 metres, once a watchtower and fire lookout. Climb its 120 steps when it is open for the clearest view of the city's hills and domes. - **Time:** 45 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Clear afternoon - **Tip:** Tower access varies; ask at the gate ### 8. Vasile Alecsandri National Theatre Theatre · Strada Agatha Bârsescu 18 Fellner and Helmer, the Viennese theatre builders, designed the house that opened in 1896 for a company dating to 1840. The gilded auditorium is the reason to book any performance, language or not. - **Time:** An evening - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Season from autumn - **Tip:** Book ahead for weekend shows ### 9. Cetățuia Monastery Monastery · Dealul Cetățuia Gheorghe Duca's fortified monastery from the late 1660s crowns a hill south of the centre, ringed by walls. The view back over the city is the payoff; take a taxi up and walk down. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Combine with Galata and Frumoasa ### 10. Ion Creangă's Bojdeuca Museum · Strada Simion Bărnuțiu 4, Țicău The small Țicău cottage where Creangă lived from 1872 to 1889 opened in 1918 as Romania's first memorial museum. It is tiny, restored and best for anyone who grew up on his Childhood Memories. - **Time:** 45 min - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Weekday - **Tip:** Walk up through Țicău's lanes ## Best churches and monasteries in Iași Five more of the city's old foundations, from the oldest church to the oldest synagogue. 1. **Galata Monastery** (1580s · Galata): Petru Șchiopul's walled monastery of the 1580s on a hill to the southwest, with a fine view back. 2. **Frumoasa Monastery** (Monastery · Frumoasa): A men's monastery on the southern slopes, rebuilt in the 19th century on an older foundation. 3. **St Nicholas Princely Church** (15th century · Centre): Founded by Stephen the Great in 1491, the oldest church in the centre, beside the Palace of Culture. 4. **Great Synagogue** (1671 · Târgu Cucu): Dated to 1671 and the oldest surviving synagogue in Romania, restored and still in use. 5. **Bărboi Monastery** (1840s · Centre): A neoclassical church of the 1840s with a tall belfry, a short walk from Piața Unirii. ## Best museums in Iași The two best collections inside the Palace of Culture, and three houses that belong to the same museum complex. 1. **Union Museum** (Cuza · Centre): Alexandru Ioan Cuza's town house, with the furniture and papers of the prince who united the principalities. 2. **Moldavian Ethnographic Museum** (Folk art · Palace of Culture): Costume, carpets, tools and village crafts of Moldavia, in the Palace of Culture. 3. **Art Museum** (Painting · Palace of Culture): Romania's oldest art museum, with a strong room of Nicolae Grigorescu, in the Palace of Culture. 4. **Mihail Kogălniceanu Memorial Museum** (Memorial house · Copou): The house of the statesman and historian behind the 1859 union, with his library. 5. **Poni-Cernătescu Museum** (Memorial house · Centre): The home of chemist Petru Poni and his family, kept as it was, with a science collection. ## Best literary houses in Iași Iași was the home of Junimea, the society that shaped modern Romanian writing. Four houses still tell it. 1. **Pogor House** (Junimea · Centre): The Museum of Romanian Literature, in the house where Junimea met in the 1860s and 1870s. 2. **Mihai Eminescu Museum** (Eminescu · Copou): A small museum on the poet in Copou Park, a few steps from the lime tree linked with him. 3. **Mihail Sadoveanu Memorial House** (Sadoveanu · Copou): The Copou villa where the novelist lived and wrote, his study and library intact. 4. **George Topîrceanu Memorial House** (Topîrceanu · Centre): The modest home of the humorous poet, part of the Museum of Romanian Literature. ## Best restaurants in Iași Four tables we could check by name, from Moldavian cooking to a view over the city. 1. **Casa Bolta Rece** (Moldavian · Centre): Recorded since 1786 and one of the city's oldest restaurants: Moldavian classics in a vaulted house. 2. **Panoramic** (View · Piața Unirii): On the 13th floor of the Hotel Unirea, with the best view over the centre and a broad menu. 3. **Cartuf** (Casual · Tătărași): A small, casual and lively place on Strada Vasile Lupu, popular with locals. [Official site](https://cartuf.ro/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 4. **Little Texas** (Garden terrace · Moara de Vânt): A hotel restaurant with a garden terrace south of the centre, Tex-Mex and grills. [Official site](https://littletexas.ro/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## Best cafes and bars in Iași A short list on purpose: three places we could verify, with Romanian craft beer on tap. 1. **Kaze Taproom** (Craft beer · Centre): The central craft beer bar on Strada Ion C. Brătianu, with Romanian brewers on rotation. 2. **Cafe Retro** (Café-bar · Centre): A café-bar that stocks local craft beer from the independent AltGust brewery. 3. **Beer Zone** (Beer bar · Centre): A long beer list of Romanian and Belgian bottles, for a slow evening. ## Best neighborhoods in Iași The four parts of the city a visitor spends time in. 1. **Ștefan cel Mare Boulevard** (Old centre · Centre): The pedestrian spine from Piața Unirii to the Palace of Culture, lined with churches. 2. **Piața Unirii and Lăpușneanu** (Cafés · Centre): The square with Cuza's statue and the pedestrian street of cafés and terraces off it. 3. **Copou** (University · Copou): The university hill: the park, the Botanical Garden, villas and the student bars. 4. **Țicău** (Old houses · Țicău): Steep lanes and old houses above the centre, home to Creangă's cottage. ## Best day trips from Iași Wine country, a prince's palace and the monasteries of Neamț and Bucovina. 1. **Cotnari vineyards** (Wine · Cotnari): Moldavia's best-known wine region, home of the sweet Grasă de Cotnari, about 70 km northwest. 2. **Ruginoasa Palace** (Palace · Ruginoasa): Alexandru Ioan Cuza's neo-Gothic summer palace, now a museum, west of the city. 3. **Sturdza Castle, Miclăușeni** (Castle · Miclăușeni): A neo-Gothic boyar castle in its own park, now kept by a convent. 4. **Neamț Citadel** (Fortress · Târgu Neamț): Stephen the Great's hilltop fortress above Târgu Neamț, often paired with Agapia. 5. **Agapia Monastery** (Monastery · Neamț): A large convent in a wooded valley, its church painted inside by Nicolae Grigorescu. 6. **Bucovina painted monasteries** (UNESCO · Bucovina): Voroneț and its painted neighbours are a long day north; better as an overnight. ## Festivals & annual events in Iași (2026) - **Union Day** (24 January): The national holiday for the 1859 union of Moldavia and Wallachia, marked in Cuza's own capital. - **Classix Festival** (Early March): A week of classical music concerts across the city's halls. - **Night of Museums** (Mid-May): The Europe-wide late opening; the Palace of Culture and Golia tower usually take part. - **Romanian Film Evenings** (Summer): Open-air screenings of Romanian cinema with guests, concerts and theatre; the 17th edition ran in 2026. - **FITPT** (Early October): The international theatre festival for young audiences, aged 3 to 14. - **Saint Parascheva pilgrimage** (Around 14 October): Romania's largest pilgrimage: the relics leave the cathedral for a week of veneration in its courtyard. - **FILIT** (October): The international literature and translation festival, five days of readings and talks. - **Winter lights** (From 6 December): The festive lighting goes on for Saint Nicholas Day, and the centre stays lit through the holidays. ## Must-try dishes in Iași, Romania - **Tochitură moldovenească**: Pork stewed with bacon and sausage, served with polenta, cheese and a fried egg. - **Mămăligă**: Firm cornmeal polenta, the side to almost every Moldavian main. - **Sarmale**: Cabbage rolls of minced pork and rice, slow-cooked and served with sour cream. - **Poale-n brâu**: A sweet bread pie folded over cow's cheese, a Moldavian bakery staple. - **Plăcintă**: Thin pastry pies filled with cheese, cabbage, potato or pumpkin. - **Ciorbă de perișoare**: A sour soup with meatballs and lovage, soured with borș. - **Papanași**: Fried cheese doughnuts under sour cream and sour cherry jam. - **Grasă de Cotnari**: The sweet white wine of the Cotnari hills, Iași's own vintage. ## Iași transport & airports - **Iași International Airport** (IAS): About 8 km east of the centre and a Wizz Air base. CTP bus 50 runs to Piața Unirii and the railway station, or take a taxi. [Website](https://www.aeroport-iasi.ro/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Trains** (CFR): Iași station, known locally as Gara Mare, is west of the centre. CFR Călători runs to Bucharest in roughly six hours and on to Suceava and Cluj. [Website](https://www.cfrcalatori.ro/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Trams and buses** (CTP): CTP runs the trams and buses. A single trip costs 4 lei and lasts 120 minutes; pay by contactless bank card at the validator on board. [Website](https://www.sctpiasi.ro/en/prices/tickets-prices?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **On foot** (Centre): The centre is walkable from Piața Unirii to the Palace of Culture. Copou is uphill, so use the tram up and walk back down. ## Iași at a glance - **Country:** Romania - **Region:** Iași County, historical Moldavia, near the Prut and the Moldovan border - **Population:** 271,692 at the 2021 census, about 423,000 in the metropolitan area - **Founded:** First recorded in 1408; capital of Moldavia 1564 to 1859 - **Nickname:** The city of the seven hills - **Language:** Romanian - **Currency:** Romanian leu (RON) - **Time zone:** EET (UTC+2), EEST in summer - **Calling code:** +40, area code 232 - **Airports:** Iași International (IAS), about 8 km east - **Power:** 230V, type C and F sockets - **Emergency:** 112 for police, fire and ambulance ## Interesting facts - Iași was Romania's capital from 1916 to 1918, after the Central Powers took Bucharest. - The university, founded in 1860 under Alexandru Ioan Cuza, is the oldest modern university in Romania. - Abraham Goldfaden staged the first professional Yiddish theatre in 1876 in the city's Pomul Verde garden. - Creangă's cottage in Țicău opened in 1918 as Romania's first memorial museum. - Copou's Lions' Obelisk, built from 1834 to 1841, is often called the oldest monument of modern Romania. ## Iași travel FAQ ### How many days do you need in Iași? Two full days cover the centre and Copou: one for the boulevard, the Palace of Culture and the churches, one for the university, the park and the Botanical Garden. Add a third for the hill monasteries or a day trip to Cotnari or Neamț. ### When is the best time to visit Iași? May, June, September and early October. Spring brings the lime trees and the Botanical Garden into flower, and early autumn has the festivals. Mid-October is the pilgrimage of Saint Parascheva, when the centre fills and rooms book out. ### How do you get from the airport to the centre? Iași International Airport is about 8 km east of the centre. CTP bus 50 runs to Piața Unirii and the railway station, and you can pay by contactless bank card on board. A taxi takes around 15 to 20 minutes. ### Is Iași worth visiting? Yes, for anyone interested in Romanian history and writing. It was the capital of Moldavia for three centuries, and its palace, carved churches, literary houses and university buildings add up to the country's best old cultural capital outside Bucharest. ### Can you visit the painted monasteries from Iași? Yes, but Bucovina is a long day. Voroneț and its painted neighbours are far to the northwest, so most travellers stay a night near Suceava or Gura Humorului. From Iași, Neamț Citadel and Agapia make an easier day trip. ## Nearby guides - [Brasov](https://wimup.com/city/brasov.md): Romania · 10 picks - [Sibiu](https://wimup.com/city/sibiu.md): Romania · 10 picks - [Cluj-Napoca](https://wimup.com/city/cluj-napoca.md): Romania · 10 picks - [All of Europe →](https://wimup.com/europe): 157 cities Part of the [Romania guide](https://wimup.com/country/romania.md) · [Europe](https://wimup.com/europe.md) ## Sources - [Iași tourism board](https://www.turism-iasi.ro/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Palace of Culture (official site)](https://palatulculturii.ro/?lang=en&utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Church of the Three Hierarchs (official site)](https://www.manastireasftreiierarhi.ro/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (official site)](https://www.uaic.ro/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Botanical Garden (official site)](https://www.botanica.uaic.ro/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Cartuf (official site)](https://cartuf.ro/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Little Texas (official site)](https://littletexas.ro/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Iași International Airport (official site)](https://www.aeroport-iasi.ro/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Trains (official site)](https://www.cfrcalatori.ro/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Trams and buses (official site)](https://www.sctpiasi.ro/en/prices/tickets-prices?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.