Chisinau, the capital city of Moldova, lies on the hills and the slopes of the Byk river valley.  It is often called the white-stone city, or the city of the sun, because of its white stone (limestone) constructions.  Present-day Chisinau is a large political, administrative, economic, historic, cultural and transportation center of the sovereign independent state of Moldova.  No wonder a third part of the urban population of the state lives in Chisinau.

Although a 500 year old city adorned with ancient architecture, historical monuments and beautiful verdant parks, Chisinau is rapidly gaining speed in development and is blooming into a modern European city.  It is becoming some sort of a center of civilization for Moldova, and I’ll tell you why.  Such factors, as cheap labor force, well trained specialists and a favorable investment climate have increased, as never before, the flow in the country of foreign business representatives, diplomats, cultural workers and simply tourists.  In effect, the tourism branch has developed significantly and many first-class hotels, lodgings and luxurious apartments, business centers and malls have popped up all over Chisinau.  The modern constructions mixed with the old ones are quite a view.

The main street in the city is Stefan cel Mare Avenue named after the great Moldovan prince Stephan the Great.  It’s all lined up with old buildings.  The single-storied mansions in the center of the city were turned into hotels, trading centers, stores, restaurants or offices, this way being preserved as cultural monuments.  The land around the Chisinau is very fertile, so, the city architects have no other alternative, as to build multi-storied buildings.

Chisinau is beautiful in its own particular way all year round, but in spring the abundance of verdure makes it absolutely remarkable.  Due to the multitude of trees, lining up its streets, and numerous large, beautiful parks, some of them featuring splendid lakes, Chisinau conveys a sense of freshness and joy.  Stephan the Great memorial, monuments of Moldovan and Romanian classics in the Public Garden, the monument of the Great Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin, and many others decorate this city.

Here you will still find ancient culture sites and bronze and iron period monuments.  There were estimated about 1400 densely located tourist objects in Chisinau, and the travelers named it "The Museum under the Open Sky".

A foreigner traveling to Moldova doesn’t have to fear being cut off from civilization, or dropped back in time.  Now there are such westernized possibilities as to rent a car, enjoy a most familiar fast food restaurant, or find accommodations complete with high-tech utilities that allow you to connect with the beloved ones in any corner of the world.