Getting to Chisinau: Sure, they have quick 1hr flights from Bucharest to Chisinau, but where's the fun in that? I decided to take the infamous 14hr 106b train which leaves Bucharest Gara de Nord station every day at 7:15PM and arrives in Chisinau shortly after 9:00am. I bought the ticket online a week before and printed it at home. The cost was 569MDL or around $33.

There were around 50 people total getting on the train. My particular wagon only had two people, so I had the entire cabin to myself. It was fairly comfortable, but the ride was not pleasant at all. The age of the train meant you felt and heard every rattle and creak. Worst of all, the heat was on very high, so I stripped down to my underwear and a t-shirt. Meanwhile, it was snowing outside.

The train made about 12 stops before hitting the Moldova border. I was already awake around 3AM when Romania and Moldova border agents came on to check passports. Shortly after, the 2-3hr process of changing the wheels started (Romania and Moldova have different rail gauges). This process was VERY loud and made the entire train rattle.

The inside of my cabin. The Soviet train looked like it was built in the 1980s.



The bathroom was very luxurious. All "material" is dumped out onto the tracks below.


The train after arriving at Chisinau main railway station. It was snowing and puddles were everywhere.



Chisinau: Like Bucharest, Chisinau isn't known for being the nicest looking city. In fact, Moldova is the least visited country in Europe. There really isn't too much to see and do in Chisinau, but I figured two days is enough to keep me busy.

The Parliament building. Nothing too special. Looks like it's from the USSR era.


The presidential palace. It was built in the 80s, but was recently renovated and just reopened in October. Looks like something that would have Trump's name on the front of it.



A nice cathedral



Some locally made beers at the supermarket



I stayed at Hotel Chisinau. It was only about $25/night for a nice sized room. It had all the amenities you'd expect from a USSR era hotel. The free breakfast wasn't bad!



My favorite part was the central market. It had everything you could imagine. Hardware, plumbing, clothes, toiletpaper, soap, spices, fruits, meat, seafood, alcohol, etc. It's like the local version of Walmart Supercenter.

People in former USSR countries are very suspicious of cameras, so I definitely got some weird looks taking photos here. Also, I don't think they are used to tourists, especially not at the local market.









Moldova is known for their winemaking and was the largest supplier of wine in the USSR. There are several wineries located just outside of Chisinau. Unfortunately one of them required having a car to tour the tunnels and the other one was a bit far. If I had an extra day, I would have visited.