Must-see attractions in Iaşi

  • Palace of Culture

    Iaşi

    Iaşi's premier attraction and symbol of the city is the grandiose Gothic-revival Palace of Culture that dominates the horizon at the southern end of B-dul…

  • Golia Monastery

    Iaşi

    This beautiful late Renaissance–style monastery is guarded by thick walls and the 30m-high Golia tower, which you can climb (120 steps) for views out over…

  • Botanical Gardens

    Iaşi

    Iaşi's Botanical Gardens are Romania’s first (1856) and largest (100 hectares). They sprawl across Parcul Exposiţiei's western side and offer 21km of…

  • Art Museum

    Iaşi

    The art museum occupies much of the Palace of Culture's 1st floor, with some 24 chambers of paintings organised according to category: Romanian modern art…

  • Moldavian Metropolitan Cathedral

    Iaşi

    This cavernous cathedral, built between 1833 and 1839, was designed by architect Alexandru Orascu and decorated by painter Gheorghe Tattarescu. Since 1889…

  • Church of the Three Hierarchs

    Iaşi

    Built by Prince Vasile Lupu between 1637 and 1639, and restored between 1882 and 1904, this is one of Iaşi's most beautiful churches. Its exterior stone…

  • Alexandru Ioan Cuza University

    Iaşi

    This is the impressive headquarters of Romania's first university, founded in 1860. The building dates from around the turn of the 20th century and the…

  • Mihai Eminescu Museum of Literature

    Iaşi

    This museum documents the writings, life and loves of Eminescu (1850–89), Romania’s favourite writer and poet. The great love of the married poet,…

  • Moldavian History Museum

    Iaşi

    Located on the western side of the Palace of Culture, the history museum tells the story of Moldavia over the centuries. From the earliest evidence of…

  • Jewish Cemetery

    Iaşi

    Jewish victims of the fascist Iron Guard’s pogroms are buried in four concrete bunkers at this cemetery on Mountain Hill (Dealul Munteni), 5km west of…

  • Bărboi Monastery

    Iaşi

    Built in 1841 over a 1615 church foundation, the Bărboi has an eccentric combination of a Byzantine stone-and-brick interior and a neoclassical portico…

  • Union Museum

    Iaşi

    This impressive neoclassical palace was Alexandru Cuza's home for three years (1859–62) and later housed King Ferdinand during his WWI retreat from…

  • Ethnographic Museum

    Iaşi

    Arranged on the Palace of Culture's western side, this collection of folk arts and crafts ranks among the most comprehensive in the country. Exhibits…

  • Great Synagogue

    Iaşi

    The Great Synagogue, built in 1671, is wedged between concrete apartment blocks. At the time of research, the synagogue was closed for renovation. Victims…

  • St Sava’s Monastery

    Iaşi

    At Str Armeană's southern end, this 16th-century church was built on earlier foundations – records attest to a wooden church consecrated here by a…

  • Jewish Museum

    Iaşi

    Run by the city's ever-dwindling Jewish community, this tiny, hard-to-find museum is currently the only source of background information on Jewish history…

  • Copou Park

    Iaşi

    Designed between 1834 and 1848 under Prince Mihail Sturza, this 10-hectare park is allegedly where poet Mihai Eminescu wrote beneath a linden tree. The…

  • Armenian Church

    Iaşi

    Considered Iaşi's oldest church, the stone-and-brick Armenian Church (1395) has been extensively renovated since 1803. As a result, most original…

  • Dosoftei House

    Iaşi

    Inside 17th-century Dosoftei House is a small literary museum holding some of the oldest printed books in Romanian, dating back several centuries…

  • St Spiridon's Monastery

    Iaşi

    This monastery contains the headless body of Grigore Ghica III, killed in 1777 for opposing the Turks. The present structure dates from 1807, after an…

  • Pogor House Literary Museum

    Iaşi

    This museum was originally Vasile Pogor's 1850s mansion, hosting literary society meetings from 1871. On its grounds stand rows of busts of literary…

  • Statue of Ştefan cel Mare

    Iaşi

    A dramatic equestrian statue of Moldavian prince Ştefan cel Mare, dating from 1883, stands in front of the Palace of Culture.

  • Statue of Avram Goldfaden

    Iaşi

    A statue of the late Jewish poet and playwright Avram (Abraham) Goldfaden stands near the Vasile Alecsandri National Theatre. Goldfaden is considered a…

  • Statue of Mihai Eminescu

    Iaşi

    A statue of Romanian writer Mihai Eminescu greets arriving students (and everyone else) from atop a very visible perch at the start of B-dul Carol I.