Back to the USSR without leaving Chisinau with Lunch & Drink

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

• 1

  The Eternity Memorial Complex (Complexul Memorial „Eternitate”) is one of Chișinău’s most striking Soviet-era landmarks. Built in 1975 to honor the Soviet soldiers who died in World War II, the site is immediately recognizable by its five towering reddish-pink granite arms that rise up and meet at the center in the shape of a pyramid. At the heart burns an eternal flame, guarded traditionally by soldiers, symbolizing everlasting remembrance.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 2

  The National Museum of Military History offers a fascinating, sometimes sobering, look at the country’s complex past through the lens of war and defense. The museum occupies a Soviet-era building and houses an extensive collection that spans from medieval fortifications and weapons to Moldova’s role in the World Wars, Soviet period, and Transnistrian conflict.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket included
• 3

  The Chișinău State Circus is one of the city’s most iconic and haunting Soviet landmarks — a grand architectural symbol of the USSR’s optimism. Opened in 1981, it was designed to be among the most impressive circuses in the Soviet Union, hosting over 2,000 spectators beneath a massive concrete dome. The circus was more than entertainment — it was a tool of propaganda, celebrating the idea that socialism could provide joy, culture, and wonder for everyone.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 4

  One of Chișinău’s most elegant Soviet-era creations — a masterpiece of late modernist architecture completed in 1980. Built to project cultural prestige and sophistication, it symbolized the USSR’s ambition to offer “high art for the people." Inside, the theatre continues to host world-class opera and ballet performances, maintaining a tradition that survived the collapse of the Soviet Union.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 5

  The Parliament of Moldova, housed in a striking white building on Ștefan cel Mare Boulevard, is a classic example of late Soviet monumental architecture adapted for post-independence governance. Completed in 1976, it originally served as the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR — the local legislative body that operated under Moscow’s direction. Today, it remains the seat of Moldova’s democracy, within walls built for a very different system.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket included
• 6

  The city’s last remaining public statue of Vladimir Lenin — a rare survivor from a time when such monuments dominated every town square. Its weathered presence tells a layered story: of power and propaganda, of a system that sought permanence but could not outlast its contradictions.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 7

  Casa Presei (Press House) is an emblematic Soviet-era buildings, constructed in the 1970s to centralize the state’s newspapers, printing presses, and editorial offices. Designed in the heavy, functional style typical of late Soviet modernism, it symbolized the power of information — carefully curated by the state. From here, official narratives were printed and distributed across the republic, shaping public opinion and reinforcing the ideals of socialism.

  30 minutes • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Tags