A few days ago, I saw a post about “Europe’s least visited (and poorest) country: Moldova.” The pictures didn’t do the country any favors (literally the worst pictures I would have chosen).

Anyway, here’s an alternative view of Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. I’ve been there four times. My honest impressions:

The city center is great. The rest of the city looks like any other Eastern European city in the ’90s or early 2000s.

Visit in spring, summer, or early autumn.

It’s very cheap by Western European standards. Buses are dirt cheap. Taxis and Bolt are also pretty cheap.

Young people are nice and helpful. Older people… a bit harder to communicate with, especially because of the language barrier if you’re trying to speak English with them. Most of them also had a rough life, so understandable why they aren't smiling all the time.

It’s a nice city to visit at least once in your lifetime if you’re European.

Two or three days are enough to explore Chisinau.…