Iași

Iași, Romania

The cream stone Palace of Culture in Iași glows in low evening sun above the square, with a tram passing and a lamp post in the foreground.

Iași is Moldavia's old capital, where a grand palace, richly carved churches and a student-filled centre make a slow, rewarding few days.

The place

Iași sits in the historical region of Moldavia, in eastern Romania, at an elevation of 66 m. At the 2021 census the city proper had 271,692 residents, making it the third most populous city in the country, and the metropolitan area held 423,154. That is a lot of people for a centre that can be walked across in an afternoon, and it explains the steady hum of trams, buses and students.

The city is often called the cultural capital of Romania, and in December 2018 it was officially declared the country's Historical Capital. Titles like these can sound like marketing, but the streets back them up: universities, theatres, museums and old churches share the same few central districts, and many of them sit on everyday routes rather than behind ticket barriers.

The ground is hilly, so churches and monastery towers appear on rises between boulevards, apartment blocks and newer shopping centres. The mix is not tidy. Nineteenth- and early twentieth-century façades stand beside concrete housing, and pavements can be uneven. Students give the centre its energy; term time fills the cafés and evening bars, while high summer is quieter and can be hot. Winters are cold and grey, and spring and autumn are the gentler seasons.

Iași is also the main economic and business centre of Moldavia, so it feels lived-in rather than staged. Anyone expecting a preserved old town will find something more mixed and more ordinary. Those who like a city where the sights belong to daily life tend to enjoy it, and prices for a typical visitor stay modest by western European standards.

Its story

Iași has been inhabited for a very long time. Archaeologists have found prehistoric communities on and around the site, among them the Neolithic Cucuteni–Trypillia culture, plus settlements from the 6th to the 10th centuries whose pottery sometimes carries a cross, a hint of early Christian residents.

The written record starts later. A German crusader, Johann Schiltberger, mentioned the town in 1396, and in 1408 it appears in an official charter in which Prince Alexander of Moldavia granted trading terms to merchants from Lvov. That year is the founding date recorded in the city's data, although some surviving buildings are older, so it marks the first paperwork more than the first houses.

Political weight came in 1564, when Iași became capital of the Principality of Moldavia, a role it kept until 1859. It then served the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia until 1862. A princely court drew churches, scribes and scholars. The chroniclers Grigore Ureche, Miron Costin and Ion Neculce wrote here or nearby in the 17th century, and Dimitrie Cantemir, known across Europe, tied his name to the city as well.

Print followed. The first Romanian newspaper appeared in Iași in 1829, and in 1867 the Junimea society's review Convorbiri Literare began publishing, including poems by Mihai Eminescu and Ion Creangă's memories of childhood.

Iași took the national stage once more between 1916 and 1918, when it served as capital of Romania. Afterwards the government returned to Bucharest, and the city settled into its present role as a university and cultural centre.

What to see

Culture

Iași thinks of itself as a city of letters, and with reason. The chroniclers and scholars of old Moldavia worked here, the first Romanian-language newspaper appeared in 1829, and the Junimea society published Eminescu and Creangă in its review from 1867. Their names turn up everywhere as street names, statues and school names, so an ordinary walk reads a little like a reading list.

The university presence shapes daily life. Bookshops, cafés and theatres are busy in term time, and evenings in the student districts are lively and informal. Locals are proud of the city's cultural reputation but rarely show off about it; conversation about writers, music or football comes easily if you ask.

Religion is part of ordinary life too. Orthodox churches and monasteries are active, and people cross themselves at doorways, light candles and kiss icons. Services can be long and are not performances for visitors. Each October a large pilgrimage brings crowds into the centre, which is moving to witness but makes accommodation and the main churches very busy, so plan around it either way.

Taking a seat at a theatre, a concert or a university-area café gives a better sense of the city than any single monument. In churches and monasteries, cover your shoulders and knees, take off any hat, and ask before photographing worshippers or anything during a service.

What to wear

Iași and the wider region of Moldavia share the Romanian peasant dress that survives mainly on feast days, at weddings and in folk performances. Its signature piece is the ie, a loose blouse of linen, hemp or cotton embroidered at the chest and sleeves. Women wear it with a wrapped wool skirt, the fotă or catrință, and a belt or sash. Men's version is a white linen shirt and trousers, a sheepskin waistcoat or long coat for cold weather, and leather opinci on the feet. Patterns and colours vary by village, and the Ethnographic Museum in the Palace of Culture is the place to compare Moldavian examples.

Everyday clothes in Iași are much like those in other European university cities. Students wear jeans, trainers and hoodies, office workers dress smartly in the centre, and in winter long dark coats, hats and boots are the norm. People tend to dress up a little for the theatre, church on a feast day and weddings. Some contemporary designers add embroidery motifs to modern cuts.

Visitors should plan for layers. Summers are hot and winters cold, so bring a warm coat from late autumn onwards and light fabrics in July and August. Comfortable shoes matter, because the city is hilly and some pavements are uneven. For churches and monasteries, pack something that covers shoulders and knees, and women may want a light scarf in case a head covering is expected.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. May–June and September–October, when days are mild and the parks and terraces are at their best. July and August can be hot, and winters are cold and grey. Mid-October brings a large religious pilgrimage and crowds in the centre.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. Iași International Airport has a city bus (number 50) to the centre, or a metered taxi. Trains run to Iași from Bucharest and, directly, from Budapest, so check the CFR site for schedules. Coaches also arrive from Chișinău in Moldova, with the last leg a short tram, bus or taxi ride from the station or terminal.

Budget. low

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources