Grădina Botanică din Chișinău

What you see

The garden is divided into themed areas. You walk through an arboretum of trees and shrubs, a rose garden, a rock garden and an alpine garden, a lilac section, a garden of climbers and an area of East Asian flora. Between the collections lie ornamental ponds with water plants. A separate section is devoted to the country's rarest endangered plants, some of which survive only as a single specimen.

The glasshouses hold tropical and subtropical plants, including more than a thousand species of cactus and a cycad that, according to the garden, was brought from Batumi in 1968. According to an October 2026 report by Logos Press, the garden has more than 7,500 species, forms and varieties.

Nature and history

The garden was established by decree in September 1950. In 1965 the government allocated 104 hectares on what was then the edge of the city, in today's Botanica district. In 1975 the garden became a research institute of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova. Around 2014 the herbarium held some 185,000 specimens. Researchers work here on breeding ornamental, medicinal and aromatic plants and on protecting rare species.

In 2026 the garden is struggling with staff shortages and ageing infrastructure: the existing glasshouses all have the same height and climate, which limits the collection, and a new, modern glasshouse is expensive. So do not expect an immaculately kept show garden, but a spacious, green place with plenty of shade.

Tips for your visit

• Come in May and June for lilacs and roses, or in September and October for autumn colours.
• Wear good shoes: the paths are long and not paved everywhere.
• Ask at the entrance about the admission price and whether the glasshouses are open.
• The Porțile Orașului and the zoo are nearby; by trolleybus along Bulevardul Dacia you are soon back in the centre.