Chisinau airport is close to the city, the bus is trivially cheap, and the taxi should be booked on an app.
Chisinau (KIV)
- The airport is about 13 km southeast of the city.
- Trolleybus 30 runs into the centre for a token fare - a few lei.
- Bus 165 also serves it.
- Taxis are cheap but the rank is a negotiation; use an app.
- Yandex Go and iTaxi both operate and fix the price.
Regional context
- Chisinau is Moldova's only significant airport.
- Iasi in Romania is about three hours away and is a common alternative, especially since Romania joined Schengen.
- Odesa is closed to civil aviation, so the Ukrainian option that used to exist does not.
Practicalities at the airport
- The terminal is small and arrivals move quickly through it.
- Change money or withdraw lei before you leave the building. Taxi drivers and trolleybus conductors want cash in lei, and card acceptance drops sharply outside central Chisinau.
- The trolleybus stop is a short walk from the terminal, signposted, and the ride into the centre takes around half an hour.
- Buy the trolleybus ticket from the conductor on board - it is a token amount and exact change is appreciated.
Late arrivals
- A large share of flights into Chisinau land late in the evening, when the trolleybus service has thinned or stopped.
- Order a car in the app before you clear the terminal rather than walking out to the rank, where arriving foreigners start a negotiation from a poor position.
- Most Chisinau accommodation arranges an airport pickup for a fixed price, which on a first visit and after midnight is worth the small premium.
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