Chișinău International Airport sits 13 kilometers southeast of the capital. The single terminal handles flights from Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Istanbul, Bucharest, Paris, Rome, and Moscow. No direct flights connect Moldova to North America or Asia. The journey from Western Europe requires one connection minimum. Turkish Airlines routes through Istanbul serve as the primary link for travelers arriving from outside Europe. Air Moldova, the national carrier, operates limited European routes. Low-cost carriers Wizz Air and Ryanair connect Chișinău to cities including Milan, Barcelona, and London.
The arrivals hall contains one currency exchange counter and one ATM. Exchange rates at the airport run approximately five percent below city center rates. The taxi queue outside operates on a voucher system sold inside the terminal. Official airport taxi fare to central Chișinău costs 150-200 lei depending on exact destination. Journey time ranges from 20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic. Bus number 165 departs from the terminal forecourt every 30 minutes during daytime hours, costs 3 lei, and terminates at the central bus station on Mitropolit Varlaam Street. The bus does not accommodate large luggage well.
Land entry from Romania uses the Leușeni-Albița crossing south of Chișinău or the Sculeni crossing northeast of Iași. Both remain open 24 hours. The Sculeni crossing sits 12 kilometers from the Romanian city of Iași and 90 kilometers from Chișinău. Buses operated by companies including Grintrans and FlixBus connect Iași to Chișinău multiple times daily with journey duration approximately three hours including border formalities. The border process for EU passport holders typically consumes 10 to 30 minutes. Citizens of countries requiring visa-free entry receive stamps without questioning. The Leușeni crossing serves travelers arriving from Bucharest, with direct buses taking seven to nine hours total.
Entry from Ukraine uses crossings at Palanca-Maiaki-Udobnoe southeast of Odesa or Otaci-Mohyliv-Podilskyi in the north. The Palanca crossing sees regular marshrutka (minibus) services from Odesa to Chișinău operating approximately every two hours during daylight. Journey duration reaches five to seven hours depending on border wait times. Ukrainian border formalities often extend longer than Romanian crossings. The Transnistria region occupies territory between the Dniester River and the Ukrainian border. Travelers entering Moldova from Ukraine via the eastern border must transit Transnistria and pass through two additional checkpoints – one controlled by Transnistrian authorities and one by Moldovan authorities at the western edge of the territory. Transnistrian authorities require registration for stays exceeding 10 hours within that territory.
The Chișinău central bus station on Mitropolit Varlaam Street serves as the terminus for international buses from Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, and Turkey. The Soviet-era building contains ticket windows for multiple competing operators. Electronic departure boards do not exist. Printed schedules hang on walls in Romanian and Russian. Platforms are numbered but not announced. Buses to Bucharest depart multiple times daily, take eight to nine hours, and cost 250-400 lei depending on operator and season. Overnight buses to Istanbul operate three times weekly, require 24 hours, and cost approximately 800 lei.
Rail connections to Moldova remain limited. The main railway station in Chișinău sits two kilometers northwest of the city center on Alexei Mateevici Street. One direct daily train connects Chișinău to Bucharest, departing late evening and arriving mid-morning with journey duration 13 hours. Track gauge differences at the border require all passengers to disembark while bogies are changed, typically consuming two hours around midnight. The train includes sleeper compartments. Advance reservation is necessary. One daily train connects Chișinău to Odesa in Ukraine with journey time eight to ten hours. Rail connections to Russia were suspended following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Moldovan leu (plural lei) subdivides into 100 bani. Banknotes circulate in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1000 lei. Coins exist for 1, 5, 10, and 50 bani and 1, 2, 5, and 10 lei. The exchange rate hovers near 18-19 lei per US dollar and 19-20 lei per euro as of 2024. The leu replaced the Soviet ruble in 1993 at a rate of one leu to 1000 rubles. Currency redenomination occurred in 2006 at a ratio of 1000 old lei to one new leu.