Best Culture and Wine Tours of Iasi

The Romanian City of Iasi is really amazing. It combines in a happy manner culture, history and archaeology, with entertainment and frenetic night life. Within one or two days you can experience all these things in an original mix, turning your ordinary Iasi Tour in an unforgettable event.

Remember first of all that Iasi is build on 7 hills, similar with the ancient Rome, and you can know and meet it  under excellent circumstances by feet or by bike. Thus you can go very close to its remarkable people, buildings and museums, experiencing the local flair and flavor.

You can take part to a professional wine tasting in Cotnari by Iasi

A brilliant idea is to start is to start and end your Iasi Tours in the Downtown, to the Culture Museum. The Culture Palace is a breathtaking building, dating back from 1925 and hosting no less than four museums, together with a leading library. If you are lucky not to find the Culture Palace during its neverending restoration works, you can use this opportunity for visiting all these museums. Thus you are going to use one or two days from your precious time, but you are not going to regret it! Discover first the History Museum of Moldavia, with artifacts from the old days up today. Run further in the Iasi Art Museum to enjoy fantastic painting and carving works from the Romanian school, but also from Italian, French and Flemish ones. If you are the technical freak, don't miss the Technical Museum, also hosted by the Culture Palace.

The breathtaking Culture Palace hosts no less than four good museums, deserving a visit

You can have a well deserved shopping or eating break in the Moldova Mall, which is actually a controversial modern building, just a few steps away from the Culture Palace. Critics and opponent can't forgive the arrogance of Moldova Mall, and are not able to understand who gave it the building approval. But the most modern mall of Iasi is a few streets further, namely Iulius Mall. which is really upscale and state of the art.

Old and new are permanently mixing in this breathtaking city with a student thrill! Close to the Culture palace discover the Dosoftei Museum of The Romanian Old literature, and the leading city hotels ( if you wanna stay and eat in style, make the good choice and select the Traian Grand Hotel, city's oldest!).

Iasi is doubtless a city of churches, you can find wonderful churches at every step and corner. Throwing a stone in Iasi , it will probably break a church window (local legend!)

Mix than with the locals, walking through the city, heading to the entertainment areas of Ciric and Bucium, where you can take part to wine tastings ( they are not running usually such fine events, but I can arange, would be great for your vacation and Iasi Tour!). Cotnari is another name to remember, when it comes to a Iasi Tour. It is very close, and is one of the best Romanian vineyards, with excellent white flavored wines ( note, ask, and taste the strong flavored Tamaioasa and Frangusa!). But please don't miss on the way the churches of Iasi, and don't be afraid visiting them inside. The Romanians are between the most tolerant people worldwide, they will be very happy to see you there. The priest will salute you, and on some very rarely events will accept even the women in the holly altar (unfortunately, it only happens 100 years after the church inauguration, so you must be very meek). Anyway, a fantastic peaceful atmosphere will seduce you inside.

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Best Hotels in Iasi

There are a lot of things to do in Iasi, which is a very nice cultural city, even a magical one I dare to say. You need more days in Iasi for sure, and nevertheless you won't be very happy when leaving it, feeling that you still have something to discover.

Hotel Traian was designed by Gustave Eiffel, 150 years ago, but still holds on!

The first mention as the best hotel in Iasi is for Traian. I can agree with you, might be a personal ranking and impression, it is to discuss. But doubtless the hotel represents the most significant and beautiful building in the city, designed by the renowned Gustave Eiffel. The staff welcomes you warmly, they are very kind and speak more languages. Not very expensive, thinking to positioning or other factors, a room costs only 80 Euros.

The spectacular hotel Unirea in Iasi, at night

Very close to Hotel Traian is a sort of local skyscrapers, Hotel Unirea. Going to the last floor you can have a charming panorama of this wonderful city. Also the rooms offer excellent views, mainly the upper floors. The rooms are very modern and comfortable, but the service only satisfactory, comparing to Hotel Traian.

The boutique spa hotel Majestic in Iasi

A little cheaper is the small pension Majestic. Also central, but quiet, friendly and warm, proposes unique rooms organized with good taste. Really deceiving was for me the breakfast, unfortunately, but I can only hope that the things have improved.

Discover the Iasi museums, once you solved the lodging, and make also small trips to Bucium or Cotnari for wine tasting. The life flows so relaxing here in Moldavia, comparing with Bucharest. Walking on the streets and mixing with all the students gives an excellent youth feeling. Don't you dare to speak more to the local beauties from the Medicine School, wearing white tight gowns even in their spare time!

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Iasi, the Cultural capital of Romania

The city of Iasi ( also referred as Jassy) is very important for the history of Romania, and every Romanian loves it unconditionally. Nowadays is the country's fourth most populuos city, after Bucharest, Constanta and Cluj-Napoca.

In many parts of the city, the history is very obvious. The House of Dosoftei, a Romanian writer, is 400 years old.

Iasi tries hardly not to live in the past, but in the present, which seems to be very difficult with such a long glorious history and so many old houses and monuments. Iasi is still today the most important economic hub for Moldavia, enjoying simultaneously a rich long history, as I said already.

The Iasi City Hall is old, monumental and impressive ( former Palace Roznovanu)

Coming from any direction you will admire the wonderful position of the city from far away. Iasi lies on 7 hills, similar to Rome, and the nicest, or most important is Copou , hosting the city's neighborhood with the same name. Traces of human beings in this wonderful area date back from the paleolithic in the VIth century b.C. (Cucuteni culture for the Archaeology freaks). Not very far, on these blessed hills there are vineyards for sure, in Bucium and Cotnari, and you can take part to wine tasting in those areas. Or you can further taste the best Romanian wines in one of the Iasi many leading restaurants (with a special mention for the Hotel Restaurant Traian, first opened in 1882).

Hotel and restaurant Traian from Iasi is the city's oldest and best

For centuries, during the Middle Age, Iasi has been the Capital of Moldavia, one of the three Romanian countries. After Unification with Vallachia in 1859, the new formed Romania had two Capitals, Iasi and Bucharest, which was amazing, and even overwhelming. Finally, in 1862, Bucharest has been nominated as c
Capital, and Iasi lost its supremacy. But not the importance, to be sure! Between 1916-1918, during WWI, because foreign occupation of Bucharest, Iasi enjoyed again its status of Capital!

The Culture Palace of Iasi is definitely a must do for your schedule in Iasi

The people of and the way of life in Iasi is not so crazing speedy like in Bucharest. The people still have time enjoying free afternoons in a restaurant and taste a glass of wine ( or even beer, if too hot)! The high schools of Iasi still have an excellent level, and the Computer school gave many people to Microsoft.

There are many things to do in Iasi: walking in the Copou Garden crossing the pairs of lovers (most of them are students); visiting the huge Culture Palace, which hosts four Museums; having a good meal or a  wine tasting. You may love Iasi, or hate Iasi, but simply visit it while in Romania. Be sure, I have some special offers for you.

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