Getting Around Iași
Iași is a large, densely packed city, but its historic core is compact enough that most of the sights a visitor comes for sit within easy walking distance of one another. Public transport fills in the gaps for reaching neighbourhoods and attractions outside the centre, and the city is well served by buses, trams, maxi-taxis and taxis. Services generally run from early morning until late evening, though frequency drops on weekends and public holidays.
On Foot
Walking is the best way for a curious visitor to experience Iași. The old town is small, and most of the interesting parts of the city are concentrated in the centre, so you can cover a great deal on foot. In fact, you can walk from one end of the city to the other in a few hours. Public transport is really only necessary if you want to see things outside the traditional centre, or if your accommodation happens to be there.
Trams and Buses
Buses and trams have traditionally been the backbone of getting around Iași, and they remain a frequent and practical option. They run roughly between 05:00 and 23:00, with reduced frequency on weekends and public holidays.
One quirk to be aware of: tickets can be mode-specific, so a ticket bought for a tram may not be accepted on a bus, and vice versa. Buy your ticket before boarding.
- Where to buy: Ticket offices at stops (note that at minor stops these tend to close around 17:00–18:00), or ticket machines installed throughout the city, which have an English-language interface.
- Ticket options: A single ticket, a two-trip ticket that two people can also share for one journey, a 90-minute ticket, and an all-day ticket.
- Worth knowing: Riding public transport is a good way to see ordinary life in the city — everyone uses it. You may encounter Roma children singing traditional Romanian songs for money, and you may see passengers crossing themselves as they pass churches and monasteries.
- A small attraction in itself: A special reconditioned classical tram runs up and down Copou hill. It looks different from the normal trams and somewhat resembles the ones in San Francisco.
Maxi-Taxis
Maxi-taxis are privately operated micro-buses, usually white, that cover pretty much everywhere public transport goes. They follow a usual route, with the endpoint destination written on a piece of paper displayed at the front. They do not accept foreign currency. Don't count on the driver speaking enough English to tell you where to get off — a useful trick is to write your destination on a piece of paper, point to it, and ask.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are popular in Iași and are now universally yellow. Locals sometimes pick the taxi they find most appealing rather than simply taking the first in line, so if you prefer a particular brand of car you can opt for that one — though this practice is becoming less common.
Most city taxis have meters, but pay attention to whether the driver actually uses it. It is not unheard of for drivers to try to charge visitors far more than the metered fare. The rate is usually written on the side of the car, but it's worth confirming against the device inside the car as well. Generally speaking, taxi drivers in Iași are more correct and friendlier than in the capital.
Arriving by Train
Iași Railway Station (Gara Iași) is a landmark in its own right, sometimes called the "Palace of Railway Station," with a central section modelled partly on the loggia of the Doge's Palace in Venice. It sits very close to the centre of town and to the Tourism Information Centre — about a ten-minute walk.
Some services use Iași Socola Railway Station instead, including the daily train to Chișinău in Moldova, which departs from there in the late afternoon.
Connections to Iași from Bucharest and other Romanian counties are good and reliable, and there are also direct trains from Budapest, which is well linked to Western Europe. Schedules, prices and availability can be checked online with CFR before you travel.
Arriving by Bus
Long-distance coaches use two main bus stations: West Bus Station (Autogara Iași Vest) on Șoseaua Moara de Foc, and Vama Veche Bus Station (Autogara Transbus Codreanu), which sits in front of the railway station.
Coach services from Chișinău in Moldova depart from Gara de Sud in Chișinău and run several times a day, with a notable gap in the late morning. The trip takes roughly three to four hours.
Getting In from the Airport
Iași International Airport (IAS) lies northeast of the city centre. Two straightforward options connect it to town:
- By bus: Bus number 50 links the airport with the centre. Timetables at the stop show departures from the airport to the centre on one board, and the return journeys from different parts of the city on the others. Tickets are inexpensive.
- By taxi: A metered taxi to the centre should cost only a modest amount, and most city taxis have meters. Watch that the meter is actually running — some drivers have been known to try charging visitors upwards of €10 instead. The metered rate is slightly higher outside city limits than inside them, and the rate is usually printed on the side of the car, though you should check it against the device in the car.
Arriving by Car
Iași can be reached from across the country on national roads, which have been improved and are generally not blocked by traffic jams. If you don't have a downloaded map of Romania or a GPS, buy a map from any gas station. The route into Iași involves relatively few turns, but they are not marked with large, obvious signs the way they might be elsewhere, so having a map makes the drive much easier.