About Iași

What Iași is Famous For

The City

Iași is one of Romania’s oldest and most significant cities, often regarded as the cultural and academic heart of the historical region of Moldavia. Located in the northeastern part of the country, it serves as the capital of Iași County. With a rich history dating back over 600 years, Iași is a major center for education, culture, and innovation in Romania.

Iași is home to five major universities, making it a student hub with over 50,000 students annually

Education & Universities

Literature & Arts

The city has been a center for Romanian literature and culture. Some of Romania’s greatest writers, such as Mihai Eminescu, Ion Creangă, and Vasile Alecsandri, lived and worked in Iași.

Each October, tens of thousands of pilgrims visit Iași for the Feast of Saint Parascheva, one of the most important religious celebrations in Romania.

Religious Pilgrimage

Transport

Currency

Iași is a relatively small city with a modern area around Palas Shopping Center. It is not recommended to rent a car since the uber fares are relatively cheap between 5 and 8 euros (It could be even lower); so since you land, an uber will become your best friend. Furthermore, traffic rules in Romania are quite strict and have a policy of 0% alcohol when driving. If you are planning to visit any other city, driving is a good option otherwise, uber everywhere you go.

The official currency in Romania is the Romanian Leu (RON).

As of 6th of June, 1 EUR = 4.973 RON.

Our recommendation is to acquire a Revolut card for an easier conversion. If you use our referral link, and follow the steps, you are also helping us since Revolut pays a referral bonus. 👀

People

Expect a culture where people are direct and appreciate directness from others. Smiling for no reason is not common, and as the saying goes, "If you're smiling for no reason, you may be dumb." It's a real saying. You might also hear people chatting loudly about various topics; it's not fighting, it's just the tone and nature of their language.

They take great pride in what’s theirs, as a young nation with a challenging recent history. The country has been unified for almost 100 years.

If you’re part of their circle, they will go above and beyond to help, even if it’s beyond their usual limitations.

Lastly, everybody will ask you if you like Romania. If you have doubts, just talk about "Mici" and mention how green the country is.

Accommodation

As you prepare for our wedding, we've considered a variety of options to ensure everyone can find something suitable. Below are the details:

1. Hotel International: same as the wedding venue, this is definitely the most convenient option.

2. Other hotels: Ramada Iasi, Unirea Hotel & Spa, Hotel Select Iași

3. Flats for Rent: we suggest looking at flats available on Booking.com. These prices range from €40 to €70 per night, providing flexibility for different budgets and preferences.

Interesting Curiosities About Iași

Iași was once Romania’s capital (1861-1862) before Bucharest became the permanent capital.
It has the oldest Jewish cemetery in Romania, dating back to the 15th century.
The city played a major role in the Union of the Romanian Principalities in 1859.
Iași is often referred to as Romania’s Silicon Valley, with a booming IT industry and many startups.

DO's

1 / First

Have a good time, you are on holiday at the end and have a positive attitude

2 / Salute

Say "Hello" everywhere you go or "Salut"

3 / Explore

Try new things in general, food, drinks and experiences

4 / Last but not least

Enjoy the differences you will encounter in Eastern Europe; you can see Soviet-style buildings, and donkeys pulling carriages on while seeing luxury places

DON'Ts

1 / Don't talk about others

Avoid tasteless comments especially when it comes to others appearance or looks

2 / Avoid comparisons with other countries

In Eastern Europe they are already aware of their limitations and joke about it, but it is not nice to point those out in interactions with locals.

3 / The G word

Avoid at all cost comparing or calling Romanians with the Roma community (Gypsies). People get offended easily as it is a sensitive national topic

4 / Important

If you walk around Roma (Gypsy) neighbourhoods, avoid talking loudly. It attracts attention and you don’t want their attention.

5 / Respect Traffic Rules

Avoid crossing the streets at a red light or in non-marked areas. You can get fined as a PEDESTRIAN!

6 / Slavs but with Latin pride

Don’t say “You are kinda Russian” or make any Russian comparison. They are Slavs, obviously there will be similarities in the way they look but Romanians are not very happy when compared to Russians

7 / Last one

Romanians can drink quite a lot, especially in special events, if you feel uncomfortable at any moment interacting with someone. Don’t be reactive, talk to Francisco or Daria and they will manage the situation.