Southern Moldova’s leading city of Cahul is charming and surprisingly pretty. The surrounding area also offers a fascinating glimpse of the traditional life still lived by most of the population. The traditional lifestyle centers around small-level agriculture and close-knit communities.
While the region is rather undeveloped in economic terms, and tourism is very underdeveloped, a little bit of digging can reveal plenty to explore.
We were recently in Southern Moldova to visit my husband’s childhood village where many of his family members still live. While there, we sleuthed out a few fun things to do with the kids to help them learn about the place and keep them occupied.
Tourist information about much of anything to do in the area is frustratingly scant. On top of that, many of the things that are advertised for tourists require reservations in advance, usually with a Moldovan phone number, and require that you speak Romanian.
We managed this scenario with my Romanian-speaking spouse making phone calls. Determined travelers can use translation apps and such to try to navigate, and often there is someone around who will be able to communicate in English, but it’s not a guarantee. This aspect of tourism in the Cahul area is a challenge to be sure.
Visit the Central Park and the Church of Saint Michael
One of the first things we did in Cahul was to visit the Central Park. With five young kids in tow, of course, the main attraction there was the playground. It’s large enough to keep kids of a variety of ages entertained and in decent enough condition.
In another corner of the park there is also a mini-theme park with a carousel and other rides available for purchase. We tried out a few of these and found them very underwhelming, and of questionable safety. Still, it’s there as an option for families with very bored kids!
Other main features of the park include the War Memorial to fallen soldiers, with an Eternal Flame and a dancing water fountain on the central plaza. In a country where many memorials and city features are dilapidated, this main square is refreshingly modern and well-kept.
On weekends and holidays (we were there for the Moldovan Independence Day), an enterprising entrepreneur offers four-wheeled pedal cars for rent on the main plaza. Rent a pedal car and zoom all around the park to your heart’s content. Mostly geared to kids and teens, it’s still fun for parents too.
Our favorite restaurant in Cahul turned out to be in the central park as well. BelMundo, an unassuming terrace offers excellent world cuisine (i.e. not traditional Moldovan food). For our crew, tired of the Moldovan food they weren’t so thrilled about, it was a refreshing return to the type of food we’re more used to.
Prominent in the city of Cahul is the shiny gold, twin-domed roof of the Church of Saint Michael (Biserica Sfintul Mihail). This is located precisely in the center of Central Park, symbolizing, perhaps, the centrality of the Orthodox faith to much of the population of Moldova.
This small but imposing Cathedral is definitely worth a visit. If the gates are open, you are welcome to enter and quietly and respectfully look around. The wall paintings are typical of Eastern Orthodox religious artwork and depict numerous Biblical and patron saints.
Shop at the Central Farmer’s Market
Every day of the week except Monday, you can expect to find local farmers and smallholders selling their wares at the street market in downtown Cahul. Located mostly along Strada Stefan cel Mare and weaving back in amongst several covered walkways, you can find seasonal fruits and vegetables, household goods, and a few handmade items.
I was hoping to find much more in the handmade items department than I did. For good or for bad though, this is definitely not a tourist market, but rather a functioning produce market where locals can get fresh food and farmers can sell what they grow.
For a good insight into what the locals are eating and what’s in season, a visit to the central market is a must. Be sure to sample the Cvas, a sweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from fermented bread. You’ll find it for sale on the street from vendors with large wagon-sized tanks of the drink.
Visit the War Memorials in Cahul
Aside from the very well-kept “Eternal Glory” war memorial on the Central Park Plaza, Cahul is home to numerous other war memorials in varying degrees of decay, especially the ones dating from the Soviet era.
One of our favorites was the Monument to Pilots on the southeastern outskirts of town, at the top of a hill overlooking the city. This monument is an impressive-looking WWII bomber perched atop a concrete ramp.
Ignoring the broken glass littering the ground all around, it was a place the kids enjoyed exploring. All plaques and signage is long gone, so it’s hard to tell who or what exactly is being remembered by the monument.
However, according to the Cahul city website, the monument was placed there in 1985 to honor the memory of the pilots who participated in the air battles in the sky of Cahul. Until about 2020, there was a plaque with the inscription, in Russian, “To the liberating pilots from the grateful Cahuleni”.
Just at the end of the Memorial closest to the road is another soviet relic – a crumbling, yet nostalgic sign marking the entrance to Cahul. It’s evocative and artistic, and strangely symbolic of the situation of much of the country finds itself in.
The other major war memorial in the city is the T-34 Tank Memorial to fallen WWII soldiers. This memorial is on the road leaving the city toward Moscovei, again, up on a hill overlooking the rest of the city.
A real WWII T-34 tank is set up on a concrete pedestal with black granite slabs surrounding it. Engraved granite stones around the enclosure in Russian script tell the story of the place, if you can read them.
Marginally better kept than the Monument to Pilots, it’s still apparent that there is a lack of funds to maintain the monument.
All the same, while we visited, fresh flowers had been placed on the monument, so it’s obviously still an important event and place in the collective memory of the city’s people.
Visit the Prut Nature Reserve
About an hour’s drive south of Cahul near the village of Slobozia Mare is Lake Beleu and the Prut Nature Reserve. For nature lovers and birdwatchers, it’s well worth the drive down to admire the views and do a little bit of hiking and birdwatching.
However, as with many of the underdeveloped tourist attractions in southern Moldova, the access to even this well-advertised destination can be a little bit of a challenge.
We went several times to the Belvedere platform overlooking Lake Beleu. Signage is limited along the main road, but it is there, and points to the turn-off on what appears to be a farm road to get to the trail where you can walk to the overlook.
A modern, recently built platform with benches, picnic table and built in binoculars are there, thanks to funding from the EU. (The second time we were there, the binoculars had been removed, I’m guessing for the winter season).
From here you have expansive views of the Romanian hills in the far distance, and Lake Beleu in the foreground. In the late summer when we were there, it was teeming with birds of all varieties, many of them beginning their fall migration to places farther south.
A bit farther south down the road is another sign for the Reservatia “Prutul de Jos”. Turning down here will lead you to a parking area and gateway, and past a sign that informs you (in Romanian) that you must have a reservation to access the Reserve.
We were not aware of this ahead of time, but a quick phone call to one of the numbers on the sign gave us permission to take a walk along the track to the observation tower. Ideally, we would have called a day in advance. Also, since my husband called as was able to speak in Romanian, I’m not sure how easy or difficult this would be to do for non-Romanian-speaking tourists.
The woman on the phone also gave us helpful information about boat tours that are available. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time in our schedule to do the boat tour.
We did however enjoy a nice walk down the dirt path by the lake, and a nice picnic/snack with the kids sitting in the birdwatching tower. In addition to birds, we saw lots of frogs, snails, and a lizard or two. Not to mention mosquitoes. Bring insect repellent.
Walking a bit farther down the path we came upon several horses with their young foals left out to graze in the field, which was a special experience for our horse-crazy girls.
We would have liked to continue following the footpath across a wooden bridge, but signs warning about the Frontier Zone (border) convinced us it was time to turn back.
Tour the Workshops of Local Artisans
One thing that I really wanted to do during our stay in Moldova was to see local artisans and learn firsthand about their crafts. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to schedule it in.
However, in Southern Moldova and the environs around Cahul, there are numerous local artisans who welcome visitors. Reservations need to be made prior to a visit, and Romanian language ability of some level is most likely required.
The types of artisans in the area include leatherworkers, especially in shearling goods, needlecraft of various kinds, carpet making, wood carving, basket weaving, jewelry making, painting, and religious art.
In addition, nearly every village in the area has a local history museum, and these can be interesting to poke around as you go to visit artisans in the different towns.
To do over again (perhaps on our next visit to my in-laws!), I would pick two or three of the crafts I’m most interested in and call to schedule a visit. Of course, I would also plan to purchase an item or two as a thank you for their time.
I was hard-pressed to find many handmade items to take home as gifts for friends and family, so the option to buy a few things direct from the artists would have been welcome!
An up-to-date list of local artisans can be found on the Cahul Municiple website.