Vadul lui Vodă

Vadul lui Vodă sits on the Dniester twenty kilometres outside Chișinău and has been the capital's beach since the Soviet period, when sanatoriums and holiday bases were built along the river among pine and oak. The sandy river beach fills through the summer, the woods behind hold what is left of the old rest houses, and the place has the particular atmosphere of a Soviet resort continuing under new management.

What you actually see

• The river beach - the sandy Dniester shore the resort is built around.
• The pine and oak woods - the planted forest behind the beach.
• The old rest houses - the Soviet-era sanatoriums and holiday bases.
• The summer crowds - the capital's population out on the river.

When to go

June to August is the season and the water is warm. Weekends are extremely busy. Outside summer the resort is empty and most of it closes.

Honest expectations

It is crowded and noisy through the summer weekends and litter is a problem. Water quality in the Dniester varies. Many of the old buildings are derelict.

Nearby

Chișinău is southwest, and the Dniester runs northeast.