Târgu Cucu

Târgu Cucu is the old commercial quarter east of the centre, today a transport hub you pass through almost unavoidably on the way to Tătărași. It is a dense area, with a commercial past and two buildings worth the trip.

What you see

Golia Monastery is the area's landmark. It is recognisable by its roughly 30-metre tower, which can be climbed — from the top the whole centre is visible, and it is one of the best viewpoints in the city. The enclosure is a fortress in full, with thick walls and corner towers, raised when Iași was the Moldavian capital and therefore a military target.

A few minutes away, the Great Synagogue — one of the oldest buildings of its kind left in Romania. It is the only functioning testimony to a community that numbered dozens of synagogues before the Second World War. In the pogrom of 27–29 June 1941 approximately 13,266 Jews were killed, and the Jewish community of Iași never recovered. See the history of Iași.

What it's like, practically

This is an area you pass through, not one to stay in. Transport links are good precisely because it is a hub: bus 50 runs through it on the Aeroport – Piața Unirii – Gara route, every 30 minutes.

The food offer is modest compared with the centre or Palas — five restaurants listed — but it is an area where you eat at neighbourhood prices, not central ones.

Where the name comes from

The area takes its name from the old market that operated here, east of the princely court — a commercial point on the road to Tătărași and further east. Its function as a hub has not changed in centuries: you still pass through on your way somewhere else.

The density of buildings and the network of narrow streets come from the same period. It is one of the few parts of Iași where the medieval urban structure is still legible on a map, even if most of the buildings are far newer.

Who it suits

An hour or two's visit, on the way somewhere else. The combination that works: climb the Golia tower, come down to the Great Synagogue, then continue towards Tătărași or back into the centre. It is also one of the stops on the monastery route.