A small botanical park on Eminescu Street, opened in 1947 as a research garden for the National Academy of Sciences. The Dendrarium is more relaxed and less Soviet-formal than Valea Morilor — narrow shaded paths, mature trees from the Eastern European hardwood family, a pond, and a labelled collection of around 1,000 plant species including rare regional shrubs.
It is one of the prettiest places in Chisinau to walk on a hot afternoon, and the small café near the entrance is a popular spot for a coffee and a book. Free; open daily until dusk. The much larger Botanical Garden on the city's southern edge has the bigger collection, but the Dendrarium is the one you can reach in 15 minutes from the centre.