Chișinău has ten places to play tennis that could be confirmed against public sources in August 2026 — private clubs, a state sports school, a hotel, and a pair of courts in a park you can walk onto for nothing. The list below covers all of them, with the address of each.
Tennis is structured differently here from other sports in the city: some courts belong to a state sports body, and the rest are private, with very different profiles — from nine courts with stands and parking down to two courts in a park with no floodlights.
Where the courts are
| Club | Address | Courts |
|---|---|---|
| National Tennis Center Moldova | Strada Spiru Haret 1, Satul German | Covered, hard surface |
| Tennis Club ARENA Chișinău | Calea Orheiului 130, Stăuceni | 7 training courts + main court, outdoors |
| Tennis Club Acvila | Calea Ieșilor 10B, Buiucani | 8 outdoor clay + 1 covered hard |
| Niagara Fitness & Tennis Club | Strada Ghidighici 5, Botanica | 3 clay, covered and heated |
| Aliten Tennis Club | Strada Studenților 2/2, Râșcani | Outdoor, with changing rooms and showers |
| Iris Tennis Club | Strada Kiev 1, Botanica | Outdoor |
| Tennis Club ACE | Strada Melestiu 1, Valea Trandafirilor park | 2 outdoor, free access, no floodlights |
| Sport Park Chișinău | Strada Nicolae Dimo 32, Râșcani | Courts inside a complex with a pool and a gym |
| President Hotel | Bulevardul Dacia 58/5, Botanica | 2 outdoor |
| Republican Specialised Tennis Sports School | Strada Eugen Coca 59 | Clay, plus halls for the cold season |
Addresses and court details come from a listing published by locuri.md (May 2025), the list on util.simplu.md, and the clubs' own sites — ARENA Chișinău and National Tennis Center.
Which ones stay open in winter
From December to March the question is not which club is better but which club is playing at all: outdoor clay closes in freezing weather, or the top layer is ruined.
Three places advertise covered courts:
- National Tennis Center Moldova, in Satul German — covered courts with a hard surface, the only complex on the list built around them.
- Niagara, on Strada Ghidighici 5 — three clay courts under a roof, heated, which makes it the only place you can play on clay in January.
- Acvila, on Calea Ieșilor — one covered hard court on top of its eight outdoor clay ones.
Everything else is open to the sky. Even so, ask on the phone whether the hall is heated: covered does not mean warm, and at +2°C you notice the difference about twenty minutes in.
What an hour costs
Clubs do not publish rates in any consistent way, and the figures below come from a locuri.md listing dated May 2025 — a budgeting reference, not a guaranteed tariff. Call ahead.
| Club | Roughly, summer | Roughly, winter |
|---|---|---|
| ARENA Chișinău | 200 lei/hour without floodlights; 250 with; 300 on the main court | — |
| Acvila | ~280 lei/hour; 150 between 12:00 and 14:00 | up to 500 lei/hour |
| Niagara | 170 lei/hour from 12:00 to 16:00; 250 mornings and evenings | covered year-round |
| Iris | 200–300 lei/hour | — |
| Aliten | from 150 lei/hour | up to 700 lei/hour |
| ACE | free | courts are uncovered |
| President Hotel | price quoted by phone | — |
So an ordinary summer court sits around 200–300 lei an hour, split between two in singles or four in doubles. In winter a covered court costs about twice that — the club is paying for the hall too.
Several clubs sell season packages, which change the arithmetic entirely if you play weekly: at ARENA they start at 1,800 lei for ten hours a month.
Clay or hard
This choice matters more than the choice of club, because it changes how the ball behaves.
Clay is crushed brick. It plays slower, the ball bounces higher, rallies last longer, and controlled sliding is possible — which is why it is kinder to knees. It needs shoes with a patterned sole, not running trainers. The downside: after heavy rain a court can stay shut for hours until it dries, because nobody plays on mud.
Hard courts — called hard on tour — are faster and more predictable: the ball bounces the same regardless of weather or how recently the court was watered. It is the standard surface indoors. For a beginner it is more forgiving precisely because it behaves identically every time.
If you are starting out, a hard surface helps you groove a stroke. If you have played a while, clay lengthens the point and rewards tactics over power.
What to ask before you go
Four things vary by club and appear in no public listing:
- Are there floodlights? In summer, a court without them means the last playable hour is around 20:00. At ACE, in Valea Trandafirilor, there are none at all.
- Do they rent rackets? At Acvila a racket is about 20 lei; other clubs keep no loan kit at all. Confirm ahead, so a first session costs you no equipment.
- Is coaching available? Most clubs run lessons separately from court hire. In the first months a coach fixes your grip and footwork before they become habits.
- What shoes does the surface need? Patterned soles on clay, ordinary tennis shoes on hard. Running trainers on neither.
Sporta MD covers football, basketball, volleyball and tennis. This article lists the city's tennis courts whether or not we work with them — it is a list of the city, not a list of our partners.