Tiraspol must-see tour - Transnistria in Chisinau booking from $26.96

Tiraspol must-see tour - Transnistria

Overview

I do postcards with my drawings and budget tours to top attractions and hidden gems of Transnistria. Honestly, I can’t make Maldives of my country, because it is not Maldives. But i can make an unforgettable journey through all contrasts of what it really is - beautiful panoramas and impressive soviet lost places, curious history and nowadays life in the country that doesn't exist, combining classic walk with forays for true explorers and adventurers.

Tour takes 2,5 hours, though Transnistria deserves at least a week. It is not Stalinism, we are very volatile where to go and what to do, but default route covers must-see USSR era and modern bits of Tiraspol, plus my favorite nooks and crannies that I discovered doing my sketches. The trip won’t be exhausting, not boring at all, we will have time to talk about all peculiarities of past and present of Transnistria, real name is Pridnestrovie ☭
You won’t be meeting a guide, you will be meeting a friend!
- Anton Dendemarchenko -

City: Chisinau

Sun 22 Sep

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Starting at $26.96

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Sun 22 Sep

Starting at $26.96

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Transport - walking and private car. There is an option to try authentic trolley bus, made in USSR.

Postcard for the memory! Cards, magnets and maps made by the guide himself available for purchase!

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Sightseeing walk is perfect and transparent for all genders and ages. Optional foray may be challenge - climbing a talk or tasting kvas. But it is not obligatory experiences.
There are two versions of the tour - real and virtual. I would recommend to go in real life, border is open!

What To Expect

House of Soviets

Default route covers best modern bits and soviet relics of Tiraspol. It is not strict consumerist kind of deal, we are free to decide where to go and what to do. There is enough to see for a two day tour so you can imagine - no matter how much I will tell and no matter how fast I speak - it will be just top of an iceberg. But we will dive as deep as possible. Take a look behind the iron curtain, discover Pridnestrovie- the most epic remnant among USSR debris.

The Christmas Cathedral

Optional loop to the back of 100 rouble note

The Suvorov Monument

Since 1972 generalissimo Alexander Suvorov is standing at the central square of Tiraspol, he is considered to be the founder of the city. No spoilers, more curious history during the tour itself!

Green Market Center

and veggie market, surprisingly modern!

Palacio Presidencial

Government building from soviet era with comrade Lenin in front. You can find it on the back of fifty rouble note. Transnistrian roubles, of course.

The Tank Monument

Real combat tank that reminds of many important things, war and peace, darkness and sunshine. It is famous T-34. We will also walk out to the river bank, there is a nice view from the bridge.

Kvint

Optional walk inside kvint factory, no tasting.

Mig-19 Monument

Aviator memorial can be found at Balka dst. It commemorates thirty years of victory in the Great Patriotic war. I didn’t add all hidden gems in between these listed attractions, but they are great to make the tour really unforgettable and contrast! Highly recommend brutal tour - some lost places we have here are more impressive than Chernobyl. My wife says no one should go to Chernobyl, but every other traveler I meet either just came from there or is heading there next. Luckily there was no radiation here, it was ussr collapse. Finally we have an option to go to some eerie lost places from gone era that will satisfy lovers of Tarkovsky cinematography or post-apocalyptic movies, it is a way to explore “exclusion zone” without radiation risk or crowds of people you definitely see around in actual Chernobyl exclusion zone. I also can’t reveal these places here, just make notice, adventurers, it’s also tour of a lifetime!

Tiraspol

For lovers of Tarkovsky cinematography, post-apocalyptic movies and USSR legacy there is a brutal version of the tour. Impressive soviet lost places and Chernobyl style cityscapes of Transnistria will make your heart beat faster and leave you speechless, I can’t reveal where we go without the risk of subsequent demolition of these eerie gems, but I guarantee unforgettable trip. It is also important to keep these urban wastelands a secret for keeping melancholic atmosphere of solitude, you know, the best and only way to explore such things is to do it alone, let’s keep it this way. No one can predict how long these communism remains will be accessible so the whole idea is to discover everything while it still exists and do it without overcrowd of people. In a way, this journey is a chance to explore a version of Chernobyl “exclusion zone” without crowds of tourists that overfill real Pripyat and actual Chernobyl exclusion zone. There is no radiation here luckily, not here.

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Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (102)

Martijn H

Apr 2020

Traveling in times of corona is not possible. Virtual travel is allowed. Guide Anton Dendemarchenko took me and a number of virtual travel companions to Bender, the second city of Transnistria, the virtual country that Anton praises as the country that doesn't exist. It was a beautiful rugged tour of Soviet flats (Khrushchevas), monuments, deserted places and Ladas. Safe on the couch behind the laptop. The tour begins with a speech by Comrade Lenin, who is still on his pedestal in Transnistria. Anton takes us to the city of Bender, an industrial city. Anton has foreseen a walking tour, walking and filming with his phone. The recordings were made just before Transnistria was also completely locked down. You see people with face masks, the streets are already pretty empty. He has hours of footage, of which we were shown an hour or two. The images were shot earlier, Anton gives live commentary and tells anecdotes about what we see and what we don't see. In the meantime, we can ask questions via chat, which Anton answers live. We virtually walk through Anton's street, past Plattenbau , beautiful Volgas (the beautifully designed Soviet car for the people who mattered), Soviet factories, some of which - miraculously - are still in operation. Already closed schools with 'school' in three languages and along the station where a huge steam locomotive stands. In the meantime, we are treated to the latest information about quarantine (stricter than here), about the 1992 war over Transnistria and everyday life. We arrive at an old abandoned port site on the Dniester, where Anton's father still worked. Now it is a maze of abandoned platforms and piers, rusting ships and cranes and port buildings of which no window is intact. Beautiful colors, very impressive in its desolate transience. Together with Anton you go through doors, you walk up and down stairs, you walk on overgrown paths along the bank. We end with a short - still virtual - walk through Tiraspol, past the Lenin statues on the main street near the Parliament building and the House of the Soviets. Save your local guide, book a virtual tour! It is a very nice tour. I have seen many beautiful and new things, heard many interesting things. And does that work, such a virtual tour? Yes, it works! Very good indeed. You really imagine yourself in the Soviet Union, or I mean: Transnistria. You can of course also ask questions about what you see and what is being told, just like with a 'live' tour. It's great to see that Anton has found a way to let people enjoy what the country that doesn't exist has to offer. And of course to make money, because the economic consequences of the lockdown are also enormous for Transnistria - and for Anton. The virtual tour is also an easy introduction to the Eastern Bloc and the former Soviet Union, from the comfort of your home. In any case, it is proof to me that I had not booked again without reason to further explore the region. And yes, then I would have booked Anton as a living guide. After the times of corona then. Want to join a virtual journey through Transnistria? ➜ Costs: 10 euros, payable with Paypal ➜ Language: English ➜ Create an account on Twitch. ➜ Duration: 2 hours ➜ Contact Anton Dendemarchenko for upcoming virtual tours

marina4musketeers

Apr 2020

Anton is excellent guide with really big knowledge about Tiraspol, Bender and Transnistria. He also knows some off the beaten paths which make his tour really amazing thing. We asked him a lot of questions, and he tried his best to privide us all the anwears. And he also has some magnets and postcards based on his own drawning, which we found quite unique. We deffinatelly recomnend it!

Paul J

Feb 2020

Me and my friend booked a tour with Anton in February 2020. We were picked up right in front of our aparment and had some very good talks while he showed us around Tiraspol. We began with some main sights on the street of 25th October, but only spent a very brief time there (different to basic tourist tours, which is good). The next hours were beyond amazing. We got to see things and abandoned locations, which we had never expected to see. We later had Lunch in a restaurant and visited the rural areas around Tiraspol and Bender. Our tour ended after several hours and it was honestly one of the best experiences we ever had. In our opinion there is no better way to experience Transnistria. We are thankful for the great day and really found a friend in Anton.

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Tiraspol must-see tour - Transnistria

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