With its ramshackle restaurants run by babushkas, an eerie railway station and streets that look like a time-warp to the past, you may not have heard of this unusual destination that’s also a bargain to boot
You’ve probably never heard of it, but Transnistria is a narrow strip of land sandwiched between Ukraine and Moldova where you can live like a king or queen for the day for around £11.
This unusual travel destination – known locally as Pridnestrovie – is a breakaway republic of Moldova but it doesn’t actually officially exist! It is in fact a self-declared nation that the rest of the world doesn’t officially recognise.
British content creator Kieran Brown, who recently spent a day there said it’s got Lenin statues, ramshackle restaurants run by babushkas, a ghostly railway station and streets that look like a time-warp to the past. But it comes with a warning – as some fear the Ukraine war is spreading amid mystery explosions in the contested Transnistria region.
And he also said it was a bargain trip as he spend the whole day sightseeing, eating and drinking for around £11 – and a big bottle of vodka costs less than £1!
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If you fancy visiting you’re best off taking cash and planning ahead – the only accepted currency is the Transnistrian ruble, valued against the Euro at 20 to 1.
“There’s not a tonne to do, it’s more about soaking up the weirdness of it all,’ Kieran, 29, told the Metro.”‘Hammer and sickle flags are still flying, and the ATMs don’t accept Visa or Mastercard.’
Transnistria broke away from Moldova in a short civil war in the early 1990s when, backed by Russia, it became an independent republic, with its own parliament, flag and national anthem.
The region has a complex history, with a large Russian-speaking population and a significant Russian military presence as peacekeepers.
Population estimates vary wildly, from 300,000 to 475,000 and the locals are somewhat friendly, if not a little suspicious of what tourists are doing there.
“People were generally stoic but polite, especially the older ones,’ he said. ‘Younger people often speak a bit of English and are curious why you’re there. One man in a tracksuit accused us of being spies as we had a camera but our driver sorted it out.”
Avid football fans may have heard of Transnistria – as it’s home to a football team that beat Real Madrid in 2021 – quite possibly the greatest upset in Champions League history.
To get there you need to fly to the Moldovan capital, Chișinău and take a bus or hire a car for the 90-minute drive to Tiraspol.
However, many countries advise against travel to Transnistria due to its proximity to Ukraine, and because it’s outside the control of the Moldovan government. The UK is one of them, so if you decide to travel, you’ll be doing so at your own risk.
Kieran says he felt completely safe, even at night and met solo female backpackers who had been there without an issue. “It’s very quiet, with a heavy police and military presence,’ he said. “As long as you don’t go filming military bases or causing a scene, you’re fine.”
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