Visiting the Breakaway Territory of Transnistria

Few travellers have heard of let alone take the time to cross into Transnistria. Officially part of Moldova, the breakaway territory claimed independence in the early 90s and is now only recognised by fellow breakaway territories. It has a reputation as a wild, Soviet loving nation with a penchant for bribes but is that what you'll really find once you pass through the military border?

Most visitors travel to Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria, on a day trip from Chisinau in Moldova and a few stop by from Odessa in Ukraine. Few travellers take the time to spend a few days in Transnistria and in doing so are missing out on a unique experience in Europe. Passing through the military controlled border is easy. No visas are needed and only a small fee is required by those driving into the country. Along with Tiraspol there is plenty to see including the town of Bender and a day trip to see a beautiful monastery rarely visited by tourists. We spent 3 days in Transnistria and it wasn't nearly enough to see everything I would have like to have seen.

The fact is, if you do something wrong in Transnistria, if you break the law, then you can usually resolve the problem with a bribe. We committed a minor traffic offence shortly after entering the country and the police immediately took the opportunity to solicit a bribe. We most likely could have forced them to give us an official ticket but it was honestly easier to pay a small bribe and move on. Paying a bribe is usually the most efficient way out of a situation. Later when leaving the country it came to our attention that we hadn't registered with the police as we required. Again that was our own fault and instead of having to return to Tiraspol to rectify the situation they let us out of the country after paying a small 'fee'. So yes, bribes are fairly common in Transnistria but officials are going to randomly solicit bribes, you'll only have to pay one if you're in the wrong.

So once you're in the country and any bribes and paid and done with, what exactly is there to do in Transnistria? You can start by checking out all the Lenin statues. They seem to be everywhere. Unlike in the rest of Eastern Europe, statues of Lenin have not been pulled down. Not only do they remain but the people love him and what he stands for. Many of the locals would like to unite with Russia and they currently enjoy a close relationship with them. Transnistrians are Russians after all. The people are not Moldovan and do not related the Moldovan society or culture which is part of the reason they would like to be independent.

Tiraspol doesn't have many sights as such so when visiting the country I recommend spending most of your time wandering are the centre of town, taking in the Soviet era monuments, tanks, parks and pretty Orthodox churches. Then try some local cuisine which is a melange of Russian and Moldovan cuisine which should be washed down with plenty of vodka. That basically rounds up the things to do in Transnistria.

In summary, Transnistria is a fun, unusual place to visit. It's once of the easiest Russian speaking nations to visit and probably the only Soviet era loving nation in the world. My only other tip is to avoid staying at Tim's Tiraspol Hostel and book your accommodation via Booking.com instead.