How do you travel to a country that doesn’t officially exist? Visiting Transnistria – what is it really like?
Most people haven’t heard of Transnistria, and to be honest, neither had I until a few months ago.
We may earn affiliate commissions from websites we link to, at no cost to you. Click here for details.
Table of Contents
In 1990, Transnistria broke away from Moldova and now considers itself a sovereign country with its own government, borders, and currency.
The rest of the world has not recognised Transnistria’s independence and this country doesn’t officially exist. Transnistria is only recognised by Artsakh, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia (these are all countries that aren’t recognised by the UN either).
Transnistria is a landlocked territory, spread along the river Dniester and bordered by Ukraine to the east and Moldova to the west. Visiting Transnistria from Moldova is very easy.
Back in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed, Transnistria was a region in Moldova. Transnistria desperately wanted to continue living the Soviet dream, so they broke away and declared independence from Moldova in the hope of forming their own country.
A brief war of independence happened and the two countries decided to call it even, yet the rest of the world continued referring to Transnistria as still part of Moldova.
We visited the capital city of Tiraspol on an easy day trip from Chisinau, Moldova. It seemed natural for us to experience this disputed territory as part of our adventure to visit every country in the world.
We could definitely feel the Russian influence in Tiraspol and it felt like a city that is stuck in the ’90s.
Between the architecture, the old vehicles, the fashion, the size of the avenues, and the pace of everything – it was one of the strangest places we’ve visited.
You can easily get to Transnistria on public transport from the capital of Moldova, Chisinau. Marshrutkas (minivans) leave regularly (every 20 min) from the bus station located just behind the markets in Chisinau.
The price is about 39 leu each (USD $2.30).
The journey from Chisinau to Tiraspol in Transnistria takes approximately 1.5 hours with a brief stop at the border, which is 20 minutes before you reach the capital of Tiraspol. This was an easy process, the guards speak English too.
We told the guard that we’d be returning the same day and he simply put a migration card in our passport and that was it. He did not stamp our passports.
Don’t lose this slip of paper, you’ll need to show it on the return trip after visiting Transnistria.
Yes, if you prefer to spend longer in the capital city of Tiraspol or other parts of Transnistria, you can do so. The best website to book accommodation in Transnistria is Booking.com.
While visiting Transnistria is easy as a day trip, you can of course linger longer if you wish.
Once we arrived in Tiraspol, we started exploring the city. It’s easy enough to walk around the main centre and we even found the beach!
Ok, so probably not the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen – but I’d chill out along here if I felt the need to cool down.
Transnistria has its own currency, rubles. You’re unable to use Moldovan leu or any other currency when visiting Transnistria. You can find banks around town to exchange currency or there are ATMs to be found too.
Remember to exchange any remaining rubles before leaving Transnistria as they are of no use anywhere else in the world.
We exchanged them back to Moldovan leu at the train/bus station on our departure, just before we caught the marshrutka back to Chisinau. Too easy!
Who knew that this place could deliver big on flavour and be super affordable at the same time. We were given a great foodie tip by a friend to eat at this restaurant in Tiraspol and it was a sure winner!
Kumanek Restaurant
Address: Strada Sverdlov 37, Tiraspol
We ordered stuffed cabbage rolls for appetizers and then we tucked into a huge helping of pork, vegetable, and potato dishes. Both were equally delicious. We washed it all down with a 0.5L of local draught beer, yum!
The total cost of the bill was around USD $13.00
After lunch, we set off sightseeing. There isn’t too much to see in this city (which feels more to me like a big country town).
There are lots of big Soviet-style buildings here, however, we preferred to just wander around the city and get a feel for the place.
People seemed friendly enough, but most of them didn’t really pay too much attention to us – two obvious tourists walking around the town.
In a nutshell, visiting Transnistria on a day trip from Moldova is a must.
Are you visiting Transnistria? Or have you been? Let us know in the comments below.
We love to share our knowledge of traveling, and you may enjoy reading our top 6 travel hacks to save you money and our ultimate packing list for travellers.
For the food lovers out there, don’t miss our top 10 best countries for foodies! And, if you’re more interested in history, these 30 amazing historical places in the world will fascinate you!
Perhaps you’re travelling on a budget? These 10 cheapest countries in Europe to visit may be just the tool you need to start planning an epic trip.
But, here are 8 things to know about traveling to Eastern Europe and it’s good to know these 7 misconceptions about Eastern Europe too.
Or, perhaps these 21 Cheapest Countries to Visit Right Now is just the thing you’ve been searching for.
We’ve got a bunch of tips for how you can save money to travel the world, and even when you’re out there travelling, maybe these 20 jobs that PAY YOU to travel the world will help you travel longer. It worked for us, and we bet it can work for you too.
And, if you’re planning a new trip, whether it’s for a week, a month, or even a few years, consider buying an eSIM to stay connected. This is our favorite travel product, and you can read more about what is in eSIM and why eSIM is so convenient for International Travel.
Check out the travel gear we use on the road, and for the products and websites we recommend to plan new trips, head to our Travel Resources Page.
✈️ Flights: We use Skyscanner to book cheap flights worldwide.
🏨 Accommodation: Booking.com is our preferred platform for booking hotels and accommodation.
🏥 Travel Insurance: We recommend Heymondo (Get 5% off Heymondo) & SafetyWing
🚌 Transportation: Trainline is the best website to reserve trains. We use Omio to book transport worldwide. For travel in Asia, we use 12Go.
🚘 Car Rental: We use DiscoverCars to book rental cars worldwide.
👫 Group Tours: G Adventures OR compare multi-day tours worldwide with Tourradar.
📸 Day Tours & Trips: GetYourGuide & Viator are the only two platforms you need.
📚 Lonely Planet: The Best Range of Travel Guides & Ebooks, and FREE Shipping! (use code RACHELDAVEY10 for a 10% discount)
🎒 Luggage: Osprey Farpoint 40L Backpack or Samsonite Luggage Range.
🛄 What to Pack: Don’t forget your Universal charger and a good power bank. To help you pack the essentials, here is our ULTIMATE Packing List for all Travellers.
🐶 Become a House Sitter: Join Trusted Housesitters and enjoy FREE accommodation worldwide. Use our invite to receive 25% off your new membership.
💰 Send Money Anywhere: WISE & Revolut are the best online accounts that let you send money, get paid, and spend money internationally. Both are so easy to use and way cheaper than any bank transfer.
📶 Stay Connected: Airalo eSIM allows you to get connected the moment you land at your destination, and you can avoid those expensive data roaming charges. We LOVE this product! Use promo code NOMAD15 for 15% off ALL eSIMs (new Airalo users only) OR use NOMAD10 for 10% off ALL eSIMs (for existing Airalo users)
✅ Check out our Travel Gear and Travel Resources for more valuable tips to save you money!
3 Comments. Leave new
Quite an ambitious goal to visit every country in the world. Keep sharing awesome…
Thanks to you, the first time I knew about this country
It is always nice to see articles on Transnistria, it is a very interesting place. It has a lot to offer travellers, just not enough people know about it. Political Holidays (www.politicalholidays.com/transnistria) works a lot with Transnistria and other unrecognized countries. Let us know if you want to share ideas!