Trip Report: Transnistria!

British Male, 25, relatively well traveled (24 countries)

Hello all! Just completed one of my bucket list trips taking the sleeper train from Romania to Moldova (Separate post to follow) and then heading to Transnistria!

I only visited for one day but went to both main cities of Tiraspol and Bender! The weather was great no rain, clear and sunny.

The first thing of note was the border crossing from Moldova into Transnistria where my passport was checked, a few questions about why I was visiting, what I do for work and how long I planned to stay for and I was in! You are given a small paper slip which acts as a passport stamp! You need to keep this as you need it to leave!

Once in I went to a supermarket to exchange my money for Rubbles! Transnistria has its own currency and the coins are plastic which is pretty cool! I budgeted around £15 for the day and I left with around £5 after buying lunch, drinks and souvenirs! It’s ridiculously cheap here.

I then headed into Tiraspol and checked out many of the various monuments dotted around the place, checked out the USSR cafe and its Soviet decor. Popped into a local bookshop and also bought a fridge magnet here which cost less than £1!

To enter Tiraspol you cross a large bridge which connects Bender and Tiraspol, the Russians are currently guarding this bridge and have set up a check point on the Bender side with a tank/APC and soldiers manning the checkpoint. A little surreal to see the Russian flag flying!

Next to the bookstore was a cafe where I brought a pastry I can’t remember what it was called but it cost around 0.80p and was delicious! Similar to a flat Cornish pasty! Filled with chicken and vegetables.

After walking around Tiraspol I found myself at a farmers type market where I tried salted tomatoes (absolutely delicious) and only cost 0.11p! Locals are pretty friendly although I did get some odd looks as I’m clearly not a local!

After finishing in Tiraspol I headed to Bender where I explored Bender fortress and the military museum here. I really enjoyed it here it was so interesting and absolutely stunning!

I had lunch at the USSR Canteen located in Bender which serves traditional Soviet food in a canteen style setup! My meal and a local beer cost me just over £2! The beer I tried is called ‘live beer’ and is brewed in a manner using bacteria and as such as really short use by dates! Mine was brewed on 03/02/2025 and had to be consumed by 13/02/2025 I have never seen this before so thought it was pretty interesting!

Please post any questions below!

I used a guide which I can’t recommend enough! Booked through GetYourGuide and this is the specific one: https://gyg.me/ozKcw3lq

I also made a full vlog showing my trip which is in YouTube and clips on TikTok if you are interested!: ExploringwithHarry