Tiraspol and Bender Back Tour - Chisinau, Moldova

This trip was amazing and really fulfilled a long term dream of mine to visit Transinistria. Tatiana was beyond just a polite and friendly tour guide; it was great to connect with such a welcoming, knowledgable and interesting person. The tour itself went exceptionally smoothly and the visit, despite being comprehensive, left me with the desire to come back! I couldn’t recommend it more

This was one of the best tours / day trips I’ve ever done. Nicolai was my guide and there were 4 of us on the tour with him. He has such a deep knowledge of history and geopolitics and really painted such a clear picture of the region going back centuries all the way to today. He’s probably the best tour guide I’ve ever had!

We felt extremely safe (not that there’s anything to fear) and we not only learned so much, but we also had so many laughs along the way.

Nicolai was also super flexible and we were able to stop / not stop whenever we wanted to. He showed us not only the main touristy attractions but also made detours to show us everyday life and explain cultural practices to us as well.

Honestly I’m mind blown by how much knowledge I gained on this tour and I highly recommend it for anyone visiting Moldova. It’s a must!

Had a fantastic day .Absolutely top notch tour ,great guide .lots of things to see .Perfect..Recommend this day trip

Have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. One of the main reasons was the tour guide. Marcel. He was detailed in his knowledge. Knew his stuff and helped us make a great day out of it.

For the trip and the places we went. Was definitely a memorable experience. The USSR cafes, the fortress, walking the streets of Tiraspol.

There was no issues with crossing the border and it was a very safe place to visit.

We had a nice day travel to Transnistria. Our guide Ecaterina was amazing and I felt safe through whole tour. There was only three of us participating on this tour so it was almost private tour and we learned a lot about Moldova and Transnistria. I can really recommend this tour to everyone.

Very interesting trip. Probably the closest you can get to experiencing the vibe of the Soviet Union. A lot of statues (mainly Lenin) and monuments to the prominent figures of the USSR, including a food in a bistro themed by, unsurprisingly, Soviet Union. Definitely recommended, as you probably won’t find anything like this elsewhere in the world.

Such a great trip , really enjoyed looking at history and how the time just froze in there from Soviet era , lots to see and explore. Ride was only an hour and so quick and easy , most important it was safe so don’t listen to your government telling you not to go it it’s not safe it’s all BS . It’s perfectly safe and people are warm and welcoming , the border patrol guys left us the entry ticket as a souvenir. We only spent about 30$ all day there every thing was really cheap .bring comfortable walking shoes . We have an amazing guide that spoke perfect English and was very friendly and knowledgeable

I went on a tour with Nicolai to Transnistria while visiting Moldova. It was the highlight of our visit because of how intellectually enriching the tour was thanks to Nicolai’s knowledge and passion for sharing his country’s history. Nicolai also included a Romanian tourist on our visit which he said would be helpful for us to learn on the tour from both a Moldovan perspective and Romanian perspective given their countries’ intertwined histories. Nicolai went above and beyond to try to help answer my naive questions about the region’s history. He pulled out maps from other tours he does to help explain things to me which was very helpful. Nicolai has a great sense of humor and by the end of the tour I felt like I connected with him as a human and not just as a tour guide. This all made for a very enjoyable experience.

I highly recommend doing a tour with Nicolai. While I typically like to explore places on my own, it was extremely helpful to have someone who could speak the local language (in this case Russian, as English was not widely spoken). He also knew the process for crossing the border, exchanging money, where to take pictures and where not to, etc. I felt very safe on the tour as a result. We found Nicolai through Moldova Tours on Trip Advisor. The company was very professional and communicative via WhatsApp, and arranged a pickup at the location of our choosing.

Excellent experience! Well worth the time! Nicolea has an excellent grasp of the region and the nuances of the various areas within Moldova and historical context of the regional countries. He handled the border crossing into Transnistria and the exchange of money into the local currency. He made sure that we got to see what we wanted even if it might require a deviation from the planned itinerary. He also injected some humor in the geopolitical discussions so it was educational while also being interesting and engaging. If you are thinking of doing this tour, do it!! You won’t be disappointed!

Great guide and lots of interesting sites. The two Soviet style restaurants were excellent. The van was a bit cramped though and should have been a nicer vehicle for a full day tour.