Enjoy the last Soviet-style parade
The only Soviet-style military parade you can still find in Europe is in Transnistria. On the second of September National Day is celebrated in Tiraspol with a military parade. Something you certainly don’t want to miss! During this tour we will also visit Gagauzia, just like Transnistria this is a region in Moldova where there is a strong urge for independence.
General info
Start date | Monday 29 August 2022 |
End date | Monday 5 September 2022 |
Days | 8 days / 7 nights |
Price | € 595 |
Including | Accommodation (shared) Transportation on the ground Western & local guide Breakfast Entry fees |
Excluding | International flights Single room (€ 35 per night) Insurance Visa Food & drinks Tips for the guide Personal expenses |
Itinerary
Monday 29 August – Bucharest
- Own arrival in Bucharest.
- Dinner at the famous restaurant Caru Cu Bere. (optional)
- Overnight stay in Bucharest.
Tuesday 30 August – Bucharest
- Highlight: Parliament of the People; one of the largest buildings in the world.
- Revolution Square, named after the revolution of 1989.
- Churches that survived the Communist revolution.
- Free afternoon.
- 7:15 p.m. night train to Chisinau.
Wednesday 31 August – Chisinau
- 9:00 a.m. arrival in Chisinau.
- Rest in the hotel.
- Former National Hotel, this was once one of the most important hotels in the city.
- Monastery, this old monastery was spared during the Second World War.
- Urban prison, one of the most notorious places in Moldova.
- Highlight: Second World War Memorial, an impressive and large monument.
- Army museum, although Moldova is a small and unknown country, they are very proud of their military history.
- Walk over to the flea market.
- Free time.
- Overnight stay in Chisinau.
Thursday 1 September – Tiraspol
- Drive to Tiraspol.
- Register with the local authority.
- Billboard of President Smirnoff, this man ruled the republic for years.
- Highlight: Embassies of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two special embassies that only exist here.
- Office of the infamous Sheriff organisation. This organisation controls the majority of Transnistria.
- Local bookshop, a good place for souvenirs.
- Highlight: House of Soviet, an impressive building with Stalinist architecture.
- General Suvorov statue, he was an important Russian general in this region.
- Parliament building, in front of the building stands a large statue of Lenin.
- Highlight: Eternal Flame War Memorial, memorial to the Afghanistan War, Second World War and civil war.
- Palace of Culture, with a big Lenin bust outside it.
- Russian Orthodox Church, a beautiful self-sufficient church.
- Kvient Supermarket, here you can buy cheap, quality drinks.
- Soviet obelisk and viewpoint over a former civil war battlefield.
- Overnight stay in a real Soviet hotel in Tiraspol.
Friday 2 September – Tiraspol – Bender – NATIONAL DAY
- Highlight: We will find a great place to watch the military parade. This is one of the most important days of the Transnistrian calendar.
- Listen to the speeches by the President and Russian diplomats
- Free time to walk among all the different festivities.
- Drive to Bender, a city where there was a lot of fighting during the civil war.
- Here, too, National Day is celebrated on a grand scale. We’ll join in whatever is happening.
- Highlight: We take a boat across the Dnjestr river, from where we can see the fireworks.
- Overnight stay in a real Soviet hotel in Tiraspol.
Saturday 3 September – Comrat
- Highlight: Drive to Comrat, the capital of Gagauzia. They, too, wanted to become independent in the 1990s, but in the end they made peace with Moldova and remained part of it.
- Abandoned Comrat airport , there are still several Soviet aircrafts here.
- Cathedral of Comrat.
- Big bust of Lenin.
- Afghanistan war memorial, in memory of the soldiers who died.
- National Museum of Gagauzia.
- Highlight: We drive to a local farm / winemaker where we are invited for a local feast.
- Overnight stay in Comrat.
Sunday 4 September – Comrat – Chisinau
- Free morning.
- Drive to Chisinau.
- At 4:55 p.m. we take the night train to Bucharest.
Monday 5 September – Bucharest
- Arrival Bucharest.
- End of tour.