Moldova
The notorious Aist is a barely updated USSR-era place overlooking the river where people go to get a genuine Soviet experience. There's no restaurant, TV, or anything else that risks making your stay comfortable, although the 6th floor now has lightly renovated 'lux' rooms with wi-fi.
Diehards should shoot for the cheapest 'ekonom' rooms, with peeling wallpaper, decades-old mattresses, and shared toilets (you're out of luck if you want a shower).
6 MILES
This impressive Ottoman fortress, outside the centre near the Bendery–Tiraspol bridge, was built in the 16th century and saw keen fighting between Turkish…
3.34 MILES
A stunning 70m bell tower marks this serene monastery (1861), 7km south of Tiraspol. You can climb the bell tower for a bird's-eye view of the monastery's…
0.68 MILES
Since 1897 Kvint has been making some of Moldova's finest brandies. Book private tasting tours in English two days in advance (US$10 to US$70 per person,…
Tiraspol National History Museum
0.35 MILES
No period of Transdniestran history is ignored at this relatively interesting museum, starting with photos of late-19th-century Tiraspol, moving to the…
0.4 MILES
This attractive old house is where the organic chemist Nikolay Zelinsky, Soviet hero and inventor of a gas mask that saved countless lives during WWI,…
5.97 MILES
At the entrance to the city, just west of the Bendery–Tiraspol bridge, is a memorial park dedicated to local 1992 war victims. An eternal flame burns in…
0.28 MILES
At the western end of ul 25 Oktober, a Soviet armoured tank guards the War Memorial. Its centrepiece is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, flanked by an…
0.4 MILES
The home of the Transdniestran presidency and parliament, this foreboding building – watched over by a statue of Lenin looking not unlike an angel – makes…
0.28 MILES
At the western end of ul 25 Oktober, a Soviet armoured tank guards the War Memorial. Its centrepiece is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, flanked by an…
2. Tiraspol National History Museum
0.35 MILES
No period of Transdniestran history is ignored at this relatively interesting museum, starting with photos of late-19th-century Tiraspol, moving to the…
0.4 MILES
The home of the Transdniestran presidency and parliament, this foreboding building – watched over by a statue of Lenin looking not unlike an angel – makes…
0.4 MILES
This attractive old house is where the organic chemist Nikolay Zelinsky, Soviet hero and inventor of a gas mask that saved countless lives during WWI,…
0.68 MILES
Since 1897 Kvint has been making some of Moldova's finest brandies. Book private tasting tours in English two days in advance (US$10 to US$70 per person,…
0.7 MILES
The Stalinist Dom Sovetov with Lenin's angry-looking bust peering out from its prime location, is Tiraspol's City Hall.
3.34 MILES
A stunning 70m bell tower marks this serene monastery (1861), 7km south of Tiraspol. You can climb the bell tower for a bird's-eye view of the monastery's…
5.97 MILES
At the entrance to the city, just west of the Bendery–Tiraspol bridge, is a memorial park dedicated to local 1992 war victims. An eternal flame burns in…