pripyat tour

• 15 Offbeat Digital Nomad Destinations You Need to Visit Now
• Cancun vs. Tulum - Which Should You Visit Next?
• How to Play Video Games as You Travel the World
• 21 Unusual Places to Visit in Poland You Must See
• The Best Cenotes in the Riviera Maya
• The 7 Best Vacation Destinations for Nature Lovers
• Work With Us

Touring Chernobyl: How to Visit Pripyat – Everything You Need to Know (2021)

In 1986, the world held its breath as a nuclear reactor melted down at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in what’s now thought to be the worst nuclear disaster in history.

Today, 35 years later, Chernobyl and the nearby town of Pripyat, attract thousands of tourists from all over the world.

But what are they touring, exactly? What is there to see and do in Pripyat?

Touring Chernobyl: How to Visit Pripyat

To visit Chernobyl, you’ll need access to the Exclusion Zone.

The Exclusion Zone is an an area of about 2,600 square kilometers (1,000 sq mi) in Ukraine that surrounds the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

Can you visit Chernobyl without a guide?

You can only enter the exclusion zone with a licensed guide, meaning you’ll need to take one of the Chernobyl tours available.

You can get tours that range from one day, two days or three days.

The one days tours last about 12 hours, with four hours in transit from nearby Kiev. If you’re in a rush, the one day tours are a great way to get in and out quickly and they’re also your most affordable tour option.

You can also get private Chernobyl tours, which are especially good for photography as they let you take your time to take photos.

While it is possible to visit the area, there are areas in the exclusion zone that are still highly dangerous. A guide can help keep you safe and away from dangerous areas and situations. English guides are plentiful, and while tours include transportation, it’s important to know that you’ll need to go through multiple checkpoints while visiting.

So, what is there to see on a tour of Chernobyl?

Chernobyl is located around 62 miles, or 100 km, from Kiev, Ukraine. It’s about a two hour shuttle ride.

Chernobyl itself is home to the power plant, but the exclusion zone includes a large forest and other towns.

There are plenty of places to visit in the Chernobyl township, from an eerie abandoned kindergarten to forests surrounding the power plant itself.

Pripyat tours

Pripyat (which is also known as Pryp’yat’ or Prypyat) is a ghost city near the Ukraine–Belarus border. The town of Pripyat is about two kilometers from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (ChNPP).

When the Chernobyl disaster occurred, the town of Pripyat was home to around 49,000 people. It was evacuated after the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in April, 1986 and many of its residents have never set foot in the town since.

While you can’t get too close to the plant or stay too long, there’s a lot to see in the town of Pripyat itself.

For instance, the Pripyat amusement park was set to have its grand opening on May 1st, 1986, less than a week before the explosion. However, it was never officially opened, and to this day it remains a symbol of the disaster in nearby Chernobyl.

There are three abandoned swimming pools in Pripyat, while the Swimming Pool Azure or Lazurny is the most well-known of these.

When’s the best time to visit Chernobyl?

You can visit Chernobyl any time of year.

The clearest weather is in the summer from June to August, but it can be hot, with temperatures often hovering near 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). Summer’s also the busiest season with tons of visitors and more expensive accommodations.

Fall and Spring are good times to visit, but the weather can be more variable.

Chernobyl is quietest in the winter, and the snow and gloom make for eerie and atmospheric photos however it can get cool with daytime highs around 0 C° (40 F°) and nights around -7 C° (20 F°).

Can you visit the Chernobyl Elephant’s Foot?

The Elephant’s Foot is a nickname for a large column formed underneath the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Its made of corium and other materials, and looks like black glass and bark.

Its wrinkly surface looks a lot like an elephant’s foot, thus the name. The Elephant’s Foot is in a maintenance corridor near the remains of the Chernobyl Reactor No. 4.

Because it’s still highly radioactive, it’s unfortunately not possible to walk up and see the Elephant’s Foot up close.

How safe is a Chernobyl tour?

Licensed Chernobyl tour operators have to follow strict guidelines set out by the governing body. The level of radiation in most areas tour operators are allowed to take you are minimal (less than you get in an airplane and 300x less than a typical xray) and most tours give you a respirator (though they’re not really needed) as well as your own Geiger-Muller dosimeter (Geiger counter) to make sure you stay within safe limits.

Where to stay on a Chernobyl stay?

While there are plenty of places to stay near the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, the best hotels will be in Kiev proper. Most people who choose to stay for a one day tour will often stay in Kiev and have their tour operator pick them up directly from their hotel.

While it can make for a longer tour day, Kiev has a huge selection of great hotels to choose from.

If you’re planning a multiple day tour, oftentimes the tour operators will include accommodations or direct you to the hotels they often deal with. You’re best bet if you’re unsure is to talk to your tour operator before booking any tours to make sure your hotel will work for them and for you.

Are Chernobyl tours cancelled?

As of the time of writing this article, tours to Pripyat and Chernobyl are running, but check tour operators directly, as this can change.

In 2020, forest fires near Chernobyl damaged some of the tourist attractions however it didn’t damage the Main Reactor No. 4 so tours can still run.

Love all the areas which the author described in this post, getting more attraction on the writing things and moreover having going good contents.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

We use cookies

For more information, please refer to our cookie statement > Close

• ONE VS MORE DAYS

VISITING CHNPP

• TOUR CALENDAR
• OUR MISSION
• ONE DAY vs MORE DAYS
• WORST BOOKING MISTAKES
• THINGS TO KNOW
• TESTIMONIALS
• CHERNOBYL TOUR FAQ
• PINK FLOYD CHERNOBYL VIDEO
• PRIPYAT-CHERNOBYL GALLERY
• CHERNOBYL VIDEO
• MILITAY / SHOOTING RANGE
• NUCLEAR MISSILE BASE
• CUSTOM TOURS

BOOK CHERNOBYL TOUR

Lowest rates starting @ $89 / 79€ / £69, contact us for best chernobyl tour deal.

Do not miss your best deal and get in touch with us ASAP.

One- vs multi-day pripyat-chernobyl tours.

One-day trip program

Our one-day Chernobyl trip is by far the most popular event on this tour operation. It's informative, compact and provides a great value for your money. A good majority of our guests opt specifically for the one-day trip (as opposed to...

Multi-day tour program

We offer 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-day tours. Our two-day events are the queen and king of this tour operation. You will see everything that you would see on a day trip, except at much slower, relaxed pace, with more time for photography and video. Your penetr...

Booking Info

from: $89 / 79€ / £69

SCHEDULE: This Chernobyl tour operates virtually every day, all year round. If the date your are interested in is not listed above, make sure to contact us. Chances are great that the desired date is actually available. MEALS: Typically, meals (late lunch on one-day events or two meals on 2- or more-day tours) are included. Vegetarian meals need to be pre-ordered in advance. Hotel inside the zone is included on multi-day tours. MULTI-DAY EVENTS: Scheduled 2(or more)-day fixtures might not be available every day. 2(or more)-day trips and customized private excursions to the Exclusion zone are available upon request. VISITING CONTROL ROOM OF CHNPP: Entering of the Control Room of the Power Plant (ChNPP) is optional and requires a special permit. It is typically done on a multi-day tours, at least, a two-day to...

Ask a question or inquire about a deal

Tour information.

Your tour date and period of stay in Kyiv.

Total number of people coming along with you (including yourself).

Select intended duration of your tour.

Tour length (in days), options, and other tours.

Select type/size of tour/group you want to join

Group size you prefer: private, small, etc.

Ask questions. Tell us more about your situation.

Your Information

Invalid or no email address

Please enter valid email address

Your name and where you are from

Your Phone or/and Whatsapp number, Skype, etc.

While on the tour, you are expected – well rather required – to obey a set of simple but important tour rules. They relate to smoking, alcohol consumption, possessing things, food and drinks, do's and don'ts, etc. It's not like we want to make you uncomfortable. Ironclad safety of the zone visitors is always our primary goal. Please remember the Chernobyl tour is nothing like your regular river boat excursion. It is a really unique experience. The more carefully you follow the rules above, the safer you will be at the end of the day. So, thank you for your understanding and here you go: Identification You have to bring your passport / travel document / photo ID with you to the tour and have it on you for the entire duration of the tour .Otherwise you will not be permitted to enter the Chernobyl Zone. Make sure it is the same ID you have used for your tour booking purposes. Dress code There is a dress code in effect designed with your safety in mind. The bottom line of it is that all the parts of your body have to be properly covered at all times. In other words, you have to wear pants (no shorts or skirts), a long-sleeve shirt/top (no short-sleeve shirt or tees), closed-type footwear (no sandals, flip-flops, etc), and a cap to cover your head. Failure to comply with this code will result in your non-admission to the tour. Please be smart with the selection of your clothing and footwear. You should keep in mind that this tour is an outdoor activity happening on a pretty ragged terrain - stones, building debris, broken glass, etc. Be especially thoughtful during the cold/wet part of the year (October through April). Snow (sometimes deep, sometimes slushy), cold and wind (sometimes bitter), and rain (sometimes freezing) will be your outdoor reality. Light running shoes will definitely not cut it. A pair of good WINTER BOOTS or at least heavy hiking footwear is rather a must! Dry spare footwear and pants might prove very useful too. Especially for those booked for 2- or more-day events. Alcohol / Intoxication zero-tolerance Those who have been drinking alcohol immediately before the tour or being under influence of other intoxication, will not be permitted on the tour. Consuming alcohol during the tour as well as bringing it into the Zone is prohibited. Weapon regulations Firearms, fireworks, explosives, or cold weapons are not permitted on the tour. Failure to comply may result in criminal prosecution according to the laws of Ukraine. Smoking Visitors are not allowed to smoke tobacco (or anything else) in the open air. Meals and water Visitors are not allowed to have meals in the open air. You are not allowed to use or drink water from open water sources (lakes, wells, rivers, etc.) Seeing is ok, touching is NOT ok Touching of objects, structures, vegetation, or the ground is not permitted. Sitting on the ground is also not permitted. Photography / Video Taking pictures and shooting video IS permitted. However, you have to be very careful and avoid placing your photo/video equipment on the ground. Take-away zero-tolerance Taking items away from within the Zone is considered a serious violation of the tour regulations. Your tour guide At all times while within the Zone, you will be accompanied and guided by a certified tour guide who works for the Zone administration. It is essential that you strictly follow all the verbal instructions, recommendations, and suggestions. Drinks and snacks Feel free to bring your favorite snacks and non-alcoholic drinks with you - this stuff is allowed. We actually think that this is a very good idea. Lunch - for those who have this option included in their deal - is served rather late in the day (at around 2 pm or even 3 pm). So your snacks and drinks will help you reach this point comfortably, without being disturbed by those constant nagging hunger and thirst signals sent to your brain. Also good to know: Make sure you have a travel medical (emergency) insurance covering you for the entire duration of your trip to Ukraine. First of all, it’s just smart to have one when traveling - regardless of the country you are going to. Secondly, you can be asked to show a proof of insurance by the border officer at your port of entry to Ukraine or by the security/police officer at the Chernobyl zone entry check-point. You can present it in one of these forms: a wallet size insurance card, printed or electronic (on your smart phone) copy of the insurance agreement, email confirmation from your insurance company, etc - just be prepared to show something relevant on a request. If you already have an insurance policy, make sure, it will cover you specifically in Ukraine, a non EU-country.

OOPS! si wrong mail!

Your e-mail has been written incorrectly. please fix it, thanks for submitting your inquiry., thanks for contacting us..

We will get back to you within 24 hrs. Please keep in mind that sophisticated filtering techniques are utilized these days on the Internet to block web robot spam form submission. So, to ensure that your message has reached us indeed, please take a few seconds of your time to backup your efforts via good old-fashioned email too: [email protected]

The Ultimate Guide To Visiting Chernobyl And Pripyat

• Last Updated On: September 10, 2023

One of the most amazing tours I’ve ever done in my life has to be visiting the Chernobyl exclusion zone just outside of Kiev in Ukraine. Like many others I’m sure, I’ve always been fascinated by the history and events of this extremely tragic accident. On a recent trip to the wonderful city of Kiev (totally amazing and underrated city), I booked a day tour to visit Chernobyl and Pripyat to see first hand what an abandoned city looks like 30 years on.

History and Background about Chernobyl

The scientists on shift were younger as the more experienced scientists already went home for the night. As this was a routine safety test, no one had planned for what would happen next. An unexpected energy surge in the main reactor coupled with a lack of sufficient cooling to the core caused a huge explosion that completely blew open the reactor. Radiation was spewing out in full force at this point along with a raging fire .

Local and surrounding fire brigades responded to the scene to battle the flames not knowing what they were getting themselves into. Everyone thought it was a routine fire. However, many firefighters collapsed while battling the flames not knowing they had exposed themselves to extreme radiation and almost certain death. After being rushed to the hospital, 31 firefighters died from extreme radiation poisoning.

The pictures our guides showed us were extremely disturbing as well. People’s heads were deformed exposing the skull, and flesh was ground down to expose the bone. Definitely one of the worst ways to die.

Pripyat Town was hit the hardest

The Chernobyl power plants are located next to the town of Pripyat, which at the time was the most modern, fanciest, and the most desirable place to live in the USSR. The town of Chernobyl itself is actually located 20km south of the power plant. Unlike Pripyat which was newly created to house the engineers and their families, Chernobyl has a history extending back to medieval times. The reactors should have been named Pripyat nuclear reactor, but they kept the Chernobyl name that we all know today.

Pripyat town is only 2-3km away from the power plant and the radiation spillage from the power plants hit it the hardest. People had no idea what was going on as they did not even hear the reactor and of course news did not travel fast back then.

Evacuating Pripyat Town

36 hours after the disaster, the Soviets enacted the  10-kilometers zone which meant that all 50,000 people and their animals living in Prypiat were evacuated. It is said that the delay in the evacuation was due to the favorable wind direction, which meant that it was actually safer to wait rather than evacuate. Eventually, the Soviets increased the zone to 30km which meant also evacuating the residents of Chernobyl Town upping the count to almost 70,000 people.

The Soviets brought in 1,200 buses from Kiev on April 28, 1986 at 14:00. They told the residents to grab their documents, cash, and pack for three days worth of supplies as they would return in such time. By 17:00, there was not a single resident left in Pripyat. 50,000 people were evacuated in three hours and Pripyat was effectively a ghost town.

Of course those residents did not come back in three days, but rather had to wait one year before they could come back to Pripyat. They were given two plastic bags which was all they could have to collect their belongings.

Chernobyl Town

While Pripyat remains a ghost town and will be so for many more generations, Chernobyl Town was not as badly affected. By not as badly meaning you are still exposed to unhealthy amounts of radiation but not the extreme amounts in Pripyat. Many people opted to return to Chernobyl many years after the disaster as this was their ancestral homeland. However, the Government required that those wanting to return not to have children as the radiation levels were still unhealthy.

Nowadays, only 400 of those 3000 that returned are still alive, and other than these people, the only ones around are those who work at Chernobyl Power Plant, which is currently under decommissioning and scheduled to end in 2065. The residents of the town (not working at the power plant) range in age from 70 to 90. There are no schools of any sort. The town is essentially a last resting place for the former residents to eventually die. A bit somber without a doubt.

Wildlife return

Nowadays, wildlife has returned in significant numbers to the area. While radiation levels remain higher than normal, trees, fish, and other wildlife has been able to prosper. I went on a summer day and there were plenty of trees and flowers that you would never know it was the site of such a disaster. There are also deer, foxes, beavers, moose and wolves that call this area home. Even a few brown bears have migrated from Belarus. perhaps this is what happens when you have no humans to interfere with their habitat!

Booking a tour to Chernobyl – It’s mandatory

Chernobyl was once a adventure junkie’s dream. Nowadays, thanks to shows like Chernobyl on HBO, popularity has skyrocketed and there are so many different tour companies. In fact, two German guys on my tour had watched the HBO series earlier in the week, booked the tour Wednesday, booked a flight Thursday, came to Kiev Friday, and joined the tour Saturday.

In order to visit Chernobyl, you must book a tour . There are checkpoints all over the exclusion zone and unless you want to sneak through military barriers, you will need to book a tour. They run every day and are offered either as a one day tour, or overnight tour. I only had 3 days in Kiev and decided to opt for the day tour. You can also book it as a group tour or you can opt for a private tour which will cost more. If you are 4 or more people, I would definitely recommend the private because the costs will be roughly the same and you can see so much more when you have a private guide. More on that later in the post.

In total, I paid about €90 for my tour in 2019. This seems to be the going rate for a group day tour. You can pay with a credit card beforehand as well. I would  highly recommend you book this tour in advance. During peak months, I would recommend at least a week in advance but those two German guys on my tour were able to find a tour almost last minute.

When booking a tour, make sure to read the itinerary and make sure it covers Pripyat town because that was by far much cooler than just the Chernobyl reactors. Also see if the price includes lunch which is nowadays served in a cafeteria inside the exclusion zone. If not, you can expect to pay about €8.

Booking with Chernobyl Travel

After doing lots of reading on TripAdvisor and other blogs, I opted to go with Chernobyl Travel. I wanted a company with solid reviews but one that also kept the group size small. I did not want to be on a mega tour bus with 50 other people. This is extremely important in my opinion. You make many stops on the tour and having 50 people get on and off a bus would be miserable. Our group was 13 people which was a perfect size for the day.

As for the tour company itself, I really liked our guide Yevgenia. She was very informative and easy to talk with. The bus was also comfortable enough for a two hour drive, although I was suffering from a long night partying in Kiev the night before.

It it safe to visit Chernobyl

The answer is  yes, it is safe to visit Chernobyl. It’s been more than 30 years since the explosion and there have been many efforts by the Government to control the radiation levels of the area.

While the radiation levels are still higher than where you normally live, it is not life threatening at all. In fact, we were given a device that we wore around our necks at the beginning of the tour that tracked our entire radiation exposure for the day. The reading came out to 3 mSv or 3 milli Sieverts which is equivalent to flying for a few hours. In comparison, the residents of Pripyat likely experienced radiation of up to 500 mSv.

You can rent a Geiger counter for the day that tracks the radiation levels in a mSv per hour basis. There were some areas like the Red Forest where radiation levels were much higher (up to 15 mSv per hour) and we only stopped in these areas for a few minutes. The highest reading we had for the day was on the ground near the boat dock area where our Geiger counters reached 40 mSv per hour. I asked the guide if I just took a nap on the ground here would that be bad? The answer was a definitive yes (so don’t do that????).

What to wear

You don’t need to wear hazmat suits or wear a gas mask unless you just want it for the pictures. All you’ll need is to wear long pants and long shirts. They recommend covering as much of your skin as possible but long shirts and pants are a requirement.

We had an old American guy on the tour that was a complete idiot and did not even know he had to wear long sleeves (how is that possible?). He also had an attitude about it and myself as the other American guy on the tour couldn’t help by shake my head in shame. People always hate tourists from their own country and that was not more true than this day. Eventually, they forced him to buy a hazmat suit and he had to wear this ridiculous white jumpsuit for the rest of the day while it was 35 degrees outside. I don’t feel bad about that.

When to visit Chernobyl

Chernobyl is open to visitors all year round and is open every day . This is probably generating big tourism bucks so the Government will ride this train for as long as they can.

In the summer months, it can be very hot and uncomfortable. I went at the end of August and it was almost 35 degrees which made for a hot and sweaty day. Our guide recommended we visit in the winter months, especially if we’re after the eerie and creepy feels. With no leaves on the trees, and overcast skies, I could totally see Chernobyl being haunting.

Let the Tour begin

Upon booking your tour, you will get a confirmation email with your meeting point and pick up time. Almost all tours meet around 7:30am somewhere in central Kiev and make sure to read carefully where your location is. Plan this well in advance.

My meeting point was right across the street from the St. Volodymyr Cathedral (which is a stunning Orthodox church by the way). Upon arrival, I found the bus right away (a red Mercedes van), and proceeded to check in. I handed him my passport, and paid the remaining balance on my bill as I had only paid a deposit to secure the booking originally. The van is relatively new, comes with A/C (which is key in the summer), and was more comfortable than I thought. I was hoping for the seat to recline (which it didn’t) as I had a long night.

After a slight briefing, we left the meeting point shortly before 8am to make our way to Chernobyl.

After 30 minutes or so, we stopped at a gas station to pick up supplies for the day. Absolutely make sure to buy some water and/or snacks while you’re here. I bought 1.5L of water and a sandwich as I had not eaten breakfast and lunch wasn’t until 2pm. You don’t need to worry about carrying your supplies with you as you’ll leave them all in the van when you are exploring Chernobyl. You only leave the van for 15-30 minutes at a time so you don’t need to carry water with you.

As we neared the entrance, they played a Nat Geo Chernobyl documentary for us on the TV inside the car. This was actually quite interesting as it broke down exactly what happened on that fateful night in 1986. At roughly 9:45am, we were at the entrance to Chernobyl

Checking into Chernobyl

We arrived at the entrance gate and you could see the swarms of other tour buses. There were hundreds of people there in at least 10 other vans/buses. The guards checked our passports and scanned our tickets before we entered the gates. Afterwards, we all received a radiation counter that we wore around our necks for the entire day. This measures your exposure to radiation throughout the day and you will be able to see the result at the end of the tour.

Our guide wanted to get a move on quickly to avoid the crowds which was fantastic. We had about 20 minutes until our first stop and she gave us a briefing of what to expect for the day and more background about Chernobyl.

Duga Radio Station

Our first stop of the tour was to the Duga Radio Station. We parked our van and walked through some forest to get to this massive communications tower. To be honest, I had no idea I was visiting this place and had never even seen it in pictures before, but it was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen.

The Duga Radar was a Soviet over-the-horizon radar that is part of the early-warning missile defense system built to detect a missile attack from the US. It was so secretive that they grew tall trees around the area to prevent people from spotting it from afar.

A tourist snuck into the Duga Tower years ago and attempted to climb to the top. He slipped and fell to his death which prompted officials to chop off all ladders to the structure. Before that, a few tourists snuck in and did manage to climb to the top where they base jumped. The video is still on YouTube now.

The structure is just so incredibly massive that pictures do it no justice. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it before. Our guide said they will tear the entire structure down for scrap metal to the tune of 20,000 tons or so in the next 5-10 years.

Chernobyl Reactor 4

The second stop for the day was the famous nuclear reactor that blew up. There were 4 in total with plans to build up to 10 reactors supplying all the energy for the USSR. They were in the process of building out the fifth reactor not too far from #4 before the disaster occurred.

The reactor was a completely blown to pieces in 1986 but as nowadays, they’ve built a new confinement (sarcophagus) with the help of many European nations to help trap in whatever radiation is left to the tune of €2.15bn.

Nowadays, it looks like a functional reactor and you’d have no idea that such a catastrophic disaster had occurred. Even more chilling is the fact that the reactor is closed for the next hundred+ years and all the bodies that died including those from the downed helicopter will forever be trapped.

We stopped at the Red Forest next which is an area of high radiation concentration. The name comes from the vast number of trees that died in this area surrounding the reactor due to high radiation absorption. The area was completely bulldozed and there is not much life even to this day. Our Geiger counters were much higher here as well.

Pripyat Town

As mentioned above, Pripyat Town is where all the Engineers and their families lived. It was a modern city with modern amenities that was the envy of all. Engineers were well paid, and were given housing for themselves and their families.

Along with many others, I found Pripyat Town to be the most interesting. You can only see the Chernobyl reactor from afar, and there is a newly constructed sarcophagus enclosing the structure so it actually looks like a functioning nuclear plant. Pripyat is where you can see how people lived and what 30 years of decomposition has done to the buildings and all the possessions that were left behind.

Upon arrival, our guide Yevgenia showed us pictures of what Pripyat looked like before the explosion and it really did look like the happening city to be at the time. We stood at the same area that the picture showed and the contrast was super eerie.

Visiting the Elementary School

Our first stop was to the elementary school. This was the first building we visited where you can see the inside of it. We walked along the facade of the building while our Geiger counters were all beeping to let us know that it is above the recommended radiation levels. The desks were all still neatly arranged since people were evacuated on a whim. There are glass shards all around the building from years of decay so make sure you wear good shoes so not to get cut.

All of these buildings are a photographer’s paradise and you are allowed to shoot to your heart’s desire.

Going inside the buildings

Officially, the policy is you’re not allowed to walk inside the buildings. This is not because of radiation levels as those are mostly fine, but rather the neglect and lack of upkeep in the buildings mean they can collapse at any time. However, we were able to walk into some of the buildings for a short amount of time even though this is technically not allowed. I’m not sure if anyone checks and certainly did not see any guards walking around during our day tour.

I suspect if you book a private tour with fewer people, you can probably get away with spending more time inside the buildings.

The Hospital

Our next stop was the hospital. This is one of the most interesting buildings in Pripyat because it housed the firefighters that battled the flames from Nuclear reactor #4. The firefighters were all taken here for radiation treatment before being evacuated a day later and subsequently dying horrible deaths. They were all treated in the basement of the hospital where their possessions and firefighting outfits were left. Radiation levels are much higher in the basement of the hospital so unfortunately it is no longer allowed for visiting.

We did walk around the first level which was very interesting. Walking inside the buildings is the most creepy especially when you get away from the direct sunlight and see long dark corridors with rubble all around you. I kept thinking of the movie Chernobyl Diaries the entire time and was a little freaked out even during the day so could only imagine how much more dramatic this would be if it was cold and dark out.

Grocery Store and Restaurant

Our next stop was to the grocery store and restaurant. The grocery store was open for less than a month and was the first grocery store in all of Ukraine. You can still see the signs in Russian spelling out the fruit and meat aisles.

The restaurant was also open for a month before the disaster occurred. We also saw one of the hundreds of stray dogs still in the park while we were here. This dog followed us around the rest of the tour. Although his radiation levels are higher than normal, it seemed to be perfectly well fed and healthy, albeit a bit sad.

Football Stadium

Few minutes away was the Football and track stadium that never was. This was scheduled to open later in 1986 after the explosion. You can barely make out the track that is no covered in trees and dirt. However, the seating stands are in good condition and the seats that are under the covers unexposed to the elements look almost new.

kindergarten school

A lot of the iconic pictures from Chernobyl come from the Kindergarten school. I’m not going to lie, but this was one of the creepiest places I saw. Whether it is the clothes of young kids leftover, or the chucky-esque dolls that are everywhere, this place was very creepy. We did not go into this building but you could see everything from the outside.

Amusement Park

The last stop in Pripyat was the most famous sight of them all, the amusement park. This park was slated to open on May 1, so just a week before the accident. They had bumper cars, a merry go round, and the iconic 26m ferris wheel that still stands to this day. The rust and decay are noticeable here. The ferris wheel still moves with strong winds and we could hear the metal clanking as it very eerily rotated.

And some more photos for good measure.

Breaking for lunch

After spending a solid 4 hours exploring the Chernobyl reactors and Pripyat, it was time for lunch. Nowadays, there is a large cafeteria for all the workers, as well as tourists inside the zone.

Upon entering, you will have to go through a Soviet-style radiation detector where you put your hands on both sides of the machine and it will you if you’re radiation levels comply with the standards. If it does, a gate will open where you can pass through and walk towards the canteen.

The food was better than I thought including grilled chicken, borscht, rice or potatoes, salad, juice, and breads. This lunch came with the tour but otherwise, it would be roughly €9 or so. Don’t expect fine dining here but considering we were in Chernobyl, this lunch will do.

Visiting Chernobyl town

After lunch, our next and last stop for the day was the town of Chernobyl. Chernobyl town is one of the first city to be evacuated during the 1986 nuclear disaster. Over 14,000 inhabitants of Chernobyl city were evacuated 30 hours after the explosion which left the city abandoned until now.

Nowadays, the workers of the clean-up initiative and small numbers of locals have moved into Chernobyl city and are currently living there. This will also be the place you would stay if you chose to do a multi-day Chernobyl tour.

When you arrive in Chernobyl City, you will still be able to see the remnants of its past but you will also be able to see life striving with locals living in their homes like nothing happens, general stores packed with supplies and hotels for daring tourists.

Leaving Chernobyl

After exploring Chernobyl town, we returned to the entrance gates where we went through another radiation machine to make sure our levels complied (similar to that at lunch). Our guide then took our radiation monitor to calculate how much radiation we accumulated throughout the day. In about 6 hours, we accumulated 2-3 mSv which is about the same radiation as a 2 hour flight. Not much at all.

We then drove the two hours back to Kiev to our initial meeting point. We left at 8 in the morning and were back in the city by 6pm.

All in all, a fantastic day and definitely one of the best day tours I’ve ever taken. Highly recommended!

Continue Reading:

• The Best Gyms And Fitness Clubs In Athens, Greece
• Why I Love Living in Singapore: Expat Life In The Lion City
• The Perfect Fiji Honeymoon Itinerary: One To Two Weeks
• Island Hopping In The Yasawas: Fiji’s True Island Paradise
• Diving the Rainbow Reef And Great White Wall in Taveuni, Fiji

Visiting Kyiv (Kiev), Ukraine: Europe’s Most Underrated Capital

• Ultimate Guide To Diving With Sharks In Fiji – Beqa Lagoon and Barefoot Koata
• The Perfect Fiji Travel Itinerary: Beaches, Diving, and Island Paradise
• Is Singaporean Chicken Rice Healthy?
• The Perfect Portugal Travel Itinerary: One, Two, Three Week Itinerary Ideas
• A Perfect Cape Town Itinerary: Three Days, Five Days, 1 Week
• The Perfect Caucasus Travel Itinerary: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan
• 26 Amazing Things To Do In Cape Town, South Africa
• The Perfect Vietnam Travel Itinerary: One Week, Two Weeks, and Three Weeks

Related Posts

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 Yes, add me to your mailing list

Add Comment  *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.

Post Comment

• Disclosures

How to Visit Chernobyl: The Ultimate Guide (Updated 2021)

A n abandoned kindergarten room strewn with toys. The hollows of an amusement park that was never even used. An eerily vacant high school with its desks still draped in school work. These are the remnants of Chernobyl – a town blasted with 400 times the radiation of the bomb of Hiroshima, over thirty years ago. Today, it lures curious tourists in the tens of thousands. But why ?

When my husband and I were planning out our itinerary for Eastern Europe a few years back, we decided to include Kiev, Ukraine, purely so that we could visit Chernobyl. Dark tourism intrigued us, and we were keen to learn more about this abandoned place and the disaster story behind it.

For those of you who aren’t very familiar with Chernobyl, here’s the basic story:

Chernobyl was a nuclear power plant located in the USSR (now Ukraine) which had a steam explosion in April of 1986. The nuclear radiation released in the days after the accident was truly catastrophic. The nearby town of Prypyat, which was home of many of the power plant workers, was evacuated the day after the explosion and the 50,000 residents were never to return to their homes.

Nuclear Reactor no. 4 (the site of the explosion) was covered with a temporary sarcophagus to confine the radiation in the weeks after the explosion, and a new sarcophagus, which has been designed to confine the radiation for another 100 years, was built by the EU and placed on site in October 2017.

We chose to see Chernobyl on a 1-day, small group tour which departed Kiev at 8:00 AM and returned around 6:00 PM. We had an English speaking guide, and a driver who transported us via minivan. On the way, a documentary was played to give us a deeper insight into the disaster and prepare us for what we were about to see. Even though I had expected to visit a mostly abandoned and derelict place, the reality was shocking. There were a handful of stops on the tour, including a small town with empty houses being swallowed back up by the forest, an abandoned kindergarten in the Chernobyl township with books and learning materials still scattered about on the desks, and an amusement park in Prypyat that was sadly never used as the town was evacuated before it could open. These confronting scenes are something that I will never forget.

• 1 Chernobyl: An Overview
• 2 Why do tourists visit Chernobyl?
• 3 Is it safe to visit Chernobyl?
• 4 Can you visit Chernobyl without a guide?
• 5 How much does a Chernobyl tour cost?
• 6 Getting there
• 7 Where to stay
• 8 1. Choose the best Chernobyl tour type
• 9 2. Choose a tour company
• 10 3. Be prepared for your Chernobyl visit
• 11 The Thrifty Gist

Chernobyl: An Overview

Chernobyl is located about 100 km (62 mi) north of the city of Kiev, Ukraine. It takes around 2 hours to drive to Chernobyl from Kiev.

The exclusion zone is an area of 2,600 km 2 (1,000 sq mi) around the nuclear power plant. This area is considered hazardous and is off-limits to the general public. There are multiple checkpoints that you have to pass through inside the exclusion zone. The area inside the checkpoint closest to the nuclear reactor has the most dangerous levels of radiation.

When tourists talk about visiting Chernobyl, we’re generally referring to the power plant itself, but the exclusion zone actually includes a few towns and a large forested area. Tours to Chernobyl will stop by many different places of interest within the exclusion zone.

Why do tourists visit Chernobyl?

Chernobyl has many appeals for tourists. For me, it was the decay. I was intrigued to explore a place that has been completely abandoned by humans for nearly 30 years. I wanted to find out what an apocalyptic world might look like.

My husband’s appeal was the modern history aspect – he wanted to see a place that is frozen in time from the soviet era. Walking through remnants from a culture that no longer exists is a fascinating thing to experience.

Others might be interested in the disaster itself, or maybe learn more about the dangers of nuclear power and the effect it can have on the environment if something goes wrong, like it did at Chernobyl. This is perhaps the only place in the world that you can see this first-hand.

Is it safe to visit Chernobyl?

I was asked this question by many people after my visit to Chernobyl. It’s a valid concern.

Radiation sticks around for a very long time, and the exclusion zone is not expected to be safe for humans to live in for the next 20,000 years. However, radioactivity can be considered mostly harmless in small doses (like when you get an x-ray, or even take a long-haul flight), and the day tours into the exclusion zone mean that you’re only exposed to low levels of radiation for just a few hours.

There are around 400 people that actually live inside the exclusion zone, and another several thousand that work in and around the power plant, decommissioning the retired reactors and constructing the new sarcophagus. They manage the radiation exposure by limiting their time in the most hazardous areas, and are also required to take longer breaks away from the site so that their bodies have time to recover.

On the way out of the exclusion zone, everyone is required to go through an old soviet radiation control checkpoint. The device required each person to place their hands on either side while it checks your radiation levels.

Regardless of the trip you take, it's always worth getting travel insurance in case of an emergency. We use World Nomads because you can sign up or extend your trip any time (even if you've already left your home country), over 150+ adventure activities are covered (i.e. less fine print and loopholes), and most of all, there are plenty of successful claim stories online – so it actually works! For more info, and our story of when insurance saved us $2,000 at a foreign hospital, check out our travel insurance guide here .

Can you visit Chernobyl without a guide?

Tourist entry into the exclusion zone is only permitted with a licenced guide. There are many areas inside the exclusion zone that are still considered very dangerous, and a guide will have the expertise to keep you safe at all times.

How much does a Chernobyl tour cost?

Tours from Kiev cost between $100-$500 USD per person, depending on the type of tour that you choose. The day tour that I booked starts at $105 USD each, and it's worth every cent. You can browse a variety of tours along with prices, reviews, and booking with immediate confirmation on GetYourGuide and Viator .

Getting there

Flying into Boryspil International Airport (KBP) is the easiest way to get to Kiev, with direct flights from many major cities in Europe including Amsterdam, Vienna, Paris, London, Prague, Frankfurt, Zurich, and Warsaw. If you are already in Ukraine, there are intercity trains that will take you from Lviv to Kiev. Budget airlines are plentiful in Eastern Europe. The easiest way to find cheap flights is to search Skyscanner and select “Entire Month” to visualize prices across a one month period.

It's also worth signing up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card . You'll get a 60,000 point bonus just by spending $4,000 in the first 3 months on your everyday purchases in the first 3 months. That's worth $750  when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards, saving you a significant amount on your flight. Alternatively, you can transfer the points directly to a number of other frequent flyer programs if you are already collecting points. The card also has no international transaction fees (where most cards charge 2-3%), making this card cheaper to use overseas than any ATM or currency exchange booth.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

• 60,000 reward points (worth $750 ) after meeting the minimum spend of $4,000 in the first 3 months
• $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x points for purchases on Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x points on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, and 2x points on all other travel purchases.
• Points are worth 25% more on airfare, hotels, car rentals, and cruises when booking through Chase Ultimate Rewards (e.g. 60,000 points worth $750 toward travel)
• Includes trip cancellation/interruption insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver, lost luggage insurance and more.
• Can transfer your reward points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• No foreign transaction fees
• Annual fee: $95

Where to stay

There are plenty of central accommodations to choose from in Kiev. Being in Eastern Europe, hotels and AirBNBs are surprisingly affordable. When you book your Chernobyl tour, check the confirmation to find your meeting point. My tour departed from Maidan Square, so I booked us a room in a hostel nearby. Many tours will depart from Kiev Central Railway Station, so a hotel closer to the station may be a better choice. Some tours (especially the private ones) offer hotel pickup.

1. Choose the best Chernobyl tour type

When booking a visit to Chernobyl, there are a few different tour types to choose from:

1-day Tours

The 1-day tours generally last from 10-12 hours, of which 4 are spent driving to and from the Chernobyl site from Kiev. The 1-day tour was packed with activities, however, I didn’t feel as though it was overly rushed or that anything was skipped over.

From Kiev: 1-Day Group Tour to Chernobyl ($100 USD)

Chernobyl Tour from Kiev ($105 USD)

Full-Day Tour of Chernobyl and Prypiat from Kiev ($114 USD)

2-day or 3-day tours.

For anyone wanting to experience the exclusion zone at a slower pace, there are 2-day, 3-day, or even longer tours available. I personally think that 2 days would be enough time to see the area.

From Kiev: 2-Day Group Tour to Chernobyl ($251 USD)

The Ultimate 2-Day Chernobyl Tour from Kiev ($321 USD)

3-Day Extended Tour to Chernobyl and Prypiat Town from Kyiv ($429 USD)

Private tours.

Many people are interested in visiting Chernobyl for the photography aspect, and in this case, I think a private tour would be the best option as you can explore the area at your own pace. This would allow you ample time to set up shots and get great photos.

From Kiev: Private Tour of Chernobyl ($78 USD)

From Kiev: Chernobyl & Pripyat Private Day Tour with Lunch ($130 USD)

Chernobyl Private Tour from Kiev ($105 USD)

2. Choose a tour company

When I was choosing a tour company, I used online reviews to make a decision. SoloEast Travel was one of the highest rated companies on TripAdvisor, and while they weren’t necessarily the cheapest, the price was reasonable. They were an excellent choice.

Things to look for when choosing a tour:

• Group size: Small group tours are definitely best for the Chernobyl experience. We had 10-12 people on our tour, which was perfect.
• Inclusions/Exclusions: Hotel pickup, meals, entrance fees, taxes, and geiger-counter rental may or may not be included in the price of some tours.
• Flexibility: 1-day tours are really great value, but if you want more time at each place or more options for photography, then consider booking a slower-paced tour for more flexibility.

3. Be prepared for your Chernobyl visit

Tours to Chernobyl can be booked year-round. We visited in late November, which was extra special as there was a thick layer of snow which gave the place an eerie vibe. It was also a quiet time to visit – we only ran into one other tour group on our day trip, but for the most part we were the only people in sight.

Many people will prefer to visit Chernobyl in the warmer months. The trees in the area are apparently beautiful in fall/autumn, so this might be a great time to go.

What to bring:

• Comfortable, closed walking shoes.
• A rain jacket in case of bad weather.
• Sunscreen and a hat.
• A camera. You can use a smartphone for photos, but if you have a mirrorless camera or DSLR, even better! The photos you get around Chernobyl will be mind-blowing.
• A geiger-counter to measure radiation levels. We rented one from our tour company, which cost an extra $10 but it was so worth it.

For winter tours:

• Quality winter jacket/parka. You’ll spend a lot of time outside in the cold.
• Scarf, beanie, and gloves to stay warm.
• Waterproof shoes suitable for walking through snow.

The Thrifty Gist

• Chernobyl is located about 2 hours drive north of Kiev, Ukraine.
• The exclusion zone has a range of radiation levels, but is safe to visit on a guided tour. It's always a good idea to have travel insurance regardless, and we use World Nomads .
• You must book a tour to visit Chernobyl. 1-day, 2-day, or longer tours are available from Kiev. We took this tour , but there are plenty more to choose from with reviews on GetYourGuide and Viator .
• You can find cheap flights by searching by “entire month” on Skyscanner . You can also get the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card and hit the minimum spend to receive 60,000 points worth $750 , saving you a ton on your flight.

Thrifty Nomads has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Thrifty Nomads and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Opinions expressed here are author's alone. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Jetpack has locked your site's login page.

Your IP address 37.139.53.135 has been flagged for potential security violations. You can unlock your login by sending yourself a special link via email. Learn More

All you need to know about our tours to Chernobyl

1 day tour is as safe as a flight by plane in terms of radiation. There is 160 times less radiation than a person gets during an X-Ray. A person is more likely to get 3600 times more radiation on a CAT scan than during the tour!

2 Unforgettable

Our experienced guides will share all the information available about Chernobyl with you.

3 Accessible

We meet you in Kyiv and take you to Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Meal options, accomodation and airport shuttles are included. During the tour you will be accompanied by English, French and German language interpreters.

Nuclear Power Plant

The red forest, the secret facility “duga”, chernobyl (city), paryshev (nearby village), our statistics of chernobyl tours, choose the most suitable tour for you, permanent group tours. best value, group tour to chernobyl from the official organizer.

• Ghost-Townn Pripyat
• TOP 25 great locations of the Zone
• NPP Chernobyl
• Secret Facility “Duga”
• Cool photos are guaranteed

Our tour includes

• paperwork (tour schedule, permits etc.)
• transfer from Kyiv and back
• English speaking guides
• 5 time more locations
• You will have an opportunity to visit secret locations
• night in the hotel of Chernobyl

From 1 to 5 days from the official organizer

• Only you and your frieds
• Shooting movies, clips, commercial
• Excursion inside the Chernobyl NPP (optional)
• These tours are created for true adventurers and journalists
• Individual system of the places and locations selection, tour duration depending on the customer’s wishes

Order an individual tour and get a collection of exclisive emotions

Chernobyl Walking (hike) tours for 4-5-7 days

Our journey begins in kyiv.

What we will do:

• we will meet you in the evening in Kiev
• buy the necessary food and water
• go to a special spot in the perimeter of the Zone
• in the evening we cross the perimeter of Chernobyl Zone
• spend the first night in abandoned village

The way to Ghost-Town Pripyat

Our plan for that day

• After waking up and having breakfast, we continue our hike through the wild nature of the Chernobyl zone
• in the evening we get to the secret place where we stop for a while
• we will dine and explore the area there, waiting for the darkness
• After resting we make the final march to the ghost town of Pripyat

You will see all interesting locations of Pripyat

• You wake up in our secret Pripyat apartment
• The morning begins with a cup of coffee on the roof with a view of the ghost city and the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
• After breakfast we start to explore the most interesting locations of Pripyat: abandoned apartments of city residents, kindergartens, schools, swimming pool "Azure", amusement park, prison house, "Jupiter" factory, river port and many more!
• Your exploring of the city ends with the contemplation of the sunset from a roof
• After dinner and rest we leave Pripyat at night and head for Duga radar

Secret object Chernobyl-2 (Duga)

• At dawn we climb up Duga radar
• From a height of 150 meters you will have an incredible view of the expanses of the Chernobyl zone
• After sleep we return to the perimeter of Chernobyl Zone and then back to Kiev

Leave request for free advices and our specialist plans your trip.

Leave request for free advice and our specialist plans your trip., thanks our manager will call you later.

• GBP £
• CZK Kč

Private Ignalina Tour from Vilnius

Fukushima private tour, stalin’s private tour from tbilisi.

Radiation safety control 3x day, Free dosimeters, Respirators, Proven Routes

LIVING LEGENDS

Meet and talk to locals, living legends on every tour: Chernobyl babushkas and liquidators

TIME TRAVEL

Drive the Soviet car, the Volga, Dress up in uniforms and liquidator costumes, Virtual Reality, KGB archive – pictures and videos

ALL WITH A 100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

Underground iceland day tour.

• Experienced English Guide
• Free rebooking or flexible cancelation
• Tailored Program, Your Pace, Your Guide, No go places

ULTIMATE ICELAND 6 DAY TOUR

Dark japan 10 day tour, namibia 4 days tour, namibia 7 days tour, tito’s croatia private tour from zagreb, hidden albania private tour, the ghost of communism bulgaria private tour from sofia.

• Chernobyl series filming locations
• Extended programme with a look behind the scenes
• All inclusive: pick up at your address in Vilnius, lunch, transportation and guide

Fukushima 2 Day Tour with the Power Plant

• Visiting Dai-ichi Power Plant Premises
• Off the beaten path, photo spots and meeting locals
• All inclusive: hotel, traditional dining, transportation and English guide
• English guide and local insider
• All inclusive: hotel, traditional dining, transportation and guide

Baikonur 2-Day Tour

• English guide and space expert
• Space rocket launch witnessed from close distance
• All inclusive: hotel, tasty dining, transportation and guide

Baikonur 5-Day Tour

• Extended program with space rocket launch watching from the closest safe distance

"The tailored private tour is great for getting the most out of your Chernobyl experience as it adapts perfectly to your interests and wishes. Everything went according to the plan and fulfilled our expectations. I highly recommend ChernobylX for your radioactive dose of the year!"

"Private tour with ChernobylX and 6 friends was the best decision we made. We had our own guide, who kept us away from crowded places, a private bus and we could choose the sites we wanted to see. And it is not much more expensive than a tour with larger groups."

A terrific mix of places that gave a good understanding of the accident and its consequences. A knowledgeable and interesting guide also made the trip a success.

It was so fun to go around with our dosimeter alarms and even get to eat in the same cafeteria where Chernobyl workers eat. Our guide was very knowledgeable and shared so many personal stories about her grandfather who was actually alive and involved in the Chernobyl disaster!

We went to see places that we wanted to see. And unlike the group tours, we weren't rushed. We had time to take photos and explore the area. I would thoroughly recommend chernobylX for a relaxed informative Chernobyl tour, and especially Yulia, our guide, she was AMAZING!!!

This tour was easily the highlight of my holiday, well organised pick up and drop off from my hotel in Kiev. Hotel accomodation was so clean and comfortable with good Ukrainian food and very friendly staff. My tour guide Yuliia was extremely knowledgeable and passionate

Chernobyl diaries

Media about us, sustainable chernobyl tour, your chernobyl visit is making a difference, 1% for chernobyl babushkas living in chernobyl, plant a tree in the chernobyl zone, you help with the good angel charity, hello there, meet your guides, chernobyl instagram, follow or come, if you waited for a sign, this is it....

Valentyn is full of energy young guide who will show you zone and all interesting places there. Prepare your legs to walk a lot, eyes to see more than others and eyes to hear interesting stories about the zone.

This girl got inspired by the abandoned places of Pripyat and the nature in the Exclusion Zone. Having visited these places for the first time with CHERNOBYLX, she was looking for the opportunity to spend more time in the Chernobyl Zone to reveal all its secrets. The best way to do it was to become a Chernobyl tour guide.

At first sight, Olya looks like a smiling little girl with that kiddo expressions in her face. But don’t be fooled, she’s one of our most experienced guides with a lot of knowledge about the Zone. She’s super-fascinated by the radiation and sometimes declares herslef as a radiation hunter. Maybe that’s why she has time for guiding tours in English, Czech and German. She’s our little superhero!

Julia is the one who loves people and getting to know them. She loves exploring the zone and is also addicted to share it all with you. She loves to tell the stories about the zone and make you feel like you’re wandering with an old friend, as she’s very caring and friendly guide with who you’ll feel like you know each other for years.

This girl is obsessed with sharing her knowledge and emotions with people. She knows exactly how to make you feel the spirit of the Soviet Union and the horror of the Chernobyl disaster. First-time Yulia saw wildlife of the exclusion zone, it made an unforgettable impression on her vision of life. So be sure, with her help you’ll be stunned by the superiority of nature over man.

This website uses cookies

Cookies help to improve the services we provide to you. Read information on how we use them and how you can reject cookies by setting your browser.

Functional Cookies Some cookies we place on your browser ensure that the Chernobyl X website delivers you information and services securely and optimally.

Legitimate interest

Advertising cookies We sometimes use tracking pixels that set cookies to assist with delivering online advertising.

You are using an outdated browser. You can update it on this page .

3-5 day Private/photo tour to Chernobyl and Prypiat

If you’ve been dreaming about a tour of Pripyat and you like to take pictures – you’ve come to the right place. We are offering Chernobyl photo tour that can last 3 to 5 days. Enough time for a detailed exploration of one of the most mysterious places on Earth.

How is Chernobyl photography tour different from others?

Here are some ideas why you should book exactly this tour:

• A vehicle according to your preferences – minivan or a little car, four wheel drive – whatever you feel like. We love non-standard requests. Once we even organized a tour for a group of British on an old soviet bus. Such an experience!
• 100% tailored tour, no schedules or templates. Are you fond of creepy children’s toys in kindergartens? Do you like to watch nature taking over grey soviet buildings? Are you a big fan of cooling tower buildings? Whatever, just say what are your preferences and we will create for you a perfect tour.
• We will wait as much as you need. Seriously. If you really need this shot at the moment when the sun is 43 degrees south west – okay, take your time. No one will rush you or ask to get in the car because it’s cold/hot/late or something else.
• We know the best spots. Some of our guides have several years of experience working in the zone. They are extremely passionate and knowledgeable and can show you all of the locations that can be worth your attention.

If this is still not convincing enough for you check Pripyat tour reviews to make up your mind. We also have a TripAdvisor page and a Facebook page, check it out for more reviews!

Is Pripyat tour safe?

Good news and bad news. Bad first – there are places around that are very contaminated and dangerous. Good news – you are fine as long as you follow your guide and do not try to escape, sneak somewhere or break the law in some other way. Pripyat guided tour usually has recommended routes that are safe for visitors. If you’re not going to sit on the ground, eat Chornobyl’s mushrooms or swim in Pripyat River you will be okay.

On the borders of 10 and 30 km zone there are radiation control frames that you will need to pass each time you move between the areas or go back to Kyiv. This is to ensure that no radioactive particle are stuck to your clothes or shoes. After the tour you do not need to burn your clothes or throw them away.

There are rules here to follow during the tour and these rules will be clearly announced in the beginning of the trip. As a double safety measure, you’ll be handed a printed version of these rules and sign that you’ve understood it. It is in our best interest to make your trip not only interesting, but 100% safe.

Pripyat tour price

You can check the whole itinerary and prices for the photo tour here . Pripyat tour cost includes all the charges, transport, paperwork cost, permit for the zone and for the shooting, staying at the hotel (in a twin room, extra 40 euros if you are alone and want a room for yourself), 3 meals per day, and a personal dosimeter. The only expenses that you might need would be snacks, souvenirs, tips, etc.

Can you tour Pripyat for the whole day or two?

Absolutely no problem, we can do that on a private tour. There are enough interesting routes in the city to travel for even several days. Not only kindergartens and amusement parks are interesting for a visit. Have you even heard of the abandoned summer camp? Dentist department of the hospital? The morgue? Former football stadiums? You’ll be amazed of what can you see on a Pripyat photo tour that lasts for several days. Pick yours and let’s go.

The lowest price you can see at Gamma Travel is 89 euros – it’s a standard price for a one day tour in a group. The price, however, is higher for private and multiple day tours. All the prices in Gamma Travel include transportation cost, permits and other paperwork, lunch, staying in hotel and all meals on multiple day tours, etc. There’s no hidden commission or other additional payments.

The ghost-town is one of the closest settlements to the nuclear power plant. The distance between the closest micro district and the exploded reactor is only nearly 2 km. Other districts are slightly further. The famous Ferris wheel is approximately 3 km away.

As a result of the explosion lots of radioactive particles covered the whole town. People were evacuated, but the liquidators of the catastrophe stayed to live in some central buildings of the city. In 1997 everyone left and still no one lives there and won’t ever be able to. The city is completely abandoned.

It is absolutely up to you. As for the seasons there are no any restrictions. Even in February when it might be -20 C in Ukraine, we are still operating our tours (it’s not very comfortable though). The only day in the year when you cannot go to Chornobyl is the 26th of April. It’s easy to understand why – the accident happened on this day and now it’s a day of commemoration. Any other day during the year is available, unless there’s a quarantine situation like in spring 2020.

First of all, you need to book tickets to Ukraine. The cheapest options to Kyiv (KBP or IEV) are Ryanair (from Stansted), Wizzair (from Luton) and MAU (Ukrainian airlines, departure from Gatwick). When this is done, book a tour you are interested in on our website. We can offer you different options for the days you are available. Get your confirmation and get ready. For private 3-5 days tour we pick you up directly from your hotel or even from the airport if you want to (we do have such experience).

Chernobyl tour plan - Private Tour

• Program – 2000 hryvnias / group (is a must)
• Entrance fee – 500 hryvnias / person (is a must)
• Insurance – 120 hryvnias / person (is a must)
• Lunch – 200 hryvnias / person (optional)
• Lunch for guide – 200 hryvnias (is a must)
• Breakfast or supper – 90 hryvnias / person (for few-days tour)
• Transport+driver – 2500-5000 hryvnias / group / day (depends on a type of car)
• Lunch for driver – 200 hryvnias (is a must)
• Rent geiger counter – 100 hryvnias / item
• Buy geiger counter – 2000 hryvnias / item
• Room in Chernobyl Hotel (few-days tours) – 800 hryvnias / night (max. 2 persons)

40% service charge additonaly is taken as our reward.

For example: You are a group of 4, you go on your own car, you want to include dinner. Price per person will be: (2000 + 500*4 + 120*4 + 200*4+200)*1,4 = 7672 hryvnias for group 7672 / 4 = 1918 hryvnias ≈ 90 $ per person

Visit Chernobyl zone yourself!

Chernobyl Reactor #4

Pripyat Ghost Town

Radar system Duga-1

And many more exciting places with Chernobyl tours

Chernobyl tour reviews

Our social media life

tour2chernobyl.com

Photos of Chernobyl

Only one step left to join an unforgetable trip to chernobyl.

• Booking is safe. When you book with us your details are protected by a secure connection.
• Your privacy is protected. Your details will only be used to guarantee your booking.
• No booking fees or hiden charges. You only pay for the tour.
• We'll allways refund your money if you cancel your tour in more then 10 days.

Chernobyl virtual tour 3D online

Chernobyl Fallout Zone 3D Online Tour

There are many places of interest on our planet that are worth visiting but most of them are something that you may see somewhere else. The exception is the Seven Wonders of the world — these artifacts are the only of their kind. But there is a unique spot on Earth that can be truly considered as the world-beater still unrivaled despite the notoriety of its origin. Furthermore — it is popular precisely because its origin is a nuclear disaster that can only be compared with a nuclear strike on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Seven Wonders of the world are something that had been created on purpose, whereas in contrast the appearance of this Exclusion Zone was brought about by a tremendous accident when the 4th power generating unit of nuclear power plant exploded and contaminated environmental surroundings making them unfit for human habitation.

Time went by and almost the whole exclusion territory has become suitable for visiting again in fact you are equipped accordingly and have experienced guides with you since some patches are still hazardous to visit. Still, there are many reasons why some of us are reluctant to visit this Zone in reality and prefer to choose a virtual tour to Chernobyl instead of stalking along those paths that were blazed by local guides. Many of us are circumspect and wary to visit places with still remaining excessive background radiation, some of us just don’t have time or an opportunity to visit Chernobyl in person but still have the desire to do it. For these cases, we are glad to introduce our 3D tour within the Exclusion Zone. Mysteries of abandoned infrastructure can be discovered by you sitting in a comfortable armchair instead of bothering yourself with everything referred to the actual visiting. Of course, it cannot be compared with a real wandering but still you will get a general idea and overall perspective of everything located there but without our guides’ support and commentaries.

Chernobyl Virtual Tour — Main Landmarks

Our 3D tour includes almost every landmark that can be visited in reality. Let’s revisit the most popular of them:

Desolated town Pripyat without any resident living in it. Entrance to buildings is prohibited out of safety concerns.

The Red Forest overwhelmed with nuclear contamination afflicted by the explosion of the 4th electric generating set.

Deserted school and kindergarten.

Pripyat's observation wheel, that has never been used.

Swimming pool.

Sunken jetty.

Cinema “Prometheus”.

City council that took on the role of the first emergency reception center.

Hotel “Polissya” that was used as a vantage point for helicopter operations.

Chernobyl nuclear power plant with a monument near an administration building.

Arch-shaped confinement that covered the Shelter object.

The monument “To Those Who Saved the World”.

Where to Buy the Best Chernobyl Tour

Our company welcomes you to visit Chernobyl and Pripyat in reality without any danger for you. To make it all safe and sound there are some requirements for clothes, footgear, equipment and your behavior within the restricted area. Hard-and-fast adherence to the rules demanded by our stalkers will make your journey in the world of apocalypses smooth, easy, and never forgettable.

One of the opportunities that we may offer is the possibility to go to Chernobyl for free. All you need to do is very common — you need to muster a squad of teammates, no less than 4 persons who are ready to roam this Zone and take them with you. In this case, your travel is totally free of charge. Another feature that makes us a preferable option is that you will have a discount in the amount of 17% from the whole volume of payment. To achieve this option you should order a tour one month prior to the date of your trip with a complete prepayment that takes into account the discount of 17%. Besides, if you find an authorized tour to the Exclusion Zone that costs less than our offer then we will gladly refund you 110% of such a difference in payment.

Welcome to Chernobyl and Pripyat bravehearts!

• Free tickets TO THE NATIONAL CHERNOBYL MUSEUM
• Book your trip 30 days in advance and get 17% discount!

COMPLETE THE SIMPLE FORM

and get a chance to get a free ticket to «CHERNOBYL» national museum

Go2chernobyl.com team is 100% sure we provide you with high-quality service.

We are the only company guaranteeing a tour to Chernobyl and Pripyat to our clients.

Gather your own group and get a chance to visit Chernobyl and Pripyat  for free!

Special offer 4 + 1 = 4.(only for citizens of Ukraine)

How to get to the Zone for free?

You have to gather the company of 4 people.

The fifth person will get a free tour

Special offer! 

17% discount for a one-day group tour to Chernobyl and Pripyat  that is booked 30+ days in advance before the day of the tour.

Full-Day Private Chernobyl and Pripyat Tour from Kiev

• Transport by private vehicle
• Professional guide
• Hotel pickup and drop-off
• Private tour
• We pick up from any hotel or apartment in Kyiv
• Not wheelchair accessible
• Confirmation will be received at time of booking
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Most travelers can participate
• Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants
• A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
• Minimum age is 18 years
• IMPORTANT: a tour must be booked at least 5 days prior the date of travel, this time is needed to obtain all the permissions to enter the Chernobyl Zone
• This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
• Reactor No 4
• Pripyat Amusement Park
• Duga Radar Russian Woodpecker

Similar experiences

• You'll get picked up See departure details
• 1 Pripyat Amusement Park Stop: 3 hours See details Pass by Reactor No 4
• 2 Duga Radar Russian Woodpecker Stop: 60 minutes See details
• You'll return to the starting point

• Stuart_Away_Again 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Outstanding in Every Way This was a great trip booked in advance with Green Tour Ukraine. Quite a long way out from our base in Kyiv but we’ll worth over 7 hours travelling. Located at the only surviving command silo and missile silo left in Ukraine, this place oozes Cold War. Vehicles and tanks abound including the transport and installation transports for the missiles themselves. A small museum records the history of missiles in Ukraine and then the main event, underground tunnels through to the command silo, very small lift 45m down til the 12 and 13 floors to the command room and the famous button and emergency accommodation. Back up through the massive ventilation plant room and then time to visit the outdoor exhibits. Really good day out and special thanks to Elena our guide who was a walking encyclopaedia of all things missiles, Soviet era and Ukraine. Read more Written October 25, 2021
• Pbitz 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Awesome!! Dymtro was great! The places we went around the city and the conversation was wonderful! We liked it so much we booked him for the next day!!! The weather was cold and a bit rainy. Read more Written September 21, 2021
• FabienneH101 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great tour Sergij was the perfect guide and the tour across the city and to the island was amazing! I recommend it highly to discover Kiev by bike. Read more Written September 11, 2021
• MrsMurdo 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Private tour of Kiev Excellent organisation. Good communication with the tour company. Our guide Katerina was very informative. She gave us lots of tips for exploring the city ourselves after the organised tour. We found it good value for money. Standard of driving was really good and safe from. Uri. Read more Written August 20, 2021
• pwelch 0 contributions 1.0 of 5 bubbles Avoid this company I booked the Small Group Tour of Lviv. We turned up at 9:55 for our 10:00am tour and no guide was there. After two phone calls to Green Tour they said that the guide was late and would come at 11am. To be fair they offered to refund the tour, but this didn’t get sorted until I contacted customer care. They offered to provide the tour for free. We turned up again at 11am where the guide asked my name and where I was from but ignored my friend. She actually said that the tour was only booked for 1 person and not 2 which was not true. She didn’t make very much interaction other than to say about 5 times that “I’ve took the money” and she was “providing this tour for free”. She then proceeded to rush us around to finish in 1 hour 40 mins. My friend was really upset that there wasn’t enough time to take photos as it was so rushed. He actually left at 12.30pm because he was unhappy not to have been even spoken to by the guide one single time - and there were only two of us on the tour. I would therefore NOT recommend this tour or Green Tours. The guides are unreliable and unprofessional and I suggest you book with another reputable company. Read more Written August 12, 2021
• Z358QYirinad 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles English tour in Kiev Driver Yuriy and guide Konstantin were great. Very professional, Perfect English, very flexible for requests. We were just 2 on the tour, so ended up being on a private tour. My son and I enjoyed this tour a lot. Highly recommended!!! Read more Written August 11, 2021
• N8528KQstever 0 contributions 2.0 of 5 bubbles Don’t take the slow beach road For unknown reason, the driver decided to take a route which went through several beach towns with narrow roads and huge amounts of traffic on a Sat. It took over 3 hrs to reach the site and 2 hrs home so I had to shorten my tour by 1 hour. The guide was very informative and the site is worth a trip. Read more Written July 17, 2021
• Dave_Tina 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Wonderful Experience The ladies were wonderful. Mother daughter team are very nice. Daughter speaks good English and translate for mom. It was fun getting in there and mixing up the dough and getting to cut up all the ingredients for the borscht. The Varenky are fun to make and had three different kinds. When I come back to Kyiv, this will be on my list. My wife and I had fun. It is a must if you want to taste the Real Ukrainian dishes. Read more Written July 2, 2021
• Heta L 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles So awesome!! Very interesting tour!! My guide was very professional and had very much information about vehicles and history. Read more Written June 23, 2021
• spotterBIETRY 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Highly recommended! Very good tour with great views of the city. I highly recommend this tour to tourists. Thank’s a lot to the guide too, very friendly and makes great explanations, that permits to know perfectly the story of Kharkiv. Read more Written October 3, 2020
• madelines632 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great experience, and great to support locals My parents visited me in August 2019 while I was living in Ukraine. This experience was a highlight for them, and they still tell their friends stories, especially because of the “at home” feel! Read more Written June 6, 2020
• LydMo 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Exceeded Expectations Our private Ukrainian Cooking Class in Kiev exceeded expectations. Everything from the private kitchen in a local home, to the explanation of the ingredients, and the process of preparing the food contributed to the authentic experience of learning more about Ukrainian culture through its food. Our hosts were welcoming and kind, the food was delicious, and the entire experience was enjoyable despite our level of expertise with cooking. I would highly recommend this class to everyone, no matter your age or background, as an excellent way to immerse yourself in Ukrainian culture while enjoying good food and conversation. Read more Written March 22, 2020
• neilnchalan 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Excellent way to see a lovely city! We had a half day guided tour of Kiev and our guide Anna was brilliant. She took us everywhere in Kiev and her knowledge of the history of Kiev was second to none. Thanks to Anna our 3 hour tour didn’t feel like we’d been walking and talking for that long. It is probably the best way to see the city and I would recommend it to anyone. Read more Written February 29, 2020
• robertdO7455WL 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great stay enjoyed Both myself and the wife enjoyed the stay . The room was very clean and nice the food very great both breakfast and midafternoon meal was very good. The staff every where were very kind and lovely people to speak with. The room had all you can look for in the room i was very pleased and shocked how well the "wifi" was fast! Id come back as I know my wife had been at this location before and only had great things to say about the hotel. Read more Written February 27, 2020
• 538yukok 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Very much worthwhile cooking class to see the value of home cooking Truly worthwhile excursion, compactly arranged in three hours including the transportation. Also very flexible in scheduling. The class was hands-on for a small group (they hold a class for solo, too). Food is a full meal equivalent so do not eat before the class I now feel to have understood why Borsch has been loved by so many people for a long time. Home made one is distinctively delicious. Read more Written February 23, 2020

More to explore in Kyiv

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Full-Day Private Chernobyl and Pripyat Tour from Kiev provided by Green Tour Ukraine