by Lonely Planet author Leif Pettersen

Driving, busing to Transdniestr

Bendery Tiraspol Trains Transdniestr

You can only pay for tickets to other destinations in Transdniestr in the local currency, but you can pay in Moldovan lei or Ukrainian hryvnia for tickets to Moldova or Ukraine. Pay the driver.

From Tiraspol five daily buses go to Balti , 13 to Odesa , one to Kiev , and one a week to Berlin .

Maxitaxis go from Tiraspol and Bendery to Chisinau and vice versa every 20 to 35 minutes from 6.30am to 6.30pm, with reduced services until 10pm.

Whether you arrive by bus or maxitaxi, foreigners are often pulled aside and shaken down for bribes. As of now, travellers need to have a letter of invitation from someone in TransD to enter the region. This can usually be arranged by a contact (literally anyone) in Chisinau. If you have no connections, contact Your Friends in Moldova. It used to be that if you arrived at the border without this letter, the guard would reluctantly let you through for a modest 'fee' (no receipt), but sweet talking this course of action is reportedly becoming near impossible. FYI - I paid 100 Moldovan lei (about US$7.50) for two people when I was faced with this obstacle in 2006 and was forced to promise to keep a low profile while in the 'country'. People have also reported being told that cameras are not allowed in TransD. Obviously, this never comes up until you are leaving. Depending on your negotiating skills, you may pay anywhere from US$20-50 for this violation.

The gist is, prepare all you want; if the TransD guards want money out of you, they'll get it somehow. All part of the fun!

Driving a private vehicle into TransD is possible, but it can be a major ordeal depending on how bored the TransD border guards are when you pass by. If you don't speak Russian , you need to bring someone who does or you'll be there for the rest of your life. You just might be anyway. Be prepared to submit to an 'interview' in a small hut with four looming guards, which will invariably end in you paying a bribe (or three) for various real or imagined infractions. This is particularly true on the way out of TransD.

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