An abandoned kindergarten full of toys, the remains of a never-used amusement park, and an eerily empty high school with its desks still full of notebooks and books. These are some of the remains of Chernobyl , a city that exploded with 400 times the radiation of the Hiroshima bomb , more than thirty years ago and that today attracts thousands of curious tourists . If you are one of them, discover everything you have to do to travel to Chernobyl.
Chernobyl was a city in northern Ukraine , belonging to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics at the time, and it was home to a nuclear power plant that exploded in April 1986. The nuclear radiation released in the days after the accident was truly catastrophic. The nearby town of Prypyat , which was home to many of the power plant workers, was evacuated the day after the blast and the 50,000 residents never returned to their homes.
Tips for visiting Chernobyl
Where is Chernobyl?
Chernobyl is located about 100 km north of the city of Kiev, Ukraine. It takes about 2 hours to get to Chernobyl from Kiev. The exclusion zone is an area of 2,600 km2 around the nuclear power plant. This area is considered dangerous and is prohibited to the general public, but there are several checkpoints that tourists can pass through within the exclusion zone . The area within the checkpoint closest to the nuclear reactor has the most dangerous levels of radiation. When tourists talk about visiting Chernobyl, we generally mean the power station itself, but the exclusion zone actually includes some cities and a large part of forest . Tours to Chernobyl pass through many different places of interest within the exclusion zone.
Is it safe to visit Chernobyl?
Before visiting Chernobyl you should know that the radiation will drag on for a 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 – such as when taking an X-ray or traveling on a long-haul flight – and day trips to the exclusion zone mean that you are only exposed to low levels of radiation and for a very few hours.
There are around 400 people living within the exclusion zone , and several thousand others working in and around the power plant, removing the retired reactors. They manage radiation exposure by limiting their time in the most dangerous areas, and are also required to take longer breaks so their bodies have time to recover. When exiting the exclusion zone, everyone has to go through a former checkpoint. The device required each person to place their hands on both sides while monitoring their radiation levels. Regardless of the trip you take, it is always worth taking out travel insurance in case of an emergency and, in this case, all the more so.
Can you visit Chernobyl without a guide?
The entry of tourists in the exclusion zone is only allowed with an authorized guide. There are many areas within the exclusion zone that are still considered very dangerous, and a guide has the experience to keep you safe at all times.
How much does a Chernobyl tour cost?
Tours from Kiev cost between 80 and 500 euros per person , depending on the type of trip you choose. By hiring the tour with the cheapest company you can spend about 100 euros, specifically, Civitatis is the company focused on the market of our country with Spanish guides to be able to understand and understand well everything they comment on the tour.
The tour begins at the Kiev Central Train Station, from where you will board a bus to travel to Chernobyl. After two hours of travel, you will arrive in Chernobyl to have a unique insight into the horrible experience they lived after the accident.
Where to stay to visit Chernobyl?
There are many centrally located accommodations you can stay in in Kiev. Being in Eastern Europe, hotels and AirBNBs are surprisingly affordable. When you book your Chernobyl tour, check the confirmation to stay near the meeting point. If you are traveling to Chernobyl from the central station, a closer hotel may be a better option, although if you prefer , some tours – especially private ones – offer hotel pickup.
When to visit Chernobyl?
You can book excursions to Chernobyl throughout the year . If you travel between the months of November and February , it will be more special if you like to admire the snowy landscape. It is also a quieter time to visit Chernobyl as most tourists travel in other months with less cold.
