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Back to the USSR without leaving Chisinau with Lunch & Drink

By Elena's Tours
Free cancellation available
Price is US$1,420 per adult* *Get lower prices by selecting more than 2 adults
See tickets
Features
  • Free cancellation available
  • 5h
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation
  • Multiple languages
Overview

Explore the rise and fall of the Soviet Union in Chișinău on this private walking tour. Starting at the Railway Station, uncover the early hardships of the USSR through poignant monuments and stories of personal experiences. Visit significant sites like the WW2 Memorial, Deportations Monument and Circus, and enjoy a canteen-style lunch at Soviet Bistro, where culinary creativity thrived amid shortages. Traverse through the golden age of Soviet propaganda at cultural landmarks, like Lenin's Monument. Conclude with reflections on the decline and censorship in a hidden bar, with a Soviet-inspired drink. This immersive experience highlights daily life under communism.

  • Duration of ~5 hours, with engaging storytelling and historical visuals
  • Private tour offering an intimate exploration of Soviet life
  • Includes lunch at a local canteen and a drink at a hidden bar
  • Admission to museums, ride on a trolleybus (as needed)
  • Year-round availability

Activity location

  • Eternity Memorial Complex
    • 5 Strada Pantelimon Halippa
    • Chișinău, Chisinau, Moldova

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • The Monument To The Deportees
    • Chișinău, Chisinau, Moldova

Check availability

Back to the USSR without leaving Chisinau with Lunch & Drink
  • Activity duration is 5 hours5h
    5h
  • English
Starting time: 1:00pm
Price details
US$1,419.84 x 1 AdultUS$1,419.84
Total
Price is US$1,419.84
Until Wednesday, 29 Oct
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What's included, what's not

  • What's includedWhat's included
    Entrance fee
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Alcoholic Beverages
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Lunch
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Public transportation

Know before you book

  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Activity itinerary

Eternity Memorial Complex
  • 30m
The Eternity Memorial Complex (Complexul Memorial „Eternitate”) is one of Chișinău’s most striking Soviet-era landmarks. Built in 1975 to honor the Soviet soldiers who died in World War II, the site is immediately recognizable by its five towering reddish-pink granite arms that rise up and meet at the center in the shape of a pyramid. At the heart burns an eternal flame, guarded traditionally by soldiers, symbolizing everlasting remembrance.
Military History Museum
  • 20m
  • Admission ticket included
The National Museum of Military History offers a fascinating, sometimes sobering, look at the country’s complex past through the lens of war and defense. The museum occupies a Soviet-era building and houses an extensive collection that spans from medieval fortifications and weapons to Moldova’s role in the World Wars, Soviet period, and Transnistrian conflict.
Chișinău State Circus
  • 20m
The Chișinău State Circus is one of the city’s most iconic and haunting Soviet landmarks — a grand architectural symbol of the USSR’s optimism. Opened in 1981, it was designed to be among the most impressive circuses in the Soviet Union, hosting over 2,000 spectators beneath a massive concrete dome. The circus was more than entertainment — it was a tool of propaganda, celebrating the idea that socialism could provide joy, culture, and wonder for everyone.
Maria Bieșu National Opera and Ballet Theatre
  • 20m
One of Chișinău’s most elegant Soviet-era creations — a masterpiece of late modernist architecture completed in 1980. Built to project cultural prestige and sophistication, it symbolized the USSR’s ambition to offer “high art for the people." Inside, the theatre continues to host world-class opera and ballet performances, maintaining a tradition that survived the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Parliament of Moldova
  • 30m
  • Admission ticket included
The Parliament of Moldova, housed in a striking white building on Ștefan cel Mare Boulevard, is a classic example of late Soviet monumental architecture adapted for post-independence governance. Completed in 1976, it originally served as the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR — the local legislative body that operated under Moscow’s direction. Today, it remains the seat of Moldova’s democracy, within walls built for a very different system.
Lenin Monument
  • 20m
The city’s last remaining public statue of Vladimir Lenin — a rare survivor from a time when such monuments dominated every town square. Its weathered presence tells a layered story: of power and propaganda, of a system that sought permanence but could not outlast its contradictions.
Press House
  • 30m
Casa Presei (Press House) is an emblematic Soviet-era buildings, constructed in the 1970s to centralize the state’s newspapers, printing presses, and editorial offices. Designed in the heavy, functional style typical of late Soviet modernism, it symbolized the power of information — carefully curated by the state. From here, official narratives were printed and distributed across the republic, shaping public opinion and reinforcing the ideals of socialism.

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    Eternity Memorial Complex
    • 5 Strada Pantelimon Halippa
    • Chișinău, Chisinau, Moldova

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    The Monument To The Deportees
    • Chișinău, Chisinau, Moldova

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