After more than 30 years since the nuclear power plant explosion, visiting Chernobyl is safer than ever before. The radiation dose you receive during one day inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is equal to a natural radiation level. That dose is 300 times less than you’d receive from an X-ray scanning your entire body at the hospital! To put it into in numbers, you’ll get 3-4 µSv of gamma rays, which is an absolutely harmless radiation dose. A regular airplane flight will most likely give you more radiation than one day in Chernobyl could.
Chernobyl is a must place to visit!
I have been living in Ukraine for more than 25 years and have never been there. Last weekend me and my wife decided to take 2 day tour (of course after watching HBO series=)) Chernobyl Story Tours did a great job with comfortable buses, interestingly storing guide and affordable price. We got tons of emotions and I can’t even image how awesome it would be for a foreign visitor, who has never seen Soviet heritage.
It was amazing trip from Chernobyl Story team. We got private tour and got here with comfort and very good guide. Definitely will get back to Chernobyl place with this company.
I had no plan to visit it, but I was invited to join this group and really missed seeing new place. So, this tour is not funny, but worth seeing. The guide was really professional, could show us everything with experience and emotions. And company gathered was really nice.
Really enjoyed the tour and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in seeing Chernobyl. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. The only thing that could have been better was if we had more time at the site, but I understand that there are limitations on how long you can be there.
I was in Kiev for a few days and wanted to do something different. I had heard about the Chernobyl tour from some friends who had done it. Decided to book it with this company since they were recommended by my friends. The trip was amazing! Chernobylstory has been very helpful in planning my trip, and has answered all of my questions quickly and thoroughly. Thank you so much!
Due to the full-scale war, tours to Chernobyl are not available at the moment. Russian troops destroyed part of the territory, including the Chernobyl zone, which at some point in time was also under the control of Russian forces. After the end of the war, experts will assess the safety of the exclusion zone before tours can be held in this territory. Check up later for updates.
You will visit some. Since our tours are conducted only in places that are safe for humans, you will not be able to visit some of the buildings, as they are not stable due to old age and are subject to reconstruction.
“Elephant’s Foot” is a large formation of corium and other materials that formed under the Chernobyl nuclear power plant near Pripyat, during the Chernobyl disaster in April 1986. This remains an extremely radioactive object, so tours cannot be carried out in this area.
To visit Chernobyl, a medical certificate is not required, however, the tourist should not have medical contraindications (cancer, diabetes and other chronic diseases). During the tour, you can only move with a guide, only in a group and along the established route.
Usually our route from Kyiv to Pripyat takes about 2 hours. The distance between Kyiv and Pripyat is about 136 km. Between the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and Pripyat – 2 km.
Since 2015, our head office has been located in the United Kingdom and our second office in Kyiv, Ukraine. In Ukraine, we a have full infrastructure to support each tourist.
Getting to Chernobyl is easy nowadays. All you need to do is to arrive in Kyiv, and that’s it. The rest is ours. Contact our managers for precise data about transport and addresses.
An all-inclusive Chernobyl tour means that our company provides you with all the necessary services: private transport from/to the airport in a comfortable car, hotel accommodation, additional guided tours, etc. With us, you are all set.
Chernobyl tours are held in English-, and local languages. We speak English fluently, so you will not have any issues understanding us. Additionally we are able to provide you with a translator for your language.
It depends on your preferences. Every season has special charm and leaves you with a different impression of the Chernobyl Zone. In spring, when everything is in blossom but without leaves, guests of the ghost town can see its buildings and take unique photos. In summer, the Zone is green and Pripyat looks like a real “jungle town” showing you the might of nature. In autumn, the Zone is a bit dull and dark, creating heartfelt emotions for tourists and contributing to the tense, spooky ambience. And the Zone’s winter season exposes the real atmosphere of abandoned places for everyone and gives you the chance to see local wildlife, like wolves and warthogs.
Tours to Chernobyl are not more dangerous than trips to any other place on the planet. The level of radiation is high only in certain areas. They are absent in the routes of tourist groups, or guests spend safe periods nearby them. To make sure that you will come back home healthy and happy, our specialists organize dosimeter control sessions twice a day. For a trip, you’ll get a respirator and a Geiger-Muller dosimeter for free.
Yes, and that’s an excellent choice. A 3-hour tour around the plant is in-depth and informative as it is the only atomic power station in the world that’s not being used. You can visit the Chernobyl plant together with a group. In case of an individual tour, you will be able to see the plant for an additional payment (159 euros for a minimum of 2 persons).
No, you don’t need respirators or gas masks to spend time in Chernobyl, Pripyat, and the neighborhood. However, we can provide you with a respirator on request for free when entering Chernobyl, so you feel completely comfortable.
The dose of radiation you will get from one day spent in Chernobyl is equal to a natural radiation level in any other place around the world, or one hour spent in commercial plane flight. You’ll get approximately 3-4 µSv of gamma rays. This dose is totally harmless. For comparison, most nuclear power plants in other countries have their safety level for workers at 50-100 µSv per day.
You can pay for the entire tour while booking (with a credit card or Paypal), make a prepayment of 25% of the total price and pay the rest with cash or by card on the tour day, or you can pay the whole price in cash right inside the tour bus. No booking commissions or tour canceling fees will be taken. In case you paid for the tour in advance, we will give you a 100% money back if you cancel it at least 48 hours before the tour begins. Payments are available in UAH, GBP, or USD. You have an ability to save the payment on balance if you cancel a tour at least 24 hours before the tour begins.
Yes, you are allowed to take photos and shoot videos during the trip. The only areas with photo and video limitation restrictions are the power plant itself, from a spot closer than 200m and the security checkpoints. You can take pictures and videos on the special observation platform at a safe distance from the 4th power plant reactor (Shelter Structure). Amateur and professional camera tripods are also allowed in the Chernobyl Zone, so you can take your equipment. UAV drones can be launched there for additional payment, too (except in restricted places). Please contact our client support department for additional info.
Only persons that are 18 year or older can visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. This is a legal requirement.
The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is an area of special control. In most cases, you are allowed to use personal cars (and busses) inside the Zone with correct permit. Unfortunately, all open vehicles like motorbikes and bicycles are forbidden. If you plan to visit the Zone by personal car, please contact us.
Chernobyl Exclusion Zone hotels have their level of comfort at that of two-star hotels in Europe, however we have to admit, that hotels in Kiev are more comfortable and modern.
We can arrange you a room in any hotel in Kiev (as per your wish) or we can provide you with an option to rent comfortable new apartments close to the Metro station.
Our company can also arrange you a special transfer from the airport, from the apartments or from/to any point in the city.
We would be also glad to organize your breakfast, dinner or supper with catering service or order from any restaurant you choose.
All inquiries are accepted from our tourists and we are ready to assist you with your best memorable stay!
To enter the Zone through the security checkpoints, you`ll need either a valid passport or ID card. The most important thing is to take with you the same document you mentioned when booking the tour. If your passport number has changed since you registered for your tour, please notify us at least one week before the trip. Otherwise, you won’t be able to enter the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
Residents of the following countries entering Ukraine for 90 days or less don’t need a visa: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea (South), Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Vatican, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uzbekistan.
If your country is not on the list, a tourist visa to Ukraine is not difficult to get. You’ll receive an invitation automatically after booking a room in any hotel in Kyiv. In any other case, please, contact us. We’ll be happy to help you with the invitation document to get a visa.
More info: https://mfa.gov.ua/en/consular-affairs/entry-and-stay-foreigners-ukraine
Tour cancelation is possible only in emergency cases (like weather conditions physically blocking access to the Zone, accidents, or official state actions making it impossible, etc.).
Every visitor is obliged to keep up with a dress-code: long-sleeved clothes and closed-toe footwear (you can’t enter the Zone in shorts, flip flops, etc.). Our company also recommends choosing old clothes that can easily be washed or thrown away if needed: be ready for adventures!
Chernobyl city is located approximately 136km from Kyiv, Ukraine. It takes around 2 hours to drive to Chernobyl from Kiev.
The Chernobyl power station is situated at the settlement of Pripyat, 21km northwest of the city of Chernobyl and 156km north of Kyiv, Ukraine.
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the 4th reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, in the city of Pripyat in the north of Ukraine.
Chernobyl is a Ukrainian word for mugwort, a common name for an herbaceous plant. There’s an alternative etymology that Chernobyl was named after a combination of words chornyi and byllia, which literally mean “black grass” or “black stalks”.
See nuclear missiles with the range of 11,000 km and the flight time to the United States of 24 minutes.
See missiles that could cover 200 000 square kilometers
See real soviet fighters
Chernobyl nuclear power plant tours have become a popular tourist destination due to the apocalyptic looks of the area and the atmosphere of silence.
Pripyat has become extremely popular tourist destination, and many choose to book tours to Pripyat to see the town with their own eyes.
We have created a special tour for visitors called “HBO Chernobyl” with the locations from the movie.
The one-day trip gives you the opportunity to immerse into the exact same area where the most dreadful disaster took place. The radiation background is still excessively high in some places, but we offer you a safe route through this dire Zone, together with necessary protection equipment.
The two-day trip to the Chernobyl Zone opens for you the door to this unique place. In this short time, you will get not only the tour around Chernobyl nuclear power plant and Pripyat town, but also the exclusive experience to spend the night in an empty town. This is definitely the deepest dive into the history of the drastic disaster.