Bendery

Bendery (Russian: Бендеры; Romanian: Bender or Tighina) is a city in the unrecognized republic of Transnistria, on the west or right bank of the Dniestr River.

A street in Bender

Bendery fortress

The prettier of the two stations, Bender 1 sees far less traffic than Bender 2

Frequent buses and marshrutkas stop here en route from Chișinău, Căușeni and Tiraspol. Trolley bus 19 from Tiraspol costs 1.6 руб, tickets are sold by the conductor. Trains used to run from Bender 2 station to Chișinău, Odesa and even Moscow before the war in Ukraine started.

You can explore the city easily on foot.

The town is pleasant to walk through. You'll notice a fortified Russian checkpoint on the bridge leading across the Dniestr, these are the local peacekeeping forces. Nearby is a monument to "independence" conflict. The bus terminal is a nice example of Soviet bus terminal design.

• 🌍 Bendery Fortress. A 16th-century Ottoman fortification overlooking the river, restored and open to the public. There is a terrifying collection of torture devices from the period. Outside is the newer Alexander Nevsky Church which is well worth a visit. (updated Sep 2019)

In the nearby village of Varnita there is a monument in memory of the skirmishes (famous in Swedish history as kalabaliken) during which Charles XII, king of Sweden, was taken prisoner by Turkish forces (1713), after having been in the city as a refugee following the battle of Poltava. See Swedish Empire for context.

• The main train station is worth seeing. It has some interesting architecture and the tracks can be explored, as the line has been closed since the conflict in Crimea.
• To the left of the station (looking towards the front of it) is an old Soviet train which houses a free museum (closed on Sundays).
• Visit Gorky’s Cinema for its grand Soviet-era building, particularly the main lobby. Opposite in Scuarul Comsomolului Leninist Park is a statue of Lenin.

There's a nice Uzbek restaurant nearby the bus terminal. The owner also speaks some English. If you are looking for a western style food place then you can visit Andy's Pizza which is in the middle of Bendery one block away from Supermarket Sheriff.

Upstairs inside the Soviet-era bus station, CCCP is a Soviet-style canteen serving surprisingly tasty food for €2-5.

The local wine represents good value. The quality is higher than the price suggests, it's well worth trying.

• 🌍 Tiraspol (take trolleybus 19 or marshrutka 20 from Sergey Lazo street). 
• Chisinău there are minivan services that run from the Bender main bus station until around 17:30 (as of 2024). You can buy tickets from the ticket office at the station. Minivan services that run from Tiraspol to Chisinău (last service from Tiraspol 19:30 and it takes around 15 min to reach Bender) might also stop by the same place (buy tickets directly from the driver).