An abandoned Soviet city near Chernobyl, empty since the 1986 nuclear disaster. Empty streets, decaying buildings, and a rusting Ferris wheel tell stories of 50,000 former residents.
Located 3 kilometers from the Chernobyl reactor in northern Ukraine, Prypiat has remained untouched since its evacuation in 1986. Walking through its streets, you'll see the iconic Ferris wheel that never welcomed its first riders, classrooms with Soviet-era textbooks still open on desks, and apartment buildings where personal belongings remain exactly as residents left them during the three-hour evacuation.
Getting to Prypiat
You must join an organized tour from Kyiv to enter Prypiat, as the government requires special permits for all visitors. Five tour companies run daily trips from Kyiv, located 110 kilometers away. A standard day tour costs between 100-150 USD, including transportation, permit processing, and mandatory radiation screening.
Safety and Radiation Levels
Your Geiger counter will typically show around 1 microsievert per hour in most areas of Prypiat - similar to what you'd experience during a one-hour flight. Tour guides check radiation levels continuously and follow established safe routes. You'll pass through radiation screening stations before leaving the exclusion zone.
Main Landmarks
The Azure Swimming Pool remained active until 1998, used by cleanup workers. In the kindergarten building, you'll find children's gas masks, small shoes, and Soviet-era toys exactly where evacuees left them. The amusement park, which never opened, includes a Ferris wheel, bumper cars, and a swing boat ride - all scheduled to welcome visitors on May 1, 1986.
Wildlife and Nature
Birch trees and wild grass push through cracks in the concrete streets and building foundations. You might spot wolves, deer, and various bird species that have made their home in the abandoned city. Many smaller buildings have disappeared under dense forest growth, while moss and lichen spread across the concrete walls of larger structures.
About Prypiat
The Soviet government built Prypiat in 1970 as an atomgrad (atomic city). Before evacuation, 49,360 residents lived here, supported by 15 primary schools, a 410-bed hospital complex, and 25 stores. After the Chernobyl disaster on April 27, 1986, authorities evacuated the entire population in just three hours. The government later built Slavutych, a new city specifically for displaced Prypiat residents.
