Major city · Ukraine
ChernobylЧорнобиль
Skip for now: guided visits to the Exclusion Zone are suspended and no trip line is published for Ukraine. Read your government's travel advice first.
Chernobyl is the town 15 km south of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the site of the 26 April 1986 reactor accident. The surrounding Exclusion Zone — about 2,600 km2, roughly the size of Luxembourg — was evacuated and remains restricted. Guided tours ran until February 2022 and have not restarted; this page explains what the place is, why access is closed, and what to do instead.
advisory country
More ways in
Local time, weather, currency, airports
- Weather
- see forecast
- Currency
- UAH
- Best months
- No visiting season is open while access is suspended; the zone is closed year-round
- avoid All months while visits are suspended
- Airports
- KBP · IEV
- Nights
- 0
Rules in force · 8Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…Reach this subregion only from the EU side — Romania for …Check your own government travel advice for Ukraine befor…
- Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
- Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
- Eastern Europe ↗Reach this subregion only from the EU side — Romania for Moldova — through crossings run by recognised authorities; no route through Ukraine, Belarus or Russia is planned here.
- Eastern Europe ↗Re-read your government's advice for Moldova (it covers Transnistria) in the week you travel; the situation next door changes fast.
- Eastern Europe ↗Carry euros in cash for Transnistria and village Moldova; cards stop working at the Dniester.
- Ukraine ↗Check your own government travel advice for Ukraine before any booking; advice depends on your passport and changes without notice.
- Ukraine ↗Airspace is closed; entry is by rail or road from Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania or Moldova, with long queues at busy crossings.
- Ukraine ↗Confirm that your travel insurance and medical evacuation cover apply to Ukraine before you rely on it.
What is in this basic guide9 covered · 4 not yet ▾
In this guide
Not in this guide yet
- Walking areas with bag rules
- Day plans checked against opening hours
- Airport-to-bed timings and the last safe connection
- Field-checked times and prices
Emergency numbers for Chernobyl112 ▾
Tap a number to call from your phone. These are the numbers listed in this guide; a row marked check has not been verified.
EssentialsQuick answers and what things cost
Essentials
Quick answers and what things cost
Quick answers
The questions people ask first about Chernobyl, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.
- Cash or card?Cards work widely; carry cash for blackouts: see Insurance & payments above.Ukraine-wide
- SafetyThe zone is closed to visitors and non-essential travel to Ukraine is not advised.
- Emergency numbers112 All emergencies · 101 fire · 102 police (not 911, 999 or 000)
- Your embassyFind your embassy's 24-hour line before you fly.
- AirportKBP Boryspil, Kyiv (Ukrainian airspace is closed; no civil flights.).
- Getting aroundInside the zone there is no public transport and no self-drive access: movement was only ever possible on an organised tour with a fixed route and a…
DecideWhat it is known for, and when the weather works
Decide
What it is known for, and when the weather works
At a glance
What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.
- Airports
- KBP Boryspil, Kyiv (Ukrainian airspace is closed; no civil flights.) · IEV Zhuliany, Kyiv (Closed with the rest of Ukrainian airspace.)
Weather and climate
Chernobyl: next 7 days
Loading forecast…
Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.
Air quality
Loading…
Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.
Jan
−3°C (27°F)27°F (−3°C)
−8°C (18°F)18°F (−8°C)
12 rd
Feb
−2°C (28°F)28°F (−2°C)
−8°C (18°F)18°F (−8°C)
10 rd
Mar
3°C (37°F)37°F (3°C)
−3°C (27°F)27°F (−3°C)
11 rd
Apr
12°C (54°F)54°F (12°C)
3°C (37°F)37°F (3°C)
10 rd
May
20°C (68°F)68°F (20°C)
9°C (48°F)48°F (9°C)
12 rd
Jun
24°C (75°F)75°F (24°C)
13°C (55°F)55°F (13°C)
13 rd
Jul
26°C (79°F)79°F (26°C)
15°C (59°F)59°F (15°C)
12 rd
Aug
25°C (77°F)77°F (25°C)
14°C (57°F)57°F (14°C)
10 rd
Sep
19°C (66°F)66°F (19°C)
9°C (48°F)48°F (9°C)
10 rd
Oct
11°C (52°F)52°F (11°C)
4°C (39°F)39°F (4°C)
10 rd
Nov
4°C (39°F)39°F (4°C)
−1°C (30°F)30°F (−1°C)
11 rd
Dec
−1°C (30°F)30°F (−1°C)
−6°C (21°F)21°F (−6°C)
12 rd
High / low, both scales · rd = rain days
Arrive & moveAirports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in
Arrive & move
Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in
Getting around
Inside the zone there is no public transport and no self-drive access: movement was only ever possible on an organised tour with a fixed route and a guide. With visits suspended, there is nothing to arrange. The plant is about 100 km north of Kyiv, near the Belarus border.
Nearest full guides
Straight-line distance, not travel time
See & doDay-trips, door to door
See & do
Day-trips, door to door
Day-trips
Door to door: About 2 h by road from the zone
Road or rail from central Ukraine, about 100 km (62 mi) south of the plantRoad or rail from central Ukraine, about 62 mi (100 km) south of the plant
The practical base for the region; check current conditions before travelling.
Zhytomyr
cautionDoor to door: About 2–3 h from Kyiv
Road or rail west of Kyiv
Only with current travel advice checked.
Cherkasy
cautionDoor to door: About 3 h from Kyiv
Road or rail south-east of Kyiv
Only with current travel advice checked.
Eat & sleepWhich area to sleep in
Eat & sleep
Which area to sleep in
Where to sleep
Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.
Chernobyl town
Inhabited again by workers; radiation levels here are about the same as in Kyiv. No tourist beds while access is suspended.
Slavutych
Purpose-built town north of the zone for plant workers and their families; not a tourist base.
Kyiv
The only practical base for anything in central Ukraine; about 100 km (62 mi) south of the plant.The only practical base for anything in central Ukraine; about 62 mi (100 km) south of the plant.
PracticalWhat a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card
Practical
What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card
Cost per day
- Budget
- UAH 800–1,200 excl. bed (check)
- Mid
- UAH 1,500–2,500 excl. bed (check)
- High
- UAH 3,000+ excl. bed (check)
Watch out
Safety
- Access to the Exclusion Zone is restricted and guided visits are suspended; do not travel to the zone on your own.
- Non-essential travel to Ukraine is not advised by most Western governments; check your own government's advice before any planning.
- Radiation is not uniform: hot spots remain, and some liquidation vehicles are still lethally radioactive.
- Do not trust operators selling Chernobyl tours for 2026 — confirm any restart with an official Ukrainian source first.
Emergency numbers
- All emergencies
- 112
- Fire
- 101
- Police
- 102
- Ambulance
- 103
Pocket card
Fill in, then print or save as PDF
Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.
ChernobylЧорнобиль
Pocket card · Voykit
My bed tonight
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За цією адресою, будь ласкаTo this address, please
Emergency
- All emergencies112
- Fire101
- Police102
- Ambulance103
Embassy
Most embassies are in Kyiv; check your own government's list before travelling.
My embassy: —
Say or show
- Добрий день — Hello (dobryy den)
- Дякую — Thank you (dyakuyu)
- Вибачте — Excuse me (vybachte)
- Допоможіть — Help (dopomozhit)
- Де укриття? — Where is the shelter? (de ukryttya)
- Я не розумію — I don't understand (ya ne rozumiyu)
No tourist services are operating in the Exclusion Zone; this card is for emergencies only.
Deep diveWhat this guide covers so far, and its sources
Deep dive
What this guide covers so far, and its sources
Not a trip line yet
This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Chernobyl. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.
What we know, and what is coming
On this page
- Best months: No visiting season is open while access is suspended; the zone is closed year-round · avoid All months while visits are suspended
- 2 airports and 3 areas to sleep in
- Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
- Cost per day in 3 bands
- 3 day-trips, door to door
- 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers
Coming as the guide grows
- Reopen watch: track official Ukrainian statements on Exclusion Zone access and update the decision line the day tours restart.
- Operator check: verify any future tour licence, route and dosimeter policy against an official source.
- Kyiv base page: arrival, air-raid rules and current transport, so the region has one usable anchor.
- Pripyat and plant place pages held until access is confirmed.