# Ukraine to open Chernobyl to tourists **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 14, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067 "2010-12-14T01:28:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/1 "2010-12-14T01:28:57Z")
Finally! A tourist destination for people who think that going to North Korea is too tame: [Chernobyl](http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/906037--ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-nuclear-disaster-area-to-tourists-in-2011). > [@](#): > > Want a better understanding of the world’s worst nuclear disaster? Come tour the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. > > Beginning next year, Ukraine plans to open up the sealed zone around the Chernobyl reactor to visitors who wish to learn more about the tragedy that occurred nearly a quarter of a century ago… I wonder whether visitors will have to wear those dosimeter badges? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/2 "2010-12-14T02:06:55Z")
You’ll want to avoid the gift shop. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/3 "2010-12-14T03:35:51Z")
I heard that 50,000 people used to live there… now, it’s a ghost town… Watch out for snipers. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/4 "2010-12-14T03:48:42Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I heard that 50,000 people used to live there… now, it’s a ghost town… > > Watch out for snipers. Snipers? Why would there be snipers? /is whooshed ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/5 "2010-12-14T04:21:42Z")
I’d love to go. Chernobyl has fascinated me for a long time and I’m very interested in seeing how nature has recovered and taken back the land. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/6 "2010-12-14T04:28:33Z")
“The first visitors to tour Chernobyl give glowing recommendations! Literally” > [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Snipers? Why would there be snipers? > > /is whooshed A reference to [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.T.A.L.K.E.R.:_Shadow_of_Chernobyl) perhaps. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/7 "2010-12-14T04:48:12Z")
Perhaps if I visit there I can regain my healthy green glow. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/8 "2010-12-14T06:37:15Z")
I found [this](http://www.kiddofspeed.com/) a fascinating read, so it’s a little bit exciting to hear it’s being opened up to tourists. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/9 "2010-12-14T11:56:10Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > A reference to [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.T.A.L.K.E.R.:_Shadow_of_Chernobyl) perhaps. Call of Duty 2: Modern Warfare. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/10 "2010-12-14T15:05:16Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I heard that 50,000 people used to live there… now, it’s a ghost town… > > Watch out for snipers. Hee. I shot Zakaev just last night. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/11 "2010-12-14T15:28:45Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > I found [this](http://www.kiddofspeed.com/) a fascinating read, so it’s a little bit exciting to hear it’s being opened up to tourists. The place has been open for bus tours, on at least a limited basis, for some time already. The woman from the site to which you linked is widely, and correctly IMO, regarded as a fake. The majority of her photos were taken when she was on the bus tour. The photos that have a motorcycle in them were all taken outside the restricted zone. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/12 "2010-12-14T15:56:50Z")
Take your Rad-X and Rad-away. I read a story about someone who went on one of those tours. The tourists wear dosimeter badges and the tour guide has a Geiger counter with them. It’s all very eerie, very sad. I would love to see it, simply to see a large city as it looks abandoned. The people that lived there were told they could go back “any day now” so they didn’t pack as if they’d never see the place again. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/13 "2010-12-14T16:04:12Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > Take your Rad-X and Rad-away. And watch out for Super Mutants? ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/14 "2010-12-14T16:45:44Z")
“…a quarter of a century ago.” Wow. I feel old. I agree, that would fascinating to go there. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/15 "2010-12-14T17:22:41Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > Take your Rad-X and Rad-away. I read a story about someone who went on one of those tours. The tourists wear dosimeter badges and the tour guide has a Geiger counter with them. It’s all very eerie, very sad. I would love to see it, simply to see a large city as it looks abandoned. The people that lived there were told they could go back “any day now” so they didn’t pack as if they’d never see the place again. Given what I know of Ukrainian laws and their police agencies, power armor and 10mm pistols aren’t out of the question, but you better have _a lot_ of caps. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/16 "2010-12-14T17:29:36Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > And watch out for Super Mutants? And the Enclave soldiers. “War. War never changes.” Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/17 "2010-12-15T19:16:05Z")
The Wikitravel article on Chenobyl strikes me as particularly sad, somehow: [http://wikitravel.org/en/Chernobyl](http://wikitravel.org/en/Chernobyl) > [@](#): > > This amusement park was scheduled to open only four days after the Chernobyl accident, but this never happened. The ferris wheel, swings, bumper cars and the merry-go-round were never used and are now rusting away. I love bumper cars. ☹ BTW, there is in fact a gift shop - also a canteen, though I don’t believe I’d be willing to eat there. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ukraine-to-open-chernobyl-to-tourists/564067/18 "2010-12-15T19:25:02Z")
Is there anything creepier than a rusted out amusement park? That place must be crawling with zombies. Nitpick: The Chernobyl nuclear reactor is not in Chernobyl. It’s in Pripyat.