Teplodar - city of regional significance in Odesa Oblast, Ukraine

Teplodar (Ukrainian: Теплодар) is a town in Southern Ukraine, near Odesa. It was planned as the support town of a double reactor nuclear heat and power plant. Plans to build the plant were abandoned after the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Teplodar is a rarity as, contrary to normal Soviet practice, the town was built in 1979 to 1986 before the nuclear plant had been constructed.

Understand

Teplodar is Russian speaking but you will find a few that speak Moldovan, Ukrainian and very few that speak English. There is a school, medical centre and a number of small shops. Most workers commute to Odesa or to the 7km Market. The city is quite poor by Ukrainian standards and typically not much money is put into infrastructure. Medical facilities are very poor.

Get in

There are really only two ways to get to Teplodar. By small bus (marshrutka) or car.

• Teplodar marshrutka (number 75) leaves the Privos market area close to the main rail station in Odesa and arrives outside the only supermarket in Teplodar (Silpo). A typical marshrutka hold around 14-16 persons and leave Odesa when filled. Hours of operation are about 06:00 until about 20:30. The journey takes about 30-40 minutes.
• Driving from Odesa you go to the check point on the outer limits of the city and you have the choice of the M15 or M16 roads. Teplodar is about 40 km by road from Odesa center.

Get around

You either walk or use the car you arrived in. Walking is almost the universal method to navigate Teplodar. Everything in Teplodar is no more than a 10-minute walk from your point of departure.

See

No attractions of note. Most people that come to this city are visiting friends or a local business. Teplodar has one church (Orthodox) and a motocross facility. The city is approx one kilometer square. Lots of footpaths to keep an avid fitness freak happy. Like most places in Ukraine some sections of footpaths are not for the faint hearted and you must be careful at night only because of the condition of the footpaths. Maintenance and good quality are not words that resonate deeply within the Ukrainian psyche. However it is very safe in terms of low (or near to zero) crime rate.

Do

Nothing of note unless you are a motocross fanatic. The motocross facility operates during summer only for organised events.

Buy

No souvenirs but you can buy essentials like flowers, chocolates, spirits/beer, small gifts, etc. You really need to travel to Odesa and visit shopping areas, bazaars or the world famous 7km Market on the outskirts of Odesa to find what travellers like to buy.

Eat

Not much to choose from: most people cook their own. There is only one supermarket called Silpo (part of a national food chain). Silpo has a reasonable selection of foods. If you like bazaar type food then the local bazaar operates every day of the year. There are some good clean shops that sell excellent Ukrainian food essentials.

• Metro Restaurant, Generala Plieva Street (behind the police station). Open 7 days including all holidays from noon to midnight (sometimes later). Ukrainian (and western) cuisine, good service, modern clean throughout, excellent clean toilets, underground but very spacious, good music system plus TV in every room, dance floor, excellent wine selection.

Drink

More than a few bars are available if you prefer to mix with the locals. Only one bar that would qualify as being up to a good standard. Disco in the community centre on Friday and Saturday nights. Dress code anywhere in Teplodar is neat casual. No safety concerns as the crime rate is near zero, all venues are solo-woman friendly.

Sleep

There are no accommodation facilities in Teplodar other than private.

Go next

The only way out is the same way you arrived by car or bus. See "#Get in" section above.