MiGs, Stars & Magic Books: A Brief History of Trespassing in Moscow
An illustrated guide to urban exploration in the Russian capital.
Since 2015 I have been running small group tours that particularly focus on the idea of communist heritage in post-communist space. Starting out with one seven-day itinerary in Bulgaria, my tour programme has since grown to cover a total of seven countries and one post-Soviet frozen conflict zone. In 2017 I began designing and leading tours for Atlas Obscura too, bringing my lovingly-crafted itineraries to a larger audience than ever before.
There’s only one of me though… groups are small and interest is high, so places tend to fill up fast. Send me a message to be added to the mailing list for advance notice of new routes.
“Darmon Richter really likes monuments. Really. … He’s full of dates and figures, but also clearly able to see how stories tie together – connections he made not just from reading the limited literature about monuments throughout the Slavic world but from interviewing scores of people about their lived history. His passion is infectious.” – Ann Abel, Forbes
Across the Iron Curtain
Germany – Poland – Slovakia
3–15 October 2025
A Road Trip from Berlin to Bratislava
Details and itinerary
I don’t like package tours… and that’s why the trips listed on this page probably won’t feel like any conventional tour you’ve been on before. Think of this more as a road trip with friends you haven’t met yet – and with an itinerary that’s fluid enough to allow for spontaneous distractions and photo stops.
It’s a road trip packed full of history and architecture, with deep immersion into local cultures, and a diverse range of local expert guest speakers. I believe the result is something quite special… and ever since I ran my first tour back in May 2015, every tour since (barring the Covid era!) has sold out fast.
The following list details every tour I have designed and led since 2015. While initially offered solely through this website, later trips have also been run in collaboration with Yomadic [XY], and with Atlas Obscura [AO].
October 2024 – Germany, Poland, Slovakia, 12 days – ‘Across the Iron Curtain’
September 2023 – Serbia, Croatia, B&H, 12 days – ‘Past Future Monuments of the Balkans’ [AO]
May 2023 – Bulgaria, 9 days – ‘Journey Into Bulgaria’ [AO]
October 2022 – Serbia, Croatia, B&H, 12 days – ‘Past Future Monuments of the Balkans’ [AO]
September 2022 – Bulgaria, 8 days – ‘Journey Into Bulgaria’ [AO]
July 2022 – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, 11 days – ‘Baltic Odyssey’ [AO]
May 2022 – Bulgaria, 8 days – ‘Journey Into Bulgaria’ [AO]
April 2022 – Serbia, Croatia, B&H, 12 days – ‘Past Future Monuments of the Balkans’ [AO]
September 2021 – Ukraine, 6 days – ‘Chernobyl by Day, Kyiv by Night’ [AO]
January 2020 – Ukraine, 8 days – ‘Chernobyl Photo Tour’ [AO]
October 2019 – Serbia, Croatia, B&H, 12 days – ‘Past Future Monuments of the Balkans’ [AO]
September 2019 – Ukraine, 6 days – ‘Chernobyl by Day, Kyiv by Night’ [AO]
September 2019 – Ukraine, 6 days – ‘Chernobyl by Day, Kyiv by Night’ [AO]
August 2019 – Ukraine, Moldova, Transnistria, 10 days – ‘The Borders of Bessarabia’ [AO]
May 2019 – Bulgaria, 8 days – ‘Journey Into Bulgaria’ [AO]
April 2019 – Serbia, Croatia, B&H, 12 days – ‘Past Future Monuments of the Balkans’ [AO]
January 2019 – Ukraine, 6 days – ‘Ukraine on Ice’ [XY]
January 2019 – Ukraine, 6 days – ‘Ukraine on Ice’ [XY]
December 2018 – Romania, Bulgaria, 12 days – ‘Arkitektour’ [with Authentic Tours]
September 2018 – Serbia, Croatia, B&H, 12 days – ‘Yugoslav Memorial Tour’
September 2018 – Ukraine, 6 days – ‘Chernobyl by Day, Kyiv by Night’ [AO]
August 2018 – Ukraine, Moldova, Transnistria, 10 days – ‘The Borders of Bessarabia’ [AO]
May 2018 – Bulgaria, 8 days – ‘Arkitektour’
April 2018 – Serbia, Croatia, B&H, 12 days – ‘Past Future Monuments of the Balkans’ [AO]
January 2018 – Ukraine, 6 days – ‘Ukraine on Ice’ [XY]
October 2017 – Bulgaria, 8 days – ‘Arkitektour’
September 2017 – Bulgaria, 8 days – ‘Arkitektour’
September 2017 – Ukraine, 6 days – ‘Chernobyl by Day, Kyiv by Night’ [AO]
August 2017 – Ukraine, Moldova, Transnistria, 10 days – ‘Pop-up Tour’ [XY]
May 2017 – Bulgaria, 1 day – ‘Obscura Day’ [AO]
April 2017 – Serbia, Croatia, B&H, 12 days – ‘Yugoslav Memorial Tour’
January 2017 – Bulgaria, 5 days – ‘Journey Into Bulgaria’ [AO]
January 2017 – Ukraine, 7 days – ‘Pop-up Tour’ [XY]
October 2016 – Bulgaria, 8 days – ‘Arkitektour’
September 2016 – Bulgaria, 8 days – ‘Arkitektour’
September 2016 – Ukraine, 7 days – ‘Pop-up Tour’ [XY]
October 2015 – Bulgaria, 7 days – ‘Arkitektour’
September 2015 – Bulgaria, 7 days – ‘Arkitektour’
May 2015 – Bulgaria, 1 day – ‘Obscura Day’ [AO]
Check out the photos from previous tours here.
You can find out what people have said about my tours here.
An illustrated guide to urban exploration in the Russian capital.
Poltergeists, ritual murder & a live-in succubus – the 1000-year-old pub with a ghostly reputation
A month-long monument hunt, and what I learned along the way.