Kiev

Photo © KleineGans

Introduction

St.Sophia Cathedral

Kiev is the capital of Ukraine and with almost 3 million people it is also the largest. It is located in the central north of the country along the Dnjepr River. The city (and the country in general) have become more popular during the last years and it is not difficult to see why when you just walk around this impressive city. On the one hand, there are the typical wide 6 lane boulevards with massive buildings alongside and monuments for everything and everyone, on the other hand it has some beautiful Orthodox churches like the St. Sophia Cathedral. The Monastery of the Caves is another highlight places on the UNESCO World Heritage List. 'Maidan' or Independence Square and the Khreschatyk boulevard are the heart of the city where you will find good food and excellent nightlife as well. The welcome mix of new and old makes this city a place to spend a few days before exploring the rest of the country.

edit

Neighbourhoods

edit

Sights and Activities

St. Sophia Cathedral - Original, 13th century cathedral modelled on Aya Sophia in Istanbul
The Lavra caves - Place of pilgrimage for Ukrainian Orthodox followers, a large complex of parks, churches and the 'caves', including underground chapels and corridors lined with the preserved bodies of priests in glass coffins. Do not wear shorts; women must cover their head and cannot wear trousers - you can hire coverings and skirts there, but expect to queue to do so. The caves are free, but entry to the complex requires tickets
Andreyvskiy Spusk - a traditionally Bohemian street in the north part of the centre of Kiev containing bric-a-brac and souvenir stalls and several small, fascinating museums
The Museum of Folk Art and Architecture - located in a village 40 minutes south of Kiev (at the end of the line of local bus 156) contains traditional houses, windmills etc. saved from all around the country.

edit

Events and Festivals

edit

Weather

Kiev is cold and dismal between November and April. The best time to visit is in the summer months when the weather is generally warm and sunny with temperatures averaging 25 °C during the day from June to August. Highs of 35 °C have been recorded though, as well as winternights way below -20 °C. Precipitation is fairly even throughout the year, with some more rain in summer though and snowfall in during winter.

edit

Getting There

By Plane

Boryspil International Airport (KBP) near the capital is the base of Ukraine International Airlines, the national airline of Ukraine. International destinations of the airline include Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Dubai, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Kuwait, Lisbon, London, Manchester, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Rome, Tbilisi, Vienna and Zürich.
Aerosvit Airlines is an even bigger airline and has destinations further away like Shanghai, Beijing, Almaty, Bangkok, Toronto, Delhi and New York. Several dozen other airlines serve Kiev as well, mainly from European cities and former Soviet Union Republics.

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

edit

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

The metro system is extensive and co-ordinates with local minibuses. Buy plastic tokens for the metro in the entrance hall to each metro station. Metro maps and station signs are all in Cyrillic.

By Foot

Central Kiev and the main sites can be reached by foot. The Caves Monastery requires using public transport (or a much longer walk) - take the metro to Arsenalna and follow the main road east/southeast.

By Bike

Kiev is not a good city for cycling around.

edit

Eat

edit

Drink

edit

Sleep

Budget

Property	Address	Type	Popularity
HI Hostel Really Central Kiev	10, Bogdana Khmelnitskogo str. Floor 2. Apt. 50	Hostel	91
Hi Independence Square Hostel	12, Kropyvnytskogo str. floor 5. apartment 18,	Hostel	90
Hostelukraine Kiev Backpackers	28 Yaroslaviv Val str., 4th floor Apt. 13	Hostel	83
International Youth Hostel Kiev	52-A, Artema street Korpus 2, 8th floor	Hostel	73
International Youth Hostel Yaroslav	10, Yaroslavska str.	Hostel	72
Kiev Central Apartment	3 Basseina Street 8 Yaroslaviv Val St, Kiev, Ukraine	Apartment	-
Kiev Lodging Hostel	5 Pushkinskaya str., 2nd floor, apt. 10	Hostel	87
Kiev-Art Hostel	Konstantinovskaya 20, office 29	Hostel	82
Lvivska Brama	10, Artema str. Apt. 15. Floor 2	Hostel	-
One Step Independence Square Hostel	Prorizna str. 18/1 G Floor 4. Apt. 35	Hostel	88
Perova Apartment	blv Perova 16-v ap.3	Apartment	89
TIU - Kiev Central Station	Gogolivska 25 Apt 15	Hostel	88
TIU Chillout Hostel Kiev	Gorkogo 22B/35	Hostel	89
TIU KievBackpackers	Apt 15 Krasnoarmejska st 18	Hostel	85
TIU Kreschatik	Apt 11 Kreschatik 8b	Hostel	90
KievRent Apartments	20 Malaya Zhitomirskaya str office 31 entrance code 340	Apartment	-
welcome 2 kiev Apartment	10 Lesi Ukrainki blv	Apartment	-
Lybid Hotel	1 Peremohy Square	Hotel	-
City Center Hostel	Sofiivska Str. Nr 2 apt. Nr 10	Hostel	91
Hotel Golosiyvski	avenue, 40-richcha Zhovtnya 93	Hotel	-
Ecotel Nivki	16-E Akademika Tupoleva street	HOTEL	-
Dream Hostel Kiev	47 Chervonoarmiis'ka St.	HOSTEL	91
Salve Hostel	18/1G, Prorizna Street, Floor 6, Apt. 46	HOSTEL	87
DiscoverKyiv	Kiev, Shevchenka alley, 13/21, office 412	APARTMENT	79
Uavoyage	5 Mala Zhytomyrs'ka Street	Apartment	-
Eurohostel Kiev	apt. 31, bldg. 11, blvd. Lesi Ukrainki, Kiev,	Hostel	-
Why not? Kiev	Saksahanskoho Street 30/3A	Hostel	83
Art Lounge Hostel	18B(Б) Horkoho (Antonovycha) str., apt. 14	HOSTEL	88
St.Sophia Hostel	Heorhiivs'kyi lane 2, Apt.2, Floor 1	HOSTEL	85
Golden Gate Properties Kiev	Lyesnko 4	Apartment	-
Magic Bus Kiev	31 Saksaganskogo Str, apt.3	HOSTEL	85
DiscoverKiev Hostel	Kiev, Shevchenka alley, 13/21, office 412	HOSTEL	-
D'Lux Kiev Hostel	10 Observatorna, 6th floor, apr. 6	HOSTEL	89
Main Square Hostel	Prorizna street 7..apt 72 .4th Floor	HOSTEL	85
Hotel Mir	70, 40-richya Zhovtnya Av.	Hotel	-
Hostel Kozatskiy on Antonova	Aviakonstruktora Antonova 2/32 block 76	HOTEL	-
Hostel Kiev city center	Pushkinskaya str. 5	Hostel	85
BBQ Hostel	Krushinka Village Lesna Street building 1	HOSTEL	-
Dream House Hostel & Bar	2D Andriyivskyy Uzviz	HOSTEL	92
HOLLYWOOD VIP Hostel	Kiev Gor'kogo str, 16, ap.9	Hostel	-
The Hub	5A Tereschankivska st	HOSTEL	86
Vydubychi	4, Promyslova St.	HOSTEL	-
Status Apartments Mini-Hotel	Mikhailovskaya Str., 24v	APARTMENT	-
Hotel President-Kiev	12, Hospitalna Street	HOTEL	-
Hotel Express	38/40 Shevchenko Blv, Kiev, Ukraine, 01032	HOTEL	-
Park Hostel Kiev	Lane Zadorozhnyi, Building 5, Block 2	HOSTEL	71
Mila	Kosmichna str., bldg 6, apt. 21	HOSTEL	-
Ars Hostel	16, Pecheniz	HOSTEL	-
Smart Hostel Kiev	Predslavinskaya str. 12	HOSTEL	86
Green Hostel Kiev	Berdyanskaya 12	HOSTEL	-
ZigZag Hostel	3A Gor'kogo str., 6th floor, apt. 18	HOSTEL	86
Kiev Reunion Hostel	Kreshatik 29, 7th floor, apt. 48	HOSTEL	-
Novos Hostel	Trehsvatitelska str. 3. apt, 28	HOSTEL	-
Hostel Delil	14b, Jaroslavov Val street, Apt. 27	HOSTEL	-
Red Villa	Voroshulova, 5a St	APARTMENT	-
hostel Brama	Artema str. 10, apt 15	Hostel	-
Olive Hostel Kiev	Ul. Schota Ustaveli 29B, kv. 11	HOSTEL	90
Mini Hostel Kiev	43, Chervonoarmiis'ka St.	HOSTEL	-
IrinApartments	Teremkovskaya 2G	APARTMENT	-
Apart-hostel Capital	Yaroslaviv Val Str. 26 Apt.5 (3rd floor)	HOSTEL	-
Panorama Hostel	Dniprovska Embankment, Building 1, Apt.39. Floor 1	HOSTEL	-
VMB House	Svyatoshinskaya ploscha 1, app 127	HOSTEL	-
Roots Kiev Hostel	Proreznaya 23 Apt. 5	HOSTEL	73
Rusanovka House	Rusanivska Naberegna 22	GUESTHOUSE	-
Darwin House	Khreschatyk Str. 21 entance 5, floor 4	HOSTEL	84
Livoberezhna Apartment	Chelyabins'ka 19/68	APARTMENT	-
Kiev Apartments Euro 2012	13, Akhmatova Anna Street	APARTMENT	-
Korona Hostel	5, Boryspilska Str, Chubynske	HOSTEL	-
LabHostel on Chapayeva	ul. Chapayeva 12, kv. 8	APARTMENT	-
LabHostel on Levoberezhnaya	ul. Sadova 23, bud. 14	HOSTEL	-
LabHostel on Podol	Nizhneyurkovskaya 31a	HOSTEL	-
Main square hostel	Prorizna str 7 apt 72 4th Floor dial on the door 72k	Hostel	92
Hostival-Kiev	3 Metalistiv St	Hostel	-
Plus Hostel	12 Predslavinskaya str. 03150 Entrance from the street	Hostel	-
Hostel Looks	26/24, Mejigirska Str, Apart. 19	HOSTEL	-
Real Club Hostel	Kropivnickogo street 6	HOSTEL	-
Hostel Comfort	Electrical Engineering st., 18 (Troyeshchina)	HOSTEL	-
Gagarin Hostel	11, Pervomaiskoho Leonida Str	HOSTEL	86
5 Doors Hostel	6, Krutyi Uzviz Street, appartment 34	HOSTEL	86
City Hostel Kiev	28 Sadovaya	HOSTEL	-
B-63 Hostel	Vyshhorods'ka St, 63	HOSTEL	-
Sunland hostel	Chervonoarmijs'ka str, 42, apt 9	HOSTEL	78
ZZZ Guesthouse	Hor'koho Str., 91/14, Apt. 7, 3rd floor	GUESTHOUSE	-
Promenada Guesthouse	29 Ovruchskaya Street	GUESTHOUSE	-
Khreshchatyk Central Hostel	1/10, Bankova Street, Kiev	HOSTEL	-
Honey Rest House	Kievskaya Oblast, Makarovsky region, Village Berez	GUESTHOUSE	-
Pumba Hostel	Simona Petlyury St, 18, Kiev	HOSTEL	-
United Hostel	Kostelnaya 9 st., ap. 5	HOSTEL	-
Kiev Style Hostel	Khreshatik Street 15 ap 138	HOSTEL	-
Ester Hostel	Bolshaya Vasilkovskaya, 111\|113 str	HOSTEL	-
Abrikos Hostel	Ul. Abrikosovaja 8 Ul.Marshala Grechko 7	HOSTEL	-
Hostel Crown	ul. Sribnokil'skaya 1 Podezd 1, floor 15, ap. 101	HOSTEL	-

Mid-Range

Hotel Turist on the East bank: Kiev's biggest hotel; 27 floors, you might be lucky and get a good view back towards the city centre. Price includes breakfast (unusual in Ukraine).

Upscale

edit

Work

edit

Learn

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

edit

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

Post

Ukraine Poshta is the national postal service of Ukraine (website is rather slow and not always working). Unfortunately, the postal service in Ukraine is unreliable or at least inefficient and slow. Most packages get stolen or searched for things that can be sold. Post offices exist in all cities and towns and postcards can be sent quite safely, but the service may be slow. Like many other businesses, post offices are open from around 9:00am to 6:00pm with a lunchbreak between 1:00pm and 2:00pm, though opening times may vary. Smaller ones in rural towns keep shorter hours, while the largest ones in Kiev are usually open very late, during weekends or even 24 hours! If you want to send a letter or postcard and buy stamps, just queue up at the line where you see envelops and cards. Be prepared to wait a while, also regarding the time it takes to send a postcard to Europe (a week) or the USA (two weeks), let alone places further afield. Always send letters by airmail (avia in Ukrainian). For faster (but more expensive) sendings of parcels, try companies like TNT, DHL, UPS or FedEx.