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Kiev

Photo © KleineGans

Travel Guide Europe Ukraine Kiev

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Introduction

St.Sophia Cathedral

St.Sophia Cathedral

© All Rights Reserved galka_mak

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.

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Neighbourhoods

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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.

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Events and Festivals

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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.

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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

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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.

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Eat

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Drink

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Sleep

Budget

PropertyAddressTypePopularity
HI Hostel Really Central Kiev10, Bogdana Khmelnitskogo str. Floor 2. Apt. 50Hostel91
Hi Independence Square Hostel12, Kropyvnytskogo str. floor 5. apartment 18,Hostel90
Hostelukraine Kiev Backpackers28 Yaroslaviv Val str., 4th floor Apt. 13Hostel83
International Youth Hostel Kiev52-A, Artema street Korpus 2, 8th floorHostel73
International Youth Hostel Yaroslav10, Yaroslavska str.Hostel72
Kiev Central Apartment3 Basseina Street 8 Yaroslaviv Val St, Kiev, UkraineApartment-
Kiev Lodging Hostel5 Pushkinskaya str., 2nd floor, apt. 10Hostel87
Kiev-Art HostelKonstantinovskaya 20, office 29Hostel82
Lvivska Brama10, Artema str. Apt. 15. Floor 2Hostel-
One Step Independence Square HostelProrizna str. 18/1 G Floor 4. Apt. 35Hostel88
Perova Apartmentblv Perova 16-v ap.3Apartment89
TIU - Kiev Central StationGogolivska 25 Apt 15Hostel88
TIU Chillout Hostel KievGorkogo 22B/35Hostel89
TIU KievBackpackersApt 15 Krasnoarmejska st 18Hostel85
TIU KreschatikApt 11 Kreschatik 8bHostel90
KievRent Apartments20 Malaya Zhitomirskaya str office 31 entrance code 340Apartment-
welcome 2 kiev Apartment10 Lesi Ukrainki blvApartment-
Lybid Hotel1 Peremohy SquareHotel-
City Center HostelSofiivska Str. Nr 2 apt. Nr 10Hostel91
Hotel Golosiyvskiavenue, 40-richcha Zhovtnya 93Hotel-
Ecotel Nivki16-E Akademika Tupoleva streetHOTEL-
Dream Hostel Kiev47 Chervonoarmiis'ka St.HOSTEL91
Salve Hostel18/1G, Prorizna Street, Floor 6, Apt. 46HOSTEL87
DiscoverKyivKiev, Shevchenka alley, 13/21, office 412APARTMENT79
Uavoyage5 Mala Zhytomyrs'ka StreetApartment-
Eurohostel Kievapt. 31, bldg. 11, blvd. Lesi Ukrainki, Kiev,Hostel-
Why not? KievSaksahanskoho Street 30/3AHostel83
Art Lounge Hostel18B(Б) Horkoho (Antonovycha) str., apt. 14HOSTEL88
St.Sophia HostelHeorhiivs'kyi lane 2, Apt.2, Floor 1HOSTEL85
Golden Gate Properties KievLyesnko 4Apartment-
Magic Bus Kiev31 Saksaganskogo Str, apt.3HOSTEL85
DiscoverKiev HostelKiev, Shevchenka alley, 13/21, office 412HOSTEL-
D'Lux Kiev Hostel10 Observatorna, 6th floor, apr. 6HOSTEL89
Main Square HostelProrizna street 7..apt 72 .4th FloorHOSTEL85
Hotel Mir70, 40-richya Zhovtnya Av.Hotel-
Hostel Kozatskiy on AntonovaAviakonstruktora Antonova 2/32 block 76HOTEL-
Hostel Kiev city centerPushkinskaya str. 5Hostel85
BBQ HostelKrushinka Village Lesna Street building 1HOSTEL-
Dream House Hostel & Bar2D Andriyivskyy UzvizHOSTEL92
HOLLYWOOD VIP HostelKiev Gor'kogo str, 16, ap.9Hostel-
The Hub5A Tereschankivska stHOSTEL86
Vydubychi4, Promyslova St.HOSTEL-
Status Apartments Mini-HotelMikhailovskaya Str., 24vAPARTMENT-
Hotel President-Kiev12, Hospitalna StreetHOTEL-
Hotel Express38/40 Shevchenko Blv, Kiev, Ukraine, 01032HOTEL-
Park Hostel KievLane Zadorozhnyi, Building 5, Block 2HOSTEL71
MilaKosmichna str., bldg 6, apt. 21HOSTEL-
Ars Hostel16, PechenizHOSTEL-
Smart Hostel KievPredslavinskaya str. 12HOSTEL86
Green Hostel KievBerdyanskaya 12HOSTEL-
ZigZag Hostel3A Gor'kogo str., 6th floor, apt. 18HOSTEL86
Kiev Reunion HostelKreshatik 29, 7th floor, apt. 48HOSTEL-
Novos HostelTrehsvatitelska str. 3. apt, 28HOSTEL-
Hostel Delil14b, Jaroslavov Val street, Apt. 27HOSTEL-
Red VillaVoroshulova, 5a StAPARTMENT-
hostel BramaArtema str. 10, apt 15Hostel-
Olive Hostel KievUl. Schota Ustaveli 29B, kv. 11HOSTEL90
Mini Hostel Kiev43, Chervonoarmiis'ka St.HOSTEL-
IrinApartmentsTeremkovskaya 2GAPARTMENT-
Apart-hostel CapitalYaroslaviv Val Str. 26 Apt.5 (3rd floor)HOSTEL-
Panorama HostelDniprovska Embankment, Building 1, Apt.39. Floor 1HOSTEL-
VMB HouseSvyatoshinskaya ploscha 1, app 127HOSTEL-
Roots Kiev HostelProreznaya 23 Apt. 5HOSTEL73
Rusanovka HouseRusanivska Naberegna 22GUESTHOUSE-
Darwin HouseKhreschatyk Str. 21 entance 5, floor 4HOSTEL84
Livoberezhna ApartmentChelyabins'ka 19/68APARTMENT-
Kiev Apartments Euro 201213, Akhmatova Anna StreetAPARTMENT-
Korona Hostel5, Boryspilska Str, ChubynskeHOSTEL-
LabHostel on Chapayevaul. Chapayeva 12, kv. 8APARTMENT-
LabHostel on Levoberezhnayaul. Sadova 23, bud. 14HOSTEL-
LabHostel on PodolNizhneyurkovskaya 31aHOSTEL-
Main square hostelProrizna str 7 apt 72 4th Floor dial on the door 72kHostel92
Hostival-Kiev3 Metalistiv StHostel-
Plus Hostel12 Predslavinskaya str. 03150 Entrance from the streetHostel-
Hostel Looks26/24, Mejigirska Str, Apart. 19HOSTEL-
Real Club HostelKropivnickogo street 6HOSTEL-
Hostel ComfortElectrical Engineering st., 18 (Troyeshchina)HOSTEL-
Gagarin Hostel11, Pervomaiskoho Leonida StrHOSTEL86
5 Doors Hostel6, Krutyi Uzviz Street, appartment 34HOSTEL86
City Hostel Kiev28 SadovayaHOSTEL-
B-63 HostelVyshhorods'ka St, 63HOSTEL-
Sunland hostelChervonoarmijs'ka str, 42, apt 9HOSTEL78
ZZZ GuesthouseHor'koho Str., 91/14, Apt. 7, 3rd floorGUESTHOUSE-
Promenada Guesthouse29 Ovruchskaya StreetGUESTHOUSE-
Khreshchatyk Central Hostel1/10, Bankova Street, KievHOSTEL-
Honey Rest HouseKievskaya Oblast, Makarovsky region, Village BerezGUESTHOUSE-
Pumba HostelSimona Petlyury St, 18, KievHOSTEL-
United HostelKostelnaya 9 st., ap. 5HOSTEL-
Kiev Style HostelKhreshatik Street 15 ap 138HOSTEL-
Ester HostelBolshaya Vasilkovskaya, 111|113 strHOSTEL-
Abrikos HostelUl. Abrikosovaja 8 Ul.Marshala Grechko 7HOSTEL-
Hostel Crownul. Sribnokil'skaya 1 Podezd 1, floor 15, ap. 101HOSTEL-

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

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Work

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Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

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.

Quick Facts

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Coordinates
  • Latitude: 50.44222
  • Longitude: 30.536718

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This is version 32. Last edited at 20:03 on May 17, 13 by katebum. 66 articles link to this page.

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