Kiev

Introduction

St.Sophia Cathedral

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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.

Neighbourhoods

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.

Events and Festivals

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.

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

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.

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

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

Work

Learn

• Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

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.