You are carefully planning your trip to Kiev, surfing the internet for information on Kiev’s best sights, restaurants and nightclubs, and thinking about how best to plan your stay, what to see and where to go… You are packing your new camera to take beautiful photos of golden domes, Khreschatik street and Kiev parks… You are thinking what to wear and checking the weather forecast for the days of your visit… In a few days or weeks you will arrive in another world with smiling people , old brick streets, monuments and cathedrals…
Fast facts:
State: capital of Ukraine
Number of regions: 10
Foundation date: 5th century AD
Area: 839 km2
Elevation: 179 m above sea level
Geographical coordinates: latitude 50°27’N; longitude 30°30’E
Climate: moderate continental with mild winter and warm summer
Temperature: the average temperature of kyiv in January is 6 degrees below zero Celsius, the average in June is 20 degrees above zero Celsius; the lowest temperature in winter is 25 degrees below zero Celsius; the highest temperature in summer is 32 degrees above zero centigrade.
Population: 2.6 million (2005)
Density: 3178 people/km2
Car code: AA
Phone code: +380 44
Kyiv Mayor: Leonid Chernovetskiy (since 2006)
Kyiv history
Legend has it that there was a family of princes of three brothers named Kiy, Schek and Khoryv and a sister Lybid. Kiy ruled a powerful Slavic tribe and was looking for a place to establish a new home for his people. When they reached the beautiful hills above the Dnepr river and saw a wonderful panorama of the blue river and seven hills covered with chestnut trees, they liked that place very much and decided to settle there. They established a city and named it kyiv after their older brother Kiy over 1,500 years ago. Prince Kiy and his family lived on one hill, Schek settled on another hill that got the Schekavitsa mane, and Khoryv settled on the third hill called Khorevitsa.
Since 882, kyiv became the capital of the former powerful state called Kievan Rus. In 998, Prince Vladimir of kyiv introduced Christianity to Kievan Rus by baptizing the kyiv population in the Dnepr River. In 1240 the city was demolished by the Mongol-Tatars who invaded Kievan Rus, and was later rebuilt. Since 1362 kyiv and most of the Ukraine belonged to Lithuania and Poland and in 1654 it became part of the Russian Empire and then the USSR.
In 1991, the Ukrainian people voted for Ukrainian independence and kyiv became its capital. Since then it has been the center of the political, economic and cultural life of Ukraine.
In November 2004, Kiev was the center of the Orange Revolution when millions of thousands of Ukrainians protested in the streets against the rigging of the elections and later elected another ruling party and the president of Ukraine.
Accommodation in Kyiv
Most visitors to kyiv prefer apartment or hotel accommodation. Kiev hotels provide security and a certain level of service according to their level (three stars, four stars, five stars), Kiev apartments allow for more privacy and flexibility. An average single room in a Kiev hotel will cost $100-130 per night, while a 1-bedroom apartment with all amenities will cost $40-60 depending on its location, space, and additional facilities like jakuzzi, home theater, etc.
Rating of sights of Kyiv
I recomend you to visit:
Kyiv Golden Gate – the ancient gate of kyiv, which is now in its very center, is made of wood and stone with a small golden dome above
Saint Sophia Cathedral – one of the most beautiful kyiv cathedrals with bell tower and chestnut trees around the cathedral
St. Michael’s Cathedral – newly rebuilt cathedral with beautiful blue walls, ornaments and large golden domes
St. Vladimir’s Cathedral – cathedral in the center of kyiv where official orthodox religious ceremonies take place
Church of Saint Andrew and Andrew Descent (Andreevskiy Spusk) – a popular place among tourists with numerous souvenir stalls, descent of old bricks, art galleries and museums
Kyiv Cave Monastery (Lavra) – the old monastery where you can see the caves where the monks lived in ancient times, several churches and the largest bell tower in kyiv
Museum of Russian Art and Museum of Ukrainian Art – art connoisseurs will be very pleased to see masterpieces of world art in the museums of kyiv
Kyiv Opera and Ballet Theater – a pleasant experience of listening to live classical music and watching dances
Pirogovo ethnic village – the opportunity to see old village houses, windmills and household appliances from different regions of Ukraine
war museum – you can see there numerous tanks and war planes and the gigantic metal statue of the woman who symbolizes the Motherland
Kyiv Botanical Garden – in spring and summer you can see beautiful blooming trees and flowers
Mariinsky Palace – a majestic palace where official government ceremonies take place, it is surrounded by a green park overlooking the Dnepr and its left bank
Independence Square – the very central part of kyiv, from which distances to other cities are calculated, has a large underground shopping center, central post office, banks and restaurants
Khreschatik Street – main street of kyiv where people can walk on the highway on saturdays and sundays
Mount Vladimir – a park on the hill with a large statue symbolizing Prince Vladimir with a cross when he introduced Christianity and baptized the Slavs.
what to wear
If you come to kyiv in the summer, it would be good to bring a summer jacket, jeans and t-shirts, sandals or sneakers and probably shorts or dresses in case of heat. For spring or autumn, it is better to take a few warm things and a jacket. For winter you will need a winter coat or a warm jacket, some sweaters, a scarf, gloves and a hat.
If you enter a church or cathedral, women must cover their heads with a shawl, while men must remove their hats.
Eating in Kyiv
To try the delicious Ukrainian cuisine we recommend the following kyiv restaurants:
Pervak Restaurant – a medium-priced restaurant located at 2, Rognedinskaya St. You can taste borsch and vareniks, small pies and various meat and fish dishes. Dinner will run you around $30-50 per person depending on the food and drink you choose.
Taras Restaurant – located in Shevchenko park, near the main museums of kyiv, near kyiv University. You can order various pancakes, as well as dishes of national cuisine. Dinner will cost you $35-55.
ussr restaurant – located near the Kiev War Museum and the Kiev Lavra Monastery at 42/1 Sichnevogo Povstannya St. and decorated with symbols of the USSR. Dinner will cost you $35-55.
Puzata Khata (House of the Big Belly) Fast food restaurant that combines an original interior in the style of a peasant house, tasty Ukrainian food, a wide variety of dishes and low prices. It is located in the very center, 1/2a Basseinaya St., at the beginning of Khreschatik. Here you can try traditional Ukrainian pampushky, chicken kyiv, different salads and main courses. On the first floor you can also choose one of the many cakes and even order freshly made juice. Dinner cost is $3-10 per person.
Zdorovenky Buly (Good health to you)
It is a very popular fast food restaurant located near the Khreschatik metro station that probably has the largest variety of different foods: salad bar, pancakes, varenyky, pizzas, soups, tasty desserts. Its comfortable rooms are decorated in various styles: Chinese, Indian, Egyptian and Greek. It also has a tea bar with cakes where one can sit and chat. Dinner: $3-10 per person.
Ukrainian souvenirs
You can buy various Ukrainian souvenirs at Andrew Descent (Andreevskiy Spusk): embroidered towels, matryoshkas, painted wooden plates and eggs, glass souvenirs, small dolls in national clothes, paintings and clothes. There is also a souvenir section in the central Kiev magazine (Tsum), located on Khreschatik street and a souvenir shop near the Saint Sophia Cathedral.