If you're planning your first trip to Kiev – Kyiv, congratulations! One of the most underrated European capitals, Kyiv is also one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe that offers travelers a mix of architectural masterpieces, amazing food, legendary nightlife, and beautiful green nature.
Kyiv or Kiev?
"Kiev" is transliterated from Russian, the official language of late USSR. "Kyiv" is transliterated from Ukrainian, which is the official language of Ukraine. The Ukrainian government adopted Kyiv as its standard Latinization in 1995, making Kyiv mandatory for use in legislative and official acts.
The 1500-year-old city, with a population of nearly 3 million people, is known as a green city with two botanical gardens and numerous large and small parks around the city center.
The center of Kyiv is one of the safest cities in the world. It has a good nightlife. Most of the night clubs in Kyiv, including many bars, brasseries, and cafés, is concentrated in the historic center, particularly along the crowded Khreschatyk Street, a very frequented by tourists and foreigners. On weekends and public holidays, the main street of Khreschatyk is closed to car traffic, becoming the area with the most active nightlife in Kyiv.
When to go
Kyiv has hot summers and bitterly cold winters. The weather is always going to play a major factor in how your experience is. I prefer spring and autumn. Whatever season you choose, try to stay and experience the city during weekend as well.
The climate in Kiev is humid continental and the warmest months are between June and August when the average temperature can range from 13.8 to 24.8 °C (56.8 to 76.6 °F). The winter months between December and February have an average temperature that ranges from −4.6 to −1.1 °C (23.7 to 30.0 °F). You can expect snow on the ground between mid November and the end of March.
How to go
It’s never been easier to visit, with Ryanair launching direct flights from London Stansted to complement existing services operated by BA, Wizz Air, and Ukraine International. From Turkey, in addition to Ukraine International, Turkish Airlines, and Pegasus Airlines flies direct to Kyiv.
What to see
Khreshchatyk, the main street of Kyiv, is where you should start your tour. It stretches from the European Square through the Maidan and to Bessarabska Square where the Besarabsky Market is located. Many tourists love to stroll up and down on this street. But you should see other streets parallel to the Khreshchatyk as well.
A short walk from the Independence Square Maidan Nezalezhnosti will take you into a different world where you will be surrounded by old buildings and mansions that are beautifully decorated.
Especially, The House with Chimeras also known as Horodecki House is an amazing brick building in the Art Nouveau style that you have to see. Decorated with animals, fairy-tale creatures, and underwater fauna, the building is a must-see and located in the Pechersk district on Bankova Street, 10, in front of the Administration of the President of Ukraine.
Independence Square Maidan Nezalezhnosti is the city's main square and one of the most popular places for meetings. Maidan Nezalezhnosti found fame as the epicenter of Ukraine’s Orange Revolution back in 2004. Here you will also find the Globus Shopping Center. There is also a large underground shopping center that you can access through Globus and metro.
Podil is one of the oldest neighborhoods of Kyiv, and the birthplace of the city's trade, commerce and industry. It attracts residents and tourists with beautiful architecture, historical monuments and bohemian atmosphere. People come here in the afternoon to walk through the old streets, eat and drink at unique restaurants, cafes, bars and clubs, listen to street music. Podil is very diverse area being home not only for the creative youth, but also for Kyiv millionaires and showbiz stars, inhabiting luxury apartments and penthouses in Vozdvizhenka, and many Orthodox Jews, who often choose to settle in here. You can also ride the gigantic Ferris wheel at Kontraktova Square.
Arsenalna is the metro station that you may want to visit. It is on Kyiv’s Sviatoshynsko-Brovarska line and is the world’s deepest at 105.5 meters (350 feet) below ground.
The city has a bruising history, having been caught between the Nazis and the Soviets in the Second World War. The National Museum of the History of Ukrainein the Second World War is where to go to explore the nation’s role in the conflict and pay tribute to the some 10 million Ukrainians who lost their lives. Part of the museum has another reminder of the nation’s Soviet past, is the monstrous Motherland Monument. at 102 meters tall. A shield bearing the emblem of the hammer and sickle survives despite a piece of legislation introduced in 2015 forbidding Soviet and Communist symbols from the country - Second World War monuments were excluded.
The Ukrainian National Opera was built in 1856 and burnt down 40 years later and there was a competition for the new design. Viktor Shreter from Petersburg won and built the Renaissance style theatre in 1901. Many famous artists have performed here.
The Pyrohovo Museum of Folk Architecture is a popular open-air museum. Wooden churches, cottages, and windmills are divided into seven villages, each representing different corners of Ukraine – musicians often play at weekends.
Ukrainian National Museum of Chernobyl with an important and emotional message is definitely a place to see if you’re in Kyiv. The exhibition is big, informative and really well-made, so you will discover items such as photos of everyday life, videos portraying the most devastating nuclear accident to ever take place.
Long known as a mecca for painters, musicians, writers and artisans, the cobbled street of Andriivs’kyi Descent is one of the last remaining places to sense the atmosphere of the pre-Soviet or “old” Kyiv, as locals would say.
Churches: The Ukrainian capital boasts around 950 churches and cathedrals. Here are some of the most famous ones.
The stunning St. Sophia Cathedral — a UNESCO World Heritage site and Kyiv’s oldest Christian church, St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral, St. Andrew’s Church, Another UNESCO site - Pechersk Lavra, and St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral.
In the center of town is the bright yellow St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral, built in honor of the prince who brought Christianity to Ukraine.
Another UNESCO site in Kyiv not to be missed is the Pechersk Lavra (monastery of the caves) — founded in 1051. If you don’t have claustrophobia, you can take candlelight and walk through the sacred caves lined with the tombs of 126 saints.
Regarded as one of the most beautiful churches in Kyiv, St Andrew's Church is a Baroque style church. The church was constructed between 1747 and 1754, to a design by the Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The church stands on a hill in the historic center of Kyiv. It is one of the most famous Orthodox temples in the Ukrainian capital.
Tags:Kiev – Kyiv, Ukraine
