Kiev
Ukraine City Guides: Kyiv (Kiev)
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Kyiv Київ
- Largest city in Ukraine
- Ukraine's capital, which dates back to 560 AD, located on the Dnieper River
- As much authentic Eastern European culture and architecture as anywhere in the region
- Colourful cathedrals with golden domes, churches, statues and monuments
- Close to the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986
- Population of three million inhabitants
- Kievo-Pechersky Lavra "Caves Monastery" No.1 tourist attraction
Kiev is the capital of Ukraine, located on the west bank of the Dnieper River. It is the largest city in Ukraine, home to about three million people. Legend has it that Kiev was named after the Viking Kyi, the eldest of three brothers and a sister who sailed there down the river around 560 AD.
In 988AD, Prince Vladimir had the whole population convert to Christianity and baptized in the Dnieper. By then Kiev had become one of the largest and most powerful cities in Europe. It is also at about this time that the city's number one tourist destination, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Caves Monastery, a holy ground of Eastern Orthodoxy, were established by Greek monks.
Over the past thousand years, Kiev's fortunes have swung wildly, including two thorough sackings by the Mongols in the 13th and 15th centuries and the loss of over half its population in World War Two. But Kiev today has reinvented itself as a bustling, beautiful, green city that reflects as much of its Byzantine as its Soviet history. Colorful cathedrals with golden domes, churches, statues, monuments and natural luxuriance make Kiev a sightseer's dream. But it is also a modern, 24-hour capital whose progressiveness is reflected in its hosting of 2012 European Championships.
The golden domes of Michael Monastery in Kiev
Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Kiev
Kiev, though, is a beautiful city with a natural feel and as much authentic Eastern European culture and architecture as anywhere in the region. Frequent visitors argue that it has enjoyed a more tasteful post-USSR resurrection than has Moscow or St Petersburg.
Kiev is of a size that can be navigated on foot if you are a keen walker. Kiev is full of neighborhoods, many very ancient, waiting to be explored. Another attractive feature of the city is the many beaches on the shore of the Dnieper River.
Things to Do In Kiev
Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti) is on the historical boulevard Khreschatyk - a miniature (and slightly calmer) version of Piccadilly Circus or Times Square. It is the focal point of the Independence Day celebrations every August to celebrate Ukraine's breakaway from the former Soviet Republic but it is also remembered for the Orange Revolution of 1994.
Nearby is the Monument of Independence nearby, erected in 2001 in celebration of ten years of independence. At the top of where Khreschatyk Boulevard begins sloping down to the river, is the massive Friendship of Nations statue, depicting Ukraine and Russia – of course a Soviet relic – and the site provides an excellent lookout over the city.
Google Map to Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square)
The Ukrainian National Opera House is a magnificent building, just over 110 years old, with a sumptuously decorated interior. It was the scene of real-life drama, too, when the last Russian tsar's prime minister, Pyotr Stolypin, was assassinated here while watching an opera in 1911. Tickets to the opera are easily obtained. Besides the spectacle of the opera itself, there is no other way to see the inside of the building. Google Map to Ukrainian National Opera House
St. Volodymyr's Cathedral is just a little south of the Ukrainian National Opera. St. Volodymyr's is judged by many to be Kiev's ultimate ecclesiastical masterpiece. Building began in 1862 and took 30 years to complete as the initial conception grew in ambitiousness. The interior of the church is a treasure trove of exquisite artistry. Google Map to St. Volodymyr's Cathedral
The Museum of the Great Patriotic War, was established during Soviet times in 1981 and is dedicated to the memory of the events of the Second World War. This complex, which includes hundreds of outdoor exhibits of weapons, vehicles, and sculptures, occupies 10 hectares on the picturesque hills beside the Dnieper River. With over 300,000 exhibits, it is one of the Ukraine's largest museums. The indoor part of it is topped by the 62m tall statue, "Motherland," armed with sword and hammer-and-sickle-emblazened shield. Google Map to Museum of the Great Patriotic War
The Caves Monastery (Kiev-Pechersk Lavra) is on Mt. Berestov, on very near the Dnieper, adjacent and just north of the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. It is Kiev's leading tourist attraction. The monastery is a site of eminent significance for the Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and welcomes over half a million pilgrims and other visitors every year.
The Lavra Caves Monastery is a large complex that includes numerous churches, other buildings, including a museum, and catacombs. The caves were home to the monk Anthony and his disciples from 1005 A.D., and the stunning constructions above them, designed by architects from Constantinople, were built some decades later when the ruler of Kiev gave the whole of Mt. Berestov to the monks. The monastery's 96 meter high golden-domed Great Lavra Belltower dates from the mid-18th century and is not only the most prominent feature of the monastery, but a landmark for the whole of Kiev, too.
Google Map to Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Caves Monastery
St. Sophia's Cathedral, built in the early 11th century, is the oldest remaining church in Kiev. Together with the Caves Monastery, it another of Kiev's UNESCO World Heritage Site (although in a completely different part of the city, two bridges north from the Caves Monastery) and one of the city's most prominent landmarks.
St. Sophia's Cathedral is actually a museum now, rather than a consecrated church, and gives the visitor a valuable insight into what Ukrainian culture looked like a millennium ago. It houses the bones of the revered Yaroslav the Wise (c. 978-1054). Google Map to St. Sophia's Cathedral
St. Michael's Monastery of the Golden Domes is just across Mikhayilovsky Square from St. Sophia's Cathdedral. This china blue, multi-golden domed fantasy is on a site that has housed monasteries since the 12th century. The last one was blown up by Stalin in 1937, and was replaced by the present bright, charming building in 2001. Google Map to St. Michael's Monastery of the Golden Domes
The Kiev Funicular cable car just behind St. Mikhayil's Monastery of the Golden Domes takes you down to Poshtova Square in the Podil in three minutes. Google Map to Kiev Funicular
The Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council of Ukraine) and the adjoining Marinsky Palace form the political center of Kiev, and the whole of the Ukraine. The Rada is the national parliamant and the Marinsky Palace, built in 1752 as a royal residence, is for presidential private state functions.
Google Map to Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council of Ukraine)
Google Map to Marinsky Palace, Kiev
Out of Kiev
The Musuem of Folk Architecture and Life is a little south of Kiev in a village called Pirogovo. It is a village-museum with over 300 items of traditional Ukrainian architecture: thatched huts, windmills, churches, etc. from all over the country, complete with costumed "peasants." Different parts of the Museum depict different parts of the Ukraine, even as far as the plants and trees. There are parts that depict life before socialism and after. There are late-spring and early autumn outdoor fairs, and craftspeople work in the warmer months creating and selling their wares. This impeccably presented museum is a must-see if you are in Kiev. For the all-up round trip, allow about 4 hours.
Google Map to Musuem of Folk Architecture and Life
Nightlife & Entertainment In Kiev
Although first-time visitors will still be able to find the trashy themed restaurants that linger from the 1990s restaurant boom, there seems to be a push for refined cuisine in Ukraine's capital.
There is an endless choice of eateries as you might expect for a city of Kiev's size and eclecticism, but heading out for dessert or just simply coffee is almost just as much of an event.
For drinking, 112 serves Kiev's best choice of cocktails, while Bar on 8 sits atop the Hyatt Hotel and has tremendous views. Opera lovers won't want to miss a show at the Ukrainian National Opera, a truly invigorating experience in a luxurious hall.
Clubbing in Kiev is not great, but you might want to try Arena Entertainment complex, which includes dining, drinking and clubbing.
Google Map to Arena Entertainment
Google Map to Bar On 8
Hydropark is a 188-hectare all-in-one leisure and entertainment complex on an island in the river, with something for everyone: beaches, restaurants, sport grounds, paintball arenas, roller coasters and other rides, walking zones, and, at night, discos and, on warmer evenings, outdoor parties. Nevertheless, most of the island is still forest, so those into more nature-inspired delights can easily escape the crowds. Google Map to Hydropark
Local Sports
Kiev boasts three teams in the Ukrainian Premier League - Dynamo Kiev, Arsenal Kiev and Obolon Kiev - and the capital is also home to national basketball and hockey league representatives. Dynamo are the Ukraine's most successful football team, which play their home games at the Lobanovsky Dynamo Stadium. The Olimpic National Sports Complex Stadium (Olympic Stadium) is Kiev's venue for the 2012 European Championships.
Kiev has some beautiful Orthodox churches with golden domes such as the Sofiyiskiy Cathedral
Tourist Offices
The Kiev Tourist Information Centre is at Ukrainian House, Khreschatyk 2, Tel: 044 278 8913; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri; 10am-2pm Sat.
Google Map to Ukrainian House
Getting To Kiev
Air
The city's Boryspil Airport is the main direct exit and entry point for Ukraine, with low cost airlines now entering the Ukrainian market from around Europe. While Boryspil Airport is located approximately 40 km outside the city centre, Zhulyany Airport is more central but tends to be reserved for domestic flights.
Rail
Kiev's rail network is very highly regarded and trains run punctually virtually all of the time. They also travel to a wide variety of European destinations including 15 daily connections to Moscow as well as trains to Berlin, Warsaw, Prague, Budapest and Vienna.
Bus
Bus travel is as extensive, and does have the advantage that shorter distances can be crossed more quickly than they can by rail and also with the added pleasure of seeing more of the country's stunning countryside.
Getting Around Kiev
Because Kiev is built on top of a ravine, its metro system has been dug extremely deep and it can take a full five minutes to descend the never-ending escalators. There are 49 stations divided into three colour-coded lines, making it by far the quickest way to get around the city, especially during rush hour. Kiev's horrendous traffic jams are best avoided at all costs – so forget taxis and buses unless you're keen to experience the breathlessness of road travel in the capital. Trolleybuses and trams have their places in certain corners of the city.
Accommodation in Kiev
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Eating
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Drinking in Kiev
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Internet Cafes
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Kiev Weather
Kiev's weather features a humid climate with summer temperatures averaging 14–25 ° C but a heavy snow cover throughout winter.
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