Kyiv (Київ) Overview

Since becoming the capital of the Kyivan Rus empire over a millennium ago, Kyiv (pop. 2,700,000) has been a social and economic center for the region. No stranger to foreign control, the city was razed by the Nazi army only to be rebuilt with extravagant Stalinist pomp by the Soviets. Since Ukraine gained its independence from the USSR in 1991, Kyiv has reemerged as a proud capital and cultural center. One can find a legion of gilded towers and buildings reminiscent of mother Russia strewn along its hilly streets. However, the open squares, countless cafes, and shaded paths add a distinct western flavor to this Eastern European capital. The new government—elected beneath the international spotlight during the 2004 Orange Revolution—struggles to institute promised reforms as the cost of living rises.

• Flights : Boryspil International Airport (Бориспіль, KBP , ☎8044 281 7498) 30km southeast of the capital. Polit (Політ; ☎8044 296 7367), just right of the main entrance, sends minibuses called marshrutkis to Ploshcha Peremohi, the train station, and Boryspilska, the metro stop. Buy tickets on board (1-2 per hr., 17-22hv). Expect to be hassled by an army of taxi drivers upon exiting the airport. A taxi to the center costs 80-100hv. Negotiate with drivers near the Polit bus stop; those stationed outside customs will take you for a ride.
• Trains: Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyy (Киів-Пасажирський), Vokzalna pl. (☎005 or 8044 465 4895). MR: Vokzalna (Вокзальна). Purchase tickets for domestic trains in the main hall. For international tickets, go to window #40 or 41 in the newest section of the train station, across the tracks. For the elektrychka commuter rail (електричка), go to Prymiskyy Vokzal (Примский Вокзал; Suburban Station), next to the Metro station. Information windows (довiдка; dovidka) are located in each section of the train station; some stay open 24hr. However, assistance is entirely in Ukrainian or Russian. Look for a large departure board in the main hall that posts platform numbers and any last-minute changes. There is an Advance Ticket Office next to Hotel Express at Shevchenka 38. Train tickets are divided into 4 classes, and trains usually have beds rather than seats. 1st class seats hold 2 beds to a room, while 2nd class has 4 beds and shabbier conditions, but is considerably less expensive. Trains to: Lviv (10hr., 5-6 per day, 65-100hv); Odessa (11hr., 4-5 per day, 80-105hv); Sevastopol (20hr., 2 per day, 75-180hv); Bratislava, SLK (21hr., 1 per day, 700hv); Budapest, HUN (24hr., 1 per day, 800hv); Moscow, RUS (14-17hr., 12-15 per day, 350hv); Prague, CZR (35hr., 1 per day, 600hv); Warsaw, POL (19hr., 2 per day, 450hv). Check prices before purchasing train tickets, as train ticket prices in Ukraine change frequently.
• Buses: Tsentralny Avtovokzal (Центральний Автовокзал), Moskovska pl. 3 (Московська; ☎8044 264 5774). MR: Libydska. Take trolley #1 or 11 from the Libydska metro station. Open 5am-10pm. Buses to: Lviv (7-12hr., 4 per day, 70hv); Odessa (8-10hr., 9 per day, 75hv); Moscow, RUS (18hr., 1 per day, 150hv).
• Public Transportation : 3 metro lines—blue (MB), green (MG), and red (MR)—cover the city center. Purchase tokens (житон; zhyton; 0.50hv) at the kasa (каса). “Вхід” (vkhid) indicates an entrance, “перехід” (perekhid) a walkway to another station, and “вихід у місто” (vykhid u misto) an exit onto the street. Trolleys, buses, and marshrutki (private vans) go where the metro doesn’t. Bus tickets sold at kiosks or by the driver; punch your ticket using the manual lever on board or face a fine. Marshrutki tickets (1-3hv) are sold on board; pay attention and request stops from the driver. Public transport runs approx. 5:45am-12:15am. The elektrychka (електричка) commuter rail leaves from Prymiskyy Vokzal (Примский Вокзал), MR: Vokzalna.
• Taxis : Taxis are everywhere. A ride to the center of town should cost about 20hv. Always agree on the price before getting in.

Orientation And Practical Information

Most attractions and services lie on the west bank of the Dniper River. Three metro stops from the train station is the main avenue, vulitsa Khreshchatyk (Хрещатик; MR line). The center of Kyiv is vul. Khreshchatyk’s Independence Square (Майдан Незалежност; Maidan Nezalezhnosti; MB line), which is home to six fountains, an underground mall, and the 16m high Independence Column.

• Tourist Offices: Kyiv lacks official tourist services. Various agencies at the airport offer vouchers, excursion packages, hotel arrangements, and other services. Travel agencies also organize tours. Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Khnoelnistkiy 33/34, 2nd fl. (☎8044 238 6156). Open daily 9am-9pm. Has branch at the US Embassy. For tours, accommodation, and visa assistance, go to Yana Travel Group, Saksahanskoho 42 (Саксаганського; ☎490 7373; www.yana.kiev.ua). Open M-F 10am-7pm, Sa 10am-5pm.
• Embassies: Australia, Kominterna 18/137 (комінтерне; ☎8044 246 4223; fax 244 3597). Open M-Th 10am-1pm. Canada, Yaroslaviv Val. 31 (Ярославів; ☎8044 464 1144; fax 464 0598). Open M-F 8:30am-1pm and 2-5pm; visa section open M-Th. Ireland, 44 Shchorsa St. (☎8044 285 5902. Open M-Th 10am-1pm.) Citizens of New Zealand should refer to the Australian embassy. UK, Desyatynna 9 (Десятинна; ☎8044 490 3660; fax 8044 490 3662). Consular section at Glybochytska 4 (Глибоицька; ☎8044 494 3400; fax 8044 494 3418). Open M-Th 9am-1pm and 2pm-5:30pm, F 9am-1pm and 2pm-4pm. US, Yu. Kotsyubynskoho 10 (Kоцбинського; ☎8044 490 4000; http://kyiv.usembassy.gov). Open M-F 9am-6pm. Consular section at Pymonenka 6 (Пимоненка; ☎8044 490 4422 or 8044 490 4445; fax 8044 490 4040). From the corner of Maidan Nezalezhnosti and Sofievska (Софiевска), take trolley #16 or 18 for 4 stops. Continue on bul. Artyoma (Артема) until it curves to the right, then take the 1st right, Pymonenka.
• Medical Services: American Medical Center, Berdychivska 1 (Бердиерска; ☎8044 490 7600; www.amcenters.com). English-speaking doctors will take patients without documents or insurance. Open 24hr. MC/V.
• Telephones: English operator (☎81 92.) Telephone-Telegraph (Телефон-Телеграф; telefon-telehraf) around the corner of the post office (enter on Khreshchatyk). The main post-office, located in independence square, also has phone booths where you can call destinations like the US for about $0.10/min. Open daily 8am-10pm. Buy cards for public telephones (тфксофон; taksofon) at any post office. Less widespread than Taksofon phones, Utel phones and cards are in the post office, train station, and hotels.
• Internet: C-Club, Bessarabskaye pl. 1 (Бессарабскає; ☎8044 238 6446), in the underground mall (globus shopping center) between Bessarabskiy market and the Lenin statue has over 100 computers. 12hv per hr. 9am-8am. Vault 13, Bolshaya Vasilkovskaya 19. Also a bar, so feel free to surf the web with a gin and tonic in hand.
• Post Office: Khreshchatyk 22 (☎8044 278 1167; www.poshta.kiev.ua). Poste Restante at counters #28 and 30. For packages, enter on Maidan Nezalezhnosti. Copy, fax, and photo services available. Open M-Sa 8am-9pm, Su 9am-7pm. Postal Code: 01001.

Accommodations

Hotels in Kyiv tend to be expensive; the Kyiv Post (www.kyivpost.com) lists short-term apartment rentals, as do most English-language publications and websites about Kyiv. People at train stations offer cheaper rooms (from US$5), though English speakers are rare and the quality of rooms varies. Another way to find lodging is through the commission-free telephone service Okean-9. (☎8044 443 6167. Open M-F 9am-5pm, Sa 9am-3pm.)

• International Youth Hostel Yaroslav (Ярослав), vul. Yaroslavska 10 (Ярославська; ☎8066 417 3189), in the historic Podil district; MB: Kontraktova Ploshcha. Enter through courtyard; it’s the 1st door on the right. Press the numbers 4 and 7 simultaneously on the keypad to enter. 12-bed hostel with warm English-speaking staff. Free lockers for every bed, recently renovated 2nd floor. Spacious rooms. Kitchen. (Internet next door 9hv per hr. Doubles 250hv; 4- to 5-bed dorms 130hv, 120 with ISIC. MC/V.)
• International Hostel Tatarka, vul. Lukjanivska 77, (MB: Kontraktova Ploscha; ☎8044 417 3393) has large 5-bed rooms (some with balconies) and views of the city. Staff does not speak English, but if you can put together a few Ukrainian sentences this hostel is a real find. Bathrooms leave a little to be desired, however. Uphill from station, so from, consider a taxi (around 20hv). Rooms 80hv. Cash only.
• Youth Hostel Kiev, 52-A Artema #2, 5th floor. vul Artema. (MB: Lukjanivska; ☎8044 481 3838) Go past the new complex (which is also labeled 52-A) to the 2nd building with a garden in front. Calm, well-kept hostel with 30 beds, popular with families and groups. English speaking staff. Singles, doubles, triples available; all beds 125 hv. 24 hr reception. Laundry 10 hv. Towels, linen free. Cash only.)

Food

Kyiv has a myriad of Western and Eastern restaraunts, with plenty of Chinese, Italian, and Russian restaraunts all over town. The most popular are traditional Ukrainian cafeteria-style eateries—these are usually quite cheap. When you go in, point at your food, get a big glass of beer, and enjoy.

• O’Panas, (О‘Панас), Tereshchenkivska vul. 10 (Терещенківська; ☎8044 235 2132), is located in the Taras Shevchenko Park. Serves local dishes in traditional Ukrainian decor. Known for delectable traditional Ukrainian pancakes; order them out of the front of the restaraunt. Entrees 40-120hv. Business lunch noon-3pm. Open M-F 8am-1am, Sa-Su 10am-1am. MC/V.
•   Puzata Hata, vul Sahaidachnoho 24 (Сагайдачного; ☎8044 391 4699; www.puzatahata.kiev.us) MB: Poshtova Poloscha. Food served in a beautiful 2-story restaraunt popular with youth and families alike. When coming in, go up the stairs, grab a tray, and point at the food you want. Soups and salads, to begin, followed by meat and potatoes, moving on to piroshikis and desserts. Pay by weight; the average hearty meal costs about 20-30hv. Open daily 8am-11pm. Cash only.
• Antresol, (Антресоль), bul. T. Shevchenka 2 (☎8044 235 8347), has a hip bookstore-cafe downstairs and a restaurant upstairs. Large selection of coffee and good wine produces a relaxed ambiance, ideal for grabbing a book and enjoying a latte. English-language menu. Salads 25-50hv. Entrees 29-110hv. Tu and Su live piano 8-10pm. Open daily 9am-late. MC/V.

Sights

  Kyiv-Cave Monastery.   Also known as Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the Kyiv-Cave Monastery is Kyiv’s oldest holy site, and a major pilgrimage site for Orthodox Christians. It houses the Refectory Church, the 12th-century Holy Trinity Gate Church, and caves where monks lie mummified (though they are hidden by decorative shrouds). The Great Lavra Bell Tower offers great views. (Киiво-Печерська Лавра; Kyivo-Pecherska Lavra. MR: Arsenalna; Арсенальна. ☎8044 255 1109. Turn left out of the metro and walk down vul. Sichnevoho Povstaniya to #25. Open daily May-Aug. 9am-7pm; Sept.-Apr. 9:30am-6pm. Upper lavra, which is state-run, will cost about 24hv. The lower section requires only the purchase of a candle as an entrance free. Monastery 10hv, students 5hv. Photography 12hv.)

St. Sophia Cathedral.   Once the religious center of Kyivan Rus, the 11th century St. Sophia Cathedral—with its ornamented facades and Byzantine mosaics—offers a look into the religious history of Ukraine. It was originally designed to rival Constantinople’s Hagia Sofia. (vul. Volodymyrska. MG: Zoloti Vorota or trolley #16 from Maidan Nezalezhnosti. Grounds open daily 10am-7pm. Museums open M-Tu and F-Su 10am-6pm, W 10am-5pm. Grounds 5hv. Museums 20hv, students 8hv. Bell tower 5/3hv.)

Vul. Khreshchatyk.   Kyiv’s central road, vul. Khreshchatyk (Хрещатик), is where locals go to see and be seen. It begins at bul. T. Shevchenka and extends to Independence Square (Майдан Незалежности; Maidan Nezalezhnosti), which hosted a massive tent city during the Orange Revolution. Khreshchatyk Park, past the Friendship of the Peoples Arch, contains a monument to Prince Volodymyr, who converted the Kyivan Rus to Christianity. (MR: Khreshchatyk; Хрещатик.) Full of cafes and galleries, the cobblestone district of Andriy’s Descent (Андрiвский Узвз; Andriyivskyy uzviz) can be reached by walking down Desyatynna from Mikhaylivska Sq. (MB: Poshtova Ploshcha; Поштова Площа.)

Museum Of One Street.   Bizarrely, this museum recounts the history of Kyiv’s most famous street, Andriy’s Descent. (Andriyivskyy uzviz 2B. Open Tu-Su noon-6pm. 10hv. 45min. English-language tour 100hv.)

St. Andrew’S Church. At the corner of Volodymyrska and Andriyivskyy uzviz is the beautiful St. Andrew’s Church. Its ornate exterior makes it one of Ukraine’s most significant pieces of architecture. (Open daily 10am-5pm.)

The Chernobyl Museum.   Artifacts and testimonies from the disaster’s aftermath as well as a poster exhibit commemorating its 20th anniversary. (1 Khoryvyj Pereulok Street. Open M-Sa 10am-6pm. Closed last M of each month. 8hv, with ISIC 4hv.)

Entertainment And Nightlife

The last weekend in May brings the Kyiv Days, attracting thousands of spectators with art and music performances all over the city. During the rest of the year, the National Philharmonic, Volodymyrska 2, holds concerts most nights at 7pm. (☎8044 278 1697; www.filharmonia.com.ua. Kasa open Tu-Su noon-2pm and 3-7pm. 10-50hv.) While you’re in town don’t miss Dynamo Kyiv, Ukraine’s top football team. ( Kasa in front of stadium.) Check out What’s On magazine (www.whatson-kiev.com) and the Kyiv Post (www.kyivpost.com) for nightlife listings. Kyiv’s popular jazz club,   Artclub 44, vul. Khreshchatyk 44, has live music nightly starting at 10pm; it attracts a diverse crowd ranging from students to businessmen. (☎8044 279 4137. Cover 10-20hv. Open daily 11am-2 am.)