Kiev[1] (ukr. Київ) is Ukraine the capital and largest city. The city has 2.7 million inhabitants. Kiev is located in the northern part of Ukraine, on the banks of the Dnieper River.
Understand
Kiev is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe. Its history officially begins in the 4th century, although the area has been inhabited much earlier. Kiev was at its most spectacular from the 8th century to the 13th century, when it operated the so-called. Kiev as the capital of Russia (Kievan Rus). This state extended to the existing territories of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.
In the mid-13th century, the Mongols occupied the weakened Kievan Rus. At the end of the century, the city became part of Lithuania and later part of Poland-Lithuania. In 1654, Kiev was liberated from the power of the Polish nobility under Bohdan Khmelnitsky, relying on the Russian tsar.
Ukraine was eventually completely annexed by Russia. The city remained under the rule of Russia and later the Soviet Union, except for a short but uncertain period of independence between 1918 and 1920. After the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kiev became the capital of independent Ukraine and today it is a rapidly developing European city of millions.
Understandably, Ukrainians are proud of the role of their capital in consolidating European civilization in Eastern Europe.
Kiev has about 2,740,000 inhabitants (January 2008). According to unofficial data, the population is higher. 70% of the population are Ukrainian and 20% Russian. The other major minorities are the Armenians, Azeris, Georgians, Jews, Poles, Romanians, Tatars, and Belarusians. Not only the population of Kiev, but also the relative share of Ukrainian citizens is growing, due to the strong national movement since the October 2004 Orange Revolution. Despite this, the Russian language is widely used instead of Ukrainian in both business and everyday conversations.
The average summer temperature is 24 ° C, the winter -4 ° C.
The Russian language is widely used in Kiev, especially in business, shops and restaurants. The common English name of the city "Kiev" is a transliteration of the Russian name "Киев". The transliteration of the Ukrainian name "Київ" is "Kyiv", and this form is more common in many contexts in Ukraine. In general, most signs and signals are still only in Cyrillic letters. English is not very widely spoken, with the exception of the hotels and major shops and restaurants in the city center. This is likely to change as the younger generation enters working life.
In Kiev, people are generally very friendly and helpful, despite language difficulties. In shops and restaurants, however, the service may be different from what you are used to in Finland. See Ukraine # Respect for customs and cultural tips.
Come
By plane
Ukraine International Airlines [2] fly straight From Helsinki Kiev Boryspil Airport. Air Baltic also flies from several cities via Riga to Kiev Boryspil Airport.
Boryspil International Airport (KBP) [3] (Міжнародний аеропорт "Бориспіль") is located about a 40-minute drive from the city center. The city’s second airport, Zhulyany (IEV) (аеропорт "Жуляни"), which is mainly used for domestic flights, is a 20-minute drive from the city center.
The easiest way to get to the center from Boryspil airport is to take the "Atass Buss". They run regularly and cost about 25 UAH. The terminus is the square behind the main train station, from where you can easily take the metro to the city center. An ordinary taxi costs 150-200 UAH. There are enough ride providers and it is not advisable to accept the first offer outright.
By train
Through Russia
A minimum of is required as a basic condition Russian transit visa.
From Finland, those traveling to Kiev by train have to travel Moscow because trains run between St. Petersburg and Kiev Belarus through and need your own transit visa. You only get out of the train Ukraine when entering the border, for Russian and Belarus there are no border controls in between.
Perhaps the easiest is to travel from Helsinki first To Moscow and from there onwards by Kiev trains departing from Belorusskaya station. Another option is to take a train from St. Petersburg that passes through Moscow to Ukraine. However, these trains do not go to Kiev, but to eastern or southern Ukraine, for example To Kharkov or To Sevastopol.
Through the Baltics
There are currently (12.2008) no direct train connections between the capitals of the Baltic States. From Vilnius can be reached by direct train to Kiev, but this train also passes through Belarus and flies out immediately without a transit visa Lithuania and Belarus on the border.
There is a direct train connection from Bucharest to Kiev http://www.romaniatourism.com/Schedule-of-trains-from-Romania.html#ukraine
Through Poland
From Warsaw there are direct train connections to Kiev. Flight To Poland and the train from there To Ukraine is one viable option for getting to Kiev.
With ones own car
By bus
By boat
Move
At first, Kiev may seem like a confusing place, unless the Cyrillic alphabet is familiar. On the other hand, most of the signs today are transliterated and on the subway announcements and signs are in both Ukrainian and English. Even in the 21st century, very few locals speak English, but a little knowledge of Russian or Ukrainian (numbers and a few words) as well as sign language helps to get out of any situation.
Moving around and doing business in the city is much easier if you learn a little Cyrillic alphabet and book with it Ukrainian or Russian pocket dictionary. Learning the alphabet is easy, fun and rewarding. Learning a few basic phrases (greeting, thanking, asking for an invoice, numbers 1-10) in Ukrainian or Russian is worthwhile. Even poor local language skills make things slip and most of the time the opponent is friendly and willing to help.
It is easy and comfortable to move around Kiev both on foot and by public transport. The downtown area is clear and compact, with distances between destinations short. Suburban areas are widespread, but public transport is very efficient, efficient and cheap.
Maps and guides
Several travel guides are available to Kiev. An English-language "Kyiv Tour Guide" map book (Geosvit books - approx. 15-20 UAH) can be obtained on site, which can be inquired at kiosks or the post office. The "Kyiv In Your Pocket" guide can also be obtained on site, or printed free of charge online [4]. Good quality tourist maps are available from hotels. No maps were found at the airport in May 2008. If you plan to tour Kiev more widely, it may be wise to obtain a Ukrainian version of the map. When asking locals for directions, they will certainly have at least as much difficulty with the English map as you do with the Cyrillic version. Google Maps allows you to download the map of Kiev offline, but Maps.Me is more accurate.
By bus
There are two types of buses in Kiev. The first are by name avtobus (автобуc) called normal buses, others by name trolleybus (тролейбус) called trolleys. Traveling on these is cheap, and buses run many routes. Tickets cost 1.50 hryvnia and can be purchased either from kiosks at stops, conductors on buses or directly from the driver. It is important that the flag is punched either in the punching device or with a conductor, as an unpunched flag is the same as no flag at all.
By taxi
Getting around by taxi is cheap in the West, although transporters usually charge foreigners double or triple the price. You should try to negotiate the price, or ask your hotel to call you a taxi. In any case, even the increased price is usually cheap for Westerners.
There are a lot of dark taxis in Kiev, but their use is not recommended for foreigners. Normal taxis are safe, but never take a taxi without agreeing on a price in advance or if there is another person in the taxi in addition to the driver.
By underground
Metro (Ukrainian: Метро) is a very efficient and fast underground railway. Kiev subway is clean and clear to use. The three metro lines (red, blue and green) form a clear and comprehensive network. All lines pass through the center. The lines have a total of 52 stations.
When going to the subway, buy a blue plastic token from the cash desk "Kasa" (Ukrainian: каса; plural каси). Some stations also have ticket vending machines. You can ride the metro on the subway until you get out. The token costs 5 hryvnia (about 15 euro cents). The token is fed into a port that opens or rotates. (Note! Make sure you enter from the correct gate. Passing through the exit gate will cause the metal gate to close on you at lightning speed. Also make sure the token is approved and the gate beeps to indicate this.) It is also possible to obtain a monthly card with a magnetic stripe (80 UAH).
Inside the metro, route maps are also taped to the windows in the Latin alphabet. Some carriages have LCD screens on the roof that display advertisements between stations, but when you stop at a station, they read the name of the station with a photo, and when you leave, the name of the next station.
The stations where you can change trains have two different names - one for each line. When changing trains, you usually get to another track along the stairs without going up the escalator in between.
Metro trains run at peak times every 30 seconds - 2.5 minutes and late at night every 10-15 minutes. The metro runs from 05:45 to 01:00 from the terminals. Trains are often very crowded and during peak times, intrusion is the only way to fit on a train. Wallets and handbags should be taken care of on congested trains, although Kiev in general is a safe city to move around.
Kiev metro stations are partly built of old bomb shelters and are located very deep underground. Arsenal'na (Ukrainian: Арсенальна), at a depth of 107 meters, is one of the deepest metro stations in the world, and the Universityet (Ukrainian: Університет) station has some of the longest escalators in the world (87 meters long).
By other means of transport
You can also travel in Kiev on the "Marshrutk" (Маршрутки) called minibuses. Marshruits are private yellow vans that operate in a variety of ways around the city. The names of the main stops are stamped on the side. Tickets cost from 1.50 to 2.50 hryvnia, and payment is made by giving the money directly to the driver or conductor. In these, the exit is done by shouting the name of the next stop.
See
Maidan Nezelezhnosti - Maidan Nezelezhnosti, the main square on Khreshtsatyk, or Independence Square, is the center of many events and was, among other things, the main stage of the 2004 Orange Revolution.
Pecherska Lavra (Печерська лавра) - Kiev's most popular and largest tourist attraction is the Kiev-Pecherska Lavra. Lavra is a monastic area where you can find many different orthodox churches and monasteries. There are also catacombs in Lavra, which have been the residence of monks since the 1050s. You can also find various museums in the Lavra, such as the Miniature Museum. The Lavra is within walking distance of the Arsenalna metro station, and various marshruts with the sign "Печерська лавра" also run there.
St. Sophia Church - This 13-domed church, built in the 1073s, is the most famous in Kiev.
Rodina Mat and Museum to the Great Patriotic War - "Rodina Mat" or "Mother of the Fatherland" means a large monument in Kiev that appears on the city skyline next to the Lavra church towers. At first, the monument may be confusing. However, the monument has "only" the "Museum to the Great Patriotic War" roof. The museum and the statue are symbols of World War II, which caused great destruction in Ukraine. The museum presents a wide range of war-related history. The museum is mainly in Russian and Ukrainian, but presentations in English are also available. The museum is within walking distance of the Kiev-Pecherska Lavra. Metro: Arsenalna.
Church of St. Michael - St. Michael's Church is located opposite St. Sophia. The cathedral was first built in 1108, but was destroyed during Soviet rule in the 1930s. The church was renovated to its current form in 2000.
Tarasa Shevtshenko University - The bright-painted university is named after the famous Ukrainian national writer Tarasa Shevtshenko. The university is surrounded by a park, which also houses a statue of Tarasa Shevtshenko. Metro: University
Chernobyl Museum (музей Чорнобиль) - A fascinating museum about the Chernobyl explosion, including videos, photos and more related to the explosion. However, all signage is in Ukrainian or Russian only, so it is recommended to book a guide in English in advance. Metro: Kontraktova Plosha.
Golden Gate of Kiev (Золоті Ворота)
Monument to the founders of Kiev (Пам'ятник засновникам Києва) One of the most famous statues in Ukraine. Metro: Dnipro.
Tea
Water park - Gidropark / Hydropark is an island in the middle of the Dnieper River, which is especially popular in summer. In the Gidropark you can sunbathe on the banks of the Dnieper or even take a dip to swim (although the water is not very clean), play various games or even go to the open-air gym. Gidropark has its own metro stop.
Buy
Globe, Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) - A large, partly underground shopping center. Includes clothing, cosmetics, technology and other similar movements. Prices, however, are quite expensive.
Metrograd, vul. Khreshatik (etc.) - A giant-large shopping center built entirely underground, where you can really find all kinds of shops. The mall is spread underground under several different streets.
Andriyivskyi Uzviz, vul. Andriyivskyi Uzviz - The famous market street, which starts near St. Sophia Church or alternatively from Kontraktova Plosha. The street is lined with numerous market stalls, art galleries and cafes. From this street you should come looking for souvenirs or otherwise enjoy the atmosphere, especially during the summer.
Petrivka Market, metro Petrivka - A popular "book market" for locals, where you can find thousands of different records, books or movies.
In addition to shopping malls, Kiev's main street Khreschatik and the rest of the downtown area are full of various western boutiques.
Kiev also has several different bazaars, which are usually found more remote from the center. In bazaars, prices are usually cheaper and can be an interesting experience for the traveler. For example Lisovan at the metro station there is a big bazaar where you can find everything from food to clothes on the cheap.
Eat
- Puzata Khata - Cheap and good buffet restaurant, which can be found all over the city e.g. main street from Khreshatiki. A varied selection of Ukrainian food, selected from a standing table and paid at unit prices.
- Domashnia kukhnia (Домашня кухня) - There is also a buffet restaurant chain that can be found all over the city. Especially popular among students.
- Pervak (2 Rohnidynska St.) - Excellent restaurant serving local food near the center.
- Varenychaya (28 Esplanadna St.) - A restaurant serving good local cuisine near the center.
- Koleso (Naberezhno-Kreshatytska St.) - A high-quality and atmospheric Russian restaurant on a large riverboat right next to Poshtova Ploscha metro station. The ship includes themed cabinets.
- Khutorets Na Dnipri (Хуторец На Дніпрі)
Upscale overwater restaurant serving Ukrainian cuisine north of the Podil district. Desserts include e.g. rye bread ice cream.
Juo
Cafes
Bars & pubs
Nightclubs
- Arena Night Club - Large entertainment center with many different nightclubs. Admission varies. As with many nightclubs in Kiev, the Arena also has face control, so it’s worth dressing neatly.
Sleep
- Kiev Lodging Hostel, 5 Pushkinskaya str., 2nd floor, apt. 10, ☎ 380938133959, e-mail: [email protected].
- Mini Hostel Kiev, Velyka Vasylkivska St, 43, Apt. 30, ☎ 380-98-4891934, e-mail: [email protected]. The hostel is located in the center of Kiev. Dorm / bed from 6 euros per night.
- Mini Hotels Randevu Kiev, Pravdi St, 31-A, ☎ 380-63-583-83-44, ☎ 380-50-930-54-44, ☎, 380-44-587-68-93, @ [email protected]. Dorm / bed from 10 euros per night
Stay safe
Kiev is mainly a safe place for tourists, but the same rules apply there as anywhere else. The use of common sense is permitted. Do not move alone drunk or in the dark. Public transport is usually very congested, so you should take careful care of your wallet and passport. Do not go to the so-called. in a dark taxi, or in a taxi with people other than the driver. A Kiev public taxi is a safe option, but always agree on the price before boarding.
There are a couple of different ways in Ukraine to try to fool tourists from time to time. One temptation for tourists is to copy credit card information, so be careful when paying with it. Another scam for tourists is the trick of a fallen wallet. At Tempus, a tourist notices a wallet on the ground, and if he picks it up, a person who claims the wallet is his soon appears soon. He will thank you, but then either start accusing you of trying to steal your wallet or that you have taken money from his wallet. So do not pick up wallets on the ground.
Ukrainian police are corrupt, but tourists rarely come into contact with the militia. Ukrainian law stipulates that a person must always have a valid identity card, so you should keep a copy of your passport with you.
It is also worth using common sense when crossing the road, although on non-main roads cars dodge pedestrians relatively well. Do not cross the road at the wrong point.
Stay healthy
Ukrainian tap water is not potable, but it is easy to brush your teeth. Bottled water can be purchased in shops and kiosks for 2-3 hryvnia.
Foreigners arriving in Ukraine are not required to have vaccines. However, tetanus, diphtheria, polio, and hepatitis A vaccinations should be in order. Influenza vaccination is recommended. During the summer, cholera often occurs in the Odessa region. Stray dogs can have rabies. The level of equipment is modest. There are a couple of Western-language, English-language private clinics in Kiev that have been listed to the end.
It is recommended that you avoid buying alcohol or other similar products from various street kiosks. Their level of hygiene is usually not optimal, or the products may be a scam because no one checks them.
American Medical Center AMCvul. Berdychivska, 1Kiovapuh. 380- (0) 44-490 7600email: [email protected]
Ukrainian-German Clinicvul. Velika Vasylkivska, 67 / 7Kiovelev. 380- (0) 44-289 4435, 289 5572email: [email protected]
Boris (private clinic and ambulance service)vul. Velyka Vasylkivska 55aKiovelev. 380- (0) 44-238 0000, 536 1980E-mail: [email protected]
Take contact
Continue your journey
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