Top 5 Ukrainian cities you should visit

Ukraine, despite the conflicts in Crimea and Donbas, still remains a great place for tourists with a lot of unknown and interesting objects in a peaceful area.

Ukraine can be proud of the Black Sea beauty, beaches, wild forests and mountain plains. In addition to a unique history full of national traditions, this country offers ski resorts, modern cities and amazing villages, many of which have the status of a world heritage by UNESCO.

We want to offer you 5 cities, which you must definitely visit when you are going to Ukraine.

1. Kiev is the capital of Ukraine

The capital of Ukraine is the most interesting city as it is the cultural and spiritual capital of the country. Thanks to the hilly terrain, the city is very picturesque and has more than 20 viewing platforms. Please note that Kiev is quite large and even the main sightseeing tour takes 10 kilometers, so you have to spend at least 2 days to visit it.

Kiev is well-known for its interesting modern architecture and friendly locals. The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and the St. Sophia Cathedral are churches with the status of UNESCO World Heritage.

If you want to learn more about local history and culture, you should visit Kiev museums. One of the most interesting is the Museum of Folk Life and Architecture Pirogovo outside the city.

In general, Kiev, despite a large number of factories and plants, is a very green city with two botanical gardens and blooming chestnuts that line the capital’s roads.

Here you will find what to see under the scorching summer sun, and under a winter blanket of snow. And numerous architectural monuments impress with their greatness during a year.

But the best time to come here is autumn when the city becomes magically golden, and the air is still full of warmth and freshness. You have a great opportunity to experience this autumn capital enjoyment in Holosiivskyi Park and Pushcha-Voditsa. A trip to the last one on the tram #12, which departs from Kontraktova Square, will not leave you indifferent with its green “forest” route.

If you want to enjoy the city’s landscapes, you should take a walk through the center of the city from Shevchenko Park, pass by the Opera House, and through St. Sophia and Mikhailovskaya Square, come out on the Andreevskyy Descent, which will enchant you with both modern conceptual graffiti and an atmosphere that absorbed the centuries of the city’s history. Besides, it is the best place to buy a lot of souvenirs for every taste and remember your journey when you come back home: from antiques to magnets, from Ukrainian national clothes (vyshivanka) to paintings.

And this is only a small part of what Kiev can boast of. But this is exactly what will ignite in you a spark of love for the Ukrainian capital.

2. Lviv is the spiritual and cultural center of Ukraine

The old city of Lviv is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This city is “iconic” for Ukrainians from other cities who often come here on weekends.

No matter what they say, but the aura of this city bewitches in a special way: friendly people, narrow streets, the spirit of history at every corner.

To feel the magic of the city of Leo (that is how they call Lviv) you don’t need to think in advance about the tourist routes and buy tickets to all excursions. Sometimes, just “getting lost” is the best thing that can happen to you in the capital of Galicia. Just wander around the cozy streets, sit in the numerous coffee shops and buy some little things in local shops – this is a guarantee that the inscription “Lviv” will be always in your heart like tattoo.

You can’t pass by the Dominican Cathedral, the Opera House and, of course, the Market Square with its stone houses, in which you will find a variety of museum exhibits. The Market Square is the historical and architectural center of Lviv. This, by the way, is another Ukrainian object included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Far from the center in a warm time of the year you can enjoy nature in the ethno park Shevchenkovsky (Shevchenkivsky Grove), which is also called a museum of folk architecture in the open air.

Lviv is also a home for world-famous cultural institutions, such as the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Opera and Ballet Theater.

The city of Leo can also be called a paradise for artists because of many galleries here. The main one, the Lviv National Picture Gallery, presents to visitors more than 50,000 works, including paintings, sculptures and art installations.

Olesky Castle can be interesting for tourists too as it is the most famous castle in the Lviv region, which is an hour drive from Lviv.

Lviv – a diverse, colorful and magical at the same time. It is impossible not love Lviv, even Europeans will tell you about it.

3. Odessa is known as Southern Palmyra

“Pearl by the Black Sea”, “a paradise for holidaymakers” are just a few of the brightest epithets that can fully describe this third largest city in Ukraine. People who live in Odessa say: “Odessa is not the first city, but not the second one”. Odessa attracts travelers with sandy beaches, mild climate, beautiful ships arriving at the local port every day and, of course, with Odessa ladies. It is the city by the sea, the birthplace of many famous emigrants and the capital of Ukrainian humor. There is a special atmosphere here, special people and a special attitude to everything, you have to feel it.

The main symbol of Odessa is Potemkin Stairs leading from the downtown to the sea port. Walking along the 192 steps of the stairs, you will fully enjoy the beauty of the “Southern Palmyra”.

Two more places that have to be in your visit list: the main street – Deribasovskaya and Odessa Opera Theater, which is called “the eighth wonder of the world”.

A walk on the beach of Arcadia will help you fully enjoy the rest and give you a chance to find beautiful Odessa ladies there.

The city with a unique color, picturesque landscapes and rich architecture has rightfully earned the reputation of the capital of laughter, fun and humor because a festival of humor is held in Odessa in early April. Visit Odessa on April 1, and you will understand everything right away. This city is actually a real “pearl by the sea”.

There is everything that tourists like: the sea and sandy beaches, museums and ancient buildings, entertainment and shopping centers, and, of course, the famous huge market Privoz.

Only few people know that the Odessa catacombs are the longest in the world. Odessa catacombs are an amazing underground world. Their total length exceeds 2,5 thousand kilometers, leaving behind the Roman and Parisian catacombs. In a complex plexus of man-made moves and caves you will find the evidence of numerous historical events. And, by the way, the streets of the city are the most popular place for feature films shooting.

As the people from Odessa say: The sea, the beach, the seaport and one million inhabitants will not let you rest for a minute. In Odessa you can walk for the tenth time as the first, and each time you will find something new. You will have a rest at home, but here you need to walk, sunbathe, swim, have fun and go shopping.

4. Poltava is a town on Vorskla were pretty Poltava women live

Poltava is an amazing city on the Vorskla river, known for its landscape, Dendro Park, which stretches across the square of one hundred and twenty four hectares. It is located on the territory where once the famous Poltava battle of the 18th century occurred between the Swedes and the Russian Tsar Peter I.

There are a large number of observation platforms, four ponds, one hundred and seventy kinds of trees and shrubs. The city park is an excellent monument of landscape art, which is a popular place for recreation of locals and tourists.

Poltava is a city with numerous buildings, museums and monuments. There are a lot of tourists, who want to see the military relics in Poltava, but the city on Vorskla is famous not only for the Museum of the Poltava Battle. Here you can see the Uspenskiy Cathedral (Cathedral of Dormition) with its amazing bell tower, many theaters (the most famous is the musical and dramatic named by Gogol, Ukrainian writer) and museums.

In general, Poltava is a quiet and calm city, which attracts everyone with its serene life. Timing in Poltava will give you a lot of positive emotions and impressions especially when you come there searching for a wife among Poltava women!

5. Chernivtsi is “Ukrainian Paris” or “Little Vienna”

Chernivtsi is an incredibly beautiful city of Ukraine, which Ukrainians call “Ukrainian Paris” because it is thoroughly imbued with a romantic atmosphere and absorbed all the heritage and elements of European culture. Once the main street of the city was swept with a broom from roses, and the amount of bookshops was several times more than a cafe.

Chernivtsi stretched in the south-west of the country, on the picturesque bank of the Prut River. The city is famous for its unique sightseeing and none of the tourists can ignore it! This is the cultural center of western Ukraine, along with Lviv. In 2012, it was recognized as the most comfortable city in the country. It is known, above all, by the object of UNESCO – the luxury building of the University which is the former residence of the Metropolitans.
The University or the “Metropolitan Residence” with its magnificent parkland and grotto is the visiting card of the Northern Bukovina capital. The roof of the building is tiled in various colors. The main building of the University includes “Marble”, “Blue” and “Red” halls. There is a church on its territory. In the central building of the structure you can see the figures of women symbolizing the Austrian Empire. Guests of Chernivtsi will also be able to visit the Turkish square, see the monument to a bicycle, go to the Central Square, and enjoy a magnificent view of the city from the observation deck of the Town Hall. On its tower, reaching a height of fifty meters, a mechanical clock is installed.

Every day, at noon, an employee dressed in national clothes, plays a musical composition called “Marichka” on the balcony of the town hall. Guests of Chernivtsi will be able to see other attractions: the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Cross Exaltation and the Armenian Church, Nikolaevsky Cathedral or “Drunken Church”, with amazing inclined windows, located in the four towers of the temple, along its perimeter; Art museum, house-ship and Philharmonic; monuments: “The cloak of a townsman with a cylinder, an umbrella-cane”, “A rose with a sign”, “A carriage on Kobylianskaya street”

Chernivtsi also received the nickname Little Vienna, because of the rich Austro-Hungarian architectural heritage. Due to its multiculturalism, which has affected architecture, restaurants and entertainment, this city is one of the most interesting places in the country.