Travel Guide
Here you can find a lot of useful information about Ukraine and its ancient capital, Kiev.
The art and architecture of Kyiv are world treasures. The Cathedral of St. Sophia, where the princes of Kyiv
were crowned in the years of Kyiv's grandeur, has outstanding mosaics and frescoes dating back to the 11th
century. Overlooking the old section of Kyiv, Podol, stands the Ukrainian Baroque church of St. Andrew, much
beloved by Ukrainians. The Percherska Lavra, the Monastery of the Caves, a short trolley ride from the center
of town, has two 11th-century cathedrals on its grounds, in addition to its world-famous catacombs, bell tower,
and museum collections. Close to the center of town stands the Golden Gate, a structure which dates back to
1037. This recently reconstructed remains of the former fortified wall of the city defined the limits of the
city in centuries past. Several blocks away, stands the magnificent 19th-century Cathedral of St. Volodymyr.
Theater buffs will find much to choose from here. Most performances are in Ukrainian or Russian.
The recently renovated Kyiv Opera House presents very good opera as well as a broad repertoire of ballets.
The Kyiv Young Theater is very popular and stages innovative plays in Ukrainian or Russian. The Ivan Franko
Theater is the center of Ukrainian drama, comedy, and musicals. This repertoire has just opened its 75th
season and includes brilliant versions of Aeneid and Teve Tevel, the original version of Fiddler on
the Roof.
The modern center with surviving parts of the old city are on the hilly west, or right bank, of the
Dnipro River. The main street, Khreshchatik, runs between two steep hills. Parallel about half a kilometer
west, is vulytsya Volodymyrska, the main street of the Old Kyiv area (Staryj Kyiv). From the north end of
Khreshchatik, vulytsya Hrushevskoho rises southeast along a ridge to the Caves Monastery at Perchersk. Woods
and parks cover most of the steep right-bank slopes. The capital's newer sections stretch out on the flat
left bank. These are characterized by large housing developments and industrialized neighborhoods.
Ukrainian pottery, embroidery, and handicrafts are available throughout the city, particularly in shops on
Andrievsky Uzviz, at Percherska Lavra, and St. Sophia's church. Quality and quantity vary from shop to shop.
A growing number of hard currency stores stock Western food, alcohol, clothing, and electrical appliances.
Most prices, in hard-currency stores, are higher than those in the West, and availability of stock is
unpredictable.
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Independence Square
Mihaylovski Cathedral
Monument of grand duchess Olga
Countryside
Park zone in Podol area
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