TRAVELLING ACROSS UKRAINE
KPI Academic Mobility Office
Transport
CAR
You can rent a car if you have the International Driver License, know Ukrainian Trafic Regulations and have enough money.
RAIL
Trains are the most popular transport for traveling throughout Ukrainians. Ukrainian national railway operator “Ukrzaliznytsia” (UZ) serves national railway routes. Trains are grouped by Night Rapid (the most widely spread), Express (INTERCITY) and Suburban (“elektrychka”, travels from large cities to nearby cities). To travel around major Ukrainian cities, better use Expresses. There are routes from Kyiv to the main centers.
BUSES
The roads in Ukraine can be in poor conditions, but Government invests now into road repair. You can travel by bus, but be attentive, check the operator company in advance. If you want to travel short distances from Kyiv by bus, take suburban marshrutka that goes from a metro station to different villages and nearby cities. There are several bus stations in Kyiv, the main is Central Bus Station on Demiivska Square.
AIR
Traveling by air in Ukraine is fast and safe. The main national airlines “Ukraine International” serve the majority of national flights. There are 9 international airports in Ukraine – Kyiv (KBP), Kyiv (IEV), Kharkiv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Lviv, Odesa, Chernivtsi and Zaporizhzhya. Usually, all the airports have a comfortable connection with the city.
Destinations
AROUND KYIV
A few kilometers South-East from Kyiv, “Manufaktura” outlet city is located (a shopping center in the style of old North European city).
“Kyivska Rus” Park (the real-size model of the ancient Ukrainian town) is located in the same direction.
There is a big town of Bila Tserkva South from Kyiv with amazing “Oleksandria” Park, and nearby is the village of Buky with a stunning park.
200 kilometers South from Kyiv is the town of Uman, with its “Sofiivka” Park and a holy place for Hasidism.
North from Kyiv is the “Battle for Dnipro” Diorama and the residence of President-escaper Viktor Yanukovich – “Mezhyhirya” Park.
As an extreme sight, you can also visit the Exclusion Zone of Chernobyl, but we do not recommend you to go there.
NORTHERN UKRAINE
The ancient city of Chernihiv is located 150 kilometers North from Kyiv. Chernihiv was a very important city of Kievan Rus, it is the big region center with a rich history. The same as Kyiv, it offers tourists many beautiful parks, panoramic views on wide river, as well as ancient monasteries, churches and mansions. You can take the bus to Chernihiv from “Chernihivska” or “Lisova” metro stations. Also, not so far from Chernihiv, you can find old residence of Cossack Hetmans, the town of Baturin.
EASTERN UKRAINE
Despite the dangerous situation in the Eastern part of the country, there are several big and safe cities, popular with tourists. The major city of Eastern Ukraine is Kharkiv – the historical capital of Soviet Ukraine. Kharkiv is famous for its massive Soviet constructivist architecture, blossoming parks, and rich culture. Kharkiv metro, the same as Kyiv's one, is an example of rich marble and granite architecture. The other big and beautiful city of Eastern Ukraine is Dnipro. The city has the reputation of the major business center of Ukraine. The same as Kharkiv, Dnipro has a lot of examples of massive and rich Soviet architecture, but at the same time, there are a lot of modern business centers, as well as mansions of the XIX century. One of the longest embankments in Europe is located there – it is really worth seeing. You can take the “INTERCITY” express from Central Railway Station in Kyiv to Kharkiv or Dnipro every day. Not so far away from Dnipro, there is another old city – Zaporizhia – the historical center of Sich, a country of Ukrainian Cossacks, with its capital on Khortytsia Island.
SOUTHERN UKRAINE
Ukraine is located on the beautiful shores of the Black Sea and possesses many summer resorts. One of the most beautiful cities in all Ukraine, the so-called “Pearl on the seaside” is the worldwide famous city of Odesa. Odesa is known for its incredibly beautiful architecture, dizzy Potyomkin stairs from the high city centre to the seaside, and unrepeatable cultural mix of Russians, Ukrainians, and Jews. Together with Lviv, Odesa is the most popular destination for holidays throughout many Ukrainians. Except for Odesa, there are many sea resorts in the Odesa region and Kherson region (including "Mayak" sea camp of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute). Note, that due to the annexation of Crimea, any travels to this Ukrainian region are prohibited.
WESTERN UKRAINE
Western Ukraine offers many different places to visit and travel to. This is the region with a very specific and extremely rich culture. There are a lot of ancient big and small cities across Western Ukraine, with many ancient churches, castles and palaces, especially in regions of Lviv, Ternopil, Volyn, Zakarpatia, Chernivtsi, and Khmelnytskyi. In Rivne region you can visit abandoned railways, surrounded by trees - the Tunnel of Love. In Lutsk - the capital of Volyn region, there is a stunning medieval fortress. Also, towns of Khotyn and Kamyanets-Podilskyi possess really impressive massive old castles. If you like skiing or snowboarding, Ukraine offers you the great variant - Bukovel ski resort. The two main and most popular cultural centres of Western Ukraine are Lviv and Chernivtsi.
Lviv is the capital of Western Ukraine. In old times it was the major centre of Red Rus – the western part of Old Ukrainian state. Nowadays, Lviv has a unique architectural style: each nation that ruled the city contributed to its atmosphere, so now Lviv is the mix of Polish, Austro-Hungarian, Soviet and Ukrainian. Except for the stunning architecture of the XVI-XX centuries, Lviv has a very rich culture, it is famous for its numerous cozy cafes and restaurants, fragrant coffee and very delicious chocolate. It is definitely worth visiting! Except for Lviv itself, you can take a guided tour around the Lviv region. There are a lot of ancient towns with breathtaking panoramas and old massive palaces, castles, and cathedrals.
Another great city is Chernivtsi. Sometimes, people call Chernivtsi Little Lviv, because this city also has an example of perfect old architecture. The most famous sight in Chernivtsi is UNESCO-protected heritage: Residence of Bukovina Metropolitans, now – Fedkovich National University of Chernivtsi.