Sightseeing OverviewKiev is a great city to explore
on foot and most of its best sights are the many
ancient churches with beautiful
golden domes which gleam on cloudless summer days and glow in the snow and fog of winter.
A short stroll from
Khreschatyk, which is pedestrianized at weekends, and
Maidan Nezalezhnosti will lead to another essential stop at
Sofiskaya Square. Here the golden domes of
St Sofia’s and
St Michael’s are not for show, Kievans are deeply religious so expect a service to be under way in most
churches you visit in the city.
A short distance on is
Andrivksy Uziv, a cobbled street where Kiev’s rich intellectual and bohemian history is in evidence with
Bulgakov’s house and the
Museum of One Street. Further north,
Podil is a distinct neighborhood with some of the
best bars and
restaurants in the city. The
Chernobyl Museum is also located here.
Tourist InformationSurprisingly for a city that attracts so many foreign tourists, there is no central tourist agency to replace the Soviet-era
Intourist. But one of the most reliable operators is
Olymp Travel (tel: (044) 253 7108; website:
www.olymp-travel.kiev.ua); which provides a good all-round service from transport to tours.
Key Attractions:St Sophia’s Cathedral
Kiev’s oldest church was built in 1037 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise, Ukraine’s powerful leader who was laid to rest inside. Thirteen golden cupolas sit atop the complex of white towers best viewed from the 76m (250ft) bell tower at the entrance.
Sofiskaya Square
Tel: (044) 278 2083.
Website:
www.sophia.org.uaAdmission charge.
Kievo-Pechersky Caves Monastery
This stunning complex of churches built on the banks of the Dnieper has UNESCO World Heritage status and its architecture cannot fail to impress. Under the golden-domed churches there is a network of candle-lit catacombs
(lavra) where Ukrainian saints are encased in glass coffins.
Sichnevoho Povstannia 21
Tel: (044) 280 7349.
Website:
www.lavra.kiev.uaFree admission (but you are expected to buy a candle at the entrance).
Bulgakov Museum
An interesting if eccentric insight into the family life of Kiev’s most famous son (the writer Mikhail Bulgakov) as a young boy. Exhibits focus on the
White Guard, an autobiographical account of his experiences in Kiev during the Russian civil war, rather than his most well-regarded masterpiece,
Master and Magarita.
Andriyivsky Uzviz 13
Tel: (044) 416 3188.
Admission charge
National Chernobyl Museum
This museum is a mixture of artistic representations of the disaster, artifacts from the site itself and model reconstructions commemorating the heroics of the first rescue workers, many of whom died fighting the fire. Dozens of signs hanging from the ceiling makes a haunting memorial to the evacuated towns still too dangerous to live in.
Provulok Khorevy 1
Tel: (044) 417 5427.
Admission charge.
The National Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945
A memorial complex commemorating Ukraine’s controversial participation in WWII when its capital population halved under the Nazis. It is one of the largest museums in Ukraine (over 300,000 exhibits) and a Brezhnev era 62m (203ft) tall titanium Motherland statue, with a lift to the top, stands guard over it.
Sichnevoho Povstannya 44
Tel: (044) 295 9452.
Website:
www.warmuseum.kiev.uaAdmission charge.
Further Distractions:Golden Gates
Little of Kiev’s rich ancient history remains, which makes the Golden Gates all the more special. They were built in 1017 as the gateway into the once-walled city.
Volodymyrs’ka 40A.
Tel: (044) 234 7068.
The Museum of One Street
The
Museum of One Street chronicles the vibrant history of Andreyvsky Uziv, often described as Kiev’s Montmarte artist’s quarter. Over the years a wide variety of artists, actors and writers lived on the street.
Andriyivsky Spusk 2B
Tel: (044) 425 0398.
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The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
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