Kiev, Ukraine — Travel Tips
Getting There By Air
Boryspil Kiev (KBP)
Tel: (044) 490 4777.
Website: www.borispil.kiev.ua/eng
Boryspil is Ukraine’s largest airport and it has three main terminals. Most international flights arrive and depart through terminal B, 40km (25 miles) east of Kiev. The airport is well modernized and is still undergoing huge expansion.
Airport facilities: Shops, ATMS, banks and bureau de change, tourist information, restaurants, cafes, left-luggage and car hire are all in abundance at Boryspil terminal B. There is also a conference center and business hall and VIP service. Disabled facilities are excellent and there is also a mother’s room and baby changing facilities.
Transport to the city: Atass (tel: (044) 281 7367) buses run cheap and efficient services from terminal B around the clock to shuttle passengers between Boryspil and the Central Railway terminal. Journey times should be around one hour. Taxi desks are located to the left of the main entrance of B terminal and are open 24 hours a day. If you wish to prebook try Etalon (tel: (044) 501 5501) or Taxi FM (tel: (044) 502 0502).
Getting There By Road
Traffic drives on the right. Speed limits in and around Kiev are 60kph (37mph) in built-up areas, 90kph (55mph) in outside areas and 130kph (80mph) on the motorways. An international driver's license is required to drive in Ukraine, but driving can be challenging as nearly all signs are in Cyrillic only. Right-hand drive cars are prohibited. If you hire a car in the country, your rental provider should be able to give you full details of what to do if you break down.
Emergency breakdown services
Ukrainian Transport Police (tel: 04 or 05).
Coach services
The Central Bus Station is on Moskovskaya Square close to Libydksa metro and is the terminus for most local and some domestic and international routes. Buses also run to and from Boryspil airport to other major cities in Ukraine including Kharkhiv (7 hours) and Odessa (8 hours). Autolux Transport Company (tel: (044) 536 0055; www.autolux.ua/english) runs domestic bus services in Ukraine. Lviv Inturtrans (tel: (044) 238 2731; http://lviv-inturtrans.com) offers weekly connections to Italy, France and the Netherlands, while Kiev Grand (tel: (044) 486 5908; www.avtobus.kiev.ua) offers regular connections to Germany and the Czech Republic.
Getting There By Rail
Kiev has an excellent rail network starting at the Central Railway Station. Fast 'firmeny' trains are the most rapid, modern and comfortable trains. Tickets are cheap by UK standards. If traveling by overnight train, do not leave the compartment unattended.
Rail Services
Every large Ukrainian town has a railway station and there are 15 daily 'domestic' connections to Moscow and one to St Petersburg. The most popular daily international routes are Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Budapest and Vienna, most of which take at least a full 24 hours. Trains to Central Asia and Caucasus run to less reliable timetables. The Central Railway Station is next to the Vokzalna metro.
Rail Operators
The rail network in Kiev is run by the national rail company Ukrzaliznytsia (tel: (044) 465 4682; www.uz.gov.ua).
Connections
From Moscow – 14 hours; St Petersburg – 24 hours.
Getting Around in Kiev, Ukraine
Public Transport
Public transportation in Kiev includes an extensive metro system (www.metro.kiev.ua), buses, trolleybuses and trams. By far the best means of transport however is the efficient metro system. Two further lines are currently under construction. Most of the newer stations have disabled access. Trams are still available but are being phased out to make way for buses and trolley buses.
Taxis
The following taxi services operate anywhere within the city center and you can also ask for English-speaking controllers: Radio Taxis (tel: (044) 249 6249), Swift Taxi (tel: (044) 459 0439) and Taxi Blues (tel: (044) 295 1444). Flagging down private cars is the most normal way to get around – state your destination to the driver and they will tell you how much they'll want for the journey (in Russian or Ukrainian only though!).
Car Hire
Car hire is available from Avis (tel: (044) 502 2010; www.avis.com.ua), Europcar (tel: (044) 238 2691; www.europcar.ua), Hertz (tel: (044) 492 3270; www.hertz.ua) and Sixt (tel: (044) 496 0531; www.sixt.ua).
Bicycle Hire
Although cycling would be a great way to explore Kiev and its many parks, bicycle hire is hard to find in Kiev. If you are able to find a bike though, there are off-road trails on Trukhaniv Island, a small island in the Dnieper which is accessible from the Park Pedestrian Bridge at Naberezhno-Kreschatytskaya next to the Podil area of the city.
