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Kiev
Understand
Ukrainians are understandably very proud of their capital's role in establishing European civilisation in Eastern Europe.
Kiev is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, its official history dating back to the 5th century, although settlement on this location was present since much earlier. By late 9th century Kiev became the chef-lieu of the emerging state of the Eastern Slavic tribes, and between the 10th and early 13th century, it reached its golden age as the capital of the first Ukrainian state known today as Kievan Rus, (Kyivan Ruthenia, or Rus-Ukraine), which predated modern Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.
In the middle of the 11th century Kievan Rus was overrun by the Mongols, and later this century Kiev became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1654 Kiev was liberated from the commonwealth by Cossack Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, who then promptly signed the city over to ebecome a protectorate of Russia.
In 1775 was completely annexed by the Russian Empire. The city remained under Russian rule, with brief periods of independence in between 1918 and 1920. During these two centuries, Kiev experienced growing Russification and Russian immigration. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kiev became the capital of independent Ukraine and is now quickly learning the role of a large European capital.
According to the last census (2001) Kiev has a population of 2,600,000, although it's generally acknowledged that, in 2006, that the population is over 3 million. About 85% declare themselves as Ukrainians, 12% as Russians, there are also Armenian, Azeri, Belarusian, Jewish, Georgian, Polish, Romanian and Tatar minorities. Today, not only has the population of Kiev likely increased, but also percentage of Ukrainians declaring Ukrainian nationality, as a result of the strong nationalist movement after the October 2004 Orange Revolution.
About 40% of the population has secondary education.
The average summer temperature is 24°C, and in winter is -4°C.
Russian is widely spoken in Kiev, particularly in business, including shops and restaurants. The common English name for the city, "Kiev," is a transliteration from the Russian language. The transliteration of the city's name from Ukrainian is "Kyiv", and this variation is used in many English language materials in Ukraine.
Many people in Kyiv are hospitable and will be eager to help you. However, if you're from Western Europe or North America, you may find service in restaurants and shops less attentive than you're accustomed to.
Eat
In general, it is very cheap to dine in Kiev by US standards. So long as you stay away from the places that totally pander to tourists, the food is great and cheap. Try the Borscht and the Mlyntzi and then try absolutely everything else. Baked goods are cheap and great too. Even the ice-cream on the street is great. An especially distinctive one is to the right from Khreshchatyk subway exit - blue kiosk with varying lengh of queue.
When you see vendors selling some liquid from big yellow/blue tanks on the street, you can be sure that...
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| Open Air Pirogovo Museum Tour Private |
4 hours |
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The museum of people's architecture and way of life of Ukraine is located on a territory of about 150 hectares on the picturesque Kyiv outskirts near the Goloseyevsky forest. This is a remarkable ensemble of open-air exhibits. The museum is located near the village Pirogov not far from the city ring road.
Construction began in 1969 on the initiative of the Ukrainian Society for Protection of Monuments of History and Culture, The museum has been open to visitors since 1976. S.Vergovsky, T.Dovzhenko, V.Orlov, L.Pribega, V.Sikorskiy, S.Smolinsky, B.Stamov, N.Khodakovsky and others took part in developing the conception and design of the museum.
The museum structures (there are more than 300) are original examples of wooden architecture transported here from the different regions of Ukraine. The territory is divided into separate zones corresponding to the historical regions of the country.
From the main entrance, the road leads across a large wheat field to the zone Middle Pridnieprovie with the great Church of the Great Martyn Saint Paraskeva Friday (Cherkassy region, 1742), the small Church of the Archangel Michael (1601), and the unique collection of windmills (vitriaky). Next on the hillside comes the zone Podolie where visitors tan see the Church of Saint Nicholas and the hell tower from the beginning of the 19th century from near Gusiatin. A stone pot-house stands near the road. The complex Poltavshchina and Slobozhanshchina is situated
in the centre of the museum territory. A little farther on, visitors can see the Polesiye zone with the Voskresenskaya Church (Rovenshchina, 17th-18th century) under its hipped roof. The exposition of village houses (khatas) here is unique for its age (1587 and 1687). In the northern part of the museum, the Carpathians zone is divided into small farms. The bell tower of the ancient Pokrovskaya Church rises above this zone.
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| Kiev Airport Departure Transfer Private |
Varies |
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Travel from your Kiev hotel to Kiev Airport. Transfer services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When making a booking, you will need to advise your departure flight details and your Nice pick-up details. Upon confirmation you will be provided with a travel voucher to present to the driver.
It's that easy!
Don't forget to book your arrival transfer here!
Kiev Arrival Airport Transfer Private
Product Code: 3401KBPAPTHTL
At time of booking, YOU MUST include the following flight and hotel details in the 'Special Requirements' box:
- Airline
- Flight Number
- Departing City / Arrival City*
- Arrival Time
- Hotel Name
- Hotel Address
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| Kiev City Sightseeing Tour Private |
3 hours |
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The trip starts from Old Kiev Hill (Vladimir's Hill, to the honor of Prince Volodimir, the baptizer of Kiev Rus), the place, where according to the chronicles, the first settlement was established by 3 brothers, Kiy, Shcheck, Horiv and their sister Lybid in 482 A.D. On Vladimir's Hill you will see the duplicate of the basement of Desyatinnaya Church (10th), which was completely destroyed in 1240 during the tatar-mongol invasion. A nice example of Old Rus architecture raises over Volodimir's Hill (the architector Rastrelli).
From the epoch of Volodimir we proceed to the epoch of Yaroslav the Wise, the son of Volodimir. The historical monument, preserved up to our days, is St. Sophia's Cathedral (1037). It is a unique specimen of Old Rus architecture. Mosaics and frescos in the interior of the Cathedral are of great value. There is a lovely view from Sopia's Square to St. Michael Golden Domed Cathedral (1113), which was destroyed to the earth in 1934-35 by soviet regime and restored in 1998. Continuing our tour of the city we can not pass by the famous Golden Gates (11th), which were the part of fortifications of Kiev in their time, were completely destroyed in 1240 and reconstructed in 1750, 1837.
From Kiev of Old Rus time we are proceeding to modern Kiev, a famous Opera House (1901), Kiev National University (1837-43). You will drive along the main street of Kreshchatik, will hear the history of this famous street. Near the Arch of Friendship a magnificent view to the Dniper river and to one of the old regions of Kiev, Podol, will be opened to you. You visit the Museum of the Second World War with the exposition of the military equipment.
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