Traveling to Ukraine
Most international flights go to the Boryspil
International Airport in Kiev, about 40km (25mi) south-east
of the centre. The airport at Lviv, about 8km (5mi) west of
its centre, has connections with Warsaw, Prague, Amsterdam,
Frankfurt, London and Chicago. Odessa's airport is about 12km
(7mi) south-west of downtown, and has flights to and from Vienna
and Moscow.
International trains enter Ukraine from seven countries at more
than 10 locations. As long as you've got a visa, border crossings
are pretty straightforward. Most major Ukrainian cities have
daily services from Moscow; it's 15 hours to Kiev and 28 hours
to Lviv. You can go between Kiev and Berlin (26 hours) via Warsaw
(16 hours) and Brest (10 hours). The station is on the western
fringe of downtown Kiev. Lviv has rail connections with most
major Eastern European and Russian cities; the station is 3km
(2mi) west of the centre. A few buses a day head into Russia
from Kharkiv; it takes 20 hours to reach Moscow from Kharkiv
by bus.
You can travel by ship between Odessa or Yalta and various cities
on the Black Sea and Mediterranean. The main year-round destinations
are Haifa (Israel), Limassol (Cyprus), Piraeus (Greece) and
Port Said (Egypt). The most frequent and reliable is the Odessa
to Istanbul route. It's also possible to sail down the Danube
River between Odessa and a number of Eastern European river
ports. There's a car ferry running between Kerch, at the eastern
tip of Crimea, and the Russian ports of Temryuk, Anapa and Novorossiysk.
All official land border crossings into Ukraine are unrestricted,
though they'll always go more smoothly if you have a visa ahead
of time rather than relying on getting an emergency visa at
the border, especially when entering from Russia.
Getting Around
Getting between major Ukrainian cities is best
done by train. They're frequent, cheap and often a convenient
night's journey. If you want to save a few grynia and don't
mind the extra time, buses serve almost every city and small
town; they're best for short trips outside main cities not served
by trains.
With fuel hard to come by, spare parts rare, road conditions
rugged and getting lost inevitable, driving in Ukraine is not
recommended for the faint of heart. Cars can be rented at a
few major hotels in Kiev and at a handful of agencies in the
major cities. You'll need an International Driving Permit; driving
is on the right.
Public Transportation
Public transportation can be found in almost every
Ukrainian city and operates from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Taxi is comparatively cheap for Ukrainian/Russian speaking passengers.
Probably everywhere situation with taxi is like this –
if one speaks a foreign language price for a taxi goes up. There
are numerous taxi services, orders are taken via phone. A taxi
or a gypsy cab can be hired right on the street simply by putting
out your hand. Services of gypsy cabs are less expensive but
are not recommended from the safety point of view. However,
if you wish to use a gypsy cab make sure there is nobody else
inside but the driver and negotiate the price before you get
in the car.
Activities
The best prospects for hiking, trekking and camping
are in Crimea and the Carpathians in the south-west, along with
a few scattered national parks. In south-west Crimea, easy hikes
lead to the cave cities of Chuft-Kale and Manhup-Kale. Other
Crimean trekking highlights include the 300m (985ft) Bolshoy
Kanyon and the Dzhur-Dzhur and Uchansu waterfalls. With a good
map you can walk anywhere in the Carpathians, where most of
the territory is uninhabited and very scenic. A good place to
start is the Carpathian State National Park, about 55km (35mi)
south-west of Kolomyya and 500km (310mi) south-west of Kiev.
Boat trips down the Dnipro from Kiev to Odessa are a fun and
relaxing way to see the country.
Holidays and Events
January 1 - New Year
January 7 - Christmas
March 8 - Women’s Day
May 1, 2 - Labor Day
May 9 - Victory Day
June 23 - Whitsunday
June 28 – Constitution Day
August 24 – Independence Day
Ukrainians place gifts under fir trees and sing holiday songs
for New Year's Day.
The country celebrates Orthodox Christmas Day on 7 January.
Paskha (Easter) is the main festival of the Orthodox Church
year, beginning with midnight services and continuing with parades
around village churches throughout the country.
In Lviv, the National Virtuoso fills the month of May with musical
and theatrical performances focussing on national themes.
The capital celebrates spring during Kiev Days, held the last
weekend in May.
In August, Crimea fetes itself at Yalta's Crimean Stars. On
28 August, religious pilgrims flock to the monastery in Pochayiv
for the Feast of the Assumption. Cities and towns honour Independence
Day on 24 August with performances and special events.
Money
Currency: Ukraine gryvnia
The Hryvnia, also spelled sometimes as Hryvna or Grivna (UHR)
was introduced September 2, 1996 by the National Bank of Ukraine.
It replaces the old 'Coupon' (or 'Karbovanets') which was a
temporary currency used in Ukraine during the period of separation
from the rouble zone. Coupons were later exchanged at the fixed
rate of 100,000 coupons to 1 Hryvnia and as of September 15,
1997 the Hryvnia remains the only legal tender in Ukraine.
There are bills for 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Hryvnias. There
are coins called 'kopiyka' for 1, 2 ,5 10, 25, and 50 kopiykas.
(1 kopiyka is equal to 1/100 of Hryvnia.) Alo there are 1, 2
and 5 Hryvnia coins as well as some commemorative collectible
coins.
Food
You will be impressed with quantity and quality
of restaurants here - national Ukrainian cuisine, European entrees,
Italian Pizzerias or just fast food. Most restaurants have affordable
prices even for a traveler of modest means.
Ukrainian cuisine restaurants become more and more popular with
traditional Borsch – red and green, several kinds of Ukrainian
Vareniki (dumplings) stuffed with potatoes, mushrooms, all kinds
of meat or cheese, Golubtsy (cabbage rolls) - cabbage leaves
stuffed with rice, meat, carrot and fried onion, usually served
with sour-cream, jellied meat with horse-radish, suckling pig,
stuffed fish and plenty of other Ukrainian specialties. Ukrainian
cuisine is rich of natural components grown in the fertile Ukrainian
soil. Tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet onion, lettuce, peaches, watermelons,
apples, grapes - all vegetable and fruits produced in Ukraine
taste marvelous.
Water
Tap water in Kyiv is chemically safe but may contain
elevated levels of lead from the pipes. This problem is remedied
by letting the tap run for 10 seconds before collecting the
water. There is also no detectable radiation in the water.
You should be aware that hot water is typically turned off for
a month during the summer so the pipes can be cleaned.
Speaking about drinking water, the majority of food stores and
supermarkets in Ukraine have a big choice of bottled water:
carbonated and non-carbonated, mineral or simple potable water.
Alcohol
Throughout Ukraine alcohol is quite inexpensive
and easily accessible.
Ukraine is a Zero Tolerance country, so please do not drink
and drive. The penalties are severe and you are never sure what
may happen in such incidents involving the Police.
It is advisable to purchase liquor in the better shops rather
than small kiosks; this reduces the risk of weak, fake or dangerous
products.
Electricity
220V, 50Hz.
Adaptor with round plugs is necessary if your appliances are
for US/Canada electric net.
Floors in buildings
In official buildings the entrance hall is considered
the "Ground Floor" The next flight up takes you to
the "First" floor. This is the standard floor numbering
system used in all European countries. For private apartments
the "First" floor is usually exactly that - the first
floor.
Business hours
An eight-hour day is considered a normal work
day, Monday through Friday. A lunch break is taken between the
hours of 1:00pm and 2:00pm. Most banks are open without breaks,
Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 1:00pm. As for food stores,
many of them work 24 hours 7 days a week, a few – from
8a.m. to 8p.m.
Local time
The time in Ukraine is set 2 hours ahead of GMT
(3 hours ahead during day-light time). When it is 12:00 in Kiev
it is 11:00 in Warsaw and Berlin, 10:00 in London and 5:00 in
New York. Clocks go forward one hour on the last Sunday in March
and one hour back on the last Sunday of October.
Weights & measures
Metric
Shopping
Ukraine is famous for its high-quality textile,
as well as food products and drinks: delicatessen, caviar, confectionery,
chocolate, juices, beer, vodka, Crimea wines and plenty of others.
Shops and markets trade via Hryvna only. However, some of shops
accept Visa, MasterCard/EuroCard. You can identify such places
by credit cards signs on the entrance door.
Buying a souvenir, a painting, a sculpture or other handcrafts it is a good idea to get a certificate identifying historical value (its absence) of the purchased good. This document might be useful when going through the customs upon departure from Ukraine.
Religion
Ukraine is a mostly Orthodox Country. You will enjoy Ukrainian
churches; some of which were built almost a thousand years
ago. Kiev-Pechersk Monastery is a complex where many religious
people gather to celebrate religious holidays. Catholics will
find St. Alexander's Cathedral along Kostyolna Street next
to Independence Square. The Kiev Central Synagogue on Shota
Rustavely Street represents the Jewish community.
Protestant, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu communities are represented
by their churches, worshipping centers, mosques and temples.
