All over 27-day tour to the most remarkable places of Ukraine All year round Would you mind spending the unforgettable time in one of the most interesting countries in the world with its great history, unique natural and architectural monuments? Visit the main cities of Ukraine and learn the fascinating Ukrainian traditions. Be captivated by the energetic life in , the capital city, and explore its monumental architecture; wonder through the beautiful parks at the most impressive palace-park complexes; feel the spirit of the times on Khortytsya island and make your own souvenir at the painting master-class. Explore the breathtaking beauty of Crimea, where sheer cliffs tower above a winding coast, visit the mysterious caves and cave towns. Take a chance to feel the neoclassical charm of seaside Odesa, have a boat-trip at the “Venice of Ukraine” Vylkove and enjoy the delicious Ukrainian wine. Make a journey to the enchanting Galician capital of and become a fairy-tale hero at the magnificent castles of the “Golden Horseshoe”. Make sure not to miss an opportunity of hiking on the marvelous Carpathian mountains, visiting the main cities of that region. Finally admire the absolutely stunning landscape of Kamyanets-Podilsky where the medieval perches atop a tall rock in the middle of a river loop and don’t forget to have a look at the mighty and extremely impressive fortress.

Day 1, Kyiv Meeting at the airport in Kyiv. Transfer to a hotel. Accommodation at the hotel. Welcome dinner. Meeting with a guide and a short presentation of a tour.

Day 2, Kyiv

Breakfast. Kyiv - a 3-hour bus tour around the historical districts of Kyiv: Golden Gate (the unique monument which reflects the art of fortification of Kievan Rus), a majestic St. Sophia’s , St. Volodymyr’s and St. Michael’s Golden Domed , an exuberant St. Andrew’s Church. A walk along Andriyivsky Uzviz (Andrew’s Descent) – Kyiv’s “Monmartre” - where the peculiar Ukrainian souvenirs may be bought. Lunch (optionally). Excursion to the museum-reserve and Kyiv-Pechersk (an ancient Kyiv Cave Monastery). A walk along the historical district of Lypky: the House of Parliament, Mariyinsky palace (an official residence of the President of Ukraine for ceremonial purposes) and Mariyinsky park, the marvellous panoramic views over the Dnipro river; street (the main street of a city with its splendid architecture) and Maydan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square). Dinner.

Day 3, Kyiv - Kozelets – (165 km)

Breakfast. Kozelets – the mid-18th-century Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Nativity built in the late style with the amazing 27m-high iconostasis, the Regimental Chancellery Building (the current Town Hall). Chernihiv – the historical places of the old part of a city – Boryso-Hlibsky Cathedral with the stunning silver Royal Doors, the Transfiguration Cathedral with its two distinctive bell towers, the Regimental Chancellery, the burial-mounds on the Boldyn hill, Troyitsky and Illinsky Trinity , the impressive Antoniy caves with 315 m of passageways, galleries and chapels. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 4, Chernihiv - Nizhyn – – Poltava (440 km)

Breakfast. Nizhyn – Pokrova Church, St. Michael’s Church of the Greek Community, the so-called Cossack Cathedral of St. Nicholas, a rare survival from the days of Nizhyn's Cossack glory; the Neoclassical complex of the famous Nizhyn Lyceum, the monument to Mykola Gogol. Kachanivka – a national historic-cultural reserve - the Tarnowski palace and park complex of the 18-19th centuries, the beautiful architectural and natural ensemble and the only Ukrainian homestead preserved as a complex. Journey to Poltava. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 5, Poltava – Dykanka - Opishnya – Petrykivka – Dnipropetrovsk (280 km)

Breakfast. Poltava – a tour around a pretty and quaint city on the Vorskla river with the Iron Column of Glory, topped by a golden eagle, the Poltava Battle Museum, the early 18th-century Khrestovozdvyzhensky Monastery (Elevation of the Cross) and Spaska Church. Dykanka – the picturesque village and the former Kochubey’s county with four famous giant oaks, the Triumphal arch, St. Nicholas Church-Shrine of Kochubey, the beautiful St. Trinity Church and local parks. Opishnya – a „pottery capital” of Ukraine (the National museum-reserve of Ukrainian pottery). Lunch at Petrykivka (optionally). Petrykivka – the well-known centre of the Ukrainian national art and handicraft: master-classes in painting with the best Ukrainian masters. Journey to Dnipropetrovsk. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 6, Dnipropetrovsk – Zaporizhzhya – Kamyana Mohyla – Simferopol (500 km)

Breakfast. Zaporizhzhya (Khortytsya island) – the location of Zaporizhska Sich, the most important cradle of Ukrainian Cossackdom, visiting Historical Museum of Zaporizhsky Cossacks, the unique and extremely interesting “Mounted Cossacks” performance. Kamyana Mohyla – the national historic-archaeological reserve, an outstanding monument of the ancient culture in Ukraine (impressive caves and grottoes with the mysterious inscriptions and paintings). Journey to Simferopol. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 7, Simferopol – Bakhchysaray – Sevastopol (90 km)

Breakfast. Simferopol – a short bus city-tour around the Crimean capital (the five-domed Three Saints Church, the restored 16th-century Kebi-Djami mosque). Bakhchysaray – one of the most amazing places in Ukraine - Khans’ Palace glorified by poets (the Ambassador’s Gate, the Divan Hall, the Golden Fountain and the Fountain of Tears, a small mosque, the Falcon Tower), the enigmatic cave-towns - Chufut-Kale (the long and bluff plateau houses, a honeycomb of caves and structures), cave Monastery of the Assumption (Uspensky Monastery), the picturesque natural scenery of the environs. Journey to Sevastopol. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 8, Sevastopol, Khersones (20 km)

Breakfast. Sevastopol – a tour around this spick and span city with its whitewashed neoclassical buildings, stone forts and a cerulean bay (the Eagle Column, the Admiral Nakhimov monument, the painted panorama). Visiting the national preserve “ Tavriysky” – the ruins of the ancient Greek city which are really captivating, with a row of marble columns from an early Christian Church, a few meters from the shore, and the magnificently restored Prince Volodymyr’s Cathedral. Free time. Dinner.

Day 9, along the coast to Yalta/Alushta (one of the most scenic drive in Crimea) (150 km)

Breakfast. Vorontsov Palace and Park in Alupka – Crimea’s most exotic palace-park complex, a bizarre combination of Scottish castle on its landward side with Arabic-Asian fantasy facing the sea; cableway to the peak of Ay-Petri – a truly dizzying ride across the foothills and up the mountain’s sheer face with the spectacular panoramic views; Yalta - the Swallow’s Nest (Lastochkyno Gnezdo) – the beautiful toy-town castle overhanging the cliff; Masandra winery - a tasting of delicious Crimean wines. Arrival to Alushta. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 10, Alushta - Crimean caves – Simferopol (65 km)

Breakfast. Visiting Chatyr-Dag plateau, famous for the numerous caves that lie beneath it. The Marble cave - a long shallow cave full of strangely shaped stalactites and stalagmites resembling various animals, objects, fairy-tale characters and international buildings (1 hour 20 minutes excursion). The Emine-Ba’ir-Hosar cave - spirals down to 120m with jade-like stalagmites, crystal flowers and a lake (1 hour 40 minutes). The Red cave (Kizil-Koba) – a cave with its underground river, numerous lakes, crystal and stone flowers and labyrinthine galleries (approx. 1 hour). Journey to Simferopol. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 11, Simferopol – (Kherson – Mykolayiv) – Odesa (520 km) Breakfast. Journey from Simferopol to Odesa. Lunch at restaurant “Tamplier” (optionally). Accommodation at a hotel in Odesa. Dinner.

Day 12, Odesa

Breakfast. Odesa - a tour around the city considered to be straight from the literature – a lively and fabulous city (the main architectural monuments, the most popular beach Arkadia, French Boulevard, Pushkinska Street, the Naval Station, the tree-lined Prymorsky Boulevard; the pink and white colonnaded Odesa City Hall; a beautiful building of the well-known Opera and Ballet Theatre; the famous Potyomkin Stairs, sweeping down to the ; Derybasivska Street, Odesas’s main commercial street, jam-packed with restaurants and bars; the city garden where all manner of souvenirs are sold). Free time. Visiting museums or the Opera House (optionally). Dinner.

Day 13, Odesa Breakfast. The whole day free. Dinner. Optionally

Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky – an outstanding monument of the medieval military architecture, an impressive fortress - one of the most powerful structures of 13-15th centuries on the territory of Ukraine. Shabo – visiting the chic wine culture center "Shabo", learning about wine-making technologies and of course wine tasting. Lunch at the restaurant “Shabsky dvoryk” (optionally). Returning to Odesa.

Day 14, Odesa – Vylkove – Odesa (500 km)

Breakfast. Leaving for Vylkove. Vylkove – a walking tour around the old part of a town visiting the streets-channels of the Venice of Ukraine; a boat-tour through a delta visiting the symbolic “0 km”, learning about the nature peculiarities at delta, flora and fauna of a Danube Biosphere Reserve, traditions and everyday life of the local population. Lunch: leisure time at a tourist camp “Pelican” with a Danube uha (fish-soup), local wine “Novak” and phyto. Returning to Odesa. Dinner.

Day 15, Odesa – – Cherkasy (470 km)

Breakfast. Leaving for Uman. Uman, – a stunning park, strung along the Kamenka River, having the Island of Love with a Renaissance-style rose pavilion on it; the Grotto of Fear and Doubts, the Fountain of Three Tears, the Grotto of Venus and Underground River Styx where boats can be hired. Journey to Cherkasy. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 16, Cherkasy – Chyhyryn – Subotiv – Kholodny Yar – Cherkasy (160 km)

Breakfast. Excursion to the national historic-cultural reserve “Chyhyryn” with about 35 monuments of archaeology, architecture, history, ethnography, nature and art (Chyhyryn - the old capital with the ruins of the fortifications on Bohdan Hill; Subotiv - the birthplace and the burial place of the Cossack , the 17th-century Illinska Church). Visiting Kholodny Yar - the relic forestry with unique nature, the rare plants, the Skythian burial mounds, the ruins of underground Churches, caves and Atamansky park. Returning to Cherkasy. Dinner.

Day 17, Cherkasy – – Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky – Kyiv (260 km)

Breakfast. Visiting Kaniv (T.Shevchenko’s grave and museum, the Assumption Cathedral) and Pereyaslav - Khmelnytsky (a so-called “town-museum” with approximately 30 museums, one of the most interesting of which is the Museum of Folk architecture and Everyday life; among other attractions are the 17-18th centuries Ascension Cathedral and the Collegiums building - now the museum of Hryhoriy Skovoroda). Journey to Kyiv. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 18, Kyiv Breakfast. The whole day free. Optionally

Pyrohovo – the museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life – one of only a few of the largest open air museums in Ukraine, set on over 150 acres of beautiful countryside with over 200 structures, including four wooden tripartite Churches, representing spiritual and cultural material. Dinner. Taking a night train to Lviv.

Day 19, Lviv

Breakfast. Lviv –a 3-hour tour around one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine – the Assumption Church (Uspinnya) and Three Saints Chapel, the Dominican Cathedral, the Rynok Square – the heart of the city (Renaissance period), the City Hall (Ratusha), the Latin Cathedral with the Chapel, the ancient Armenian quarter and the Armenian Cathedral, the Liberty avenue (Prospekt Svobody), the Opera House, Town Arsenal – a part of the city’s original fortification system. Accommodation at a hotel. Free time or visiting museums, exhibitions, famous cafes, theatres, clubs, discos optionally. Dinner.

Day 20, Lviv Breakfast. The whole day free. Dinner. Optionally

a) Visiting museums. b) Lviv – – Krehiv – Lviv (80 km) Zhovkva – the castle (the defense building of the Renaissance period), the City Hall with the reconstructured building of the old 17th-century casemates, parochial St. Laurentium Church, the Christmas Church and Monastery, the Dominican Monastery building. Krehiv – the building of the Basilian Monastery of St. Nicolas (14 - 16 centuries), the healing springs in the ravine near the Monastery.

Day 21, The Golden Horseshoe (castles around Lviv, 180 km)

Breakfast. Leaving for the excursion. – the 18th-century French chateau-style standing on top of a hill surrounded by a dense swamp - the unique historical and architectural monument. Lunch (optionally, “Grydnycya” Restaurant). Palace and Park complex – the impressive architectural monument of the late Renaissance period designed in the characteristic “palazzo in fortezza” style - the Palace, the Cathedral of St. Jozef and Exaltation (Vozdvyzhennya). Zolochiv Castle (17thcentury) – a former residence of the Sobieski noble family situated on a hill at the confluence of two small rivers (the Big Palace, the Chinese Palace, bastions and towers). Returning to Lviv. Dinner.

Day 22, Lviv – Ivano-Frankivsk – Yaremche (205 km)

Breakfast. Journey to the Ukrainian Carpathians through Ivano-Frankivsk to Yaremche. Ivano-Frankivsk – a city tour (Rynok square – a traditional heart of a city, where a mix of colourful buildings circle the star-shaped town hall, the baroque Cathedral of the Holy Resurrection, the former Armenian Church with an attractive, undulating baroque facade and twin, rounded bell towers). Yaremche - visiting a pretty resort at the Carpathians with the beautiful waterfall „Probiy” and the hutsulian souvenir market. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 23, Yaremche – Kolomyya – Chernivtsi (140 km)

Breakfast. Optionally Hiking on the highest peak of Ukraine Hoverla (2061 m) – pretty straight and not the most remote trail in the Carpathians; the breathtaking views from the mountain. Kolomyya - National Museum of Hutsulshchyna and Pokuttya Folk Art (one of the best exhibitions of its kind in Ukraine), the eye-catching “” Museum show-casing the colourful, hand-printed Easter eggs (Ukrainian tradition), the Old city. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 24, Chernivtsi – Khotyn – Kamyanets-Podilsky (100 km)

Breakfast. Chernivtsi - a tour around this lively and energetic city (the instantly intriguing University Complex – a former residence of Bukovynian patriarchies – with all red-brick facades, green domes and a few Moorish touches; an attractive building of the Music and Drama Theatre, the City Hall). Excursion to Khotyn – the 15th-century – an impressive massive fort overlooking the Dnister river, preferred by filmmakers above all Ukrainian castles, worth visiting by all means (a fortress can be called a real movie star). Journey to Kamyanets-Podilsky. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 25, Kamyanets-Podilsky

Breakfast. Kamyanets-Podilsky - a majestic stone fortress, built on a rocky island near the River Smotrych, with numerous fortifications and intricate architectural decorations, which dates back to the beginning of the 12th century; the Furrier’s and Potter's towers, Russian and Polish gates, the Castle bridge; the Complex of the of Old city – the City Hall, Rynok square, an Armenian well, St. Peter’s and Paul’s Cathedral, the Dominican Monastery. Free time. Dinner.

Day 26, Kamyanets-Podilsky – – Kyiv (470 km)

Breakfast. Medzhybizh - the 16th-century Sieniawski castle - a mighty fortress which looms at the confluence of the Southern Buh River and its Buzhok tributary being spectacularly reflected on the water near the small dam. Journey to Kyiv. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner.

Day 27, Kyiv Breakfast. Free time. Transfer to the airport. Leaving Kyiv.

*The organizer is entitled to the right to make the slight changes to the program without changing the general content of a trip.

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