KIEV TOUR GUIDE Useful tips (not only) for tourists Outside-in & inside-out... traditions & secrets... 2017-2018 www.chernobylwel.com all rights reserved: CHERNOBYLwel.come KIEV GUIDE Welcome to the capital of Ukraine! Invest 5 minutes of your time to read this guide and it will significantly help you in getting along, saving time and money. This guide was made with thanks to hundreds of experiences from CHERNOBYLwel.come travellers. Enjoy :-) “Please do not print this Travel Guide unless it is a gift for your granny. Thank you for saving the trees!” Ukraine Ukrainian currency 3 Phrases 17 CONTENTS Transportation 4 Flying in Ukrainian cuisine 18 Public bus TAXI services Marshutka Beverages 19 Metro General info 21 Popular Sights in Kiev 8 Drinking water Sockets Kiev Monastery of the caves Visa The Motherland monument Maidan Nezalezhnosti Chernobyl national museum Special tours that will blow your mind 10 Best of Kiev Missile base in Pervomaysk “For more information, Underground city of Kiev please visit enclosed website The echo of the World war The secret tunnels of Kiev links, or scan the QR code Kiev fortress tour on your smartphone.” Werewolf tour - Hitler’s legacy Former president Yanukovych Villa tour Something really special to see and experience in Kiev Nightlife in Kiev 15 The Moda bar Cocktail bar 111 Bochka Arena Entertainment Complex The official currency in Ukraine is the UKRAINIAN Ukrainian Hryvnia CURRENCY which you probably will not find in the currency exchange office at home. Import- ant: currently one can only withdraw 2500 - Hryvnia per day with a credit card using ATMs. ATM cards are widely used and cash machines are everywhere in central parts of Kiev. ATM machines dispense money in Hryvnias and some will also dispense dollars for an additional charge. Instructions are generally in Russian, Ukrainian and English. You might also exchange €, £, $ in currency exchange offices or banks. We recommend banks to diminish the risk of getting counterfeit 1banknotes. “The average salary in Kiev is about 5000-6000 Hryvnia (about 200-250 euros), but if you’re a tourist you will need to bring more money (to pay for hotel rooms etc).” 3 As you make your way towards the exit of the TRANSPORTATION terminal you will be bombarded with people offering to carry your bags or asking if you need a taxi. Ignore them, they are chancers and hustlers There are two airports in Kiev (Kyiv): who will probably rip you off. Boryspil (KBP) Zhulyany (IEV). Instead make your way to the taxi booth situated next to the information booth which will be directly in front of you and is clearly signposted. Or find official taxi drivers outside of the terminals. “Most International flights operate to and Prices are negotiable but expect to pay approxi- from Boryspil International Airport. Zhulya- mately: ny is used mostly for short-distance flights and by lowcost airlines.” €10-€13 £8-£10 $12-$15’s 400-500 UAH (local currency - Ukrainian Hryvnia) to central Kiev. If you want to save any hassle 2CHERNOBYLwel.come can organize a transfer to any address in Kiev. Just email your request to: Zhuliany Жуляни [email protected] Boryspil Бориспіль Once you are off the plane you will be taken by a small bus to passport control. Present your passport, smile sweetly then walk through to baggage reclaim which will be directly in front of you. When you have your baggage make your way to the clearly marked green or red customs channel (better use the green one if there is nothing to declare). 4 Public bus IIf you are on a budget and want to live on the wild side then you could take a SHUTTLE BUS (Sky Bus) from Boryspil airport. These are shuttle buses that come in all shapes and sizes and go to and from the Main Railway Station(which also might be the pickup point on your Chernobyl tour). “They are usually purple and you will find them just in front of the parking area outside Terminal’s B and D at Boryspil airport. Buy tickets on the bus from the driver and it will cost approximately 50 Hryvnia, equivalent to about 2€,1.7£ $2.5 for a one way trip.” It is about a 50 minute ride and once you are at the station you will be able to find plenty of taxis to take you to your final destination. From Zhulyany airport (200m from Terminal A and D) take BUS nr. 169 (Vishneve - Starovokzal- na St. (near the Main railway station). The bus will take you via “Kharkivska” metro station to the Main Railway Station „Pivdenny“ and then take any form of transportation in order to get to the city centre. 5 Marshrutka Taxi services There are dozens of taxi companies in Kiev that You can call and either order a cab right away or book one for a specific time, place and date. Most taxis that you catch on the street do not use taxemeter. It is therefore important that you agree on a price before you get in… But there is something different. “Have you ever heard about UBER UBER taxi? - Download an APP, tap a button, app get a ride, split the fare and avoid all hassle.” Marshrutka . The small yellow and white mini-buses are the preferred means of transport for most locals. These privately owned buses cover a larger network than the municipal buses and are faster and more frequent. They can be stopped pretty much anywhere and often travel into residential areas. Everything about a ride on a Marshrutka is unpredictable. There is no standard fare, and since they are privately owned, fares may differ slightly for the same journeys. This is not to say it is expensive, typically you will pay approximately 3.00 UAH to 4.00 UAH. Payment is on-board only and the cost of the fare will be displayed inside the bus. 6 The cost of a single ride is 4 UAH (0.2€/£/$), All being well, you will be given a small blue Metro regardless of your destination or number of plastic token that you throw into the turnstile changes whilst travelling on the Metro. on the entrance. The Metro in Kiev is the backbone of the It is unlikely your cashier will speak English The Kiev metro system is not big (just 3 city. It is cheap, reliable, fast and efficient. It so practice your sign language - just show lines) and very easy, it is the cheapest and also offers tourists a unique opportunity to how many rides you need. You can also often the fastest way to get where you experience some wonderful examples of use the vending machines nearby - just need. So it is very difficult to get lost on the post-war Stalinist architecture. The stations insert banknotes for the number of rides. Kiev metro and also, all the stations and are usually opened to passengers at 05:45 To purchase your ride you will have to go to transfers to other lines are announced in and some stay open until 00:15 to allow a counter with a glass window that says both Ukrainian and English languages by passengers to exit. the word “КАСИ”. Heroiv Dnipra the speaker. Героїв Дніпра M2 The quickest and easiest way to navigate Minska Akademmistechko your way into andaround the city is using Академмістечко Мінська the underground railwayservice is use APP Zhytomyrska Obolona in your mobile device: Житомирська Оболонь Syrets M1 Сирець Sviatoshyn Святошин M3 Petrivka Петрівка Nyvky Нивки Dorohozhychi Дорогожичі Tarasa Shevchenka Тараса Шевченка Beresteiska Берестейська Lukianivska Лук'янівська Shuliavska Kontraktova Ploshcha Шулявська Контрактова площа Politekhnichnyi Instytut Політехнічний інститут Poshtova Ploshcha Поштова площа Lisova Universytet Zoloti Vorota Maidan Nezalezhnosti Лісова Університет Золоті ворота Майдан Незалежності Chernihivska Чернігівська Teatralna Khreshchatyk Arsenalna Vokzalna Театральна Хрещатик Арсенальна Вокзальна Livoberezhna Лівобережна Darnytsia Railway station Дарниця Вокзал Chervony Khutira Kyiv-Volynskyi Червоний хутір Київ-Волинський Ploshcha Lva Tolstoho Palats Sportu Dnipro Dnipro Дніпро Hidropark Площа Льва Толстого Палац спорту Boryspilska Бориспільська Olimpiiska Klovska Олімпійська Кловська Vyrlytsia Zhuliany int. airport Вирлиця Жуляни Palats "Ukrayina" Палац «Україна» Pecherska Druzhby Narodiv Печерська Дружби народів Kharkivska Vystavkovyi Tsentr Holosiivska Харківська Виставковий центр Голосіївська Boryspil int. airport Pozniaky Позняки Бориспіль Vasylkivska Demiivska Lybidska Vydubychi Slavutych Osokorky Васильківська Деміївська Либідська Видубичі Славутич Осокорки Central bus station 7 автовокзал центральнu “Kiev’s sightseeing list is topped POPULAR by it’s famous gold-domed churches and cathedrals, some of SIGHTS IN them 1000 years old. How to find them?” KIEV Click here. Kiev Monastery P.S. And do not forget to use the free ticket you will get after your Chernobyl tour! ;-) of the Caves Since it’s foundation in 1051 it has been centre of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe. Together with the Saint Sophia Cathedral, it is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tempera- Monastery ture within the catacombs is a breezy 8 of the Caves degrees Celsius. It is an ideal place to cool down during hot summers and to see some mummies (mummified saints). 3St Sophia’s Cathedral The cathedral was founded in 1011 and it’s the oldest church in Kiev. It is possible to climb the 55 metres tall bell tower and enjoy the view. Some areas of the church are also accessible for tourists, especially the main building with a unique mosaic flooring. 8 Maidan Nezalezhnosti They are coloured black and diagonally The Motherland striped in pink as a reminder of the tragic monument events. Visiting Chernobyl National Museum is a touching must-see whilst in Kiev, however The sculpture is a part of the Museum of The we recommend you visit it before the tour as History of Ukraine in World War II, Kiev and it you might get disappointed after your amazing will blow your mind for sure.