The largest city of Ukraine Kiev is a leading industrial, scientific, commercial and cultural centre. There are always a lot of interesting, funny, crazy things to do in Kiev. If you arrive in Kiev for the first time or you live in this city you may wonder where to go in Kiev or what to do.
I will tell you about top 10 best things to do in Kiev.
Walk Along the Main Street
Khreshatyk st.
If you visit Kiev for the first time the first thing for you to do is to walk along the main street – Khreschatyk. There are some fun things to do in Kiev in this street. Firstly, you can go shopping here. There is the central department store, various shops and boutiques in this street. Secondly, you have an opportunity to take part in numerous celebrations, demonstrations, events, parades and concerts that are often held in Khreschatyk. What’s more, Khreschatyk is considered to be the best place to make friends, especially on weekends, when this street is overcrowded with people. To know more about the city of Kiev will help you sightseeing tour.
Try Ukrainian Dishes
“Spotykach” restaurant of Ukrainian cuisine
In Kiev there are a lot of restaurants. So I advise you to taste such well-known Ukrainian dishes as varenyky, galushkas, kholodets and, of course, borsch and salo. For example, you may come to a well-known Ukrainian restaurant “Spotykach” (Vladimirskaya St., 16). There are a great variety of traditional Ukrainian dishes and drinks. Besides, I’d like you to drop into Chocolate Workshop with a wide choice of Lviv handmade chocolate. It is situated in Andreevkiy Spusk, 2.
Visit Museums
Water Museum
Kiev is famous for its museums. There are such museums as the National Art Museum, the Pinchuk Art Center, the Ivan Honchar Museum, the State Aviation Museum and many others. In my opinion, three museums are worth seeing. The first is Water Museum. Its peculiarity is that all expositions are located underground and you take a special elevator to get to them. Then you can visit the Museum of Ukrainian folk art in Pyrohovo. It is an open-air museum and it lets you feel the atmosphere of the old Ukrainian lifestyle and culture. One of the largest museums in Ukraine is the Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War ІІ. It contains an exhibition of military equipment, sculptures dedicated to war heroes and many other interesting things. I’m sure these museums will impress you much.
Ride the Funicular
Фуникулер/Funicular
It is not only an extraordinary means of transport but an amusement and a sample of architecture. It is situated in Sagaidachnogo St., near metro station “Pochtova”. It drives you from Pochtova Square to St. Michael’s Cathedral and to one of the beautiful parks – Saint Volodymyr Hill. While riding you can have a view overlooking the city and enjoy picturesque landscapes. Don’t forget to take a camera.
Buy Well-Nown Kievskiy Cake
Kievskiy cake
This cake was always one of the most delicious gift from Kiev. Now this culinary triumph is very popular with Kievers and visitors to the capital. The recipe has already been kept secret for a long time. The best place where you can buy this cake is confectionary factory “Roshen” situated all over Kiev. Factory offers free excurcions for children aged 8-14. So, one of the best things to do in Kiev is to taste and buy Kievskiy cake and visit Roshen Confectionary Factory.
Explore Monasteries and Churches
Kyyevo-Pecherska Lavra
I advise you to visit Kyyevo-Pecherska Lavra. It is the oldest and the main orthodox holy thing that has no parallel in the world. This complex includes 14 churches, a monastery and 7 museums. The core value of Lavra is relicts and wonder-working icons. It is no surprise that Lavra and St. Sophia Cathedral are inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In Kiev there are also temples of other different religious confessions. Check out more about them here. The information about Kiev manasteries is presented here. There are also unforgettable monasteries not far from Kiev such as St. Michael’s Cathedral, Ascension Florovsky Monastery, Vydubychi Monastery and Trinity Monastery of St. Jonas.
Go Out on a Date
Obolonska embankment
If you want to make an impression on your girl-friend, fiancée or wife, Kiev is the best place to do this. Obolonska embankment is the place where a man can meet a sunrise with your sweetheart. Your girlfriend won’t be able to forget the beauty of the sunrise and the first rays over the Dnipro River. The next place for you to visit is Lovers’ Bridge or the Bridge of Kisses where you can hug and kiss your girl for a long time. It is situated in Mariyinskiy Park on Park Road. Then you can take your sweetheart to the above-mentioned Mariyinsky Park with the grand fountain. They say, that this park is one of the best places to propose your fiancée.
Night Life
Arena Entertainment night club
Night life in Kiev is very rich and presented in a wide variety of clubs, bars and discos. You can visit theme parties, shows, concerts with famous bands and show ballet. Besides, everybody listens to various musical directions and dances, of course. If you want just to relax, you may sit at the table and drink some cocktails. You may visit a three-storeyed “DLux” night club located in the historic center of the city – Hrushevskogo street, 3. Another place – Arena Entertainment situated in Basseynaya Street, 2. It consists of a restaurant famous for Oriental and European Cuisines and a club.
Get a Dose of Adrenaline
Carting in “Blokbaster” center
I know that everyone wants to make a crazy thing just once in his/her life. In Kiev you may have such a chance. I’ll give you three ideas to realize your mad wishes and get a dose of adrenaline. The first is to fly a paraglider. You go to village Khodosovka near Kiev where instructors from paragliding club “Sky” teach you everything. Paragliding is the simplest and accessible way of flying. Twenty minute instruction will be enough for you. If you can’t imagine your life without high speed, you may go in for carting. This entertainment will be suitable both for the whole family and for relaxing alone. Carting school is situated in shopping center “Blokbaster” in Moskovskiy Avenue, 34. Boys and girls aged 8-25 are taught here. The third idea is for those who wants to get the greatest dose of adrenaline. It is a parachute jump. You should go to aerodrome “Chaika” in a village Petropavlovskaya Borschagovka, it’s 10 kilometers from Kiev on the way to Zhytomyr. If you jump for the first time, the coach will help you. If you are an experienced jumper, you can have a tandem jump. Be sure, in Kiev everyone will be able to get a dose of adrenaline.
Go on an Excursion to Chernobyl
Tour to Chernobyl
In Kiev there are a lot of sightseeing tours that will show you the beauty of this city. But one of the most impressive and unusual excursion, to my mind, is an excursion to Chernobyl. It has been forbidden to visit this place for many years because of Chernobyl accident happened in 1986. But now you may come to this mysterious and strange place within an excursion group.
This list of things to do in Kiev shows you that this city satisfies everybody – tourists, adventure travelers and its citizens. So, you can’t but visit and admire Kiev.