Facts for the Traveller

Visas: All visitors need visas. 'Emergency' visas good for 72 hours are available at border posts, and a one month visa can be obtained on arrival at Kyiv's Boryspil Airport.

Health risks: Cholera, diphtheria, tick encephalitis, Lyme disease
Time: GMT/UTC plus 2 hours (Crimea, GMT/UTC plus 3 hours)
Electricity: 220V,50Hz
Weights & Measures: Metric

Money & Costs

Currency: Ukraine gryvnia (UHA; sometimes spelled 'hryvnia')

Relative costs:

• Budget meal: US$1-3
• Moderate restaurant meal: US$3-8
• Top-end restaurant meal: US$8 and upwards
• Budget room: US$5-15
• Moderate hotel: US$15-25
• Top-end hotel: US$25 and upwards

Food is ridiculously cheap in Ukraine, and accommodation isn't much more, especially outside Kyiv. You can travel comfortably for around US$50 a day, though prices are 15-30% higher in the capital. If you stick to mid-range restaurants and hotels, you can expect to spend around US$30 a day. If you self-cater, share accommodation and rely solely on public transport you can reduce your costs even further.

Exchange kiosks (with the sign obmin valyuty) on main streets have the best rates, while hotels generally have the worst. Hard currency can be changed into gryvnia anywhere, but traveller's cheques credit cards are only accepted at certain banks and exchange offices in a few larger cities. You'll need to bring wads of cash, the most commonly accepted being the US dollar and German Deutschmark. Using hard currency in restaurants and retail shops has been officially banned, but many services aimed at foreign tourists are exempt from this ruling and expect hard currency.

At upscale tourist-oriented eateries, a tip of about 5-10% is expected; many include a 5% service charge in your bill, and you can add a bit more for excellent service. Haggling at the country's many food, art, souvenir and craft markets is expected and sometimes fierce.

After reading this information, what do you think may attract a foreign tourist in Ukraine and what may seem strange or even scaring?

KYIV

Work in groups to prepare a sightseeing tour around the capital of Ukraine. Act as guides. Make use of the information given below and find additional materials about Kyiv sights. Use photos.

Kyiv central street is Khreshchatik. It is a business district and most popular people watching street lined with beautiful trees.

It is hard to believe that here there was once a valley, surrounded by a thick forest, with a brook across it. The valley's name was Khreshchata (Crossed) because of the many ravines that crossed it. Kyivan princes liked to hunt here, now, tourists hunt here for souvenirs in its many stores.

Just up the hill from Hotel Dnipro is the Museum of Ukrainian Fine Arts. Built in the style of a Greek temple with a 6-column portico designed by Kyiv architects V. Horodetsky and H. Boytsov, the museum's 21 galleries contain valuable collections, generally unknown in the West, of Ukrainian icons, paintings, and sculpture from the 14th to early 20th centuries. Works of. T.Shevchenko, K. Kostandi, H. Narbut are among the exhibits of the museum.

The attractive pink-and-lavender building on the opposite side of the street down from the museum is The National Parliamentary Library of Ukraine.

To the left of it there is the main entrance to the Central Park of Culture and Rest, where Kyiv's Dynamo Stadium is located.

Kyiv's Philharmonic Society was the former meeting place of the prerevolutionary Merchants' Assembly. On your right is a broad stairway which leads to a huge stainless steel arch commemorating the Reunion of Russia and Ukraine. The view of the river and the Left Bank provided beyond the monument is spectacular. As you face the monument, the ravine to your immediate left is Vladimir Hill and the Monument to the Great Prince Vladimir. The 20-meter (66- foot) monument depicts the pagan ruler who brought Christianity to Russia. Erected in 1853, the impressive bronze statue was designed by V. Demut-Malinovsky and P. Klodt, St. Petersburg sculptors.

Independence Square is Kyiv's main square. It's the most popular meeting place of Kyivites and visitors.

The Ivan Franko Ukrainian Drama Theater is one of the most popular in Kyiv. Here you'll find Ukrainian, classical, and contemporary dramas.

To the right of the theater and up a modest hill on a winding foot path is one of the most interesting buildings in Kyiv, the Horodetsky Building (1902-03), 10 Bankova Street, built by Kyiv Architect V. Horodetsky. The facades of the structure are decorated with sculptures based on mythological and hunting themes by Italian sculptor E. Sana. This "fantasy" building is truly worth the short hike up the hill. When open, the Gallery "Ukraine" inside provides a great opportunity to shop for art and marvel at the equally fascinating interior.

Back on Khreshchatik, continue past numerous boutiques, several large department stores and administrative buildings. Turn right on Bohdana Khmelnitskoho Street. On the left at No. 5 is the Lesya Ukrayinka Drama Theater.

Further up the hill at the corner of Volodymyrska and Khmelnitskoho Streets is the beautiful home of the Taras Shevehenko National Opera of Ukraine. This theater was the first to stage classical operas translated into Ukrainian. Much of the theater's creative efforts are concentrated on productions of classical Ukrainian and Russian operas; however, a great variety of classical and modern plays are performed here, with actors singing both in Ukrainian and the original languages. The theater's company travels extensively. In addition to the memorable performances and creative lighting and sets, the building is majestic.

From the opera, turn right on Volodymyrska Street and go one block to Boulevard Tarasa Shevchenka. This wide street, like the opera house, is named in honor of the 19th century Ukrainian poet and artist, Taras Shevchenko. One block to your left (down the boulevard) and on your left at No. 12 is the Taras Shevchenko State Museum. The museum's collection, composed of more than 4,000 exhibits, displays personal belongings of the great poet, his manuscripts and paintings. Another interesting place to familiarize yourself with the life and work of Shevehenko is the Shevchenko House-Museum, located just off Maidan Nezalezhnosti at 8-A Provulok Shevchenka.

From the Museum, walk up Shevchenko Boulevard and across from the University Metro Station is located Saint Volodymir Cathedral. This Russian Orthodox Church was built in 1882 in the NeoByzantine style. The structure is a traditional Slavic six-column, three-apse church, crowned by seven cupolas. The murals of the church interior, done by famous Russian painters V. Vasnetsov, M. Nesterov, and M. Vrubel, are of considerable artistic significance. The mosaics lining the interior were made by Venetian masters. The voices of the choir are beautiful and not to be missed.

At Volodymyrska Street, turn right and cross Shevchenko boulevard to the red building of National University (also known as Shevchenko University). This is Kyiv's most prestigious institution of higher education. The building is another classical structure created by Vikenty Beretti in 1837-43. Directly across the street from the University is the Taras Shevehenko Park. In its center stands a statue of the Ukrainian writer erected in 1939 on the 125th anniversary of his birth.

At the western end of the Khreshchatik you can see Kyiv's first indoor market at Bessarabska Ploshcha, called Bessarabski Rynok. The market was established on this site for Bessarabian (Moldavian) merchants who came to trade in Kyiv. Today, it is one of Kyiv's most important markets and offers a very good selection of flowers, fruits, vegetables, and meats. Across from the square, at the beginning of Shevchenko Blvd., is one of the city's few surviving statues of V.I. Lenin.

It's just a short walk to get to the Kyiv's oldest surviving church, St. Sophia's Cathedral. Today, the complex of buildings and churches that make up St. Sophia's is a museum. In addition to the cathedral, exhibits include models of ancient Kyivan-Rus towns.

St. Sophia's is the highlight of many visitors' stay in Kyiv. Sofia in Greek means "wisdom". The Cathedral was built in 1037 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise (he's buried inside) to commemorate the victory over the Pechenegs and to glorify Christianity. The church became a holy place of worship for ancient Kyivites, as well as, a major cultural and political center in Kyivan-Rus. Adjoining Yaroslav's Palace, Saint Sofia's was often used to receive foreign diplomats and negotiate treaties. The first library and school in Kyivan-Rus were situated in the church. Sophia's made a huge impression on the ordinary citizens of Kyiv in that era, with its rich frescoes and mosaics, many of which are still intact almost a millennium later. Saint Sofia's is a national treasure of Ukraine.

Behind the Cathedral on your right stands the stone Bell Tower (1744-1752). The Ukrainian Baroque fourth storey and gilded cupola of the tower were added in 1852. On your left, heading back in the direction of the main entrance before you reach the ticket booth, is the 18th c. Refectory. It's now a museum and houses archaeological and architectural displays. Model panoramas of the city in the 10th-12th centuries depict Kyiv before it was ruined by Mongol invaders in 1240.

Askoldova Mohyla (Askold's Grave) is located in a picturesque park on the right bank of the Dnipro not too far from the World War II Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. According to ancient chronicles, in 882, the Novgorodian Prince Oleg murdered Kyiv's Princes Askold and Dir on this hillside site. Shortly there after, Oleg seized Kyiv. Askold is believed to be buried here. In 1810, a brick church- rotunda designed by architect Melensky was built here and, in 1935, a colonnade was added to protect it.

Among the surviving monuments of Kyiv’s ancient past the Zoloti Vorota or Golden Gate, 1017-1024, is one of the most remarkable. In 1983, the ruins of the Golden Gate, built as a defensive structure, were restored to their present condition. The same year, the Golden Gate Museum was opened. The ground floor contains exhibits relating to the history of old Kyiv. The halls display armaments used by the ancient Kyivites and other excavations from the site of the Golden Gate. The balconies of the museum offer a panoramic view of Kyiv.

Mariinsky Dvorets (Mariinsky Palace), 1750-1755. Named in honor of Tsar Alexander II's wife, the Empress Maria. This beautiful blue- and cream-colored palace is similar in style to the imperial summer estates in St. Petersburg. This building was designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, Empress Elizabeth's favorite architect, and built under the direction of Moscow architect Ivan Michurin. It's a lovely mixture of Ukrainian and Russian Baroque. Before the 1917 Revolution, the palace was used as residence for visiting members of the imperial family. Today, the building is used for official state functions and is closed to the public.