Hotels in Kiev

We spent the New Year's eve on the sqare between Saint Sofia and Saint Michael churches. There was a Christmas bazaar with lots of traditional Ukrainean stuff such as food, drinks and souvenirs. We visited the Pechersaya Lavra, which is a big monastery and actualy not such a big deal if you are not religious, but it's interesting to see. Inside there was a museum of theatre and music, which for me was the most exciting part of the whole thing and the staff was very nice and helpful. In the Lavra you can also see the cave churches, in which there are sarcophags of monks, which for me is a little bit creepy. We visited the place around Saint Andrew's church, which in my opinion is a very nice place and the exact blace to buy souvenirs from Ukraine. We also visited Maidan (the main sqare, which is now a commemorative place for the 100 people who died in the 2014's protests. You cannot come near the Parliament because there are police and guards. The subway is old fashioned, but its a good, fast and cheap way to go to all the places you want to visit. If you want to try local cusine, try Katusha, there are 5-6 restaurants when you can eat traditional meals. We also liked chaihona basar chillout cafe, which is a place to eat delicious eastern meals, drink tea and enjoy the interior. If you need a nice place to drink coffee and take breakfast, try Koritsa cafe on Chervenoarmeyskaia, it's situated between Olimpiiska and Lev Tolstoi subway stations. The very nice thing about Kiyv is the road signage, it's very well done and you can easily find your way when driving through the city.

Lets start with Khreshchatyk with the Indipendence Square (Maydan) and European Square. Every city has its "main street" and in Kiev - it is Khreshcatyk. I really like the street-view and the diversity of the buildings. In addition - the underground shopping areas are also nice to visit. And it is interesting to know that the street takes its name from the river - which now runs underneath in an underground pipe. Then comes St. Sophia's Cathedral (which is named after the great Haga Sofia in Istanbul and which is on the World's Heritage List since 1990). A very historical site. Opposite to St. Sophia's Cathedral and at the other end of proyizd Volodymyrsky is the new St. Michael's Monastery (a copy of the original St. Mihael's 1108 - which was destroyed by the Soviets just before the WWII. Being here during Christmas and New Year it is fascinating to visit the maarket at Volodymyrsky and taste various types of hot vine, eat traditional Ukrainian food and the beautifully decorated cakes.

I only had a weekend visit this time, and the weather wasn't good (wet). This restricted how much I could see around the vicinity of the apartment. My first 'problem' was getting from the airport to the apartment. Finding the Sky Bus was easy (they do not accept card payment), that took me to the railway station, but finding the entrance to the Metro was a challenge. I asked several people and eventually discovered that I needed to go right through the station, over all the tracks, then turning left when I exited. When I worked out where I was in the Metro, I realised that I had gone past my station, so doubled back. I found the address, but I couldn't get any response to the call button. I had a temporary local phone number, so I called the owners who told me that I should be at the dark brown door - to the right of the mini-market. Press the * key and when the door unlocks, go up one flight of steps to the concierge office. I was supposed to be on the fifth floor, but was changed to a second floor apartment. There is a lift, but it is tiny and off to the right of the stairs (follow landing around) I found several places to eat (as well as McD), I also found the entrance to the Dynamo Kiev stadium and the Golden Gate. One negative, too many people asking for money - some in costume, some with Doves etc

My flight with Ukraine International Airlines was good and comfortable but BE WARNED, I made the mistake of flying home with Air Baltic and I dare not write my true opinion of this appalling pretence of an airline! They even charge for a glass of water and you pay through the nose of luggage in the hold! They are a disgrace to the airline industry! From the moment that I arrived, I felt a warm welcoming atmosphere. Kiev is a vast metropolis with many hundreds of places to experience and arriving visitors can pick up a free map of Kiev in English at the airport. Shops are well stocked and for Chocoholics the huge Roshen store is a must! Cafes are clean and food is very interesting, but make sure that you check prices first as some are VERY expensive. Remember to leave a 10% tip for the staff as they are very badly paid and they rely on tips to supplement their wages. Churches are beautiful but remember to ask if you would like to take photos as some do not allow photos. When in doubt always ask. Despite the misgivings that we have about the Police, they are now very well trained and well disciplined and, if you treat them with respect, they will respond the same way. Most of them now wear body cameras and many speak some English and they seem to like people from Great Britain. One thing that they have not got used to are the blue beacons on their new cars, which they have flashing all the time!

The city is big, light and rather clean (especially taking into account that it was a revolution there two years ago). I was really surprised how friendly and helpful people are. Starting from a custom officer, who was smiling and kind. Then people on the streets they might look grumpy, but they always were affable when I asked them something. Also Kiev there are many restaurants and cafes with affordable prices and really high service standards. I used Foursquare service for searching for good places. Again stuff is very helpful and friendly (honestly I expected much worse service), food is tasty, prices are good. Unfortunately there is an economical crisis, so that is why if you have euro or american dollars, you can afford yourself much more that an average Ukrainian. Sometimes taxi drivers are trying to charge you more, but it is still cheap. I found taxi service in google and tried to use it everywhere (I think its name Avantgard taxi) - really liked experience. The price to the most of the places was about 2 euro :) The only downside I really noticed is the traffic problem. Sometimes it worth walk for 2 minutes to a taxi, rather than waiting while he will drive to you.

Kiev is a hidden gem. Visit around Christmas time for a genuine White Christmas while sipping mulled wine in the sparkly lights and beautiful gold domes of St Michael's Monastry and St Sofia's Cathedral. Food is good and cheap - an average meal for 2 with a main and starter with drinks costs £7 in total. The metro is easy to use and so cheap. There are plenty of museums and places of interest to keep you busy. It's a good idea to familiarise yourself with the Cyrillic alphabet especially for recognising street names. Most people speak English and are happy to help out or just have a chat. Menus are available in both Cyrillic and English. Russian is mainly spoken in Kiev so probably best to get a Russian phrase book. It's a stunning city full of beautiful buildings and fascinating history. I for one will be going back!!!