Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, is one of the few cities in Western Europe that remains unknown to tourists. Although more and more visitors are flocking to Ukraine to visit Chernobyl, the site of the biggest nuclear disaster in history, the city Kyiv also deserves a short visit to discover all it has to offer.
During my visit, I spent 3 fascinating days in Kyiv, discovering its beautiful monasteries, memorials and parks in a perfect gateaway in Western Europe. Check out my 3 day itinerary in the surprising city of Kyiv!
How to visit Kyiv
I spent a total of 3 days in Kyiv, the perfect a mount of time to see the main highlights of the city. During my stay, I followed the itinerary below:
Day 1:
Morning: Independence Square, St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, St. Andrew's Church,
Afternoon: St. Sophia’s Cathedral, Golden Gate & Opera
Day 2:
Morning: Peoples’ Friendship Arch, Park of Eternal Glory, Mariyinsky Palace,
Parliament of Ukraine,Afternoon: Pechersk Lavra Monastery & Motherland Monument
Day 3:
Morning: Revolution Free Tour, House of Chimeras (Gorodetsky House)
Afternoon: Taras Schevchenko University, Chernobyl Museum
I arrived in Kyiv from Lviv, a beautiful city in western Ukraine. I decided to travel by train, leaving at 06:02am and making it to Kyiv by 11:17am. The journey took just over 5 hours and had a cost of 325 UAH (approx. €12) one way.
There's other departures later during the day or even at night, but this time was the most convenient to have almost the full day in Kyiv without having to wake up at extremely early time. You can check schedules and buy tickets online at the official Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) website.
History of Kyiv
Kyiv, also known as Kiev, is the capital of Ukraine with almost 3 million inhabitants. Its name comes from Kyi, one of the founders of the city more than 1500 years ago. The name has been a centre of controversy in the recent years; known for years in western countries by its Russian name; Kiev, the local name in the Ukrainian language is Kyiv. This FORM is being increasingly used by most countries nowadays, and Ukrainians don’t really like it when the Russian name is used.
During the 10th and 12th centuries, the city became the cradle of the modern Slavic civilisation.
The city belonged to different empires for over 400 years, including Lithuania and Poland, until in 1667 the city was given to Russia. Kyiv didn't play a big part within the Russian Empire, and an Ukrainian nationalism starting growing against the Russification of the country.
Lviv
This changed in the 19th century with Russia's industrial revolution, when Kyiv became a significant centre of commerce. In 1921, Kyiv became part of the Ukrainian SSR and although the capital was moved to Kharkiv, Kyiv underwent a big restoration of its economic and cultural life.
The city was almost destroyed when the Nazis took Kiev in 1941 during World War II until it was recovered by the Soviets in 1943. The city continued growing for the next 50 years, but suffered a big recession after the fall of the USSR in 1991 and Ukraine's independence.
Kyiv is the main political centre of the country, and as such, has seen multiple revolutions that have changed the recent history of Ukraine, including the Orange Revolution in 2004 when half a million people went to the streets to protest against the election of Viktor Yanukovych.
The Euromaidan revolution in 2013 also saw millions of people on the streets and multiple fatalities when President Yanukovich decided to suspend the signing of the EU Association Agreement in a pro-Russian move. The protests ended on February 23rd, 2014 when Yanukovich resigned fled the country to Russia.
Ukraine finally signed the Associated Agreement with the EU in 2017, in the hopes to improve its economical and political situation and align with the main European powers. In spite of all the protests that filled the media in the recent years, today Kyiv is a modern and safe city that resembles any other European capital, in spite of its Soviet remanences, which makes it even more interesting. A city full of history and incredible sites that you cannot miss!
Day 1
As one of the most representative open spaces in Kyiv, I started my visit at Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square.
Independence Square is famous for being the place where multiple political rallies and demonstrations have taken place in the last year, such as the famous Orange Revolution in 2004 or the Euromaidan in 2013-14.
During my third day in Kyiv, I decided to take a free walking tour around the square to learn more about the fascinating but entangled Euromaidan, where my tour guide himself participated!
The square is crown by the Independence Monument, a victory column that commemorates the Independence of Ukraine. With a height of 61m, it was was built in 2001 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the independence of Ukraine.
Me at Independence Squarespace
Independence Monument
Monument to Taras Shevchenko
Independence Square
Statue near the Independence Monument
View of the square from the monument
I would spend the rest of the day visiting the monasteries and beautiful churches located and what today is known as ancient Kyiv, the area where the city originated. One of the most impressive constructions is the St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, one of the largest in ancient Kyiv. Entrance is free of charge.
Originally built in the Middle Ages by Sviatopolk II Iziaslavych, the monastery comprises the Cathedral itself, the refectory of St. John the Divine, built in 1713, the Economic Gates, constructed in 1760, and the monastery’s bell tower, which was added circa 1716-1719.
The exterior of the structure was rebuilt in the Ukrainian Baroque style in the 18th century while the interior remained in its original Byzantine style. The original cathedral was demolished by the Soviet authorities in the 1930s, but was reconstructed and opened in 1999 following the Ukrainian independence in 1991.
St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery
Me at the monastery
View from the entrance
Church of the monastery
St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery
On top of a hill overlooking the Podil neighbourhood you will find St. Andrew's Church. Built between 1747 and 1754 in a Baroque style, the building was designed by the famous Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli.
It consists of a single dome with five decorative spires. The façade is decorated with Corinthian columns, while the windows and doors contain beautiful ornamental details.
Due to its peculiar location on top of a hill, there are some concerns about the future o the church, as its foundations have started to shift and may collapse. During my visit, the church was closed with renovations, but I could still enjoy the amazing views of Kyiv from its base.
St. Andrew's Church
Closer view of the church
View of Kyiv from the church
Me at St. Andrew's Church
Walking down Volodymyrs'kyi Passage you will find St. Sophia’s Cathedral. Dating back to 1037, its name comes from the recently created Hagia Sophia cathedral in Constantinople. Admission to the territory has a cost of 20 UAH (approx. €0.70), or 60 UAH if you also want to access the church and some of the exhibition halls of the Refectory.
The building has 5 naves, 5 apses and a total of 13 cupolas, an unusual characteristic in a Byzantine construction. The cathedral was originally planed as the burial place of the rules from Kiev, but the building was severely damaged after the Mongolian invasion until the cathedral was almost falling apart in the 16th century, when it was rebuilt by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
The Soviets planned to demolish the building to transform the grounds into a park in honour of the Red Army in the Russian Civil War in Crimea, but this was never carried out. They did, however, confiscate the building from the Church, who hasn’t recovered its control up until our days.
Nowadays, St. Sophia’s Cathedral remains a secular museum of Ukraine's Christianity, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.
St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery
Domes of the St. Sophia’s Cathedral
St. Sophia’s Cathedral
One of the highlights of the complex is its bell tower with its unique Ukrainian Cossack baroque style. The tower is one of the Ukrainian national symbols as well as a symbol of Kyiv, dominating its upper town.
The bell tower was first built in 1699-1706 at the expense of Hetman (a historic Cossack government title for the head of state) Ivan Mazepa, although later rebuilt in 1744-48, while the fourth tier was added in 1851-52. After a last restoration, it was opened to the public in 2003, where you can climb to see some incredible views.
Me at the bell tower
Bell Tower St. Sophia’s Cathedral
Church near St. Sophia’s Cathedral
I continued down Volodymyrska street until I reached the Golden Gate, the main gate of the fortifications that surrounded Kyiv in the 11th century.
The gate was completely destroyed during the Middle Ages until the Soviet authorities decided to rebuild it in 1982 for the 1500th anniversary of Kiev.
This new construction was quite controversial, as it didn’t really respect the aspect of the original gate, in spite of the many documents and reconstruction of what the original gate looked like.
Golden Gate
My last stop of the day was the National Opera of Ukraine. Established in 1867, it is the third oldest opera in the country after Odessa and Lviv Opera.
The building was completely destroyed by a fire in 1867, and was reconstructed in a Neo-Renaissance style after an international competition won by the Russian architect Victor Schröter. Up until our days, the opera has seen some of the most renown Ukrainian and Russian singers, with performances taking place almost every day.
Prices are very cheap compared to most Western operas, so I would return next day to attend a performance of Carmen, the famous opera by the French composer Georges Bizet. For now, the opera concluded my first day exploring all the highlights of ancient Kyiv!
National Opera of Ukraine
Day 2
The second day in Kiev started quite cloudy and gloomy. I had kept this day to visit the entire area on the banks of the Dnieper river, starting from the Peoples' Friendship Arch. The arch commemorates the unification of Russia and Ukraine, and was constructed in 1982 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the USSR and the 1,500th anniversary of the city of Kiev.
The construction is formed by a 50m arch in the shape of a rainbow, as well as a bronze statue representing a Russian and Ukrainian workers holding the Order of Friendship of Peoples, a decoration given by the USSR to those who strengthened the inter-ethnic and international friendship of the Soviet Union. The monument is completed with a granite stele with the participants of the Pereyaslav Council, a meeting of the Cossack army in 1654 to submit Ukraine to Russian rule, unifying both countries.
The monument itself doesn’t have much to offer, but the views of the Kyiv and the Dnieper river from it are quite impressive.
Peoples' Friendship Arch
Statue representing Russia & Ukraine
Statue of the participants of the Pereyaslav Council
View of Kyiv from the arch
Not too far from the arch a couple of buildings stand out in Khreshchaty Park. One of them is the Kyiv Academic Puppet Theatre, the oldest puppet theatre in Ukraine, founded in 1927. The building was constructed in the form of a fairy castle by the architect Vitaliy Yudin, and has two different halls with a capacity of 300 and 110 people.
You can also find the Kyiv Water Museum, with an exhibition about water resources and the history of water supply and treatment in Kiev. The museum is inside one of the water-supply buildings constructed during the 19th century.
Kyiv Academic Puppet Theatre
Statue in Mariinsky Park
Kyiv Water Museum
At the end of the park you will reach the Mariyinksy Palace, the ceremonial residence of the President of Ukraine.
Designed by the famous Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the palace was built in 1744 under the orders of Russian Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. However, the Empress died before it was finalised, so the first royal to stay in the palace was Empress Catherine II during her visit to Kyiv in 1787.
The palace was destroyed by a series of fires and was reconstructed in 1870 by Alexander II of Russia. Additional restorations took place in 1940 after World War II, as well as in the early 1980s.
Mariyinksy Palace
Right next to the park stands the Verkhovna Rada, the Parliament of Ukraine. The building was constructed in neo-classical Ukranian style between 1936-38 by Volodymyr Zabolotny after the capital was transferred from Kharkiv to Kiev.
It has a rectangular shape with 3 different floors and a dome that provides the building with natural light. The front of the building still depicts some Soviet statues and symbols, such as the Coat of Arms of the Ukrainian SSR right in the centre of the building.
Parliament of Ukraine
Continuing south towards the Park of Eternal Glory you will spot at the distance the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, dedicated to all soldiers that died during World War II.
Here also stands the Holodomor Genocide Museum and Monument, built in honour of the victims of the Holodomor of 1932-33, when the Soviets intentionally generated a famine in Soviet Ukraine that starved to death up to 12 million of Ukrainians.
Stalin’s purpose was to eliminate the Ukrainian movement for independence. The Holodomor is nowadays considered as a genocide, as it targeted mainly ethnic Ukrainians, causing a higher amount of victims than the Holocaust.
Park of Eternal Glory
Monument to the Unknown Soldier
Flowers on a tomb
Holodomor Monument
One of the monuments that you cannot miss in Lviv is the Pechersk Lavra Monastery, a UNESCO Heritage Site since 1990. It has an entrance fee of 50 UAH (approx. €1.80).
This Orthodox Christian Monastery, founded in a cave in 1051, has grown along the centuries until becoming the big complex of churches that we find today, one of the main centres of cult in Eastern Europe.
You’re welcomed into the monastery by the Great Lavra Belltower. With a height of 96.5m, it was the tallest free-standing bellower when it was finished in 1745.
Pechersk Lavra Monastery
Behind it stands the imposing Dormition Cathedral, the main church of the monastery. The first construction was built in wood during 11th century by the monks that used to inhabit the caves located in this area.
After the first church was destroyed by a fire, it was rebuilt in 1470 to be destroyed only 12 years later. The monks that inhabited the caves were invaded, expropriated and persecuted for years, until a new cathedral was inaugurated only in 2000, ensuring that the monastic life in the area remains active.
Dormition Cathedral
