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Ukraine Travel and Tourism on Travel Notes
Find Ukraine Travel and Tourist Information with
links to official travel and tourism websites and state resources for
visitors to Ukraine.
About Ukraine
Ukraine was formerly known as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist
Republic.
Countries neighbouring Ukraine are: Poland, Belarus, Russia, Moldova,
Romania, Hungary and Slovakia.
Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe, after Russia.
The country is rather flat and includes the autonomous
region of Crimea (occupied by Russia since 2014) in the south.
Most of the Crimean Tatars were forcibly moved to Central Asia in 1944
to suppress their nationalist intentions.
On Monday, 21st February 2022 Russian President
Vladimir Putin recognised the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern
Ukraine as independent entities.
Then on Thursday, 24th February Russia actually
invaded Ukraine while the rest of the world watched on.
Weather in Europe:
Local weather forecasts for destinations around Europe.
Tatar Mongols invaded the area in the 13th century but the western
Ukrainian principality of Galicia, founded in the 12th century, suffered less from the
Mongol invasion.
Annexed by Poland in the 14th century,
although the Ukrainian Cossacks allied themselves with Russia.
The partitions of Poland saw much of the land handed over to Russia in
1667, while Galicia became a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1772 to 1919.
The capital of Ukraine is built on hills overlooking the Dnepr
River, in the north central part of the country.
There are plenty of parks and places of historical interest in Kiev.
The newer part of the city, on the left bank of the river, was mostly
built after World War II and is rather bland. Of more interest to the visitor is the older
city on the right bank.
The hills here are crowned with churches and the remains of ancient
castles and fortifications - Kiev was an important religious centre before Communism.
The cathedral of Hagia Sophia is the oldest cathedral in Ukraine.
Founded in the early 11th century, and largely rebuilt during the 17th and 18th centuries,
it is now a museum with beautiful Christian frescoes.
The Cave monastery, Perchersky, was founded in the early 11th century
and is one of the most sacred buildings of the Russian Orthodox church.
The ruins of the Golden Gate also date from the same period and was
once the main entrance to the city.
Kiev was the centre of the Rus principality in the 11th and 12th
centuries AD, and it is still known as the Mother of Russian Cities.
Boryspil International Airport:
There are shuttle busses to Kiev centre as well as 24-hour taxis and car rental desks in
Terminal B.
Three metro lines service Kiev, with Kharkovskaya being the nearest
metro station to Boryspil airport.
The Airport Hotel Boryspil is located close to Terminal B while the
newer Boryspil Hotel is located in a quiet district of Boryspil, 9km from airport.
Kiev Hotel Service:
Operates a handful of one-bedroom and studio apartments for short-term rent in central
Kiev locations - from $50 a night; cheaper for longer stays.
US Embassy In Kiev:
10 Yuriya Kotsubinskoho St.
London to Ukraine by Train:
It's easy to travel from London to Kiev by train, using Eurostar to Brussels, the
overnight sleeper to Berlin, a EuroCity train to Warsaw and the 'Kiev Express'; overnight
from Warsaw to the capital of Ukraine.
Ukraine Rail:
Only available in Russian and Ukrainian.
Ukraine
Train Information:
Trains are a very reliable way to travel within Ukraine, especially in the winter time
when many domestic flights are cancelled or delayed due to poor weather conditions; while
car travel is not good either and bus travel, being quite uncomfortable, will take ages.
The official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian; one of the three
East Slavic languages, closely related to Russian and Belorussian.
Embassies in Ukraine:
Embassy listings of foreign representation in Ukraine.
Ukrainian Consulate
in New York:
Visa requirements for Americans visiting Ukraine. The Ukrainian Consulate in New York is
located at 240, East 49th Street.
Ukrainian Embassy in Washington:
3350 M st, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007.
Yalta
Located on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula, on the Black
Sea, Yalta became a favourite resort of the tsars and nobility in the early 19th century.
The most beautiful vacation paradise in Eastern Europe, the Crimean
Region of Ukraine is situated on the northern shores of the Black Sea.
Sevastopol
Also on the Crimean Peninsula, Sevastopol is a major naval base;
fortified by Catherine the Great after the Russians took control in 1783. Tensions over
the Black Sea fleet continue between Ukraine and Russia.
The Greek colony of Chersonesus was founded near the site of modern
Sevastopol' in the late 5th century BC, and taken over successively by the Roman Empire,
the Byzantine Empire, and Genoa.
Apartments in
Sevastapol:
Fully furnished apartments for rent in a variety of locations around Sevastapol.
Kharkov, in the east of the country, was founded in 1656 as a
fortress to protect Moscow from the Tatars. It was the administrative centre of Ukraine
until 1934; when it was replaced by Kiev.
Kharkov has been the scene of heavy fighting over the years and a bell
tower was erected, in 1812, to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon.
When visiting Ukraine, there are a few simple rules of etiquette
that may be useful:
If invited into a family home, it is traditional to bring a gift. A
bottle of wine, a cake or a bouquet of flowers is customary. If there is a child in the
house, it is appropriate to provide him or her with a small gift as well.
Be prepared to remove your shoes upon entering a home. To keep
apartments clean, most hosts will provide you with a pair of slippers.
On public transportation, give up your seat to mothers with children,
the elderly, or the infirm.
At the entrance of upscale restaurants, expect that your coat,
briefcase or baggage to be checked.
When eating dinner at someone's home, casual dress is accepted.
Be ready to give toasts at dinner, for guests are often asked to do
so.
Offer to share your snacks and cigarettes with those around you.
Ukrainians are known for their generosity when it comes to feeding others. Turning down
food may be considered rude.
For business, dress should be conservative. Men should not take off
their jackets unless asked.
In Orthodox churches women wear scarves or hats, and men take off
their hats.
By Solo East Travel.
Tips on Getting Through Ukraine Passport Control and Customs
Bringing Gifts
It is not that hard to go through these formalities in Ukraine. If you
bring something for gifts you may be asked to pay a customs duty that can be considerable.
We do not recommend you to bring any jewellery as the customs duty is 100% of its cost! If
you do want to make such a surprise anyway, it would be more reasonable to bring money and
purchase jewellery here. It will definitely cost less.
Bringing Money Into Ukraine
Talking to many of my clients I have discovered that most of them are
not aware of the Ukrainian laws as to this point. They were afraid of bringing cash as
they thought it would cost them too much when crossing the border. It is NOT true at all.
The Ukrainian laws allow foreigners to bring up to $10,000 cash.
If you have LESS than $1,000 cash you may just go through
customs by the Green Line. No declaration filling.
If you want to bring MORE than $1,000 in cash, I strongly recommend
you to declare the money when you go through the customs. Use Red Line in this case! It
may help you a lot when you will be leaving Ukraine!
The point is you are allowed to take only $1,000 OUT of the country.
However if you have a customs declaration confirming that you have brought a bigger amount
to Ukraine then you can take out ANY amount that is less than what you have brought here.
Taking Money Out of Ukraine
You will not have any problems if you have a LESS amount of cash than
you declared on your arrival. Keep your entering customs declaration until you pass
through customs control on your departure!
Use VIP Service at the Airport
If you would like to have special, very flexible treatment at the
customs you can order a VIP service. It costs $48 and all formalities would take 15-20
minutes (if you arrive with the entering visa in your passport), or another 10
minutes for getting a visa at the airport if you don't have one on arrival.
By Ukraine
Accommodation.
Best of Ukraine:
Useful travel tips and information about travel in Ukraine and Kiev (Kyiv) from locals and
tourists alike - sorted into handy 'best of' lists.
Green Ukraine:
Organises travel for foreign tourists to Ukraine in its most attractive region; the
Carpathian mountains
Solo East Travel:
Located in Kiev (Kyiv), Solo East is licensed to provide visa assistance, hotels, air and
train tickets, tours and other services for travellers to Ukraine.
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