TRAVEL GUIDE

Kyiv

The city for dreamers

Kyiv is a top destination for travelers in Ukraine. There are a lot of lists of tourist attractions on the internet. They would at least recommend you to visit Andriivskyi Uzviz or eat varynyky in the local restaurant. I want to propose you a little bit more: my secret Kyiv. So, let`s go!

Visit Kyiv underworld if you want to have a rest from a daily routine and do something crazy. There are several destinations that city visitors could be interested in – river collectors and drainage facilities. If u decide to get down, you need to find professional an urban explorer who could show you the entrances and would control the process so you couldn`t have any problems in the ``downtown``. You need to put on some comfortable waterproof clothes, rubber boots and take a headlight lamp with you to feel comfortable during the process.
You can order a tour here, for example

Come to Platforma Art Factory if you don`t know where to spend your weekends. It`s the biggest creative cluster in Ukraine organized in the old walls of a silk factory. Most Kyiv festivals take place there. Kurazh Bazaar is a thematic charity fair where you can find Ukrainian celebrities selling their stuff. On Street Food Festival you can find local sellers of Indian food, oysters, shashlik and many more. AKT Exhibition is for those who like modern Ukrainian art. White Nights would be perfect for those who enjoy dancing and listening to the best Ukrainian music during the whole night), etc.
So, have a look through Platforma Art Factory Facebook page, and I`m sure you would find something worth it.

Kyiv bridges are the best option if you`re going to have a date or have a photo-shoot. Rybalskyi bridge, for example, is located on Podil, one of the oldest parts of the city. It still stays uncommissioned, so a lot of people choose it for hanging out in evenings. There is a lovely view alongside Dnipro river. An infrastructure of the shipbuilding plant surrounds it and creates a fantastic atmosphere of untouched urban spaces. It is especially awesome to watch the sunset there.
Podilskyi-Voskresenskyi bridge has almost the same story as it is still under construction (city authorities can`t find money for it). It is very popular between roofers as they like to experience risky feelings like that. It became especially famous after Diesel brand filmed their advertising on it.
So, just take a plaid, a girlfriend/boyfriend and enjoy the view with a bottle of wine in your hands.

Last years a lot of new bars and cafes appeared in Kyiv. So, sometimes it becomes a challenge to choose one. But if I were asked which one of them is worth visiting, I would say Wood You Like Bar. Sounds like absurd, but the best coffee in the city I`ve tried there (and it costs less than 1 dollar!). The pleasurable option is to have a walk in Podil, have a cup of coffee there and to finish a trip in ``Zhovten`` cinema. Its repertoire is full of independent films.

For those, who want to feel summer in winter there is an opportunity to visit botanical gardens in Kyiv. There are two of them in the city center. One is named after Hryshko and the other – after Fomin. They both are near the subway stations, so it wouldn`t be a problem to get to them. There you can visit orangeries, full of tropical fruits and palm trees. Before coming there be sure that you have checked their schedule

Gryshko Botanical Garden

Krystyna Povoroznyk

Student

Photocredits: Unsplash, John Ragai
Video: Arzu Aslanov

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