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Holidays in Ukraine  -  Travel information Ukraine

Former Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Bakhchisarai, Dnipropetrovsk, Kaniv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kremenchug, Kyif [ capital city ], Lugansk, Lviv, Mariupol, Odessa, Sevastopol, Simferopol, Ust-Dunajsk, Uzhorod, Yalta, Zaporizhyie

Country in eastern Europe bordering the Black Sea to the south, the Russian Federation to the east, Belarus to the north and Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania [ southwest the delta of the Danube ], and Moldova to the west.

Ukrainian landscape: mostly of fertile plains or steppes and plateaus, crossed by rivers such as the Dniepr, Donets, Dnister and the Southern Bug as they flow down into the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov.


car hire, hostels / hotels, travel agencies, travel guides, transportation / travelling to the ukraine

links


Camping

 Korobki

Car Rental

 Sixt  -   
Pick-Up Station / Return Station: Kiev Airport, Kiev Downtown and Simferopol Airport

Hostels / Hotels

 
Hostelbookers.com is one of the worlds largest online booking services for hostels. All hostels you see here are offering realtime prices and availability.

Travel Agents / Tour Operators

Travelsphere  
Travelsphere is the UK's No. 1 operator of escorted holidays

 -  Create your perfect trip  -  Flight, Hotel and Car

 Blacksee-Crimea 
This site is an on-line travel guide to what for most western travellers is a new destination - the beautiful Crimean Black Sea coast. Here you will find detailed information to help you plan your vacation, and you can book self-catering holiday accommodation in Yalta or Gurzuf, or hotels throughout Crimea and Ukraine
 Bob Sopel Ukrainian Travel
 Fregata Travel
 Regent Holidays  -  Ukraine & Moldova
 The Adventure Company



 Solo East Travel  -  located in Kiev
Travel to Ukraine with SoloEast. Located in Kiev (Kyiv) it's licensed to provide travel and visa assistance, hotels, air and train tickets, tours to Ukraine and other services for travellers. Tourism Administration of Ukraine License #425695

Travel Guides Ukraine / Related books

Amazon.com - Travel Guides Ukraine 

Ukraine (Lonely Planet Country Guides S.) -  by Sarah Johnstone
Guide to the Ukraine providing information on a popular value-for-money destination. Highlights Ukraine's Black Sea beach resorts and the undiscovered attractions and World Heritage site of Lviv. Brings the story of Chernobyl up- to-date and includes details of tours.
Paperback 204 pages (July 2005); Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
Ukraine: The Bradt Travel Guide -  by Andrew Evans
 travel guide to read before, during and after a trip to Ukraine, this book features comprehensive practical information, while revealing the country's personality through in-depth exploration of its history, culture and natural beauty. Traditional churches, monasteries and sacred sites provide a contrast to the notorious but compelling landmark of Chernobyl. Andrew Evans shows how Ukraine can easily be explored by rail, river cruise or sea ferry, and also on foot - the ideal way to take in the rustic villages of old-world Europe - with short walks and long-distance treks. The guide offers side trips into Moldova, Belarus and Eastern Europe, as well as a region-by-region guide to the Ukrainian provinces, including the stunning Crimean peninsula. It features detailed coverage of Kiev, the birthplace of Slavic civilization, and a cruising guide for Kiev, the Dnipr and the Black Sea. There is also a language section in Ukrainian and Russian.
Paperback 328 pages (December 19, 2003); Publisher: BRADT Travel Guides
Kiev (Bradt Travel Guides S.) -  by Andrew Evans
Full of details about Kiev, its sights and the people who live there, including useful hints for eating and nightlife.
Paperback 304 pages (August 6, 2004); Publisher: Beadt Travel Guides
Voices from Chernobyl -  by Svetlana Alexievich
On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history occurred in Chernobyl. Until now, all of the books published in English focused on the facts, names and data. This hard-hitting collection presents first -hand accounts of what happened to the people of Belarus and the fear, anger and uncertainty that they lived through. In order to give voice to their experience, Alexievich, a journalist by trade, interviewed hundreds of people who have been affected by the meltdown. These accounts document a crucial one of the 20th century biggest disasters.
Hardcover 253 pages (June 1, 2005); Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press

Transport / How do I get to Ukraine

 Airport of Kiev = Boryspil International Airport, located 30 kilometers from the city center. The city's other main airport Zhuliany-Kyiv, located 7 kilometers from the center, handles domestic flights.

  Opodo  -   
Flight tickets to Ukraine.


Book flights to Ukraine at ebookers and benefit from discounted airfares. View their latest offers and book your flights, accommodation, car hire and insurance online

 Airline Tickets / Discount Flights  -  Flights to the Ukraine / Price comparison possible

Ukraine is connected to European and Asian cities via an extensive network of railways and roads. Train and Bus travel are the least expensive and most convenient way to reach just about any location

International Rail  
Book InterRail, Europdomino and other European Rail Passes online and explore Europe your way with a large selection of rail passes and tickets offering maximum flexibility.

 -  Eurolines  -  coach line to Ukraine
Locations served: Kiev, Lvov, Rivne, Zytomir

 Ukrainian Buses  -  Автобусное расписание по Украине.

 Online Maps Ukraine [ Uni Texas  -  Perry-Castañeda Library  -  Map Collection Europe ]


Links 

 Travel Insurance  -  online travel and holiday insurance for UK and Irish residents


 Web-portal Ukrainian Government

 Kiev / Kyif  -  capital city  -  northern Ukrain
Kyiv made its mark as a city break destination soon after independence, with its grand palaces, Orthodox cathedrals, medieval monasteries and the winding streets and brightly coloured houses of the old town. You will find a lively nightlife with restaurants serving interesting local dishes.

 Bakhchisarai
 Chernobyl / Chornobyl  -  not far from Kyiv  -  known for nuclear accident in 1986
On April 26 1986, the Chornobyl-4 nuclear reactor suffered a catastrophic nuclear meltdown and fire, resulting from a flawed reactor design, and mistakes made by the tired plant operators, who violated procedures intended to ensure safe operation of the plant. A secondary factor contributing to the accident was the fact that plant operators were insufficiently trained and unfamiliar with many characteristics of the reactor.
 Dnipropetrovsk
 Kaniv
 Kharkiv / Kharkov  -  second largest city in Ukraine
 Kherson
 Kremenchug
 Lugansk
 Lviv
Lviv which has a wealth of rococo, neo-classical and renaissance style buildings arranged along picturesque cobblestone streets
 Mariupol
 Odessa
Wandering along the cobbled streets of the old town one can feel the Turkish and Balkan influences of past centuries. A must-see with an eclectic mix of Slavic and Turkish influence
 Sevastopol
 Simferopol
 Ust-Dunajsk
 Uzhorod
 Yalta
 Zaporizhyie


 Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains are equally as grand and the foothills are dotted with unspoiled medieval towns and villages.
 Crimean Peninsula  -  autonomous
The Crimean peninsula attracts summer revellers to the lovely seaside resort of Yalta because of its Florida-like climate and to see the luxurious dachas which used to belong to the communist elite.
Crimea.
Steeped in history, Crimea is a fascinating region to explore, as well as a great place to relax. Across the centuries it has attracted settlers such as the Greeks, the Venetians and the Genoese - all of whom founded cities along the coast and inter-married with the local people. The western terminus of the Great Silk Road was on the Crimean coast. After a long period as part of the Byzantine empire, it was overrun by Chingiz Khan's Golden Horde and remained a Tatar Khanate until annexed by Imperial Russia in the eighteenth century . This rich history is still alive today in its fabulous palaces and historic sites, and in the culture and way of life of today's Crimean people.
Cities: Feodosiya, Yalta, Yevpatoriya, Kerch, Sevastopol, Simferopol
 FC Dynamo Kyiv
 News from Ukraine  -  Kiev Post
 Tiraspol
Capital of the self-proclaimed independent Trans-Dniester Republic
 Ukrainiansoccer.net

Cuisine  -  Ukrainian Cooking

Popular all over the globe is Ukrainian borsch. It is made with fresh vegetables – cabbages, red beet, tomatoes etc. adding pork fat pound with garlic and parsley. The combination makes borsch boast of exquisite aroma and marvelous flavor. There are more than 30 recipes for the true Ukrainian borsch (each region has at least one) and requires up to 20 diverse components.
Very popular in Ukraine are all kinds of kasha (cereal porridge), vareniki filled with cottage cheese, smashed potatoes, stewed cabbage or berries. Among the favorite dishes are also meat and potato stew – pechenja, Ukrainian bitki (chops) with salo (pork fat) and garlic filling, cold boiled pork stewed with cabbage and salo, krucheniki (chopped tenderloin stranded over a filling) etc.

The Best of Ukrainian Cuisine - by Bohdan Zahny
Now updated with a complete list of menu terms in Ukrainian and English, this unique cookbook presents both traditional and contemporary Ukrainian cuisine in an easy-to-use menu format. Ukrainian dishes call for a variety of ingredients including natural products such as meat, poultry, fish, mushrooms, eggs, vegetables and fruits. Here is a comprehensive guide to Ukrainian cooking, including favourites like: zakusky (appetisers), ioushky (cabbage soup), kasha (buckwheat groats), pyrizhky (stuffed pastries), and medovyky (honey cakes).
Paperback 300 pages (August 1998); Publisher: Hippocrene Books, Inc

History of Ukraine

The Ukraine was founded by Swedish Vikings [ 'Varangians or Rus' ], who gave the Ukraine its first powerful dynasty, the Rurik dynasty. During the 10th and 11th centuries these Vikings in the east created the largest and most powerful state in Europe and, ironically, laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries.
Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, soutern parts of Kievan Rus were incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; northern parts formed Mongol dependent Muscovy.

Independence: 1 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Borderland: A Journey Through the History of the Ukraine -  by Anna Reid
The Ukraine is one of the most neglected countries in the world. It has a population of 52 million - larger than Britain's - and a land mass the size of France; it also has Chernobyl, and after Russia is the largest nuclear power. The word 'Ukraine' means 'borderland' and for most of its history the lands that make up present-day Ukraine have been a collection of other countries' border regions. Prior to Stalinism and Nazism, Ukraine was ethnically extremely diverse, including Russians, Poles, Jews, Greeks and Armenians. Their ghosts linger in language, literature, and architecture, quite distinct from Russia's.
Paperback 272 pages (March 6, 2003); Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicholson history
 National museum of History of Ukraine
The museum's extensive exhibits consist of eight sections dealing with various aspects of Ukraine's history from prehistoric times to the present. The museum has rich collection of archeological and ethnographical findings, coin, works of art and old books. Behind the museum there is a path that provides a good view of Podil, Kyiv's lower town from the highest point of Old Kyiv.
The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569-1999 
Timothy Snyder
Timothy Snyder traces the emergence of four rival modern nationalist ideologies from common medieval notions of citizenship. He presents the ideological innovations and ethnic cleansings that abetted the spread of modern nationalism but also examines recent statesmanship that has allowed national interests to be channeled toward peace.
Paperback 384 pages (August 31, 2004); Publisher: Yale University Press; Language: English; ISBN: 030010586X.

Music, Culture & Entertainment

The most distinctive musical instrument unique to Ukraine is the bandura, a circa 7th century invention used for folk music. Starting in the 15th century, traveling musicians (kobzars) used the bandura for epic folk tales (dumy), while the secretive, blind kobzari invented their own bandura music.

Culture Shock! Ukraine (Culture Shock! S.) -  by Meredith Dalton
Paperback 240 pages (September 1, 2001); Publisher: Kuperard
 Info Ukes  -  Ukrainian Music Library
Classical Music, Bandura, Popular Music, Traditional Music and more
Black Sea Winds by Julian Kytasty
If you're tired of all the familiar instruments, and fancy being seduced by the sound of a new one, tune in to the Kobzari of Ukraine. The instrument in question is the bandura, a unique stringed beast which is part Central Asian lute, part medieval Kievan lap harp. Its sound is magical, especially as plucked, strummed, and tapped by Julian Kytasty on Black Sea Winds. Kytasty represents an unbroken link with a buried historical tradition. Kobzari were blind singers who travelled through Ukraine in the pre-Soviet days: Stalin and his friends regarded them as dangerously nationalist and did their best to abolish their tradition--sometimes by summary execution, sometimes by "re-education". As a result the kobzar repertoire was largely lost. But not quite: Kytasty's father and grandfather continued to play and sing it, and Kytasty also found one of the last great kobzari, Heorhiy Tkachenko, who gave him many tutorials before his death aged 95 in 1993. Three of the songs on this lovely CD are taken from Tkachenko's own repertoire; some of the others, together with the instrumental improvisations, are by Kytasty himself. --Michael Church

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