What to See and Do in Kyiv, Ukraine

What to See and Do in Kiev (Kyiv) Ukraine

I’ve previously written a general “impressions”post on Kyiv. Although we didn’t fall in love with Kyiv the way we fell in love with Lviv, the highlights in Kyiv amazed us. I think at one point I described a couple of the things we were seeing as “incredibly stupendous”. I don’t usually say stuff like that. 

Read that previous post if you want our general impressions of Kyiv. But continue here if you’re curious about what specifically you should see and do in Kyiv Ukraine.

 

 

 

 

1. Saint Sophia’s Cathedral 

Saint Sophia is the oldest church in Kyiv (built in the 11th century), the first UNESCO site in Ukraine, and the city’s best known landmark.

It was built by Prince Yaroslav the Wise and is filled with original 11th century mosaics. It is one of the most famous monuments of the Kievan Rus period – a federation of East Slavic and Finnic people that stretched from the Baltics to the Black Sea (of which Kyiv was the capital).

The grounds and the exterior are beautiful and you can pay extra to climb the tower which gives you great views over the Cathedral and of St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery (which is a 5 minute walk down the street). But the highlight is the gorgeous interior of the Cathedral (unfortunately no photos allowed).

 

 

 

2. St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery 

This monastery is absolutely breath-taking.

It was originally built in the 11th century and survived the Mongols (who removed the gold-plated domes). For a couple of hundred years subsequent to that it fell into disrepair until in 1496 it was restored and enlarged. During that time it became one of the most popular monasteries in Ukraine.

Shockingly, the Soviet Communist authorities demolished the monastery in June of 1934 (they had wanted to do the same to Saint Sophia but last minute protestations changed their minds).

Unknown to the Soviet authorities, some Ukrainian architects worked on a plan of reconstruction for the monastery. But those plans only came to fruition after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The new monastery was opened in 1999 and many of the works inside today are from the original cathedral (they had been moved to Moscow and it took long negotiations to get them back).

Today it is a fully-functioning monastery. Like Saint Sophia it has a bell tower worth climbing.

 

 

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3. Saint Vladimir Hill 

Right behind Saint Michael’s Golden-domed Monastery is this pretty park. It has great views of the Dnipro River and the east bank of Kyiv (separated by a huge expanse of islands in the river). The major landmark in the park is the statue of Saint Vladimir, dedicated to the great prince of Kyiv, Saint Vladimir (Volodymyr) the Great.

 

 

 

4. St Andrew’s Church     

This baroque church was built in 1754 on the wishes of a Russian empress who intended to have her summer home in Kyiv. It was designed by an  Italian architect and constructed on a hill overlooking the neighborhood of Podil. It has great views of the river.

Right next to the church is a small street – Andriyivskyy Descent (Andrew’s descent) – where there are many stalls and stores selling tourist stuff. There are also a lot of restaurants, most of them the over-priced tourist variety. Still, it’s a nice walk and going down the hill will bring you to the Podil neighborhood (see #17 on this list).

 

 

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5. Maidan Nezalezhnosti   

Maidan Nezalezhnosti  (ie. Independence Square) is the main square in Kyiv. The square has always been at the center of parades or protests including the recent Euromaiden protests in November of 2013 where violent protests occurred after the Ukrainian president at the time (Viktor Yanukovych) decided to suspend the signing of an agreement with the European Union, instead choosing for closer ties with Russia. It led to almost 4 months of protests which got progressively more violent. Over 100 people died and Euromaiden ended with Yanukovych fleeing to Russia and Ukraine adopting closer relations with the EU.

The square is full of monuments, attractive buildings and fountains. It is a lively spot especially on weekends when Khreshatyk street (which leads to the square) is closed off to car traffic. 

 

 

 

6. Khreshatyk street   

Khreshatyk street is Kiev’s main street, a large attractive avenue with historic buildings, government offices and department stores. It gets particularly busy on weekends when it becomes pedestrian-only. 

 

 

 

7. Golden Gate 

The Golden Gate of Kyiv was where the original gates to the city stood during the Kievan Rus period in the 11th century. At that time Kyiv was surrounded by high ramparts and ditches for security. The Golden Gate was the main entrance to the city.

The gate standing today is a reconstruction built in 1982 to celebrate the 1500th anniversary of Kyiv.

It is a bit of an odd structure with wood where ramparts would previously have been. Walking up, there are nice views of the buildings around the square and at the top is a little church.

 

 

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8. St Volodymyr’s Cathedral     

This incredible cathedral was completed in 1882 and was built to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the Christianization of Kievan Rus  (which occurred when Vladimir the Great was baptised in 988).

The interior of St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral took our breath away, it is one of the most beautiful churches we’ve seen anywhere.

 

 

 

9. Kiev Pechersk Lavra

Kiev Pechersk Lavra is also known as the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves because the whole site was originally a cave monastery which included an underground church and a huge system of tunnels. With time the complex grew to include a cathedral, bell tower, fortifications, as well as many smaller churches with its grounds.

Today Kiev Pechersk Lavra is a UNESCO site and an active monastery that is considered a center of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. It is considered THE highlight of a visit to Kyiv. It really is spectacular and you can easily spend half a day wandering around the grounds. 

 

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10. The Motherland Monument

This huge statue (62 meters or 203 feet tall) was built during Soviet times as a war memorial. It was completed in 1981 in a ceremony attended by Soviet president Leonid Brezhnev.

You’ll see the huge state emblem of the Soviet Union on the shield of the statue. It is controversial these days with the decommunization laws adopted by Ukraine in 2015 (in which Soviet Communism symbols, street names and monuments were outlawed). The emblem still exists however.

Underneath the statue is the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World (next on my list) which is an incredible museum. Throughout the park around the statue are Soviet-era statues and monuments, some of the grandest we’ve seen anywhere. You’ll also see military hardware like tanks, helicopters and planes. It is a very impressive site.

People reading up on the statue might get the impression that you can get to the top of the monument. That is the impression I got. Unfortunately, the tour I took took me as high as the base of the statue (you can see it in the photo just below). I didn’t think it was worth it.

Overall however, the monument and the entire site is incredible.

 

 

 

11. National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War

As mentioned above, this very large museum is situated under the Motherland Monument.

It is the largest, most detailed, and best war museum we’ve seen anywhere. The artifacts: from German military uniforms, motorcycles, even the remains of a downed plane to Soviet/Ukrainian artillery, missiles and trucks makes you feel like you are right there. The photos – especially the last hall which is lined by thousands upon thousands of photos of Ukrainians who lost their lives in the war – are sobering.

I’ve read on Trip Advisor people complaining about the lack of English signage. Note: at the beginning of every hall there are plasticized documents (usually a full page) describing the theme of the hall (there are 14 large halls). Really, it’s all you need. The things on display are self-explanatory. Fantastic museum. We walked out feeling we had lived through the Second World War.

 

 

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12. Vydubychi Monastery

This monastery dates back to 1070 and was a center of religious life in Kyiv until the Mongols invaded in 1240. At that point it lost its importance – until the 17th century when it was used as a cemetery for some of Kyiv’s elite.

On the grounds you’ll find several churches including the 11th century Collegiate Church of Saint Michael. You’ll see golden domes, beautiful gardens…and few (if any) tourists.

 

 

 

13. Mariyinsky Palace

This palace – completed in 1752 by the same Italian architect who built St. Andrew’s church – is the official residence of the President of Ukraine.

It’s honestly not the most exciting palace and as a visitor you can’t get past the gates surrounding it. The 1st photo below is as close as you’ll get. But the palace is located in a beautiful park situated on a hill overlooking the Dnipro River. One of Kyiv’s prettiest walks starts behind the palace where you can walk through a forested park with river views on one side and city views on the other. I mentioned on our “impressions” post how green Kyiv is – this area is a perfect example of that and a walk along this route will bring you down to the People’s Friendship Arch (#15) near the city center.

 

 

 

14. House with Chimaeras

This crazy-looking building was constructed by a Polish architect in 1901-1902. The architect was a hunter and the decorations on the building feature exotic animals and hunting scenes.

Visiting this house gets even weirder. The house is on a street full of government buildings which includes the President’s office. Getting to the House with Chimaeras means bringing your passport and going through a security checkpoint.

 

 

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15. People’s Friendship Arch

The People’s Friendship Arch was dedicated to the unification of the Soviet Union and the Ukraine. It was built in 1982 by the Soviet authorities to celebrate 2 events – the 6oth anniversary of the USSR and the 1500th anniversary of Kyiv.

There’s been talk of dismantling the arch and the monuments underneath it under the new decommunization laws. But it still stands in 2018 and while we were there they were celebrating a new friendship – that between Ukraine and Armenia.

Besides a pretty cool arch set among a park setting, the location also has fantastic views over the river and is a favorite local hangout with an amusement park and lots of food and drink stalls.

 

 

 

16. Kiev Funicular

This short (2.5 minute) funicular ride takes you from Saint Vladimir Hill (just behind St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery) to the Podil neighborhood in the lower town (I cover Podil next, at #17).

The funicular was built in 1905 as a way to connect the upper and lower towns which previously were best connected by the steep walk up Andriyivskyy Descent (the street next to Saint Andrew’s church).

Today about 10,000 people take the funicular ride every day and it is one of Kyiv’s most popular tourist attractions.

 

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17. Podil

Located in the lower town, Podil is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Kyiv. It was actually the city center after the upper town was destroyed by the Mongols in 1240.

Points of interest include Kontraktova Square (one of the Kyiv’s oldest squares), Pirogoshcha Church, and Florovsky-Voznesensky Monastery. It’s also worth walking to the funicular station – across the street is a small church, the sea port, and a promenade where you can walk along the river.

I’m not going to tell you that Podil is a ‘must see’ if here for a limited time – but given more time it is really worth seeing. It’s authentic, a bit gritty in places, and is full of cool restaurants and cafes. After a few weeks in Kyiv we had thought the city had no trams. We were proven wrong in Podil. There are indeed old trams that circulate along the lower town (best place to see them is at Kontraktova Square).

 

 

 

18. Taras Shevchenko National University

Back in the upper town, not far from St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral, we enjoyed seeing the “red building”of  Taras Shevchenko National University. It sits across from a beautiful park which is alive with student activity. Like everywhere else, we were struck by how attractive a city Kyiv is.

 

 

There are other highlights that we missed – Saint Nicolas Roman Catholic Cathedral, the Pyrohiv Museum of Folk Architecture (highly rated, we were sorry to miss it), and the Ukraine state aviation museum (being a plane nerd I would have liked to see it).

Anyone have suggestions of things to see and do for our next time in Kyiv? Always like feedback from locals.

 

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