KievTraveller.info

Kiev City Guide

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:31:32 +0000

Kiev’s unique character is indeed best felt after a visit to Moscow. Both these cities are predominantly Russian speaking capital cities, full of government buildings and institutions inherited from Soviet days. Yet there are marked differences.

Kiev is quieter and more modest. The noise level is lower, the buildings are smaller and less monumental, building development is not nearly as dense. The government buildings are more provincial in character and don’t smack of imperialism. There are no buildings or squares that overwhelm you like in Moscow.

Kiev’s green hills above the Dnipro river, spotted with churches and monuments, relay the quiet spirituality (spiritualism?) that Kiev embodies even after 70 years of enforced atheism.

One of the things that makes Kiev unique is the amount of wild open areas within city boundaries or adjacent to the city. Kiev is surrounded by forests on three sides and has several large islands on the Dnipro. It’s possible to spend years in Kiev and know only of gray highrises, stuffy public transportation, and historic buildings downtown, but if you begin studying the map and exploring, you’ll find an incredible amount of wild areas and greenery.

You can buy various Ukrainian souvenirs on Andrew Descent (Andreevskiy Spusk): embroidered towels, matrioshkas, wooden painted plates and eggs, glass souvenirs, small dolls in national clothing, paintings and clothing. There is also a souvenir section in Kiev central magazine (Tsum), located in Khreschatik St and a souvenir shop near St Sofia Cathedral.

Riviera Hotel

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:44:37 +0000

New four-star Riviera Hotel is located in the center of Ukrainian capital, at Podol – historical district of Kiev. Many business and cultural centers, administrative offices of Kiev are situated not far from the hotel. Famous Khreshchatik and such known sights as Andreevsky Spusk, Andreevskaya Church, Mikhailovsky and Sofiysky Cathedrals are located in few-minutes walk from the hotel. Windows of Riviera Hotel look on picturesque Podol and Dnepr River.
Riviera Hotel offers accommodation in comfortable rooms, high-qualified service and wide choice of hotel facilities. Meeting facilities of the hotel include modern-equipped meeting room for 70 persons and negotiation room. The hotel’s restaurant serves Ukrainian and European cuisine. Amateurs of cocktails and coffee are welcomed to 24-hour bar.

Dnipro Hotel

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:43:54 +0000

The prestigious four-star Dnipro Hotel is conveniently located in Kreshchatik Street, in the very center of Kiev with its variety of government offices, tourist attractions, shops and business centers. There is no point in describing the Kreshchatik: the fact that it is the main street of the city speaks for itself.
Some of the guestrooms look out on the picturesque Dnepr, or Dnieper, River, the hotel has been named after. Longstanding traditions of hospitality, an extensive list of facilities and high standard of services have made the Dnipro Hotel popular among business and leisure travelers.
The hotel offers easy access to main city airports by bus or by taxi. Borispol International Airport is located 40 km away from the hotel and Municipal Airport Kiev is 14 km from the hotel.
One can easily get to the Central Railway Station, which is 5 km from the Dnipro, by public transport. If you take a taxi, it will take you no more than 10-20 minutes.
The popular Kiev River Boat Station is situated 1 km from the hotel. It means that a 15 minutes pleasant work along the most beautiful streets of the city, Vladimirsky Spusk and Pochtovaya Street, will get you there.
The nearest metro station is Maidan Nezalezhnosty, or Independence Square, located 100 meters from the hotel.
Many tourist attractions and places of cultural interest like the Mariinsky Palace, the Sophia Cathedral, Kiev-Pecherskaya Lavra, and others are just minutes from the hotel. Classical music lovers can visit splendid concerts held in the National Philharmonic Hall of Ukraine (situated nearby), the State Conservatory and the Ukrainian House. Those who are interested in fine arts will definitely visit the National Art Museum that treasures unique collections of Ukrainian and foreign fine art. Some of the hotel rooms look out on a splendid park, which is a favorite walking place of citizens and guests of Kiev.
The hotel is conveniently situated near many shopping venues including the Metrograd, a huge commercial center, situated in the underground area between Besarabska Square and Lev Tolstoy Square, a new commercial center Globus and the central department store of Kiev.

Radisson SAS Hotel

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:42:39 +0000

The Radisson SAS Hotel is located in the very heart of Kiev. The hotel is within walking distance of the city’s main street, Kreschatik. Many famous sights of Ukraine’s capital, government offices, restaurants and shops are situated close to the hotel.
The Radisson SAS Hotel is housed in a building from 1903, a monument of architecture. The building has been completely renovated. The Radisson SAS Hotel offers spacious rooms provided with modern equipment, various amenities and first-class service. With a business centre and 5 conference-rooms, the Radisson SAS Hotel can host any business meetings and events. The hotel’s health club is equipped with fitness area, Finnish sauna, steam bath and solarium.
The Radisson SAS Hotel belongs to the international hotel chain Radisson SAS.

Premier Palace Hotel

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:40:58 +0000

The Premier Palace is a luxurious hotel in the very center of the capital of Ukraine. It is located on picturesque Taras Shevchenko Boulevard, within walking distance from Kreshchatik, which is the main shopping street in Kiev. The Golden Gates, State University, Kiev’s central park called Shevchenko Park, and National Opera are all situated nearby the hotel. The hub of Kiev’s business, educational and cultural life is also in close proximity to the Premier Palace.
The Premier Palace Hotel was originally built at the end of the 19th-beginning of the 20th centuries. From the windows of the hotel a splendid view on distinctive golden domes of Kiev’s churches opens. The hotel is not only a reflection of the past, but also a step into the future. It has been materially reconstructed in recent years, and today the hotel fully corresponds with the world standards. The Premier Palace is the first, and so far, the only five-star hotel in Kiev. It offers visitors spacious comfortable rooms, which are perfectly equipped with the most up-to-date amenities, excellent service, refined menu and a wealth of additional services.

Hyatt Regency Kiev Hotel

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:38:56 +0000

Recently opened is conveniently located in the very center of Kiev, with walking distance from famous Khreshchatik and Saint Sophia Cathedral. Many government offices, large business and entertainment centers, theaters, restaurants and shops are situated close to Hyatt Regency Kiev Hotel.
Hyatt Regency Kiev Hotel offers to its guests accommodation in 234 comfortable, modern-equipped rooms (including 25 suites) and wide range of amenities and hotel facilities, among them fitness center, swimming pool, Grill Asia restaurant and bar. Meeting facilities of Hyatt Regency Kiev Hotel include 8 meeting rooms, 3 board rooms and business center. Both business and tourist guests will appreciate high-qualified service and helpful multilingual staff of the hotel.
Hyatt Regency Kiev Hotel belongs to Global Hyatt Corporation, one of the world’s premier hotel companies.

Independence Store

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:37:36 +0000

Below the Independence square, an immense underground shopping mall has been constructed on the occasion of the modernization of the set of places it. In surface the fountain disappeared to make place at a big glass roof of glass, that gives airs of place of the Louvre… under this dome of glass, turn a terrestrial globe…

… and under this terrestrial globe is agitated a loud and laborious crowd, that doesn’t have another intention to make dream you, and to spend. This underground shopping mall is frequented very, very fashionable, very dear also. Certainly a tourist will estimate that the prices are quite correct, but they remain very elevated, to see unapproachable for the majority of the Ukrainian.

Metrograd (Underground Shoppping Mall)

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:34:53 +0000

The inner spaces are divided in quarters, and there are the gift quarter, the clothes and shoes quarter, the sport quarter, the book quarter, the boutique quarter, the service quarter, the furniture quarter, etc. The thematic grouping of the stores saves customers’ time and provides pleasant impression of attentive care to each guest. The 12th Quarter is ideal for those who are not quite sure what they exactly need. The stores in this quarter are arranged according to the geographical location. So far there are 6 zones that correspond to Turkey, Italia, France, Poland, Germany and Ukraine. Accademia, Axiom, Biblos, Cerutti, Falconi, Dolce Vita, RoccoBarocco, Valentini, Sportstaff, Teddi, Lucas, Lincolor, Susan Small, Nemo represent Italy; Laboratoiers Sarbec, Jacomo, Faust, Seven, Bernard Florentin, Paco Rabane, 100% Femini, Cop Copin are the leading stores of France; Triumph, Dim-Dim, Northland, Happy Rain, Dallas, Apella, Romanson remind of Germany.

The simple enumeration of stores housed in the Metrograd shopping center would make the extensive list, so we would name only some of them. The gifts and souvenirs you can find in Monte Cristo boutique, Derby, Kangol Satlia, Konstantino, Paris Beaute, Seiko Clock. Fabiani, Madoc, Massimo, Piacenza, Promise and other stores welcome you to choose from the great assortment of clothes and shoes that caters for different tastes and styles. The aim of bright and attractive shopping areas of the Children Quarter is to make the fashion-conscious kids look cooler and to make the life of their parents easier. The best brands, including Paco Rabanne, Pich & Gana, Para Solo, and others, offer a great range of clothes, from smart to street wear, toys and accessories for kids of all ages. Besides, there is a playroom with a great number of toys and attractions. Sport clothes and equipment for active rest you’ll find in the Sport Quarter, where the Lotto, Medisana, Station One, Intersport and Stayer are gathered. If you don’t want to spend extra money, don’t even enter the Boutique Quarter, which enchants the visitors with the splendor of the top world brands. .

Obviosuly depends on your budget and preferences

Theme: Department Store

Address: Bessarabskaya str.

Phone: 044-2475665

Directions: Bessarabskaya str. - Kretshatik str.

Khreshchatyk

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:32:40 +0000

Khreshchatyk is both a historical place and a busy shopping street. It connects European Square with Bessarabian Square and is blocked for traffic on weekends when you can enjoy a nice walk along this street. The Central Department Store is located directly in the central street of the capital and has lots of departments. It has always attracted crowds of people. There are a lot of other modern shops in Khreshchatyk - just go into one of them, choose whatever you like, pay and go! So easy! I wish you happy shopping, friends!

Maybe Ukrainian souvenirs (Leo Tolstoy Square).

UAH - Ukrainian Hryvnya; about $100 to buy a good thing.

Theme: Department Store

Address: Khreshchatyk Street

Directions: Underground crossing

Besarabsky Rynok (Market)

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:31:31 +0000

This abundance of high quality products, and to prices quite reasonable, does permit to twist the neck to the western subjective propaganda who tells that the countries of the ex-soviet union are not supplied well ? The products are here ten less expensive times than in France (twenty times less that in England or in Holland), and I found untraceable fruits at home (except if one can spend a fortune for it). These products are accessible to all, and no to only one “elite” as in the countries of the old Europe.