1. Food 🍗
Ukrainian food is not only borscht, dumplings and vodka. In the Carpathians, try banosh: a shepherd's dish from the highlands made of cornmeal, with sour cream and salty sheep's cheese, mushrooms and crispy cracklings. In cosmopolitan Kyiv, traditional cuisine is prepared in a modern way. Here you can enjoy traditional dishes at very affordable prices. A favorite here is the "Pervak" restaurant, str. Rognidynska 2, in the center of Kyiv. Also, find a secret way to the OB restaurant on the Maidan ("The Last Barricade"), which serves dishes from all Ukrainian cuisine - meat, fish, beer, cognac wine, champagne and much more! The most difficult challenge is to find this place, and also make sure you know the password - ;-). You should also go to "Chicken Kyiv" for a Kyiv-style cutlet (yes, there really is a "Kyiv-style cutlet") and leave room for an absolutely incredible Kyiv cake - the best dessert of my life.
2. Lviv❤️
If Prague is too crowded for you, pay attention to Lviv: now known as "new Prague". But you better hurry before the city becomes completely "open". Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy recently told me in an interview that if Kyiv is the heart of the country, then Lviv is its soul. Lviv is a stunning city with traditional Ukrainian music, food, architecture and history, where experience and new trends are combined.
3. Chernobyl tours 🤯
The site of one of the most famous and terrible disasters in the world does not look like a tourist location, but a huge number of tour operators are confidently changing the situation. They insist that visiting Chernobyl is safe, and the 10,000 tourists every year prove it. If you want to see a post-apocalyptic version of the world or the real wildlife that has started to revive here after the accident, you will definitely like Chernobyl tours! Photographers call it a dream!
4. Availability ✈️
Daily UIA direct flights to Kyiv from New York Airport and dozens of other cities around the world, including London, Amsterdam, Paris and even Beijing every day - Ukrainian wonders have never been so accessible. Just pack your suitcase, step on the plane and no annoying communications are needed! And the prices for traveling to Ukraine are much lower than in almost all other European destinations. But of course they will be available after the end of the war.
5. Architecture 🏛
Ukraine can boast of one of the most beautiful Slavic architectures in the world. From Carpathian wooden churches in the countryside to St. Sophia's Cathedral in Kyiv and the majestic Opera Hotel, Ukraine's historic buildings can mesmerize even the most discerning architecture critics.
6. History 📜
Livadia Palace, where Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin met at the Yalta Conference in 1945, is now open to tourists as a museum – just one of the many ways Ukraine invites its guests to learn about history. Among ancient cobbled streets and newly planted avenues, tourists in Ukraine not only enjoy modernity, they also experience history.
7. Cost 💵
Ukraine is more affordable than most European countries. Why spend the night in expensive hostels in Rome or London, when you can enjoy a variety of gourmet food at one of the best restaurants in Ukraine for around $30 USD. In Ukraine, budget expenditures do not mean budget quality.
8. Carpathians 🏔
Everyone who sees the Ukrainian Carpathians falls in love with their immensity, incredible views, breathtaking mountain peaks and unforgettable local culture. Escape from cosmopolitan Kyiv on a hike through the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve, paint traditional Easter eggs with local mountain shepherds, or try vodka with dumplings in a small guest house.
9. Culture❤️🥰
In a country with so many wonders, its best feature is very easy to spot - the people. Ukrainians are very friendly, English is widely spoken, and everyone wants to share the many incredible festivals and events that make Ukraine such a great place to visit all year round.