Discover Ukraine

I am fond of travelling. Over the past few years, I travelled to many countries in Europe and North America. One of my best experiences was Ukraine. Ukraine has a different culture to any other European countries.

Here’s the experience I had with Ukraine. I will mainly talk about Kiev an Lviv, the two main cities I visited.

Kiev

Security

The main things people told me before going to Kiev was “ Are you crazy ? Is it really safe? “. According to the French embassy website, Ukraine is mostly in yellow, which should mean it is less safe than other European countries.

But trust me, I would describe Ukraine as one of the safest European countries. Sure, there was a big Revolution here in January 2014, where several people were killed, but since the last democratic elections after the revolution, there has never been any other incidents in the main cities, except in Donetsk in the east.

To be honest, it’s almost a good thing that people fear Ukraine, as it makes the country a hidden gem. We do not see any tourists in the streets and it gives an authentic feel.

Architecture

Ukraine has an amazing orthodox and catholic architecture. If you go to Kiev, the capital, you will mainly see orthodox monuments. By going to Lviv, you will be able to see catholic monuments.

Affordability

Ukraine is one of the cheapest countries in Europe. A metro ticket costs 4 Hryvinas, which is around ~14 cents EUR. If you go to the most expansive restaurants in Kiev, you can order food for less than $35.

Here's a photo of a fine soviet-style restaurant nammed Katyousha, a meal under $4 :)

Odessa restaurant in Kiev is one of the best according to TripAdvisor. I was really surprised with their amazing cheesecake.

Drawings

During my visit in Kiev, I found many drawings on buildings that make this city special. I put here some of the best one I found.

Events

You will always find in Ukraine amazing events and expositions. When I went there in April, there was a huge exposition of eggs on the main square. There was also beautiful Easter shops where you could buy food (barbecue) and souvenirs.

Underground shops

One of the things that surprised me in Kiev were the underground shops. To cross the enormous streets of Kiev, they built underground tunnels like the one you can find in the train stations. Those tunnels are filled with coffee shops and shops where you can buy souvenirs of Ukraine.

Beautiful metro station

The metro stations in Kiev are extraordinary. Kiev has the deepest metro station in Europe. The station name is Arsenalna.
Ukraine also has one of the most beautiful stations in the world. See it by yourself.