Entry Requirements

Passport and Visa Service: Consular services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Visa HQ

Diplomatic Representations: Ukrainian Embassies and Consulates worldwide

For visa requirements and health advices based on your personal details and itinerary, check IATA Travel Website.

Organizing Your Trip

Means of Transport Recommended in Town

Recommendation: The Ukraine has a relatively dense public transport network: trains, buses, minibuses, trolley buses, trams, taxis and subway in the big towns.
Maps of Urban Networks: Maporama
Mapblast
UT Library on line

Transportation From Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car Rental
Kiev - Boryspil(KBP)	29 km / 18 miles	UAH 100 / 25-40 min	UAH 20 / 40-60 min	-	Available

Means of Transport Recommended in the Rest of the Country

Recommendation: The Ukraine offers a wide range of national means transport, serving all major towns: planes, trains, buses, minibuses and taxis are common and cheap.
Rail Companies: Ukrainian railways (website in Ukranian or Russian).

Airlines

Name	Type	Domestic Flights	International Flights
Ukraine International Airlines	Traditional	Yes	Yes
Aerosvit Airlines	Traditional	Yes	Yes
Aerostar Airlines (website in Ukranian)	Charter	Yes	No

You Can Consult the List of Airlines Banned Within the EU. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Traveling By Yourself

Recommendation: The road network is in poor condition. Drive carefully, avoid driving at night outside the cities, watch the behaviour of local people, who often do not respect the highway code or traffic rules generally. Also watch the pedestrians. Having an insurance for your vehicle is compulsory.
Road Maps: Road maps
Find an Itinerary: Multimap

Visiting

Different Forms of Tourism

Historical: There are many castles and fortresses from the Middle Ages to visit in western Ukraine.
Cultural: Many festivals enliven Ukraine's cultural life.
Nature: There are numerous sites in the country that are recognized by the UNESCO.
Religious: Ukraine is the cradle of the Orthodox religion.
Thermal: The thermal towns are Truskavet, Morshyn et Skhidnytsia.
Beach: Ukraine's most beautiful beaches are in the Crimea.
Winter Sports: Ukraine's winter tourism is concentrated in the Carpathian mountains.
Shopping: KievUkraine provides information on shopping in Kiev.

Top Highlights in the Main Cities
Kiev-Pechersk Laura: Kiev Monastery of the Caves
Saint Sophia Cathedral
The Golden Gate
Saint Vladimir Cathedral
Independence Square
Andreevsky Spusk Street
Khreschatyk Street
Taras Shevchenko Monument
St Michael's Monastery
St Andrew's Church
Fomin botanical garden

Top Highlights of the Country
Carpathian Mountains
The Crimea
The city of Kamyanets-Podilsky
The National Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life, Pyrogovo
Khortitsa National Reserve
The ancient city of Chersonesus
Vorontsov's Palace
Hotyn Fortress
City of Lvov
Sofiyivka National Dendrological Park

Tourism Organizations: Information portal on tourism in Ukraine
National tourism organization (website in Ukrainian)

Living Conditions

Health and Safety

Health Precautions: There are no vaccination requirements for international travel.
However, the virulence of the swine 'flu (H1N1) forces travelers to seriously consider getting vaccinated against it. Likewise, there are areas in the country with risks of tuberculosis and where it is recommended to have the BCG vaccine. Lastly, the AIDS pandemic should not be ignored.
To avoid any risk of diphtheria, tourists and travelers who wish to travel, from spring to autumn outside large urban areas in the Ukraine, must absolutely be vaccinated against diphtheria and avoid, as far as possible, drinking tap water. Water taken from sources which are supposedly to be drinkable must be systematically boiled and if possible, filtered. Moreover, when walking in the forest, you should wear clothes which cover your arms and legs. This is because ticks, which carry encephalitis, fall from trees and attach themselves to exposed limbs.
International Hospitals: There are no international hospitals. The most esteemed private clinics are "Boris" and "Medicom". There is also the American Medical Center: Tel: 211.65.65.
For Further Information on Sanitary Conditions: Travel information
For Further Information on Safety Conditions: US Department of State travel information

Emergency Numbers

Police	102
Firefighters	101
Emergency services in English	112

Time Difference and Climate

Time and Time Difference: It is %T:%M %A In Kiev (GMT+2 in winter, GMT+3 in summer)
Summer Time Period: Summer time from March to October.

Map of the Time Zone

Fuseau(x) horaire

Type of Climate: Ukraine has a temperate continental climate and a Mediterranean type climate on the shores of the Black Sea and the Crimean peninsula. Average temperatures vary between -10 to +2°C in winter, and near +10°C in summer.
For Further Information: Ukraine weather (website in Russian)
Weather Yahoo - Ukraine

Average Annual Temperatures and Rainfall

Climate

Eating

Food Specialties: - Vareniki: a sort of ravioli stuffed with soft white cheese, meat or potatoes;
- Borshch: a beetroot based soup;
- Pampushki: small fresh bread rolls which are eaten with borshch;
- Galushki: a kind of gnocchi served with sour cream;
- Salo: sliced, smoked bacon;
- Farshirovannie pertsi: stuffed sweet peppers; the stuffing is made of a mixture of ground meat and rice;
- Farshirovannie sinenkie - eggplant with a vegetable stuffing (carrot, onion, cabbage);
- Golubtsi - stuffed cabbage.
Drinks: Ukranian vodka is called the horilka or samohon if it is made at home. It can be flavored with honey or fruit. Ukranian wine is produced in Crimea. In terms of non-alcoholic drinks, there is kompot, which is fruit juice and the kvass, which is a traditional drink made from rye.
Dietary Restrictions: No specific culinary restrictions in Ukraine.

Paying

Domestic Currency: Ukrainian Hryvnia
ISO Code: UAH
To Obtain Domestic Currency: There are very many places where you can change money and ATMs can be found in banks and shops in urban areas.
Possible Means of Payment: Cash is still the most common form of payment. However, payment by credit card is becoming more and more common.

Speaking

Official Language: Ukrainian
Other Languages Spoken: The Constitution protects minority languages, especially Russian which is spoken in the center, south and in the east of the country. Indeed, Russian speaking people are the most significant national minority in Ukraine (22%). Otherwise, the administration only uses Ukrainian. However, the majority of civil servants are bilingual, even if some of them prefer using Russian. In Crimea, the language spoken is Tatar. It is highly recommended to speak only Ukrainian in the western part of the country.
Business Language: Russian remains the language of business except in the west of the country. Although there are more and more people with some knowledge of English, an interpreter is often required.
Getting Some Knowledge: Linguashop: Language learning software website.
Free Translation Tools: Ukrainian Linguistic Resources on line : English-Ukrainian-English Dictionary
On-line translator "Multitran" : Translation of text and web pages
Translator "Travlang" : Typical phrases in Ukrainian
On-line translator "PROMPT" : Translation of text

Useful Resources

To Find an Accommodation: Ukraine-Tours
Select-a-room.com
To Find an Apartment: Apartments to rent in the center of Kiev
Apartments to rent in the center of Odessa
Apartments to rent in the center of Kharkiv
Apartments to rent in the center of Lviv
Apartments to rent in the center of Donetsk
Apartments to rent in the center of Dnepropetrovsk
To Find a Job: Work in Ukraine
Work in Kiev
Work in Kiev

Any Comments About This Content? Report It to Us.

Learn more about Travel in Ukraine on Globaltrade.net, the Directory for International Trade Services.

Ukraine: Traveling