Kyiv, Ukraine

Been hanging out across the border a bit in the Ukraine, spent 5 days in the lovely city of Kyiv.

Getting In

Those from the UK/USA don’t need a visa to enter the Ukraine although you will need to fill out a an Entry/Exit form which gets stamped by border guards. DO NOT forget to take a pen with you if you travel to the Ukraine as they will not provide you with a pen (even if you ask nicely). 

Complete both parts of the form (Entry and Exit) and hand it over with your passport. The border guard will tear off the entry slip and give you back the exit. Ensure you keep this with you at all times. 

Places to Stay

Hotels are VERY expensive in Kyiv. I checked out prices for the Hyatt and they started at around $500 a night for a basic room. I usually prefer to rent apartments and do my own thing so I found a company, swapped some emails and booked an apartment 2 minutes from Independence Square. 

The cost was $120 a night which was very reasonable. It came with air conditioning, large flat screen TV, wireless internet etc. 

I rented the apartment through Kiev Apartments Lux. They provide a great service and if you are looking for somewhere to stay in Kyiv then I doubt you could find a better company to deal with. They will also inlcude an airport pick up and drop off for $70.00. You might be able to find cheaper but they know exactly where to take you and speak good English. There are many touts at the airport and I wouldn’t want to deal with any of them to be honest. 

Some pics of the apartment:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stuff to Do

Plenty going on, best bet is to get a guidebook as all the useful info is in there. Plenty of nice pubs around. For expat places and food try O’Briens. Good food, Guinness and English speaking staff. 

Other Thoughts

You really need a Ukrainian or Russian speaker to be able to manage, you’d be able to get by without but it would be a little difficult. The girls are beautiful, more so than any other country I’ve been to. If you want to chase the ladies then hit up some of the nightspots like River Palace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stock up on cigarettes and alcohol, I don’t smoke but I was buying cartons of Marlboro for $10 which I’ve sold on to my friends for a nice profit, it pretty much paid for the entire trip! Customs don’t care how many you take out and as long as they are for “personal use” you won’t get any hassle when you get back home so fill up your case! 

I’ll be back again shortly to the Ukraine. If anyone wants any more details or some more info on renting a place, let me know in the comments and I’ll get back to you.