Ukraine

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We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us

The territory of modern Ukraine has been inhabited since 32,000 BC. During the Middle Ages, the area was a key centre of East Slavic culture, with the powerful state of Kievan Rus' forming the basis of Ukrainian identity. Following its fragmentation in the 13th century, the territory was contested, ruled and divided by a variety of powers, including Lithuania, Poland, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Russia. A Cossack republic emerged and prospered during the 17th and 18th centuries, but its territory was eventually split between Poland and the Russian Empire, and finally merged fully into the Russian-dominated Soviet Union in the late 1940s as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1991, Ukraine gained its independence from the Soviet Union in the aftermath of its dissolution at the end of the Cold War. Before its independence, Ukraine was typically referred to in English as "The Ukraine", but most sources have since moved to drop "the" from the name of Ukraine in all uses.

Following its independence, Ukraine declared itself a neutral state; it formed a limited military partnership with Russia and other CIS countries while also establishing a partnership with NATO in 1994. In 2013, after the government of President Viktor Yanukovych had decided to suspend the Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement and seek closer economic ties with Russia, a several-months-long wave of demonstrations and protests known as the Euromaidan began, which later escalated into the 2014 Ukrainian revolution that led to the overthrow of Yanukovych and the establishment of a new government. These events formed the background for the annexation of Crimea by Russia in March 2014, and the War in Donbass in April 2014. On 1 January 2016, Ukraine applied the economic component of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area with the European Union.

Ukraine is a developing country and ranks 88th on the Human Development Index. As of 2018, Ukraine is the poorest country in Europe alongside Moldova in terms of GDP per capita. At US$40, it has the lowest median wealth per adult in the world,  and suffers from a very high poverty rate as well as severe corruption. However, because of its extensive fertile farmlands, Ukraine is one of the world's largest grain exporters. It also maintains the second-largest military in Europe after that of Russia. Ukraine is a unitary republic under a semi-presidential system with separate powers: legislative, executive and judicial branches. The country is a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the GUAM organization, and one of the founding states of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

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From Kiev: Day Trip to Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and Prypiat
Chernobyl, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine

Take a full-day tour from Kiev to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, and discover the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster. Explore the old power plant, and walk down the empty streets of Prypiat. Lunch and round-trip transportation are included.

Day Trip to Akkerman Fortress from Odessa
Odessa, Odessa Oblast, Ukraine

Visit an ancient Akkerman Fortress in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskiy on a private day trip from Odessa and learn its centuries-old history.

Kharkiv: Southern Railway History Museum Guided Tour
Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine

Learn the history of the railway in imperial Russia up to the present day on a guided tour of the Museum of History and Technology of the Southern Railway in Kharkiv. See historical trains and artifacts in the exhibition halls and open-air spaces.

From Lviv: Half-Day Tour to Zolochiv, Olesko and Pidhirtsi
Lviv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine

Visit the 3 famous castles of the “Golden Horseshoe” on a private half-day tour from Lviv. Learn interesting facts and hear legends about the castles of Zolochiv, Olesko and Pidhirtsi.

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All you need to know is

Location

Ukraine, country located in eastern Europe, the second largest on the continent after Russia. The capital is Kiev (Kyiv), located on the Dnieper River in north-central Ukraine.

Transportation

Transport in Ukraine includes ground transportation (road and rail), water (sea and river), air transportation, and pipelines. The transportation sector accounts for roughly 11% of the country's gross domestic product and 7% of total employment.

Languages Spoken

The vast majority of people in Ukraine speak Ukrainian, which is written with a form of the Cyrillic alphabet. The language—belonging with Russian and Belarusian to the East Slavic branch of the Slavic language family—is closely related to Russian but also has distinct similarities to the Polish language. Significant numbers of people in the country speak Polish, Yiddish, Rusyn, Belarusian, Romanian or Moldovan, Bulgarian, Crimean Turkish, or Hungarian. Russian is the most important minority language.

Currency

The Ukrainian Hryvnia is the currency of Ukraine. Our currency rankings show that the most popular Ukraine Hryvnia exchange rate is the UAH to EUR rate. The currency code for Hryvni is UAH, and the currency symbol is ₴. Below, you'll find Ukrainian Hryvnia rates and a currency converter. You can also subscribe to our currency newsletters with daily rates and analysis, read the XE Currency Blog, or take UAH rates on the go with our XE Currency Apps and website.

Visas

Ukraine has a pretty lenient visa policy. A lot of countries surrounding it or not, are visa-exempt, which means that the citizens of those countries do not require a visa upon entry. The list of nationalities that can enter the state without a visa for an indefinite stay is short, but the one containing nationalities that can stay up to 90 days is relatively long. However, the rest of the travelers who want to go to Ukraine are required to apply for a visa.

Electricity

In Ukraine the power plugs and sockets are of type C and F. The standard voltage is 220 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

Which power plugs and sockets in Ukraine?

In Ukraine the power plugs and sockets are of type C and F. Check out the following pictures.

Type C: also known as the standard "Euro" plug. This socket also works with plug E and plug F.

Type F: also known as "Schuko". This socket also works with plug C and plug E.

Vaccinations

Confirm primary courses and boosters are up to date as recommended for life in Britain - including for example, seasonal flu vaccine (if indicated), MMR, vaccines required for occupational risk of exposure, lifestyle risks and underlying medical conditions.

Courses or boosters usually advised: Diphtheria; Tetanus.

Other vaccines to consider: Hepatitis A; Rabies; Tick-borne Encephalitis.

Selectively advised vaccines - only for those individuals at highest risk: Hepatitis B.

Emergency Calls

Given that the country is going through a period of political unrest, expats may want to obtain more information on emergency numbers in Ukraine in case the unexpected happens. 112 is an emergency number used in Ukraine and throughout the European Union. It's the general hotline number that can connect you to the fire brigade, police department, or ambulance service. If you need emergency help, just dial 112.

When to visit
Best time to visit the destination

In general, the best time to visit Ukraine is either side of summer in May-June or September. Temperatures are comfortable, sightseeing is less crowded and there are fewer holiday makers flocking to the Black Sea beach resorts around Odessa. Spring blossom in the Carpathians makes Apr-May an extremely attractive time of year although it can still get chilly, especially at night. If you can withstand the heat, humidity and thunder storms of Jul-Aug, city sightseeing can be surprisingly uncrowded as many Ukrainians head south to the coast or bolt to their country cottages.

What to do?
Don’t miss to challenge your world

Tunnel of Love

Just outside the city of Klevan in Ukraine, a nearly two-mile stretch of private railway has turned the surrounding trees into an enchanting natural tunnel.

A train transporting wood to the nearby fiberboard factory runs three times daily. Otherwise, the railway tracks through the tree tunnel make for a lovely stroll for couples and singles alike. The romantic setting earned this stretch of track its nickname, the “Tunnel of Love.” It’s also called the Green Mile Tunnel, for the bright leafy branches that arch over the railway.

Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum

This small and unassuming museum documents the catastrophic nuclear incident that occurred at Chernobyl on 26th April 1986 at 01:23, Moscow time. The museum’s slogan is “est dolendi modus, non est timendi,” Latin for “there is a limit of sadness, anxiety has no limits.” Outside the museum stands a tank, an ambulance, a fire jeep and a military jeep. The entrance is a staircase lined with street signs which name every village affected by the disaster.

Golden Gate of Kyiv

In 1982, the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv marked the 1,500-year anniversary of its creation, and as part of the widespread celebrations that took place one of the city’s oldest monuments, the medieval Golden Gate, was restored and rebuilt. This proved a controversial decision as there was no accurate idea of what the original gate looked like, and there were calls to demolish the new structure and display the ruins of the original, which dates all the way back to 1037, during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise.

Duga "Woodpecker" Radar

Duga is an enormous, now abandoned antenna system, built in the 1970s as part of a Soviet anti-ballistic missile early-warning network. 

It is a huge lattice mega-structure with two antennas: first 150 meters high, and 550 meters long, second 80 meters high and 220 meters long. To man the radar system, a small secret city was built, in which 1,000 people lived. 

You ask, we answer
FAQs about Ukraine

Do I need a visa?

Citizens of the E.U., Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Vatican, Iceland, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Israel,  Turkey, Mongolia, the U.S., Canada, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Argentina, Paraguay and the Commonwealth of Independent States (except Turkmenistan)  can stay in Ukraine up to 90 days within a 180 day period without visa. However, we strongly encourage you to check the visa requirements before you travel.

To travel from/to Kyiv by train, be sure to buy tickets in advance. All train tickets - inscribed, while boarding the train need to show your ID. The national train company is state-owned Ukrainian Railways "Укрзалізниця/Ukrzaliznytsya". The tickets can be booked online.

Direct day and night trains are available from all major cities and towns in Ukraine.

Ukraine operates on the CEST time zone. Time in Ukraine is defined as UTC+02:00 and in summer as UTC+03:00.

 

 

Almost every cafe and restaurant in big cities are covered with free wireless internet network. Although in a lot of cases you’ll need a password, so going there once to sip a coffee pays rewards for the future.

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