This time we are in Ukraine! Join us as we take a tour of the country. Right now
we're in Kiev but we're gonna be taking an overnight train Southwest to Ivano frankivsk
and then up into the Carpathian Mountains, going to L'viv
before coming back to Kiev. Let's have a look around.
Kiev the capital city of Ukraine is a vibrant city which offers many unique experiences and visitor
numbers are on the rise.
Whilst a troubled past still puts some people off,
Kiev is just as safe as other European cities provided you follow usual common sense.
The main airport Boryspil is around a one-hour drive outside of the city.
We would recommend you to use either a public bus to the Voxal central station
which is parked right outside the main entrance of the international terminal
and only costs 2 euros or an uber. Uber will offer the cheapest riding to the
center of town the taxis understands outside around 600 UAH
Standing at 102 meters tall and facing towards Moscow, the gleaming stainless
steel Rodina Matte statue or Motherland monument dominates the skyline.
Some locals hate it and some locals love it, but they can all agree on one thing
statue is huge. For an added twist 200 UAH will get you a ride in an elevator
right up her leg and and a look down at Kyiv through her very eyes.
As you approach the motherland monument you will pass by a series of Soviet era
installations, depicting the struggle of the Soviets. They are themselves very
impressive, the amount of detail is worth stopping and photographing.
There is also a small museum housing various World War two era tanks, aircraft
and vehicles worth the small entrance fee if you're looking for that Soviet experience.
Commonly found in towns across the old Soviet Union the eternal flame remembers
the soldiers killed during the Great Patriotic War known as world war two in
the West.
Kiev Pechersk Lavra is an ancient Orthodox Christian
monastery complex there are numerous churches and a bell tower to wander
around but the most fascinating is what's known as the caves at the
entrance you buy a candle and start making a way down a very narrow and dark
passageway eventually you'll come to a crypt with many curious wooden boxes
with glass tops. Peer inside and you'll see mummified remains of monks.
Although creepy sounding this is a very important religious site for Ukrainians
and even for non-religious visitors this is a richly atmospheric experience.
The Kiev metro is cheap and fun to ride, single tickets are 8 UAH, the
network consists of 52 stations spread out over 42 miles of track. Lines cross
the Dnieper River and cut without having to walk ups and fairly big hills. Some
stations are fantastic classical architecture, similar to the famous
Moscow Metro.
We are at Arsenalna metro station in the middle of Kiev. This place is special
because it's the world's deepest metro station. We've just got on the escalators
and it's about 110 meters deep at the bottom. So join us as we take a leisurely
ride up to the top.
Just about arriving at the top now, taking about 3 minutes of 2 escalator
rides to get to the top, so pretty deep.
Marking the center of Kiev is Maidan square, there's restaurants hotels and even an underground shopping mall.
Over the years Maidan has become a political symbol for Ukraine, the biggest
and most recent event being the Orange Revolution which resulted in Ukraine's
first steps away from its close political ties with Russia.
Whilst mainly for children landscape Alley is still a lovely spot too stroll
around in the afternoon Sun. As a bonus you can even grab a great view of Podil,
Castle Hill and the Dnieper Rive. The alleyway is like a mini zoo full of
mosaic animals, colorful and fun.
Pervak is one of the best Ukrainian folk restaurants in Kiev. It serves a
wonderful range of freshly cooked Ukrainian dishes. Dining can be enjoyed
in either the big hall or one of the small rooms decorated in a rural
Ukrainian style.
The friendly staff in costumes serving up a variety of hearty Ukrainian dishes
including chicken Kiev and of course vodka.
Running from Postova Ploshcha to Verkhnia Stantsiia
the Kiev funicular eliminates a seriously steep uphill walk.
It's a quick ride to the top where you'll be dropped right by St. Michael's Church.
The church or rather monastery was founded in the 1100's and is a symbol of
the city. The original Church was destroyed by the Soviets but it's
beautiful golden domes were reconstructed in 1999 following
Ukrainian independence eight years earlier.
Inside Orthodox Church is a super ornate the walls and ceilings are covered with
frescoes and gleaming gold candle holders, picture frames and ornaments
catch your eye.
Fried bread sticks with garlic and sour cream dip are the best bear snack
ever, the cheese sticks were pretty darn good too.
The friendship of Nations arch is a huge 50 meter diameter titanium structure.
There is a viewing platform with good visa cross Kiev and the Dnieper River.
The Ukrainian government announced plans to dismantle the arch in 2016 as part of
it's decommunisation laws but as of 2019, this is not yet happened.
St. Andrew's Church sits on a hill overlooking one of Kiev's oldest
neighborhoods, unfortunately you have to pay the enter but the lavish exterior
was good enough for us.
Andriivs'kyi descent is a winding cobbled road littered with pop-up stores
selling all manner of souvenirs such as artwork, Ukrainian branded clothing and
fridge magnets.
The road is lined with cafes, a church and some imposing artwork on the side of buildings.
Kontraktova Square is located in the historic Podil neighborhood. The square
is an important economic, cultural and transport center, containing numerous
architectural and historical monuments. Given a needed facelift in recent years
you can ride the ferris wheel as in many other European city.
That's a wrap for our time in Kiev, watch our separate video on Chernobyl where we visit the
ghost town of Pripyat and get deep inside the radioactive exclusion zone.
It was now time to head to the train station to catch our first-class ride
south to Ivano-Frankivsk and onto the Carpathian Mountains.
Click on the video to continue the journey.
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