On 24th February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. I visited Ukraine in 2019 and this post is an account of my time there plus the travel advice relevant for that period. Most governments have currently advised against all travel to Ukraine so please review travel guidelines to this area provided by your government. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure about affiliate links here.
With a population of 2.8m, Kyiv is one of the largest cities in Europe. However, its historic centre is very walkable. In this post I’ll outline a self-guided Kyiv walking tour that will showcase the main sites for visitors who only have one day available for sightseeing.
Note: I can appreciate that there are a variety of spellings for the individual sites and places that I mention in this post. The spellings I use are from English-language guidebooks and Google Maps so apologies in advance for any confusion caused.
I enjoyed my trip to Ukraine. Kyiv equally comes recommended. Information on transport and accommodation is listed at the end of this post.
KYIV WALKING TOUR START POINT: THE MAIDAN
Also known as Maidan Nezaleznoshti, or simply the Maidan, this is the main square in central Kyiv. Over the last 30 years, it has been the site of political rallies and revolutions. Most of the architecture here dates back to the Stalin era. At the southern end lies Independence Monument which towers over the whole square.
If the Maidan is the main square then nearby Khreshchatyk Street is considered the main street. One can find plenty of cafes, street stalls and international retailers here.
Turn onto Bohdana Khmelnytskoho Street and get the metro red line from Teatralna to Universytet. Upon exiting onto Tarasa Shevchenko Boulevard, the Fomin Botanical Gardens will be across the road. Take a left to see the exquisite St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral.
VOLODYMYRSKA STREET
Approximately 200 metres beyond St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral, take a left onto Volodymyrska Street. There are a number of interesting sites here.
The Pedagogical Museum of Ukraine is on right-hand side of the street whereas further up on the left is the stunning National Opera of Ukraine opera house.
Approximately 200 metres further on lies the Zoloti Vorota/Golden Gate which was the main entrance into the ancient city of Kyiv. Excellent cafes are in the immediate vicinity of Zoloti Vorota so a good place to re-fuel.
Continue along Volodymyrska Street where you will find St. Sophia’s Cathedral and the cobbled Sofiyivska Square.
Volodymyrska Street continues beyond Sofiyivska Square where the end of the street begins to slope downwards. On the left-hand side lies the ruins of Desyatynna Church. A number of souvenir stalls are located in this area.
A few metres beyond lies St. Andrew’s Church. The church itself was closed during my visit but the grounds were open at a fee. The view of eastern Kyiv from the grounds was exceptional and worth the small fee.
ANDRIIVSKI DESCENT
St. Andrew’s Church marks the start of Andriivskyi Descent, a sloped cobbled street which easily gets the prize for Kyiv’s most quaint street.
There are plenty of cafés and restaurants here so you could mark this as the half way point on this self-guided Kyiv walking tour. However, there’s a sizeable amount of eateries in Podil if you’re willing to wait a few minutes.
At the bottom of Andriivskyi Descent lies Podil, an area with pre-Soviet architecture. I really liked the vibe of this area and would consider it a good place to stay. It’s an equally good place to have lunch and hang out.
Exit Kontraktova Square in Podil via Petra Sahaidachnoho Street and walk as far as Poshtova Ploscha. Take the funicular up through Volodymyrska Hill Park. Upon exiting the funicular station, the St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery complex will be on the left-hand side. This large but peaceful area is an excellent place to catch your breath.
Leave St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery complex via the Mykhailivs’ka Square/Triokhsviatytelska Street exit to see two interesting monuments.
The first one is dedicated to the 1933 Famine victims. The second one runs along the Triokhsviatytelska Street wall of the monastery and is dedicated to those who have lost their lives in the recent war against Russia in the east of the country.
For the final leg of the tour, walk down Mykhailivs’ka Street to reach Maidan Nezaleznoshti.
OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST IN KYIV
The above walking tour itinerary could easily be stretched out over two days if you wanted to do some shopping or attend a cultural event while in the Ukrainian capital.
I visited Kyevo-Pecherska Lavra complex in Pechersk, colloquially known as The Lavra. To fully see this site allow half a day. I took the metro to Arsenalna and walked along Lavrska Street.
Beyond the Lavra is Rodina Mat, the enormous Motherland monument which is visible from miles around.
A couple of kilometres North West of the centre is Babyn Yar, a site where the Nazis massacred approximately 34,000 of Kyiv’s Jewish community in September 1941. Up to 100,000 members of other ethnic groups were subsequently massacred by the Nazis here as well.
Outside of Kyiv, I went on a Chernobyl Day Trip. It took up one whole day of my stay in Kyiv but was well worth visiting.
KYIV TRANSPORT
GETTING AROUND KYIV:
I made use of Kyiv’s metro system which was easy to use. I bought a ticket from either a cashier or an automated machine. At the time of my visit (2019), a single ticket cost 8 UAH which is less than €0.25! Metro stations are indicated by a green M letter.
Kyiv’s metro system is one of the deepest in the world so expect escalator rides of several minutes. At a depth of 105.5m, Kyiv’s Arsenalna is the deepest metro station in the world. Some of the metro stations had palatial décor and reminded me of St. Petersburg’s system.
I saw Uber and Bolt taxi services in Kyiv but didn’t use them.
GETTING FROM BORYSPIL AIRPORT TO KYIV CITY CENTRE:
The apartment I stayed in arranged for a taxi pick-up. It cost a little more than a regular airport taxi but was worth it. Uber and Bolt can do airport pick-ups and are the cheapest taxi service.
The Boryspil Express train runs from Boryspil to the central train station (Pasazhyrskyi).
The Sky Bus connects Boryspil to the Pivdennyy terminal of the central train station. This service makes a stop at Kharkivska metro station.
BEST PLACE TO STAY IN KYIV
I stayed in near St. Sophia’s Cathedral which meant Maidan Nezaleznoshti was a 5 minute walk downhill. Podil is a good area given the amount of restaurants and cafes plus Kontraktova Square has a metro station. I’ve seen some bloggers recommend the area around Zoloti Vorota.
A wide variety of accommodation can be found here. Use the map search function to narrow the search to the above areas.
Arrivals Hall 