Tourism in Ukraine

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View of Yalta in the Crimea

The Ukraine was in 2007 of more than 23.1 million people visited (17.3 million of them tourists), mainly from Eastern Europe , but also from the EU (6.3 million) and the United States . The country has a long tradition of mass tourism that began in the mid-19th century. During the Soviet era, the country, especially the Crimean peninsula , was the USSR's most popular vacation spot .

The Ukraine is located at the intersection of many historical routes between east and west, north and south. She has therefore collected traces of several cultures, including Greek, Slavic, Jewish and German. The country has many cities and landscapes that are attractive for tourists. The Ukrainian cuisine is very diverse and has included the elements of different European cuisines. The country also has large wine-growing regions (see Viticulture in Ukraine ).

In the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017 of the World Economic Forum, Ukraine ranks 87th out of 136 countries.

travel

Ukraine can be reached in just two hours by plane from Germany. There is also a train connection from Warsaw to Lviv and Kiev. Train and car travel within the country are very cheap. In addition to the train and intercity buses, minibuses are the most important supra-regional transport system, and private operators usually need to register in advance. There are flight connections between the major Ukrainian cities, some daily, some several times a week, the price of which is comparable to scheduled flights in Western Europe.

The national currency, the hryvnia (pronunciation: [ˈɦrɪu̯nʲɑ]), can now be obtained from ATMs in all larger cities with Maestro cards or credit cards .

Entry requirements

Citizens of the European Union , Switzerland , the USA and Japan do not require a visa for a stay of up to 90 days .

On March 31, 2005 , the President's decree abolished the visa requirement for citizens of these countries for the entry period from May 1, 2005 to September 1, 2005, valid for entry with a passport and for stays of up to 90 days. At the end of July 2005, the visa exemption was extended indefinitely by presidential decree. However, there is still the requirement to have health insurance that is also valid for Ukraine . Entry only with an identity card is not possible.

Museum visits

A so-called sanitary day takes place once a month in many museums. This is usually the first or last Monday or Friday of the month. The museums are then closed.

The museum ticket offices usually close one hour before the stated closing times. There are often special prices for tourists. However, this is often not accompanied by any labeling or guidance in English or any other language.

Medical tourism

There are many dental clinics in Ukraine with European hygiene standards and modern equipment. They offer the patient high quality dentures at reasonable prices. Many citizens from the European Union and Russia take advantage of this offer.

Wellness and plastic surgery are also popular .

Means of transportation

In every major city, buses , trams , taxis and the metro take passengers to their destinations. Buses and shared taxis ( called marshrutka in Ukraine ) run on regular services and are very inexpensive at around 5 hryvnia (0.18 euros, as of July 31, 2019) per trip. Trams, the traditional means of transport of the former Soviet Union, can be found in the entire city center and accompany the residents of Kiev for practically the entire day. However, you should change to the metro on occasion , as it is faster. The metro transports its passengers quickly and inexpensively from the city center to the end of the city and vice versa. The tickets can be bought from machines. A single trip on the metro costs 8 hryvnia (0.28 euros, as of July 31, 2019), a monthly ticket for unlimited metro fun costs 40 hryvnia (4 euros) in Kiev. People are generally very friendly and curious when they meet foreigners. Accordingly, you are often addressed as a tourist, be it in the metro, in bars or at markets.

Cities

St. Michael Cathedral in Kiev
  • Kiev - the capital and cultural center of ancient Russia and today's Ukraine. Old churches and monasteries, wide boulevards, landscapes and cultural opportunities. Some buildings belong to the world cultural heritage . In the Kiev Oblast there are many sanatoriums.
  • Lviv - an old city in the west of the country, with a medieval old town and original architecture with Polish and German influences.
  • Odessa - a port and trading city on the Black Sea with a wonderful atmosphere that arose from the mixture of numerous cultures, including the Jewish, Greek and Armenian.
  • Yalta - a famous seaside resort on the Black Sea, the place of the historically significant Yalta Conference .
  • Chernihiv - capital of a medieval principality, many historical monuments and beautiful landscapes in the area.
  • Dnipro - located on the Dnieper, the city offers a nice mix of old and new.
  • Chernivtsi - capital of Bucovina in the south-west of the country, beautiful old town with Austrian flair, some Romanian buildings, former multi-ethnic city, the residence of the metropolitan , today's university, is a world cultural heritage.
  • Pripyat and Chornobyl - the Chernobyl exclusion zone with abandoned villages, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the ghost town of Pripyat can be visited with organized small groups as extreme tourism with a day trip starting in Kiev.

Landscapes

View of Hoverla ( Carpathian Mountains )
  • Crimea - subtropical climate, famous seaside resorts, historical monuments and beautiful mountain landscapes with numerous hiking opportunities. Crimea is a famous wine-growing region with many quality brands (see Krimsekt ). The most popular vacation spots are Sevastopol , Yalta , Alushta , Evpatoria , Feodosia and Sudak .
  • Carpathian Mountains - impressive mountain landscapes with hiking and skiing opportunities, health resorts with mineral water springs. The most popular vacation spots are Lviv , Truskavets and Kolomyja .
  • Azov coast - numerous seaside resorts, including Berdyansk and Melitopol .
  • Dnepr - the cruises on this great river pass many ancient cities and numerous landscapes.
  • Danube Delta - at the mouth of the longest river in Europe you can see impressive, untouched nature with a multitude of rare birds, e. B. Pelicans, discover and observe.
  • Askanija-Nowa - in the biosphere reserve founded by the German Friedrich von Falz-Fein , exotic animals such as buffalo, zebras, antelopes and Przewalski's horses live in untouched nature.
  • Oleschky-Sands 1610 km² large desert area in the south of Ukraine

Historically significant places

Main building of the Kiev Cathedral of St. Sophia
Golden Gate of Kiev
Transfiguration Cathedral in Chernihiv
Livadia Palace

Kiev

Chernihiv

  • Detynez (castle)
  • Transfiguration Cathedral (1036)
  • Chernihiv College building
  • Bell tower
  • Monk cells of the Boris and Gleb monastery
  • refectory
  • Abtturm
  • Apostle John Church
  • Boris and Gleb Cathedral
  • Dormition Monastery (Swjato-Uspenskij Jeletskij), nunnery
  • St. Feodosij Uglitskij - house
  • St. Apostles Peter and Paul Church (10th-11th centuries)
  • Trinity Church

Lviv

Chersonese (city)

  • Uvarov basilica
  • Virgin Mary Church
  • Saint Vasily Basilica
  • Volodymyr Church (1861-1891)

Yalta

Sevastopol

  • Panoramic Museum of the Crimean War

Monasteries

Web links

Wikivoyage: Ukraine  - Travel Guide

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  1. ^ The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Explanations of the entry requirements on the website of the German Foreign Office