andrewua

No, there are no ... pedestrian hiking trails...

what to do etc? To walk, to swim, to enjoy the nature, nothing more :)

Does anybody know, if there are ticket desks open for 24h at Kyiv Pas train station? Yes, sure.

Where do the shuttles drop you off in the city? What is the name of the company that provides this service?...

Btw, as to Lviv - it may be interesting for you to live in the Carpathians, in a village along the direct train route Lviv - Chop (about 2...

Are there any other suggestions you might have? Try here - http://rooms4free.org.ua/

Don't miss Pyrohiv open-air museum (http://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Музей_народної_архітектури_та_побуту_України)

any nice places within a few hours of kiev to take day trips to or an overnight?...

#18 I know very well about $100 but never heard about a bottle of vodka :) That's what I meant.

Even the more up-class restaurants are cheap compared to western standards...

cheap and good restaurants Are you kidding?

#4 You should choose only Kiev Pas, it is the central railway station in Kiev. The others "Kiev..." stations are ones for suburban trains.

How much do you advice to change at the Airport...

As an option - you can live in a nice town like Chernivtsi, Kamianets-Podilsky or Uzhgorod. Or right in the Carpathians in a small village.

Often, it is difficult to negotiate with booking clerks even if Russian and Ukrainian are your native languages :)...