Activities in Kyiv
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Hydropark
City beaches are a hot talking point these days, thanks to Paris' plage, but Kyiv had them long before sand along the Seine was even a grain of an idea. Thanks to a dam a few kms downstream, the Dnipro around Kyiv is full of islands and beaches, which are packed with sunbathers in summer. Water sports like wake-boarding and sailing are popular summer pursuits, while in the winter ice fishers descend on the frozen river en masse and intrepid 'walrus' swimmers take to the frigid bouillabaisse.
It's better to merely sunbathe than to spend much time in the river, which isn't the cleanest - although that doesn't deter thousands of locals from diving right in. The most central …
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outdoor gym
Kyiv's quirkiest sight might just be Hydropark's giant, makeshift outdoor gym. The machines here are cobbled together from used truck parts and salvaged scrap metal. It's a testosterone-fuelled affair, although you'll usually see one or two women amid the muscle. On weekends and summer evenings the gym is packed. Beware: the sight of hundreds of sweaty dudes in Speedos pumping primitive iron could be a little off-putting. To get here, cross the footbridge and bear right.
Next to the outdoor gym is a gymnastics zone that sees surprisingly competent amateurs swinging from horizontal bars.
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Sun City
Explore Hydropark and you'll find gay, straight, clothed and nude beaches. Entertainment complex Sun City is a private beach with a swimming pool that rents out jet skis. When the sun goes down it turns into a fashionable nightclub. Other popular activities in Hydropark include beach volleyball, beach football, basketball, bungee jumping from a giant crane near the footbridge and - most popular - drinking vodka. In the winter you can hire cross-country skis.
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Centre for Green Tourism
Dima of the Centre for Green Tourism runs canoe trips on the Desna with overnight home-stays or camping in rural villages. A good route is the three-day trip from Novhorod Siversky to Chernihiv.
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Chervona Ruta
This is your only port of call if you’re interested in Dnipro River and Black Sea cruises. The standard cruise is one week along the Kyiv–Sevastopol–Odesa route.
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Travel Agency
The efficient Klaudia Petrivna runs the show at the Prydesnyasky Hotel Travel Agency. She personally guides city tours in English.
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Pioneer Ice Club
Escape the rain – or summer heat – on a frozen indoor oval overlooking the mighty Dnipro.
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