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 beaches are found on Trukhaniv Island or in the two-island recreation zone of Hydropark . Hydropark is the best place in the city to observe Kyivans in their element. It's also the best place to observe the Kievo-Pecherska Lavra - which looms majestically just across the river - from afar. Hydropark has its own metro stop so getting there's a snap. To get to Trukhaniv island take the footbridge directly below the rainbow arch.