Kyiv Sights

  1. Andriyivsky uzviz

    It says a lot for Andriyivsky uzviz that it has retained its charm despite the souvenir stalls overflowing on its cobblestones. Historically this curving incline linked the high ground of the administrative centre, or Upper Town, to Podil. Nowadays it's frequented by purveyors of Ukrainian crafts, Soviet memorabilia, Yuri Gagarin T-shirts and the occasional stunning photo of Kyiv. Yet the quaint houses and crooked pavements still give the place plenty of atmosphere.

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  2. Babyn Yar

    On 29 September 1941, Nazi troops rounded up Kyiv's 34,000-strong Jewish population, marched them to the Babyn Yar ravine, and massacred them all in the following 48 hours. Victims were shot and buried in the ravine. Over the next two years, many thousands more lost their lives at Babyn Yar when it was turned into a concentration camp, called Syrets after the Kyivan suburb it was in. Romany people, partisans and even footballers would be among those killed.

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  3. Bereznitskiy Gallery

    Doesn't settle for anything less than the best Ukrainian artists.

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  4. Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko Museum of Arts

    Bosch, Velazquez and Rubens are among the many masters represented, but they are only part of the attraction. The house, with its frescoed ceilings and intricately carved woodwork, alone is worth the price of admission. All the better that it's packed with priceless antique furniture, ancient Greek sculptures, porcelain ceramics and dazzling paintings, like a version of Hieronymus Bosch's Temptation of St Anthony .

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  5. Bulgakov Museum

    A little way up on the left of Andriyivsky uzviz, the early home of the much-loved author of The Master and Margarita has become the memorable Bulgakov Museum. Mikhail Bulgakov lived here long before writing it, between 1906 and 1919 but this building was the model for the Turbin family home in The White Guard, his first full-length novel. You may want to take a guide to explain who's who in the family photos.

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  7. Central Botanical Gardens

    The long, steep hill running along the Dnipro river from Dynamo Stadium and Mariyinsky Palace to Rodina Mat continues south for several kilometres, eventually becoming the Central Botanical Gardens. The gardens' fastidiously manicured grounds are criss-crossed by a network of paths leading to hidden viewpoints and churches frozen in time. The Botanical Gardens are tricky to reach by public transport. Take a taxi or pick up the No 14 bus anywhere along bul Lesi Ukrainky.

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  8. Central Synagogue

    Kyiv has an active Jewish community numbering about 60,000. The largest synagogue is the Central Synagogue.

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  9. Chornobyl Museum

    It's hard to convey the full horror of the world's worst nuclear accident, but the Chornobyl Museum makes a valiant attempt. Displaying the identity cards and photos of those killed in the aftermath of the 1986 explosion, it's a permanent shrine to their heroism. Photos of the area afterwards and graphs of radiation contamination serve as a stark reminder and warning.

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  10. Church of Mykola Prytysko

    The Church of Mykola Prytysko, next to the Florivsky Monastery, survived the 1811 fire that destroyed much of Podil. This 1631 church is the oldest structure in the district and is surrounded by several pastel-coloured brick buildings exhibiting the eclectic style in vogue in Kyiv at the end of the 19th century.

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  11. Da Vinci Gallery

    Kyiv's best sculpture gallery.

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  13. Desyatynna Church ruins

    Up Andriyivsky uzviz past St Andrew's Church, look for a dense cluster of vendors selling Dynamo Kyiv & other sports paraphernalia on the right. The fenced-off archaeological site behind them covers the foundations of the Desyatynna Church ruins. Prince Volodymyr ordered the church built in 989 and devoted 10% of his income to it, hence the name ( desyatyn means 'one-tenth'). The church collapsed under the weight of the people who took refuge on its roof during the Mongol sacking of Kyiv in 1240.

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  14. Dormition Cathedral

    Back out on the main path, you can't miss the seven gleaming gold domes of the Dormition Cathedral , a year-2000 replica of the famous and sacred original. To this day historians are unsure whether the Nazis or the Soviets were responsible for blowing up the original. You can enter the church only during services, typically held Saturday afternoons at and Sunday mornings at . The big rock in the square between the cathedral and the bell tower is a fragment of the original cathedral.

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  15. excursion bureau

    As this is the city's single most fascinating and extensive tourist site, you will need at least half a day to get a decent introduction of the Lavra. Try to avoid the Lavra on weekends, when it gets extremely busy. If you must go then, visit early and head for the caves first.

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  16. Farther Caves

    The Farther Caves were the original caves built by Antoniy and Feodosiy. Their entrance is in the Church of the Conception of St Ann (1679), from where you wend you way through a short but tight stretch of tunnels. This cave system is lined with ornamented mummified monks and contains three underground churches. Uphill from the Church of the Conception of St Ann is the seven-domed Church of the Nativity of the Virgin (1696).

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  17. Florivsky Monastery

    Florivsky Monastery is a 15th-century women's convent in Podil that defiantly remained open during the communist era. Pass through the bell tower to the grounds, which contain several attractive churches; there are great views from here of St Andrew's Church on Andriyivsky uzviz. Dress appropriately to enter the grounds.

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  19. funicular

    Heading around the left of St Michael's Gold-Domed Monastery to the rear, you'll find the quaint funicular that runs down a steep hillside to the river terminal in the mercantile district of Podil. Although in the summer trees partially obscure your view, this is still the most fun public-transport ride in town.

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  20. Gallery-36

    Arguably Kyiv's most beloved gallery, on Kyiv's most beloved street.

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  21. Great Bell Tower

    Towering over the Dormition Cathedral (Uspensky Sobor) is the 96.5m-tall Great Bell Tower. Climbing the 174 steps to the top is an essential experience, however, the tower was shut down for renovations in 2005 and is unlikely to reopen before 2009.

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  22. Historical Treasures Museum

    The Historical Treasures Museum, behind the Dormition Cathedral, has an astounding collection of precious stones and metal found or made in Ukraine. The highlight is the fabulous hoard of gold jewellery worked for the Scythians by Greek Black Sea colonists. Much of the treasures come from two 4th-century BC burial mounds: the Tolstaya grave in the Dnipropetrovsk region and the Gaimana grave in the Zaporizhzhya region.

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  23. House of Chimeras

    With its demonic-looking animals and gargoyles, the House of Chimeras is Kyiv's weirdest building. Built at the start of the 20th century by architect Vladislav Horodetsky, it's been more recently used as a presidential administration office. There are plenty of other interesting old mansions in this district, known as Lypky.

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  25. Kievo-Pecherska Lavra

    Tourists and Orthodox pilgrims alike flock to the Kievo-Pecherska Lavra. It's easy to see why the tourists come. Set on 28 hectares of grassy hills above the Dnipro River, the monastery's tight cluster of gold-domed churches is a feast for the eyes, the hoard of Scythian gold rivals that of the Hermitage in St Petersburg, and the underground labyrinths lined with mummified monks are exotic and intriguing.

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  26. maydan Nezalezhnosti

    Fountain-filled maydan Nezalezhnosti is the city's most popular meeting place. This was made plain on worldwide TV at the end of 2004 when the square became ground zero for Ukraine's Orange Revolution and makeshift tent city.

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  27. Monument to the Victims of the Great Famine

    Left of the St Michael's Gold-Domed Monastery's entrance is a moving monument to the victims of the great famine. English placards above the monument tell the dark story of Ukraine's holodomor.

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  28. Museum of Microminiature

    Beneath the Great Bell Tower (above the Dormition Cathedral) on the south side, the Museum of Microminiature provides something even for atheists within this holiest of holies - and, boy, it is popular! Possibly the most orderly queues in unruly Kyiv form in front of Russian Siadristy's tiny creations. The world's smallest book (with some verses of Shevchenko), a balalaika with strings 1/40th the width of a human hair and a flea fitted with golden horseshoes are just some of his works of whimsy.

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  29. Museum of One Street

    There are diversions galore along Andriyivsky uzviz, including a few wonderful cafés, restaurants, galleries, crafts shops and museums. At the foot of the uzviz , the individual histories of the descent's buildings are laid out in the Museum of One Street. The sheer jumble-sale eclecticism of the collection - showcasing the lives of dressmakers, soldiers, a rabbi and more - exudes bags of charm.

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