Guides Archives - See Kyiv

Stay Tuned: English-speaking Media about Kyiv and Ukraine

Olena Lysenko — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 19:33:29 +0000

Even though recently Ukraine has been rather frequently mentioned in the international media and seems not to be a black spot on the map anymore, it’s always better to get the latest news from inside, isn’t it? Here are the main English-speaking media from Kyiv and Ukraine for you to stay tuned.

NEWS

Kyiv Post
Probably the oldest Ukrainian English-language newspaper, available both printed for free (check the distribution map including hotels, restaurants, cafes, nightclubs and business centres here) and online (updated seven days a week). Kyiv Post journalists cover political, business and entertainment issues – a mix of exclusive and aggregated content that will keep updated about the latest and the most important events.

Hromadske International
Hromadske TV was created and is run by journalists and funded by non-profit organizations and donates. As stated on the website, it has “became the go-to medium about Ukraine — the place to discover and make sense of what was happening in the country and the region”. The English-speaking part of the platform highlights the main Ukrainian news.

Euromaidan press
This independent online-newspaper was launched by volunteers in 2014 to cover the Revolution of Dignity in English and its mission has developed since then into providing unbiased inside information against Russian disinformation tools. It provides translations of Ukrainian news and expert analysis as well as independent research.

UA.TV
One more local channel that aims to deliver objective and relevant information about Ukraine. It is available in 5 languages and covers a wide range of topics with a special focus on politics and the east of the country (Donbas) and Crimea.

VoxUkraine
VoxUkraine is an independent analytical platform of economists and lawyers. It covers economics and politics and provides a comprehensive analysis of economic processes and the most important developments in and around Ukraine.

LB.ua
Independent news and analysis media that presents itself as a platform for author subjective journalism.

112 International
An English version of one of the leading news agencies in Ukraine. One of the most frequently updated sources of information, again mainly about politics and economics.

Generally about Ukraine

Ukraine world
An interesting media platform not only for the latest news but also to get to know Ukraine better. Introductory articles about our history and culture, analysis of the most important developments in and around Ukraine, podcasts (!!!) – it has it all or, in other words, Ukraine explained.

Ukrainer
Platform about the unexpected geographical discoveries in Ukraine striving to break the vicious circle of negative representation of our country that we tend to have and give a push for domestic tourism growth. Lucky you, it’s also available in English (and other languages) and is happy to share with you curious stories from obscure places, people, art, and food.

The post Stay Tuned: English-speaking Media about Kyiv and Ukraine appeared first on See Kyiv.

Is Kyiv expensive to live and to travel?

Olena Lysenko — Sat, 12 Oct 2019 18:05:42 +0000

How expensive is Kyiv to travel and to live?

The average salary in Kyiv is about 15 000 UAH ($600 or €560) and Kyiv has been recently ranked as the cheapest capital in Europe. So does it make Kyiv a cheap city to visit and to live? The quick and easy answer is DEFINITELY YES! A more realistic one would rather be: it can be pretty cheap if you know how to look for things on a budget and don’t fall into tourists and foreigners traps. So let’s break things down.

Accommodation costs in Kyiv

Studio
in the center: 12 000 UAH ($500 or €450) monthly and 800 UAH ($33 or €30) per day
outside of center: 8000 UAH ($330 or €300) monthly and 600 UAH ($25 or €23) per day
Room
in the center: 6 000 UAH ($250 or €230) monthly and 400 UAH ($16 or €14) per day
outside of center: 3000 UAH ($125 or €115) monthly and 300 UAH ($12 or €11) per day
Hotel room: 1200 UAH ($50 or €45)
Hostel bed: 300 UAH ($13 or €12)

Long-term accommodation
The sad truth about flat hunting in Kyiv is that it is hard to find a nice place for a fair price as a foreigner. The landlords and flat owners tend to think that people from other countries are filthy rich and increase the rent up to 20 percent. The good news is that Facebook groups are full of decent English-speaking people offering their flats for rent. Mind that usually the rent doesn’t include utility bills and those can be pretty high in the cold season.

Short stays
In terms of hotels, Kyiv has offers for all tastes and wallets. You will find here nice boutique hotels, luxury appartments and trendy hostels. If you are more into exotic experience, try out one of the old hotels from the soviet period, like Saliut or Dnipro. On Airbnb you can often get more for the same price but make sure you read up about the location. Checking the reviews before you book is not a bad idea neither as many places are not as well maintained as the pictures may imply.

HOW MUCH DOES FOOD COST IN KYIV?

The food in Ukraine is generally very tasty and much more bio than in most of the EU countries. There are many markets with local farm bio products that are open every day. The supermarkets are often open 24h and for 1000 UAH ($41 or €37) you can easily buy products for at least one week without limiting yourself.

When it comes to eating out, Kyiv has a lot to offer. The local restaurant scene is thriving and dozens of new restaurants pop up every month. The prices range from close to nothing to super expensive bills. Street food, coffee shops, fancy restaurants, kiosks, coworkings, food courts, fast foods, slow foods, revisited traditional restaurants, hipster concept whatever, cocktail bars, hidden bars, open bars – Kyiv HAS IT ALL and you’ll need one more life to try everything out. Mind that tips are usually not included in the bill and leaving 10% on top is probably the best thing to do.

Meal in an average restaurant: 200 UAH ($8 or €7)

Sandwich to go: 70 UAH ($2.9 or €2.6)

Bottle of water: 15 UAH ($0.6 or €0.5)

Bottle of beer: 40 UAH ($1.6 or €1.5)

Cappuccino: 35 UAH ($1.4 or €1.3)

Cigarettes pack: 45 UAH ($1.8 or €1.7)

WHAT ABOUT THE TRANSPORT COSTS IN KYIV?

One-way ticket for public transport: 8 UAH ($0.33 or €0.3)

Monthly pass: 400 UAH ($16.5 or €15) in average

Taxi: min 50 UAH ($2 or €1.9) and 7 UAH per km in average

Even though Kyiv is a very nice city to walk around, it’s pretty huge and located on hills, so even the most die-hard walkers will have to use public transports here. Good news: compared to most European cities it’s extremely cheap. Bad news: it’s pretty chaotic as well. The subway is open till midnight and we’ve heard some rumours that night busses do exist! There are almost no bike lanes and the cyclist should be really very careful on the roads as the drivers and pedestrians are not that used to sharing the streets with bikes. As for the taxis, the best option is to use Uber or it’s local version Uklon.

Check out our Top Mobile APPs for moving around Kyiv here and the best ways to get to the city-center from the airport here.

And SOME THINGS YOU CAN DO IN KYIV
FOR FREE!

The city of Kyiv is huge and it offers you a wide range of different places to hang out. Check the public parks, Dnipro river banks, Exposition center or try out one (or all) of the Kyiv art galleries. The admission to them is often cheap or costs very little and it’ll give you an idea about the local (and extremely dynamic) art scene.

The post Is Kyiv expensive to live and to travel? appeared first on See Kyiv.

Mobile Apps That will Make Your Life in Kyiv Easier

Olena Lysenko — Thu, 26 Sep 2019 17:01:56 +0000

MOBILE APPS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE IN KYIV EASIER

MOVE AROUND

Uklon

A local alternative for Uber with a considerable advantage – while Uber defines automatically the price, in Uklon you can lower or increase the fare yourself and the drivers decide themselves whether to accept it or not. Apart for being driver-friendly, Uklon also has a wider range of services – booking in advance, pick-up at the airport with a sign, cabs with child seats etc.

BOLT

A relatively new player on the taxi market in Ukraine that has lots of special offers and is considered to be the cheapest service of its kind.

UBER

Pretty obvious one, but it's always useful to know that Uber is already present in Kyiv and some other Ukrainian cities, isn't it?

EWAY

The up-to-date map of all the city public transportation with a wide range of options – plan your way from point A to point B, track the location of every vehicle, save your favourite routes etc.

Ukrzaliznytsia

This app is fully synchronized with the official Ukrainian railway website booking.uz.com.ua and lets you purchase tickets or return from your smartphone in English (!!!) without additional fees.

UBER SHUTTLE

Uber has recently launched a new service in Kyiv - it's a mix between a taxi and a bus. Four routes are available now and seem to work pretty fine.

DISCOVER AROUND

WalQlike

This app is a nice alternative to see the city highlights in a different way – by following free thematic quests designed by the locals. To unlock the next level you have to find a hidden object, resolve a riddle or make a photo of a building detail. For a moment 6 quests are available in Ukrainian capital – family route, fountains, cats, angels of Kyiv, architect Horodetsly Mysteries and palaces of Kyiv.

Kyiv murals

Recently due to the efforts of several local art curators, Kyiv is attracting more and more street artsists, thus becoming an important hub for murals. This app offers an overview from another perspective – by following a map of works of art on the city’s walls. You can create your list of murals to visit, find information about them or get the fastest way to get to them.

Interesting Kyiv

This app is developed by the tourist agency Interesting Kyiv and has lots of interesting, non-trivial information about the city for those who have seen it all from the traditional Saint-Sofiia – Khreshchatyk – The Motherland Monument route.

EAT AROUND

GLOVO

By using Glovo you can have litterary EVERYTHING that can fit on a bicycle delivered to your place – starting from the most delicious food from local restaurants, a 3 a.m. pack of chips from the nearby supermarket to a new pijamas to warm you up when you feel too lonely and too lazy to go out.

Eda.ua

Another local alternative for UberEats with hundreds of restaurants and shops you can order food from.

Uber eats

Yeah, yeah, Uber Eats is also there for you 😉

SHOP ONLINE

Modna Kasta

The biggest online retail store in Ukraine with over 50 sales offers every day.

OLX ua

The biggest private announcements service in Ukraine where you can finally sell those strange set of cups you bought out of a shopping mania attack or to find exactly the same headphones you had when you were 15. With 13 million ads on OLX everything seems to be possible.

Shafa

Basically OLX for clothes.

AND OTHER USEFUL STUFF

Radio Ukraine

All radio stations of Ukraine in one app – discover, share with friends, save offline.

BankoMap Ukraine

A huge map of accessible and mostly free ATMs all over Ukraine.

Kabanchik.ua

A freelance service to solve your everyday problems like a broken fridge or messy flat after a party. You can choose the specialist based on their ratings and location.

The post Mobile Apps That will Make Your Life in Kyiv Easier appeared first on See Kyiv.

Do You Need a Visa to Get to Ukraine?

Olena Lysenko — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 13:22:17 +0000

Citizens of 65 jurisdictions can travel to Ukraine without a visa for a stay up to 90 days within any 180 day period. Check whether you need a visa to enter Ukraine.

In case you need a visa, what to do next? Submit your visa applications to:

1) Ukraine’s Embassies or Consulates abroad. Every foreigner or a stateless person who is required to have an entry Ukrainian visa may apply for her/his visa to the relevant Ukraine’s Embassy or Consulate no earlier than 3 months before the date of the planned entry to Ukraine.

2) MFA visa divisions at border check points at “Boryspil” and “Odesa” international airports in certain cases (emergency visa on arrival). Detailed information may be found here.

3) one of Ukraine’s 56 Visa Application Centres abroad. VACs receive visa applications from foreigners and stateless persons residing in VACs location countries only – list of operating VACs may be found here.

4) online via the https://evisa.mfa.gov.ua/ MFA website (e-Visa applications only). E-Visas are issued to foreigners-holders of passports of 52 specified countries as single entry 30-day visas under these 6 categories (as per the purpose of travel to Ukraine): business; private; tourism; medical treatment; cultural / scientific / educational / sports activities; foreign mass media staff visits. Please visit the MFA e-Visa website. for eligible countries and e-Visa application process. More details on e-Visa application procedure can be found at the Help section of the MFA e-Visa website.

How much time it takes to receive a visa to Ukraine?

Ukraine’s Embassies/Consulates abroad process visa applications and make visa decisions:

in up to 5 working days from the day of application within expedited service (specific number of days to be defined by each Embassy/Consulate);
in up to 10 working days from the day of application within regular service unless stipulated otherwise by Ukraine’s international treaties. Processing time of an application filed within regular service may be extended for up to 30 working days if additional checks are necessary.
MFA visa divisions at border check points at “Boryspil” and “Odesa” international airports process visa applications and make visa decisions on the day of application.
E-Visa applications are processed within 9 working days.

The post Do You Need a Visa to Get to Ukraine? appeared first on See Kyiv.

Kyiv: Getting From the Airport to the City

Olena Lysenko — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 13:28:07 +0000

Just landed in Kyiv and all those signs with Cyrillic letters seem too bizarre (crazy/ mysterious/ daunting)? Afraid of dozens of taxi drivers offering to give you a lift for all the money in the world? No worries, here are all the options for getting from Kyiv airports to the city centre.

BORYSPIL AIRPORT

By train

Price: 80 UAH (3.2$ or 2.9€)

Time: 40 min

Probably the best way of covering those 35 km (22 miles) separating Boryspil international airport from the central train station is the train. The railway station is located 100 metres north of Terminal D (head to the right from the terminal exit) and the tickets can be bought either at the ticket box in the Terminal D building or directly in the train. The timetable is available here.

By taxi

Price: 400-500 UAH (15-20$ or 14-18€)

Time: 45 min (depends on traffic)

By bus

Price: 100 UAH (4$ or 3.6€)

Time: 60 min (depends on traffic)

The bus stop is located right in front of the Terminal D exit and the busses are easily recognizable by the striking purple colours. Sky Bus runs every 15 minutes to and from the city, at night every 30 to 45 minutes. The tickets can be bought directly on the bus (attention, only cash) or in advance through the Sky Bus website. It stops at Kharkivska metro station (red line) which might be more practical for you if there is a traffic jam or you live next to the red line metro station. The timetable is available here.

ZHYLIANY AIRPORT

By bus

Price: 8 UAH (0.30$ or 0.25€)

Time: 25 min (depends on traffic)

The bus and trolleybus stop is situated 200 meters from the airport exit (cross the parking lot and then turn left). The tickets can be purchased directly from the driver, don’t forget to prepare the cash. Busses 368 and 805 will take you to the train station. For the city centre (Maidan Nezalezhnosti square) take the trolleybus 22 to Shyliavska metro station and then take the red line to Kreshchatyk.

By taxi:

Price: 100-200 UAH (4-8$ or 3-7€)

Time: 25 min (depends on traffic)

Finding a cab at the airport without getting ripped off when you are a foreigner and don’t speak Ukrainian or Russian is a tricky one. We suggest using Uber or its local alternative Uklon (the cab can be ordered directly at their website without downloading the app.

The post Kyiv: Getting From the Airport to the City appeared first on See Kyiv.

Guides Archives - See Kyiv

Stay Tuned: English-speaking Media about Kyiv and Ukraine

NEWS

Generally about Ukraine

Is Kyiv expensive to live and to travel?

How expensive is Kyiv to travel and to live?

Accommodation costs in Kyiv

HOW MUCH DOES FOOD COST IN KYIV?

WHAT ABOUT THE TRANSPORT COSTS IN KYIV?

And SOME THINGS YOU CAN DO IN KYIV FOR FREE!

Mobile Apps That will Make Your Life in Kyiv Easier

MOBILE APPS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE IN KYIV EASIER

MOVE AROUND

DISCOVER AROUND

EAT AROUND

SHOP ONLINE

AND OTHER USEFUL STUFF

Do You Need a Visa to Get to Ukraine?

Kyiv: Getting From the Airport to the City

BORYSPIL AIRPORT

ZHYLIANY AIRPORT

And SOME THINGS YOU CAN DO IN KYIV
FOR FREE!