There are plenty of pretty places to go in Ukraine to learn culture and traditions of Ukrainian people. Ukraine is located in the very heart of Europe and is the biggest country by territory in Europe. 

Here are some brief facts about Ukraine: this is the largest country in Europe, covering the territory of 603,628 km² (233,062 sq mi). It borders with Russian Federation, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, Romania and Moldova, and the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov . Major rivers in Ukraine are: Desna, Dnieper, Dniester and Southern Bug.

Hryvna (grivna, UAH) is the official currency of Ukraine. The official language is Ukrainian.

Places to visit in Ukraine, Kiev 

Kiev is the capital of Ukraine and for sure is one of the cities to visit in Ukraine. Kyiv (or Kiev) was founded about 1500 years ago and is one of the oldest cities in Europe. Today this is a modern city, where every tourist can find interesting places and things to do.

The city of Kyiv is built on the beautiful banks of Dnieper river, which gives visitors a possibility to view amazing panoramas of megalopolis. During recent years numerous modern skyscrapers and shopping malls were built on the territory of Kyiv. This tendency changes the city of course, but there are still a lot of historical buildings and pieces of art to visit. Most of them are located in the center of Kiev and in Podol area. 

Plan a trip to Kyiv to see: numerous Cathedrals, old city of Kiev, Podol area, the Monastery Caves, Opera Theater, Pirogovo Open Air Folk Art Museum and more.

What are Ukraine best places to go

A lot of tourists are visiting Ukraine to discover beautiful nature, to feel the atmosphere of Ukrainian culture, to learn about the historical past and culture of Ukrainian people.

If you are a nature lover go to the banks of Dnieper and Dnister rivers to enjoy stunning riverscapes framed with the greenery.

If you are looking for adventurous things to do in Ukraine, and wish to see exotic animals and rare kinds of flowers go to Aleshkovskie sands (peski), which is the only sand dessert in Europe. This area also includes the biggest artificially created forest.

During centuries various states and empires existed on the territory of Ukraine. This is why nowadays all the regions of Ukraine have so many features, which make these places so different from each other.

Travel ideas for going on vacations to Ukraine

Variety of cultural and natural objects make Ukraine a special destination to visit for all the tourists. Everybody can find best places to go in Ukraine and things to see: the architecture of the cities, the heritage of UNESCO, or beautiful palaces and parks,  plan vacations at the seaside of Odessa, or organize a trip to Carpathian mountains.

Go to Carpathian mountains – best places to visit in Ukraine in winter 

Plan a tip to Carpathian mountains by train or by car. There are local travel agencies which will help you organize bike tours and walking tours. They can also provide you with the travel guide and you can rent the equipment for the trip upon arrival. The Carpathian mountains are very popular among the hikers.

If you are going to Carpathians make sure to try local cheese produced in the mountains by people living in these areas.

The highest mountain in the country is Hoverla – 2061 meters in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast.

Ukrainian Churches – places to see in Ukraine

Special feature of Ukrainian historical heritage are the churches – the orthodox churches with golden cupolas, Gothic churches in the Western Ukraine and wooden towers of Carpathians with a lot of decorations.

In Orthodox churches there are a lot of iconostasis with carvings, walls beautifully decorated with frescos.

In Carpathians the churches were built of wood, since this was the main resource of materials. A lot of them were ruined by the fires and destroyed for other reasons. But a number of unique churches have been preserved and serve as a beautiful decoration of the landscapes in museums nowadays.

Best Cities to visit in Ukraine – discover Lviv (Lvov)

Ukraine is different in many ways and if you want to get to know Western part of the country it is best to organize a trip to Lviv city (or Lvov).

This is the most popular travel destination among Ukrainians and foreign guests. No wonder that tourists who have visited Lviv once, keep coming back – number of cozy cafes and restaurants, relatively cheap accommodation and hospitality of local people are always valued.

They count round 100 of Cathedrals in Lviv city, which is a very extraordinary feature for the city with the population of about 700 000.

The most interesting Cathedrals are the highest ones and located in the center of Lviv.

Distances to Major Cities in Ukraine 

If you plan a trip to several cities, check distances between major cities in Ukraine