Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Away
Uman is located 210km south of Kyiv and 280km north of Odesa. Most Autolux and oth-
er buses between the two cities stop at Uman's bus station. To and from Kyiv (95uah,
three hours), these buses are a better option than private
marshrutky
from the main bus
station or train station, as the journey time is around the same. Buses take around four
hours to reach Odesa (80uah). There are also regular services to/from Vinnytsya (62uah,
three hours, up to three hourly).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Vinnytsya
0432 / POP 370,100
Straddling a kink in the Pivdenny Buh River, Vinnytsya is a city that's come on in leaps
and bounds in recent years. Commendably digestible museums, hotels amid renovation,
odd bits of street sculpture, a tourist office, quaint little trams (bought secondhand from
Zurich) and the new Roshen Fountain have all made the experience of visiting this re-
gional centre a much more pleasant affair than was the case a decade ago.
The city famously plays host to the embalmed body of a renowned Russian doctor and
to one of Hitler's bunkers, but its true appeal lies in its city centre, where several
churches, a park and a pleasant pedestrian street compete for the attention of travellers.
Vinnytsya is also a convenient jumping-off point for some interesting excursions in
southern Podillya.
Sights & Activities
Roshen Fountain
FOUNTAIN
(Roshen;
www.roshen.com
;
nab Roshen; shows 9pm May-Oct)
Ask any Ukrainian a
few years ago what he or she considered Vinnytsya's biggest attraction, and the answer
would probably have been the Pirogov Chapel. But not anymore. Since 2011 the Roshen
Fountain, set directly in the river, has taken over as the city's must-see and it's easy to
see why. Built by the Roshen chocolate company next to its shiny new factory (billion-
aire owner and Ukrainian Willy Wonka, Petro Poroshenko, was brought up in Vinnyt-
sya), it's the biggest floating fountain in Europe and is a truly amazing spectacle when in
full
son-et-lumière
mode. The shows are free, there's ample seating (with special wheel-
chair areas!) and the acoustics are impressive. Vinnytsya's biggest water feature warms
