Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 799 0796, 728 9738;
www.salix.od.ua
; vul Torhova 14)
A rare, authentically 'green' Ukrain-
ian travel agency, with responsible tours to Vylkovo and the Danube Delta, as well as
Crimea and other southern destinations.
Festivals & Events
Odesa's annual
Carnival Humorina
, celebrated on 1 April, is no joke. The festival fills
the streets with carnival floats, music and drunks, and is the biggest party of the year for
most Odesans. No less frivolous is
Odesa City Day
, which is held annually on 2 Septem-
ber. The main summer event is
Odesa Film Festival
culminating in a silent film show on
Potemkin Steps.
Sleeping
Odesa is popular among Russians and Ukrainians, especially in July and August, but
rarely are its hotels and hostels full so turning up without a booking is still feasible, even
in the high season. The city's hostel situation is in constant flux, with expats setting up
shop, partying for a couple of seasons then moving on. It may be a good idea to check
whether hostels are still operating before turning up at 4am unannounced.
Babushka Grand Hostel
HOSTEL$
( 093 984 1356, 063 070 5535;
www.babushkagrand.com
;
vul Mala Arnautska 60; dm from
120uah; )
While Odesa's other hostels are decidedly for the young, day-sleeping
crowd, the wonderfully named Babushka Grand, occupying a palatial apartment near the
train station, has a more laid-back, traveller vibe. The stuccoed interiors and crystal chan-
deliers are stunning, the staff fun, and at least once a week a real Ukrainian
babushka
comes in to cook up a feast (100uah). It also runs another - more rural-style - outlet out-
side the city centre and closer to the beach.
TIU Front Page Hostel
HOSTEL$
( 067 183 7347, 096 834 4074;
www.tiufrontpage.hostel.com
;
top fl, vul Koblevska 42; dm
120-130uah; )
The current owners inherited the premises from a publishing company
that had wallpapered the entire place in magazine front pages, hence the name. Sadly
they no longer rent out the private double decorated in Playboy centrefolds. Definitely a
party hostel with never a dull moment, so sleep may not come easily here. English pro-
