Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Luring visitors from across the ex-USSR, the top attraction is the leafy, Soviet-era
Kurort
(spa) centred around the angular
Byuvet
(mineral water tap room;
6.30am-10.30am, 11.30am-3.30pm & 4.30-8pm)
with its fish-scale roof and folksy, 1970s
stained glass. Various spa buildings dot the surrounding area, but if you haven't come to
soothe an ailment, there's pedalo hire on the seemingly static Khorol River and wide
white-sand beaches on which to work up a tan.
From the river you'll have views of the
Assumption Church
(vul Gogolya 112)
with its
golden domes dusted with blue stars. Nearby lies the town's famous 'puddle', a pond that
was once the focus of the main square and which features in some of Gogol's tales.
Bronzes of some of Gogol's characters (Taras Bulba, the two Ivans) ring the pond and
the man himself looks out across the main road named in his honour.
520uah; )
just along from the gates of the spa is the obvious place to snooze, though it
receives mixed reviews. As in all Soviet spa towns, locals often rent out rooms to those
taking the waters - the best street to try is vul Troitska at the back gates of the
kurort
where beds can be had for as little as 35uah a night (look out for and signs).
Grand Pizza
(vul Gogolya 116; pizzas 26-50uah;
9am-midnight;
)
at the gates of the spa has been
around for years and offers free wi-fi.
The train station lies 2.5km south of the town centre. The Intercity+ express is by far
the best service for Kyiv (160uah, two hours), Kharkiv (160uah, 2½ hours) and Poltava
(130uah, one hour), but only runs around five times a day in each direction. Buses to
Poltava (33uah, 1½ hours, many daily), Kharkiv (50uah to 70uah, four hours, three
daily), Velyki Sorochyntsi (7uah, around 10 daily) and Opishnya (26uah, three daily)
leave from the central bus station across the street from the spa gates.
WORTH A TRIP
THE GOGOL CIRCUIT
North of Poltava lies Gogol-land: textbook Ukrainian countryside in which lived
writer Nikolai Gogol (1809-52) - who authored Dead Soulsand The Nose- and
which he populated with his characters. Witty, humorous, imaginative and very
laid-back, locals still have very much in common with Gogol's contemporaries.
Travelling with them in overcrowded village buses is part of the fun if you are do-
ing the circuit of Gogol-related sites. However, this method is exhausting and time-
consuming - you'll need at least two days to see everything. One day is probably
enough if you rent a car. All crucial turns are marked with English-language signs
with the writer's trademark long-nosed profile.
