Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Camping
If you intend to camp in Ukraine note the following:
»
In Crimea camping is officially permitted in
turstoyanki
(campsites with basic facilities).
»
Wild camping is tolerated in most areas of the country (including Crimea and the
Carpathian National Nature Park) but is not recommended.
»
Lighting fires in national parks is officially forbidden.
»
In summer never light a fire in woodland, as Ukraine is prone to forest fires.
»
Most so-called campsites are really former Soviet holiday camps, and slightly more
formalised than most Western campers prefer. Facilities are usually poor.
Homestays
Crashing with a local is not only cheap, but also a great way to get to know individual cit-
ies. There are several ways you can do this.
HOSPITALITY CLUBS
Couch Surfing
(
www.couchsurfing.com
) Surprisingly, this stay-for-free club has over
4000 Ukrainian hosts.
Global Freeloaders
(
www.globalfreeloaders.com
)
Mostly Kyiv-based hosts.
Hospitality Club
(
www.hospitalityclub.org
) Hook up with thousands of Ukraine-based
hosts.
ONLINE PROJECTS
The best current option is Carpathian-based
Karpaty Info
(
www.karpaty.info
) , which of-
fers details on B&Bs, homestays and hotels in the Carpathians.
PRIVATE RENTALS
In parts of Ukraine, you will still find people standing outside train or bus stations offering
rooms in their houses or private apartment rentals. Look for signs reading (
kimnaty,
Ukrainian) or (
komnaty,
Russian), (
sadyba,
Ukrainian, seen mainly in the Carpathians) or
(
zhilyo,
Russian, seen mainly in Crimea). This is still common in summer holiday spots
like Crimea and Odesa. Although the numbers of
babushky
(grannies) doing so are
dwindling, it's also still possible in Kyiv. Prices are usually quite reasonable at around
250uah per night for a one-room apartment (more in Kyiv).
Hostels
Hostelling is now a well- established sector in Ukraine's accommodation market, espe-
cially in tourist hot spots such as Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa. However, many hostels are run by
