Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kyiv
044 / POP 2.9 MILLION
Why Go?
In the beginning there was Kyiv. Long before Ukraine and Russia came into being, its in-
habitants had already been striding up and down the green hills, idling hot afternoons
away on the Dnipro River and promenading along Kreshchatyk - then a stream, now the
main avenue. From here, East Slavic civilisation spread all the way to Alaska.
But thanks to its many reincarnations, there are few signs of ageing on Kyiv's face.
Wearing its latest national capital's hat, it reveals itself as a young and humorous gentle-
man, elegant on the eating/drinking front, but prone to kitsch when it comes to urban de-
velopment.
It has a fair few must-sees, mostly related to the glorious Kyivan Rus past, as well as
both charming and disturbingly eclectic architecture. But its main asset is the residents - a
merry, tongue-in-cheek and perfectly bilingual lot, whose distinct urban identity out-
weighs their ethnic allegiance.
When to Go
