Where to stay in Kyiv

See

• Maidan Nezalezhnosti
• On the weekend, go and people watch on Khreshchatyk
• Andriyivsky Uzviz or Andrew's Descent
• Podil
• Arsenalna
• Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
• Great Lavra Bell Tower
• Pechersk Lavra fortification
• Refectory Church
• Church of the Saviour at Berestovo
• Gate Church of the Trinity
• Near Caves or the Caves of Saint Anthony

Do

• Attend Ukrainian Orthodox church
• Go kayaking in-between the islands of Dnipro river or countless river bays
• Pysankarstvo workshop
• Petrykivka drawing workshop
• Palace of Sports
• Tank Driving

Eat

Enjoy the Ukrainian cuisine. Grab a Ukrainian meal with borshch, varenyky, kholodets, holubtsi or mlyntsi. In general, it is very cheap to dine in Kyiv by Western European or US standards. So long as you stay away from the places that totally pander to tourists or to the Porsche Cayenne-driving "elite", the food is great and cheap. Baked goods are cheap and great too. Even the ice-cream on the street is great. Try, for example, the one to the right from M1 "Khreschatyk" - blue kiosk with varying length of queues. Drink some nastoyanka (alcoholic) or kvas / uzvar (non-alcoholic).

Drink

Shed any stereotypes you have about poor quality alcohol in Ukraine. Particularly since the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, there has been an explosion of excellent craft beer, wine, and liquor to rival any in Europe. Downtown Kyiv is full of excellent brew pubs, wine bars, and cocktail spots where you can enjoy excellent drinks for far cheaper than elsewhere in Europe. Notable craft beer brands include Varvar, Tsypa, Mova, Pravda, and Underwood. A standard, mass-market pint should be less than 2 EUR (unless the place is particularly exclusive). A craft-y, expensive beer can run as high as 4 EUR. If you are not keen about alcohol, try one of the abundant coffee houses.

Stay safe

Kyiv is a city at war. Anyone wishing to visit the city must be ready to accept the stresses and risks that come with that. Air raids by Russian drones and missiles are frequent, especially during the night. However, the risk of being affected by a Russian missile or drone attack in Kyiv is very low. Most of the time they get shot down by Ukrainian air defence. The chance of dying because of Russian missile or drone attacks in Kyiv is actually lower than in a car incident. To be notified of air raids and the type of possible incoming threat, download the Повітряна Тривога (Air Raid Alert) app (Google Play, Apple) and set the location to wherever you are in the country.