11 Day Highlights of Ukraine

About the destination: Kiev, a scenic city situated on the Dnipro River, is the bustling capital of Ukraine. The contemporary capital of Ukraine is one of the biggest cities in Europe. It is the administrative, economic, scientific, cultural and educational centre of independent Ukraine. Kiev is a city of invaluable historical and cultural monuments, of great events and outstanding people. There is something for everyone in this city. The art and architecture of Kyiv are world treasures. The Cathedral of St. Sophia, where the kings of Kiev were crowned in Kiev’s golden era, has outstanding mosaics and frescoes dating back to the 11th century. Overlooking the old section of Kiev, Podol, stands the Ukrainian Baroque church of St. Andrew, much beloved by Ukrainians. The Percherska Lavra, the Monastery of the Caves, a short stroll from the centre of town, has two 11th-century cathedrals on its grounds, in addition to its world-famous catacombs, bell tower, and museum collections. Close to the centre of town stands the Golden Gate, a structure which dates back to 1037. This recently reconstructed remains of the former fortified wall of the city defined the limits of the city in centuries past. Several blocks away, stands the magnificent 19th century Cathedral of St. Volodymyr. Kiev is a place of big statements, a city of glittering golden church spires and gargantuan Soviet-era tower blocks, set along the banks of the Dnipro River. The city has more to offer visitors than history and sumptuous churches though. Over the past decade, Kiev has rapidly developed to become a major centre for nightlife, seemingly having more restaurants, bars, nightclubs and music venues than the rest of Ukraine combined together.

About the destination: Chernobyl is a city located in northern Ukraine, in the Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus and currently has about 704 inhabitants. The city of Chernobyl was evacuated on April 27, 1986, a day after the nuclear accident happened at the Vladimir Ilich Lenin nuclear power plant (3 km from the city of Prípiat, present-day Ukraine), considered the most serious on the International Scale of Nuclear Accidents (major accident, level 7), causing one of the greatest environmental disasters in history. This plant is located 14.5 kilometers northwest of the city of Chernobyl. The nuclear power plant is located in the Chernobyl region, but the city and the power station were not directly related. The houses still inhabited are not very different from the vacant ones, and their few inhabitants use symbols to warn that «the owner of this house lives here». Likewise, the guards and the administrative staff of the exclusion zone are housed at the far end of the city from the central one. Before the accident, 14,000 people lived in the city.

About the destination: Lviv is a city in Western Ukraine. A city of sleeping lions, which has changed so many names throughout it's long history, today remains one of the most charming and mysterious beauties of Eastern Europe. It is the only Ukrainian "Ensemble of the Historic Centre" included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In Lviv is possible to visit many museums, full of history and culture. The park of Lychakivsky Tsvyntar and the Market Square and some of the most important tourist attractions to visit in this interesting city.

About the destination: Kamianets-Podilskyi is a city on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi. Formerly the administrative center of the Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the city is now the administrative center of the Kamianets-Podilskyi Raion (district) within the Khmelnytskyi Oblast (province). The city itself is also designated as a separate district within the region. In 1919–1920 during the ongoing Ukrainian–Soviet War, the city had officially served as a temporary capital of Ukrainian People's Republic. Several historians consider that a city on this spot was founded by the ancient Dacians, who lived in what is now modern Romania, Moldova, and portions of Ukraine.[4] Historians write that the founders named the settlement Petridava or Klepidava, which originate from the Greek word petra or the Latin lapis meaning "stone" and the Dacian dava meaning "city".