Ukraine

Ukraine is a large, varied country between the Carpathians and the Black Sea: mountains, forests, the Dnipro River, steppe and coast. Kyiv’s golden domes rise above the Dnipro — St Sophia’s Cathedral and the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, thousand-year-old UNESCO-listed ensembles, St Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, the Golden Gate. Andriivskyi Descent winds down to Podil, Volodymyrska Hill overlooks green embankments, and the opera, restaurants, coffee bars and design shops keep the city lively.

Lviv’s UNESCO-listed centre gathers around Rynok Square and the City Hall tower, with churches of many traditions, the opera, coffee houses, chocolate makers and High Castle hill. In the Ukrainian Carpathians, Bukovel’s slopes draw skiers in winter; summer brings mountain walks, lakes, spruce forests, Hutsul cooking and crafts. Odesa’s UNESCO-listed centre has its opera house and Prymorskyi Boulevard, with Arcadia’s beaches in season. Around Poltava lie pine forests, quiet villages, the classical Round Square with Korpusnyi Garden, and Opishnia pottery.

Expect borshch, varenyky, holubtsi, deruny, syrnyky, Hutsul banosh with brynza, Lviv coffee, Odesa fish and seafood, and wines from the Odesa region and Zakarpattia. Summers are warm, usually 22–28 °C by day and warmest by the sea; Carpathian winters are generally snowy, with a ski season, while late spring and early autumn suit city walks. Ukraine suits couples, city breaks, food, wine and architecture lovers, skiers and families.