Day 1
Arrival in Kyiv. Meeting with local guide. Transfer to the city. Tourists will leave their luggage and belongings in the storage room of the hotel. Sightseeing car tour of Kyiv:
Meeting with historic monuments of XI-XVII centuries and modern architecture. First stop at St. Vladimir’s Cathedral – a temple of the late XIX century painted by famous Vasnetsov, Nesterov, Pimonenko and Vrubel. Getting acquainted with the National Opera of Ukraine, the Golden Gate (main gate of the city), monument to Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Sofievka Square, St. Michael’s Square, Independence Square, Post Square and Square of Contracts (halt), the promenade along the Dnieper, a monument to the founders of Kyiv – Kyi, Schek and Horeb and their sister Lybid (halt), the Motherland Monument etc.
Hotel accommodation. Leisure time.
Day 2
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure from the hotel. Transfer to the train station; the tourists will leave their luggage and belongings in the storage room of the station.
10:00 am – excursion to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra with a visit to the micro miniatures exhibition.
This is one of the most famous sights of Kiev. “Lavra” is the term related to the Orthodox Church that comes to the meaning of very large monastery. This orthodox “Mecca” is the most revered shrine of the nation founded in 1051 by monks Anthony and Theodosius for the strengthening and spread of the new religion – Christianity. The monks lived in the caves and were buried in the Lavra (and eventually mummified). Even today, the preservation of their relics surprises and impresses the visitors. “The relics of imperishable” are honored as the greatest miracle helping to spread the glory of the monastery.
2:30 pm – walking tour “Ancient Kiev” with a visit to St. Andrew’s descent:
Get acquainted with the ancient city of times of Princess Olga, Prince Vladimir and Yaroslav the Wise: the historical monuments and buildings such as the Golden Gate, “Sophia of Kyiv” (national park of XI century), St. Michael’s Cathedral, the foundation of the Tithe church, the Prince’s Palace and the territory of Kyiv at the end of V – the beginning of the VI century. Walking tour ends at Vladimir’s Hill near the monument to Prince Vladimir, the Baptist of Russia, which offers an unforgettable view of the Dnieper and the left bank or St. Andrew’s descent – “Kyiv vernissage” which offers a wide range of handicraft products and a variety of souvenirs.
5:00 pm – leisure time.
8:30 pm – independent transfer to train station
10:00 pm – departure of the Kiev – Odessa train.
Day 3
6:45 am – arrival at the train station of Odessa.
Meeting your guide nearby the coach.
7:00 am – breakfast.
8:00 am – city tour of Odessa (both by car and on foot):
City Center, Arcadia, French Boulevard (the recreation centers and sanatoriums, Botanical Garden, Winery and Film Studio are located there), Pushkin street, Customs Square, Sea Port, ancient streets and other remarkable sites of the city. Walking through the pedestrian quarter of the city (seaside boulevard, Duma Square) and along architectural monuments including the Opera House, the Philharmonic Hall, City Council, the Palace of Vorontsov Count, Theatre Square, Cathedral Square, theaters and museums. Visiting Italian courtyard, the Palais-Royal and the City Garden. Interesting stories related to architectural monuments, prominent historical figures and famous citizens of Odessa: Pushkin, Utyosov, Babel, Kataev, the Duke de Richelieu, Count Vorontsov, Catherine II… Make no mistake and sit on the famous “12 chairs” and on the “bench” with Utyosov, hug “Tree of Love” in the City Garden, make a wish and it will come true!
Hotel accommodation
Leisure time
Day 4
Breakfast at the hotel.
10:00 am – tour to the Catacombs (Nerubayskoe village). History of the catacombs and of the events taking place in the catacombs in the XIX and early XX centuries. Underground labyrinths of Odessa catacombs are under the whole Odessa and even have numerous exits straight to the sea. A unique underground museum associated with the guerrilla movement during the Great Patriotic War during the occupation of Odessa, the activities of the renowned scout Vladimir Molodtsov-Badaev, guerrilla undergrounds, the role of the Soviet partisans in the Resistance Movement and the history of the Museum of Partisan Glory in Odessa catacombs located at a depth of 20 m. The weapons and everyday items of partisan guerrilla camp are kept in the museum.
1:30 pm – time for lunch.
2:30 pm – excursion to the Palaces of Odessa. All the vast central part of the city is a unique architectural reserve, where the streets are organically intertwined in Gothic and Classic, Empire and Baroque and Renaissance and Art Nouveau styles. Odessa is called “Russian Italy” or “Little Paris”. The architectural monuments like the first Odessa Stock Exchange, the London Hotel, Vorontsov Palace, House-Wall, the Palace of Baron Mas, Estate Palace of Tolstoys, House of Faltz-Fein barons (“house with the Atlanteans”), Shah’s palace, old mansion of Naryshkiny-Pototskie (art museum with an underground grotto). The tour starts at the Duma Square along the Sea Boulevard and continues in Vorontsov Palace, Sabaneev and Mother-in-law bridges, the “Corner of old Odessa”, Shah’s palace and ends at the Art Museum.
Leisure time.
Day 5
Breakfast at the hotel.
Check-out from the hotel (until 12:00 at noon).
Free day.
Transfer to the railway station/airport of Odessa.
The cost of the program is AZN 950 excluding the airfare.
