Kiev

[Frazerbob]

Off to Kiev next week for a gig. First time since we played there and can't remember much other that The River Palace and Arena complex. Was it really 11 years ago? Any recommendations for party pubs? 

[wanderer]

There is a real buzz about Kyiv these days and city seems to be getting more and more tourist friendly (in 15 years of visiting, probably seen more progress in last 2 or 3 than in previous 12 or so years).

Not sure if your thing, but craft beer bars seem to the popular thing in Kyiv just now.

On Maidan/Independence Square you have Pivbar and Grill which is a really good underground bar that does fantastic food and good beer, and on the actual square you have Copper Pub (24 hour pub that looks like a proper jaikey bar from the outside, but is a really great local bar when you go downstairs, will amaze you just how many people walk past this bar) and as you go up the hill towards the cathedral you will pass O'Brians Pub (with his TA wall of shame/fame.....) which as Irish pubs go, is not bad.... once in the upper part of the city center you are in the "trendy" part of the city...... the roof top bar in the Intercontinental is really nice and will find a mixture of footballers (Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar as their players all stay in Kyiv these days) and local celebrities hanging out there)... along from there is Spotykach (nice restaurant that does good food.... look out for the nikita khrushchev look-a-like outside as he hands out discount vouchers) and near by is Buena Vista Latin House (Cuban Bar which is great to hang around at night(

If you walk along Khreshchatyk Street you will find Shato Robert Doms (big beer brewery that does excellent beer) and if you walk right to the end 44 Art Club is a brilliant hang out spot (underground jazz bar that has live music every night.... really hard to find, but if you ask people will happily show you) .... also a street or two up in TraLeBus Pub, another nice chilled out bar (also does great burgers) ..... Banka Bar is also worth checking out if in this area of the city (another great underground bar which brews its own beer and serves them in jars)

St Andrews hill seems to be where all the youngster of Kyiv hang around these days, with a really great cafe culture..... about 1/3 of the way down you have Gnezdo Bar (its basically a bar someone has made out of bits and bobs he has found in skips....) and you will pass many nice bars,resturants and cafe's as you make your way down the hill, with Druzi Cafe at the very bottom (kind of hipster-hostel style bar) and if you venture into downtown you will find Beer Point Pub.

So many more to list, but effectively if you hang out on Khreshchatyk, Maidan and St Andrews Hill, you will find more than enough to keep you occupied.

Enjoy 

Edited July 11, 2017 by wanderer

[Frazerbob]

Thanks Wanderer, exactly the sort if inside info I was after. 

[wanderer]

No problem 

Kyiv is constantly changing and evolving, with new bars popping up time and again, with area's of the city 2-3 years ago that you would be best to avoid, now suddenly the places to be 

For my next visit I am planning to head across the river to Voskresenka to track down Lisopylka (new brewery that has a great tap room that is getting great reviews)..... also a friend of a friend in Kyiv has just opened his own micro-brewery in the city center called Collidar, and been told I MUST pay a visit next time in town).

Also, if hungry, try Pizza Veterano (its a pizza restaurant run by former soldiers who were injured in the war in the Donbass and money they raise goes towards helping other soliders who have been injured, its made international headlines and pretty close to the Arena Complex....the only pub in this area of the city that was worth visiting was Lucky Pub, but it closed down last year..... only worthwhile pub is Tolsity Lev Pub (The Fat Lion), but not worth going out your way for (a bit surreal when you go in at 10am and they are playing Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park) but does good beer and can get VERY busy if Dynamo Kyiv are playing.

Edited July 14, 2017 by wanderer

[wanderer]

If wanting something to eat, my favorite place in the whole city is Tsarske Selo, great village style restaurant out by the Motherland Statue (big silver statue of Liberty style monument which you can not miss) and Pechersk Lavra.

Also, Pobeda Varenichnaya is a chain of tourist friendly restaurants that do good local food (there is a number of these right across the city center)

[DoonTheSlope]

Heading here in a couple of months. While I was there I was going to go to Chernobyl but as luck would have it El Clasico is on while I'm off work in December so Chernobyl is on the back burner till next year. Chernobyl will always be there but I'm not always going to be off work while an El Clasico takes place.

Just wondering if there'll be enough for three full days worth of things to do that don't involve drinking all the time. Obviously I'm going to do the usual, tour bus and maybe a river tour etc

I quite fancy the Odessa river light show that I heard about two years ago when I was staying the night coming back from Tbilisi but was so tired I done next to nothing. I'm staying in the Ibis on Shevchenko boulevard again

Also I'm wondering what the temperature is likely to be in October?

[wanderer]

More than enough to do over 3 days (and would still argue you could probably squeeze another day out of it).

weather in Ukraine in October can be odd.

they do not have a summer-autumn-winter like us that's a steady decline.... I have been in October and can be +25C on the Friday and snowing on the Monday.... it's very flick of a switch between summer and winter out there.

[PASTA Mick]

On 8/13/2017 at 6:42 PM, wanderer said:

More than enough to do over 3 days (and would still argue you could probably squeeze another day out of it).

weather in Ukraine in October can be odd.

they do not have a summer-autumn-winter like us that's a steady decline.... I have been in October and can be +25C on the Friday and snowing on the Monday.... it's very flick of a switch between summer and winter out there.

I'm planning a trip in June...will tap you up for more information!!

[N4Footsoldier]

Thanks for the tips @wanderer

Heading here for 1 night on the route from Kazakhstan to San Marino but landing at 9pm ish will need to know where to head out right away!

[wanderer]

1 hour ago, N4Footsoldier said:

Thanks for the tips @wanderer

Heading here for 1 night on the route from Kazakhstan to San Marino but landing at 9pm ish will need to know where to head out right away!

Just stick to Krushiatic Street, lots of great bars here and there (Robert Doms Brewery roughly half way along is rather nice and does good beer and think its open 24 hours)

[PASTA Mick]

On 2/20/2019 at 3:46 PM, wanderer said:

Just stick to Krushiatic Street, lots of great bars here and there (Robert Doms Brewery roughly half way along is rather nice and does good beer and think its open 24 hours)

I've booked 3 nights in June for a stag do!!

Any tips for things to do during the day to stay off the booze for an hour or two? 

[wanderer]

9 hours ago, PASTA Mick said:

I've booked 3 nights in June for a stag do!!

Any tips for things to do during the day to stay off the booze for an hour or two? 

Stadium tours, walk around Krushiatic Street (especially at weekends when thy close to whole street for traffic and everyone comes out to walk around), St Andrews hill (full of stalls where you can buy your knock off football tops and stuff, along with the rather amusing toilet paper with a picture of Putin on it).... full of great little cafe and bars... half way down you will find a little alleyway which will take you to Landscape Alley, which is a long path that is basically a open air art gallery.

Pechersk Lavra is rather interesting with the  miniatures museum (some artist has cut things like ships and other things out on leafs) and then the monetary with its endless cave/tunnel network, and the mummified bodies of priests from 100's of years ago.

If you have goof weather, jump in a taxi out to Pirogovo Open Air Museum, its amazing places where they have recreated villages and landscape scenes from every corner of Ukraine.

[thplinth]

8 minutes ago, wanderer said:

Stadium tours, walk around Krushiatic Street (especially at weekends when thy close to whole street for traffic and everyone comes out to walk around), St Andrews hill (full of stalls where you can buy your knock off football tops and stuff, along with the rather amusing toilet paper with a picture of Putin on it).... full of great little cafe and bars... half way down you will find a little alleyway which will take you to Landscape Alley, which is a long path that is basically a open air art gallery.

Pechersk Lavra is rather interesting with the  miniatures museum (some artist has cut things like ships and other things out on leafs) and then the monetary with its endless cave/tunnel network, and the mummified bodies of priests from 100's of years ago.

If you have goof weather, jump in a taxi out to Pirogovo Open Air Museum, its amazing places where they have recreated villages and landscape scenes from every corner of Ukraine.

I hear Victoria Nuland has toilet paper with a map of Ukraine on it.

[Rich NATA]

21 hours ago, PASTA Mick said:

I've booked 3 nights in June for a stag do!!

Any tips for things to do during the day to stay off the booze for an hour or two? 

No mention of Rodina Mat?

Easily the most impressive thing in Kiev.