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Khreshchatyk Street

Kyiv or Kiev? Which spelling is right

You'll have seen the city spelled both ways before you even get here, so which one is wrong? Find out where the two spellings come from, how to say it the way people here do, and where you'll still run into the old one.

A large white cat sculpture pushing head first out of the tiled wall of pavilion 9 at VDNH

Monobank Cat

A 4.5 metre cat shouldering its way out of a pavilion wall at VDNH, put there by the bank half the country pays with. Free, outdoors, and a two minute stop.

The main pavilion at VDNH, a white colonnaded building with a gold spire topped by a red star, reflected in the fountain pool in front of it

Expo Center of Ukraine (VDNH)

287 hectares of Soviet exhibition pavilions and parkland on the edge of Holosiiv Forest, across the road from the metro. Hire a bike to see any of it.

The Kyiv Whale, a faceted sculpture of a whale raised on white metal poles, seen from below against a pale evening sky

Kyiv Whale

A 12 metre whale suspended above VDNH, built from plastic bottles collected across the city. Free, and best seen after dark when it's lit.

Football at Olympic Stadium Kyiv

Olympic Stadium

Ukraine's national stadium and the venue for the Euro 2012 final. Before the full-scale invasion you could book a guided tour inside on set days.

Park Kyyivsʹka Rusʹ

Park Kyyivsʹka Rusʹ

A full-scale reconstruction of ancient Kyiv in Kopachiv village, with horse stunt shows, archery and combat festivals, two buses out from Vydubychi.

Bohdan Khmelnytsky Monument

Bohdan Khmelnytsky Monument

The Cossack hetman on his horse, on the square in front of St Sophia's. One of the oldest monuments in Kyiv and the backdrop to the city's Christmas market.

Tsum Shopping Centre, Kyiv

TSUM Central Department Store

Kyiv's original department store, still on Khreshchatyk after 80 years. Eight floors of brands, a food hall and a roof terrace with a view over the main street.

Ocean Plaza

Ocean Plaza

Kyiv's second biggest shopping mall, with 400 shops, 30 restaurants, a cinema and the largest aquarium in Eastern Europe. Free to walk around.

Feofaniya Park

Feofaniya Park

1.5 square kilometres of lakes, woodland and springs on the southern edge of the city. Take marshrutka 444 from Ipodrom metro and give yourself half a day.

Park of Eternal Glory

Park Of Eternal Glory

A war memorial park above the Dnipro with an eternal flame and a 27 metre obelisk. Free, and on the way to Pechersk Lavra.

Kyivska Perepichka

Kyivska Perepichka

The Ukrainian hot dog - a sausage wrapped in fried dough, sold from a hatch just off Khreshchatyk since 1981. There's only one thing on the menu and there's always a queue.