Parks & Culture

The parks, squares, monuments and streets that fill most of a first visit.

Pechersk Lavra Complex

Pechersk Lavra

The Monastery of the Caves, a working monastery and UNESCO site above the Dnipro. The Lower Lavra is free, and the caves underneath still hold the mummified monks who dug them.
Independence Square

Independence Square

Maidan Nezalezhnosti, the centre of Kyiv and the site of four political rallies since 1990. Free, always open, and impossible to miss.
Khreshchatyk Street

Khreshchatyk Street

Kyiv's main street, 1.2km from European Square down to Bessarabska. Closed to traffic at weekends, and one of the 20 most expensive shopping streets in Europe.
Kyiv Funicular

Kyiv Funicular

Take this 3 minute trip for amazing views over the Dnipro river and surrounding area.
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.
Park Kyyivsʹka Rusʹ

Park Kyyivsʹka Rusʹ

A full-scale reconstruction of ancient Kyiv out in Kopachiv village, with horse stunt shows, archery and combat festivals. Bus 15 goes direct 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.
Feofaniya Park

Feofaniya Park

1.5 square kilometres of lakes, woodland and springs on the southern edge of the city. Take marshrutka 444 from Teremky 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.
Taras Shevchenko Park

Taras Shevchenko Park

The park in front of Kyiv National University, full of students, chess players and tulips. Free, central, and a good place to sit for half an hour.
Mezhyhirya Residence

Mezhyhirya Residence

The 140 hectare estate former president Viktor Yanukovych built for himself, now open as a museum. Marshrutkas run direct from Heroiv Dnipra metro.