During the Soviet era Balaklava was completely closed to anyone who didn't live there. The reason is the former Soviet nuclear submarine base burrowed into the cliff under the Tavros mountain. It is now a museum which includes a tour of the James Bond movie-like submarine tunnel and dry dock. Good value and a good opportunity escape the high summer Crimea heat.

Tavricheskaya Quay 22, Balaklava

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Salieri is a new but wonderfully placed art-cafe in the heart of Odessa. An inconspicuous entrance opposite the Mozart hotel, the back opens up to a beautiful old courtyard recently renovated at the back entrance to the Odessa opera house. Meals are very good and reasonable prices - main courses for under £5. As always in Odessa, 75% of the menu is dedicated to alcohol! Just a wonderful place to go and relax.

Langeronoskay str. Odessa
or walk round the back from the left side of the opera house.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

This is the original immigrant quarter of Odessa (in past days mainly people from Moldova aka Bessarabia). Issac Babel set many of his famous stories here. It's about a 20 minute walk from downtown.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Hotels and apartments in Simferopol, vacation rentals by the sea and in the countryside, interpreter service, guided tours.

www.TheCrimea.org.ua/

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Visiting here now puts one in mind of the heyday of the typical English seaside resort. It’s the tiny patch of beach next to the harbour that all the locals crowd together on (there’s ample beach further afield); it’s the promenade along which everyone walks eyeing each other up and down; above all it’s the ‘comical characters’ painted on boards that have holes for you to stick your head through and have your photo taken. On a fine day, though, it’s all very pleasant, with the sun, the sea air and a harbour sporting some fine looking boats; it has a pervasive air of enjoyment that can’t fail to put you in a good mood.

Just head down towards the harbour

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

At the bidding of Catherine the Great, Rastrelli, the Italian architect famous not least for the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, built this church in honour of Kiev’s most famous saint. Quite what he did wrong, I can’t imagine, but upon seeing the finished article she sacked him. Most visitors however seem to regard this as one of Kiev’s finest sights though inside it’s a museum, not a working church any longer.

Andreyevsky Spusk

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Built in the 19th century, this white-walled church is not of the golden onion-dome variety, but its Byzantine style is still quite pleasing to the eye. During WW2 Sevastopol suffered heavy damage and if you look carefully you can see the bullet holes that still remain on the sides of the building.

Towards the Chersonesus area along Pozharova, about 10 minutes from the centre;
www.chersonesos.org/?p=ct_map21&l=eng

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Standing in the village whose name it takes, this Muslim khan’s palace is one of the highlights of the Crimea. It was built in the 16th-century and became home to a succession of Tatar Khans. A complex of buildings sits in a walled enclosure including a mosque, a harem and the living quarters. Pleasant gardens surround the buildings and today it seems an incredibly tranquil place – as long as you visit outside of peak tourist times. T

he interiors of the living quarters are beautiful and one fountain in a small courtyard hides a sad story which so moved the Russian writer Pushkin when he visited here that he wrote a whole poem to it – The Fountain of Bakhchisarai.

This was my first encounter with an Islamic domain and I have to say that I found it a very beguiling one.

The village is on the Sevastopol – Simferopol road, equidistant between the two. Guided trips are fine, but beware the tourist hordes;
www.blacksea-crimea.com/Places/KhansPalace.html

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

The hotel is on a corner across from the statue to the Virgin Mary.

It was inexpensive - around 18 euros for a double room - clean, and they let me park my Honda Goldwing in the foyer.

In the central area of Lviv. On the corner opposite the statue

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

This is a purpose built structure to house the famous Sevastopol panorama, which depicts the siege of Sevastopol in the Crimean War. On the inside of the circular wall, a 360 degree canvas is mounted showing the battlefield from the top of a hill. Spectators walk around this interior as though they are standing on the hill observing the action.

It’s all well presented and gives a very good impression of what mid 19th-century warfare must have looked like. On the lower floor is a museum and the surrounding park includes some artillery installations that point out over the adjacent valley.

Istorichesky

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

IIf you’re looking for some good local beer, then try this bar – the name means ‘good beer’. It also serves other drinks of course, and very reasonably priced food. There are plenty of seats and it usually has a lively atmosphere, as it is populated by enthusiastic locals.

Jukovskoho 23

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Kulikovo Pole is a square and park just near the station. It is dominated by a 10 metre high statue of Lenin and still attracts communist demonstrations and many war veterans gather here on May 9 (Victory Day). The view down the tree-lined route towards the station is dramatic, taking in both Lenin and the silver domes of the Andryvska Podvore orthodox church. At the bottom end of the square, in Lenin Park, is a second hand book market where you will find Russian versions of classic novels mixed in with dusty copies of books with titles like: “Tungsten Bearing Manufacture in the Soviet Union - a Guide for Schools”.

Kulikovo Pole Square, near central station; www.essentialukraine.com

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

If you are a fan of Bulgakov's cult classic novel, The Master and Margarita, then this is an essential visit when in Kiev. Bulgakov's house has been preserved as this small museum. However, true to the spirit of his writing, not all is as it seems...

Andriyisky Uzviz 13; open: 10am-5pm;
www.essentialukraine.com/Kiev.htm

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

The story of the Potemkin steps is told in Eisenstein’s famous 1925 film, Battleship Potemkin. The film depicts the 1905 revolution when the sailors of the battleship mutinied and sailed into Odessa to join a worker’s strike. The leader of the mutiny had been killed and his body was laid at the foot of the steps. As crowds gathered to pay their respects, tsarist troops rushed down and opened fire, killing some 2,000 people.

This sequence in the film is famous for its innovative editing technique and has ensured that the steps are Odessa’s main historic attraction. The view of the port from the top makes it worth climbing all 192 of them.

The steps climb from the seaport area to Primorsky at the top

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

The street in question is Andreyevsky Spusk (Andrew’s descent) which connects the upper and lower parts of the city and is one of the oldest in Kiev.

The museum was only opened in 1991, but the idea was to gather together as many items as possible from the houses in the street through the ages and to build displays from the past, ranging from writing desks to complete room interiors and shop fronts.

It’s a small, but fascinating museum, which is certainly very popular with tourists. The staff also conduct walking tours of Kiev, so it’s a good place to start if you’re in need of a little guidance.

Andreyevsky Spusk 2b; www.artukraine.com/sites_museums/street_1.htm

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

St Sophia’s is a popular attraction in Kiev, especially to native visitors as it was built in 1037 by Prince Yaroslav, one of Kiev’s most celebrated leaders. The remains of the prince lie in the main church which is no longer used for religious purposes, the whole site now being a museum complex. The church also houses some very impressive and beautiful frescoes and mosaics, some of which are still in the process of being uncovered from behind subsequent layers of plaster. It’s an opportunity to have a good poke around a historic orthodox church without fear of being interrupted by a service.

Sofiyska Square

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

This outdoor museum, about 30 minutes drive south of Kiev near the village of Pirogov, is a delight that you could easily spend the whole day exploring. They’ve gathered original houses, farm buildings and a church – among other structures - from all over the country and constructed a small village for each of the traditional regions of Ukraine. Obviously this covers quite a large area and it’s fun wandering from village to village – in between there are picnic areas and places to buy drinks and snacks.The insides of the buildings are the way they would have looked when in use. There are often people wandering around in period clothing, which helps to add to the authenticity of the experience. Organised trips are available.

Near Pirogov - take the 27 bus from Libidska metro.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Down the hill from the city centre towards the river is the quarter known as Podil which, roughly translated, means ‘skirt’. Historically, this was the tradesmen’s quarter and is now where you’ll get the best impression of what the rest of the city used to look like. There are one or two nice churches here and the architecture is much gentler than the Soviet sweep of the streets above. This is now becoming a desirable residential area, if you can afford it, being far handier for the city than the tower blocks across the river.

The Podil quarter can most easily be reached by using the funicular behind St Mikhayil’s monastery.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Riding along Kiev’s main street in a bus or coach is the best way to get an initial impression of the Soviet architecture that dominates it. Unfortunately, the original street was booby trapped by retreating Soviet troops as a gift to the advancing Nazis in WW2. The replacement buildings are impressive, but a little too grand for some tastes. The focal point is Independence Square, which now looks more like a shrine to capitalism with its large neon signs and shopping centres. This was where we saw the politicians making their speeches on TV during the recent ‘Orange Revolution’ in front of the protesting crowds.

City centre

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

A huge titanium arch, built to commemorate friendship between the Ukrainian and Russian people – it may have outstayed its welcome. Beneath it stand two beefy looking statues representing each country. It’s in Khreschatyk Park, on top of a hill which has excellent panoramic views across the city that certainly make the walk worthwhile.

Khreschatyk Park

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends