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Kyiv - Cherkasy - Poltava - Kyiv |
Day 1: Kyiv A rrive in Kyiv. Guided sightseeing tour of the city including St. Sophia Cathedral, a unique piece of Ukrainian monumental architecture and art from the 11th cent., the Golden Gates (11th cent.), St. Volodymyr's Cathedral, of great artistic value, erected in 1882 in neo-Byzantine style, St. Andrew's Church (18th cent.), Rastrelli's masterpiece, and the newly restored St. Michael's Cathedral. Hotel check-in. Welcome dinner with ethnic music in a Ukrainian national restaurant. In the evening you are invited to a performance in the National Opera House of Kyiv (if available).
Day 2: Kyiv The morning is spent exploring the city's most valuable treasure – Kyiv-Cave Monastery – one of the biggest Orthodox monasteries worldwide. It is a unique architectural complex of gilded domed churches and multiple caves from the 12 th cent. Visit the Museum of ‘Historical Treasures of Ukraine'. After a short rest and freshening up you may choose to walk along ancient cobblestone streets of Andriyivskyy Uzviz – the ‘Montmartre of Kyiv' – a colourful market of ethnic crafts and local artists' works. Dinner in the hotel.
Day 3: Kyiv Explore an open air Museum of Ukrainian Architecture that has an excellent collection of over 300 ethnic wooden cabins, dwellings and chalets, household utensils, clothes, art works. Lunch with ethnic music in a national Ukrainian restaurant. The afternoon is free to just relax or perhaps enjoy a walk under the chestnut trees that line Khreshchatyk Street , in the heart of Kyiv. This is the perfect place to catch the ambiance of Kyiv in a sidewalk cafe over a cup of coffee or a cold beer.
Day 4: Kyiv, Cherkasy Set off southward for Cherkasy, with a break in Kaniv to visit the monument of Taras Shevchenko on Chernecha Hill . Here lies Ukraine 's most famous poet and artist, democrat and philosopher , Taras Shevchenko . Thus Kaniv has become a famous pilgrimage place for all Ukrainians as well as tourists. Arrive in Cherkasy, the 13 th cent. city rich in culture and history, located in the center of Ukraine on the Dnieper River. Hotel check-in. Dinner in the hotel.
Day 5: Cherkasy Short guided tour of the city. Trip to Kholodniy Yar (Cold Ravine) – a unique phenomenon of nature, culture and history, famous for its relics of the Tripillyan (4000 years B.C.), Scythian (700 years B.C.) and Cossack (16-18 th cents. A.D.) cultures. A visit to the Motryn monastery with the added treat of tasting monastery kvass and pastries and then to the ‘1000 year oak-tree' of Maksym Zaliznyak, a leader of the haidamakas, Ukrainian farmers striving for their rights against the Polish landlords. Lunch at the lake. Cossack performance “Cossack Mamay” full of ethnic songs, games and jokes. Become an honorary Cossack upon completion of the initiation and receive the diploma of a Cossack and souvenirs… Dinner with ethnic cuisine such as kulish – thick corn soup, homemade sausage, fish, cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and meat called “holubtsi”. Overnight stay in Cherkasy.
Day 6: Cherkasy, Ploltava Drive from Cherkasy to Poltava , considered “the heart and soul of Ukraine ”, a very beautiful and hospitable town. It is here that the Ukrainian literal language was founded. Hotel check-in. Guided tour of the town, stopping at Transfiguration Church , Assumption Cathedral, and the house and museum of Ivan Kotlyarevsky , the father of Ukrainian literature. Dinner in one of Poltava 's great restaurants.
Day 7: Poltava Trip to Reshetelivka, known for fine embroidery of blouses, towels and carpets. En route, stop at the site of the Battle of Poltava where in 1709 the Swedish troops united with the Cossacks under the Cossack leader Ivan Mazepa to fight the doomed battle against Russia 's Peter the Great. Dinner in the hotel.
Day 8: Poltava, Opishnya, Kyiv Set off northward for Kyiv, breaking the journey at Opishnya , Ukraine 's ancient ceramics center. Upon arrival in Kyiv, hotel check-in. Farewell dinner in one of Kyiv's finest restaurants.
Day 9: Kyiv – Transfer to the airport. Departure for homeland
The estimated cost of the programme is (in Euro):
Group Size |
DBL |
SNG |
20+1 |
979 |
1204 |
30+1 |
873 |
1089 |
40+1 |
813 |
1138 |
The price includes accommodation at 3-4* hotels (8 nights), meals HB, excursions according to the programme, entrance fees to the museums included in the programme, services of an accompanying English (German, French, Italian) speaking guide, city and museum guides, transfers to and from the railway station/airport, transportation for the tours according to the programme. (The group leader = gratis)
Agent's Commission: 35 EUR
Prices will be adjusted based on specific tour request, based on the exact number of tourists, arrival and departure times, and other programme adjustments.