Central Ukraine Travel Guide

Kiev, is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. As of April 2007, official municipal estimates placed the population of Kiev at about 2.7 million inhabitants.

Kiev is an important industrial, scientific, educational and cultural centre of Eastern Europe. It is home to many high-tech industries, higher education institutions and world-famous historical landmarks. The city has an extensive infrastructure and highly developed system of public transport, including the Kiev Metro.
The name Kiev is said to derive from the name of Kyi, one of four legendary founders of the city (brothers Kyi, Shchek, Khoryv and sister Lybid'). During its history, Kiev, one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, passed through several stages of great prominence and relative obscurity. The city is believed to have been founded in the 5th century as a trading post in the land of Early East Slavs. It gradually acquired eminence as the centre of the East Slavic civilization, becoming in the tenth to twelfth centuries a political and cultural capital of Rus', a medieval East Slavic state. Completely destroyed during the Mongol invasion in 1240, the city lost most of its influence for the centuries to come. It was a provincial capital of marginal importance in the outskirts of the territories controlled by its powerful neighbors: first the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, followed by Poland and Russia. The city prospered again during the Russian industrial revolution in the late 19th century. After the turbulent period following the Russian Revolution of 1917, from 1921 onwards Kiev was an important city of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and, from 1934, its capital. During World War II, the city again suffered significant damage, but quickly recovered in the post-war years remaining the third largest city of USSR. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian independence of 1991, Kiev remained the capital of Ukraine.

Kiev is a beautiful city and 'the' place to please your eyes and heart!
It is one of the greenest cities on earth!
The city is the most(+) in spring-summer (lets say april-june), other times of the year are not worse ofcourse, it's just that in this period everything starts blooming!
-> The trees (chestnut trees, acacia trees, fruit trees), flowers (tulips, lilacs and lots of other flowers), etc.
There is beautiful "Botanic Garden".. especialy around May everything is in their 100%.

You can go on the river "Dniepr" by taking a steamboat where you can sit, drink/eat something, relax & enjoy the great view.
...or just hire a small boat with your friend and use your own arm-power to move and swimm around water lillies :) .

The Centre of the city "Chrechiatik", has a large shopping centre undergound - just under the "Maydan Nezalezhnosti"( Independence Squar).
(let me give you some extra info.. ->  http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mapofukraine.net/kyiv/pics/maydan_nezalezhnosti.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mapofukraine.net/kyiv/sightseeing_of_kiev.html&h=323&w=430&sz=41&hl=en&start=1&sig2=QzKxcKFdywdhaTYt80lU4A&um=1&tbnid=Z80Gk6iq9aA9VM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=126&ei=4GgQSJrKBJqUwQHdtLyCCQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmaydan%2Bnezalezhnosti%2Bkiev%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN  )

good place a little dodgy on the streets but interesting..pretty cheap. night clubs full of prostitutes and police are v v serious. very little english and train station is scary make sure you have all your travel plans sorted before you get there. as buying a train ticket in english is impossible. Food is good but hard to know where goodnight life is. stayed in cheap hotel in city centre by square very basic but great loaction and cheap. would go again but better prepared, Nightlife, Saving Money Deals by booking ahead and cheap hotel and eat from food stalls