Kyiv

Called the golden-domed city on the banks of the mighty Dnieper River, Kyiv is the perfect starting point for any journey across Ukraine. Your travel in Ukraine should definitely contain this city. The ancient cathedrals and history, architecture and hilltop parks overlooking the river, the steep and winding lane of Andriyivsky Uzviz buzzing with tourists and artists and the quiet leafy streets in the heart of the city will entice you with their beauty and charm. As one of the four Ukrainian host cities for EURO 2012 Kyiv is modernizing its airport and rebuilding the main Olympic arena where the final game will be played.

Kyiv is becoming an artistic hotspot in Eastern Europe. The PinchukArtCentre located in Kyiv’s historic architectural complex in the Besarabsky area and the recently opened Museum of Modern Ukrainian Art offer townspeople and city guests the opportunity to enjoy the very best of international and Ukrainian contemporary art. If you are shopping for art explore Kyiv’s many art galleries and studios to find the original artworks that will become family heirlooms.

Kyiv is also home to edgy fashion designers. While you can shop for Ukrainian designer clothes in London and Paris, Zurich and Berlin, Monaco and Amsterdam, the experience is more exciting down here. You can see the latest and greatest from the leading designers at the annual Ukrainian Fashion Week or you can always flick through the racks at their shops in downtown Kyiv.

Founded as early as 5th century AD Kyiv has been touted the cradle of Christianity in present-day Ukraine. The Saint-Sophia Cathedral located in the heart of the old city was designed to rival Hagia Sophia in Constantinople and be center of the Christian principality of Kyiv. The Cathedral has survived since the 11th century to become one of the city’s best-known landmarks. The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a sprawling monastery complex in a wooded area on two hills overlooking the right bank of the Dnieper River, is famous for its numerous monuments and grottoes. The candle-lit narrow tunnels of the Lavra’s underground monastery and richly-decorated churches evoke the power of ancient orthodox traditions. The Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Lviv

Travel in Ukraine is impossible without visiting this gorgeous ancient city called by the amazing and powerful lion. They say Lviv is where the West meets the East. Throughout its history the City of Lion has been the melting pot for various influences and it can still be seen today in Lviv’s architecture, traditions, culture and people. In its urban fabric and architecture, Lviv is an outstanding example of the fusion of the architectural and artistic traditions of Eastern Europe with those of Italy and Germany. The ensemble of the historic center is listed among UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. These days massive reconstruction is underway in the downtown area, city airport and Lviv stadium ahead of EURO 2012.

Steeped in the centuries-old history the old Market Square and the downtown have preserved their distinct medieval spirit, with Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo styles all mixed into a perfect blend served conveniently at one location. Lviv is best explored on foot and enjoyed at a leisurely pace: brick, cobblestone, doorways, courts, towers, roofs and of course the omnipresent lions.

Lviv was the first place in Ukraine where they started making coffee back in 1780 s (although Kamyanets-Podilskyi would contend this claim) and it is still the best place today for those who appreciate that beverage. Don’t miss the opportunity to immerse yourself in the city’s rich coffee-house tradition enjoying a flavorful morning espresso with a splendid 360-degree view of the Old City on the roof patio of the House of Legends or sampling a rich cappuccino with a bit of hand-made chocolate at the Lviv Chocolate Factory.

The political and commercial role of Lviv attracted a number of ethnic groups with different cultural and religious traditions, who established separate yet interdependent communities within the city, still to be seen in the modern townscape. Armenians are one of the oldest communities in Lviv. The Armenian Cathedral built in 1363 and expanded later on is one of the oldest buildings in the city and a stunningly beautiful combination of the Armenian, Western European, and Ukrainian architectural styles.

Odesa

Called the Pearl by the Sea and a small Paris, Odesa stands out with its very unique charm. The source of this charm are the townspeople: savvy, cultured, humorous and not easily impressed. Odesa is a hugely popular destination for holidaymakers, especially in summer. Located on the Black Sea coast in Southern Ukraine, Odesa offers stunning sea vistas and beaches, a great selection of restaurants and cuisines to fit any taste and budget, a fabulous opera theater, and vigorous night life. If you travel in Ukraine you have to see Odessa for sure to be able to appreciate the difference of minds and comprehension of Ukrainian people!

If you want to enjoy Odesa casually take a stroll around the historic downtown overshadowed by tall plane trees; explore the old passageways or step into leafy court yards to experience the traditional Odesa family setting. Have a hearty meal at one of Odesa’s Jewish restaurants and get comfortable in a cozy park just a few steps away from the Opera House to enjoy a glass of wine and if you are lucky get a sneak peek of opera rehearsals.

Veteran clubbers whose idea of a perfect vacation is clubbing and socializing from dusk till dawn will feel right at home. Clubs in Odesa range from cool cocktail lounges to trendy dives, techno discos to Latin dance palaces. Arcadia, a suburb of Odesa, is particularly famous for its beachside night clubs.

The magnificent Odesa Opera and Ballet Theater is not only an impressive landmark structure ranking in grandeur with Milan’s La Scala or Moscow’s Bolshoi, but is also home to some of Ukraine’s finest operatic voices and best opera productions. Recently renovated the Opera Theater offers fifteen opera productions and ten ballet productions in the 2011 season.

Donetsk

Founded by a Welsh businessman John Hughes as a mining settlement in Eastern Ukraine, Donetsk has grown into a large population center famous for its steel plants and coal mines, but also for its opera theater and last, but not least football. The cityscape is dominated by the recently-built high-rises and vegetation-covered spoil tips, the testaments to the city’s industrial past and present. One of the tallest spoil tips close to the downtown area offers excellent panoramas of Donetsk.

Donetsk is home to two major professional football clubs playing in the Ukrainian Premier League: FC Shakhtar and FC Metallurg. Shakhtar’s victory in the 2009 UEFA Cup and its recent exploits in the national championship have firmly put Donetsk on the European football map and transformed it into one of Ukraine’s top destinations for football fans.

Donetsk is one of Ukraine’s four host cities for EURO 2012. The brand new Donbas Arena, which can comfortably host over 50,000 people, is not only a state-of-the-art stadium, but also the city’s major attraction. The venue features FC Shakhtar’s museum, conference facilities, and offers guided tours both on-site and on-line.

Donetsk’s downtown area has got a recent lift-up and the central streets turned into fashionable shopping promenades with boutiques, good restaurants, classy hotels, and green areas. True to the city’s industrial prowess crafty blacksmiths have created the alley of iron sculptures and installations in one of the city’s downtown parks across from the city hall. If you have only half a day for this city in your travel in Ukraine plan you can venture on a tour of the salt mine located in a town of Soledar, 100 km away from Donetsk and 300 meters underground. The sight of salt caves is very impressive and some of them are used to host a symphony orchestra concerts and art exhibitions.

Sevastopol

Once a closed-off naval base on the Black Sea coast of the Crimean peninsula, nowadays Sevastopol welcomes tourists from all over the world. The whitewashed Mediterranean-style buildings, stone forts, waterfront promenades and the naval port will continue to impress you time and again. And although your sports-oriented travel in Ukraine might not include this city because it doesn’t hosts EURO 2012 games, you just have to visit it on your own to feel the power of the fleet and the mentality of its citizens!

Being one of the most famous naval citadels in Europe, Sevastopol’s fortunes have always been tied with the navy. The navy spirit and traditions steeped in history are still alive and have been preserved carefully by the city residents. The Eagle Column commemorating the scuttling of the Russian warships at the mouth of the harbor in 1854 to protect Sevastopol from the impending invasion.

Chersoneses, an ancient Greek colony, nicknamed the Ukrainian Troy, was the gateway to Christianity in Ukraine and Russia. Chersoneses’ ancient ruins which include a Roman amphitheater and a Greek temple are a popular tourist attraction and important archeological site.

The formerly classified submarine base in Balaklava, the suburb of Sevastopol, was built to house Soviet nuclear attack submarines. Built deep in the hillside to withstand a direct nuclear strike and connected to the harbor through a system of underground canals, the base is an impressive engineering feat. The base has been decommissioned and is now open to the public for guided tours.

Kharkiv

Whenever you are planning a travel in Ukraine — include Kharkiv on your must-see list! Kharkiv has had the ambition to stand out from the rest and it has been quite successful at that. One famous demonstration of Kharkiv’s unbridled ambition can be found in the city’s Uspensky Cathedral bell tower. It is said that the tower was built to be taller than the Moscow Kremlin—a shocking departure from the imperial etiquette of the time. Today Kharkiv stands out as one of Ukraine’s leading intellectual, cultural and industrial centers. In 2012 Kharkiv along with four other Ukrainian cities will host EURO 2012 at its brand-new Metalist stadium.

As the first capital of Soviet Ukraine in the 1920 s and 1930 s, the city was the lab for constructivism and innovation in urban planning and the site for the development projects which transformed Kharkiv from a merchant town into the industrial, intellectual and infrastructure hub for the whole country. The Derzhprom Building (also known as Gosprom) in downtown Kharkiv known for innovative construction methods and seminal design features is the first Soviet skyscraper and famous constructivist landmark in the city. The building stands on the vast Ploshcha Svobody, one of the largest public squares in the world.

With over 30 colleges and universities Kharkiv stands out as the major center of learning in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Kharkiv universities gave to the world four Nobel and Fields prize winners in mathematics, economics, physics and biology. With more than 100,000 students, including many foreign students, there’s a distinct multicultural feel to Kharkiv’s lively streets.