Western Ukraine is an ideal destination for short trips. There is everything here - the historical preservation of architecture, and nature, and impossibly delicious cuisine. And you don't need visas and passports for travel. Your children will have the opportunity to see exactly where Kievan Rus came from - our common history. And the read epics and legends will come to life in the child's imagination vividly and colorfully.
Instructions
Step 1
The first day.
It is logical and convenient to get to Kiev by night crossings, be it a train or a car. By the way, it turns out faster by train, but more expensive. By car, the only obstacle can be a long customs (1, 5-2 hours). Before the border, be sure to fill a full tank - gasoline is much more expensive in Ukraine. Take care of the hotel in advance. There are a lot of people who want to spend a weekend in Kiev, and all budget places can be occupied. You can also stay in a rented apartment. Such a service is very common in Kiev - apartments are rented to tourists for several days and are cheaper than a hotel. If you are traveling with a small child, then it is better to stay there. This will save yourself the trouble of cooking.
Step 2
There is a very convenient metro in Kiev - not that big and busy, and quite inexpensive (2 hryvnias, about 8 rubles). But there are also enough traffic jams. So if you don’t want to waste time, it’s better to go down to the "subway".
Step 3
You can start your acquaintance with the city from the place of its foundation, where the National Museum of the History of Ukraine is now located. In the estate of the museum you can see the remains of the ancient settlement - "Detinets Kiya", laid in the ledge of Starokievskaya mountain. After the museum, you can walk along Andreevsky Descent - the most picturesque street in the city. Andreevsky descent is similar by analogy to the Moscow Arbat. Here, along the street paved with paving stones, there are artists, souvenir shops, theaters and unusual museums. The beginning of the street is crowned by the St. Andrew's Church, built according to the project of B. Rastrelli and towering above the street to the height of a two-storey building. The church is surrounded by an observation deck, and if you get to the completion of the reconstruction, you will have a breathtaking view of the Dnieper and its surroundings. On weekends, you can get to the ceremony of baptism or wedding, in the traditional Ukrainian style. Stop and admire, the sight is very beautiful.
Step 4
Andreevsky Descent is an excellent place to buy souvenirs, where you can buy a magnet with views of the city and an embroidered national costume, and a painting with an inviting still life. Going down the street, you can stumble upon … a nose that grows out of the wall and which must be rubbed for good luck. You have already guessed that this nose is from the story of the same name by Gogol. And you can also meet the Behemoth cat, imposingly located at one of the city walls. Sculpture, of course. Going downstairs, you will find yourself on Podil, one of the oldest Kiev squares. And now there are many sights left on it - the Assumption Church, Gostiny Dvor.
Step 5
After a tiring descent, you can relax and have a snack. Ukrainian cuisine is familiar to everyone - borscht (which has a lot of varieties - Poltava, Lviv, Chernihiv, etc.), dumplings, potato pancakes. But only the real taste of these dishes can be recognized only in their historical homeland. Fortunately, there are many establishments in Kiev that specialize in national cuisine - from budget to premium. And a Kiev cutlet in a crispy crust with the most delicate butter inside, and meat in a pot with dumplings, and dumplings with cherries in sour cream … mmm, you won't have any problems feeding your child. It has been checked, everyone eats, even the most capricious, but you just need to take a good walk around the city before dinner.
Step 6
It will be very difficult to climb up after such a dinner. Therefore, you can walk along the embankment of the Dnieper, and there you can also take a ride on a river tram. And you can go up to the "upper city" by the funicular - the most unusual type of transport in Kiev. The cable car, built over 100 years ago, connects Pochtovaya Square with the "upper city". The funicular ride takes about 5 minutes, but it allows you to see the beautiful garden at the foot, and children are always delighted with this unusual transport.
Step 7
Second day.
Dedicate it to a walk through the historic city center. If you go up on the funicular, you can get to the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. Archangel Michael is considered the heavenly patron of Kiev, and the monastery itself was founded by the Kiev prince Svyatopolk (Michael). The ensemble of the monastery is of a light heavenly shade and itself, as it were, soars on a hill above the Dnieper. The temple is active, and in general, Ukrainian monasteries should be mentioned separately. All of them have incredible national decoration - embroidered towels frame icons, services are conducted in Ukrainian, which makes them seem incredibly attractive and return to Gogol's stories. And what was so difficult to understand in childhood comes easily and beautifully in Kiev churches. Let yourself and your children enjoy this poetics of speech, not at all alien and so clear in prayer.
Step 8
After the Mikhailovsky Monastery, climb higher and you will find yourself on Sophia Square. On holidays, it is filled with people, concerts and various events are held here. But our goal today is St. Sophia Cathedral, the oldest surviving monument of Kievan Rus. On the territory of the reserve in the cathedral, ancient Russian mosaics with an area of 3000 m2 have been preserved. This is a very large area for such relics. Inside is the sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise and his wife. But a walk through the territory of the complex is not limited only to the cathedral. You can calmly wander and admire the bell tower, towers, refectory and the metropolitan house.
Step 9
A little further along Vladimirskaya Street, the Golden Gate was built, which for a long time was the main gate of a part of Old Kiev. They were built back in 11 by Yaroslav the Wise and were really golden - the building was crowned with a church with gilded domes and a cross. This beauty could not fail to attract Batu and gradually the gate fell into decay. Now they have been reconstructed, and the ancient ruins are inside the building.
Step 10
You can dilute your visit to museums with entertainment for children. There is a zoo, circus, planetarium in Kiev. In the warm season, you can simply stroll through the city's botanical gardens, which attract not only by their coolness and aromas, but also by begging squirrels (be sure to stock up on nuts). On Landscape Alley, there is a sculpture park with a 30-meter centipede cat, rabbit-shaped benches and other funny animals. But in the evening you can go to the main square of the city and the country, Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Nezalezhnosti) and the most famous street - Khreshchatyk. In the evening it is crowded, fashionable and beautiful.
Step 11
Day three.
The last day can be spent at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Regardless of the religious theme, a trip to the Lavra can be a dungeon adventure for children. After all, there are long and deep underground caves. The labyrinths were dug back in the 11th century and were first used for cells and churches. Later they began to be used as a burial place. In particular, the remains of the chronicler Nestor, the author of The Tale of Bygone Years and the hero Ilya Muromets are buried there. So before visiting the caves, legends about the great Russian heroes should be read at night. And it's also nice to let the mystery go and tell a few legends and caves. You will have time for this while you wait in line to descend into them (there are a lot of people in Lavra on weekends and holidays). According to one of the legends, the caves are so large that they pass under the Dnieper and have exits in other temples of the city. Ask the children to dream up themselves, or maybe they will give you an idea from the crowd - the local watchmen know more than a dozen of such legends.
Step 12
The Lavra is not limited to only dungeons, its territory is huge, so if you have small children, it is impossible to go around it all in a day. The maximum you can do is incredible photographs of churches and bell towers, and you will have a view of the Dnieper and the open-air museum of the history of the Great Patriotic War.
