Traveling to Ukraine!

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It lies at the northwest end of the Black Sea, with Russia to the east, Belarus to the north, Poland to the northwest, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, and Romania to the south west and south, with Moldova in between.

Most of the country (the central and eastern portions) was formerly a part of Russian Empire; after the October Revolution and the Civil War, the entire country - known as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic - was a part of the Soviet Union. Ukraine is the second-largest country in Europe, albeit with a slightly declining population.

History 

Ukrainian history is long and proud, with the inception of Kyivan (or Kievan) Rus as the most powerful state in Medieval Europe. While this state fell prey to Mongol conquest, the western part of Ukraine became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the 14th until the 18th century, even modern Ukraine owes it a debt of sorts. A subsequent Ukrainian state was able to - in the face of pressure from the ascendant Muscovy - remain autonomous for more than a century, however the Russian Empire absorbed much of Ukraine in the 18th century, to the detriment of their culture and identity.

Despite a brief, but uncertain, flash of independence at the end of the czarist regime, Ukraine was incorporated into the new USSR after the Russian Civil War in 1922 and subject to two disastrous famines (1932-33 and 1946) as well as brutal fighting during World War II. As a Soviet republic, the Ukrainian language was often 'sidelined' when compared to Russian to varying degrees; Stalinist repressions during the 1930s, attempts at decentralisation during the Khrushchev administraion and the retightening of controls during the Brezhnev-Kosygin era of the 1970s and early 1980s. In any case, the traditionally bilingual province had signs in both Russian and Ukrainian in virtually all cities, including Lviv, where Ukrainian is most prevalent. The 1986 Chernobyl accident was a further catastrophe to the republic but also widely considered as an event which, in the long run, galvanized the population in regional sentiment and led to increasing pressure on the central government to promote autonomy.

Ukraine declared its sovereignty within the Soviet Union in July 1990 as a prelude to unfolding events in the year to come. The Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's Parliament) again declared its independence in early December 1991 following the results of referendum in November 1991 which indicated overwhelming popular support (90% in favour of independence). This declaration became a concrete reality as the Soviet Union formally ceased to exist on December 25, 1991. Initially, there were severe economic difficulties, hyperinflation, and oligarchal rule prevailed in the early years following independence. The issues of cronyism, corruption and alleged voting irregularities came to a head during the heavily-disputed 2004 Presidential election, where allegations of vote-rigging sparked what became known as the "Orange Revolution". This revolution resulted in the subsequent election of opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko as President.

Regions 

Central Ukraine
The political, economic, and cultural center of Ukraine, centered around the capital Kiev.

Crimea
A peninsula that serves mainly as Russia's favorite beach resort, with some beautiful Black Sea coastline and mountainous interior.

Western Ukraine
Historically under the control of non-Russian European countries for centuries (e.g Poland, Lithuania, Austria, Romania, Czechoslovakia and Turkey); accordingly you'll find Central European architecture, cuisine, language and religion here.

Eastern Ukraine
The heavily industrialized and Russified coal-mining region of the Donbass, home to big Soviet cities and much of the country's ethnic Russian population.

Southern Ukraine
The popular Ukrainian Black Sea coast (albeit not quite so popular as the Crimea), best known for the magnificent city of Odessa.

Visa requirements and customs 

Tourist visas are no longer required for citizens of the European Union, United States, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Vatican City, Monaco, Iceland, Norway, San Marino, Mongolia, Serbia, Montenegro and the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (except Turkmenistan). This applies only for tourist travel lasting less than 90 days.

For other countries, visas are obtainable within a few hours of visiting a Ukrainian consulate having received a 'letter of invitation' from one's perspective lodging or business provider.

More information is available at Ukraine's Embassy in your country and/or the Foreign service departments of your national governments (or their embassy websites here in Ukraine).

Always know how much currency you have with you. Customs officials might inquire about the amount being brought into the country. It is prohibited to bring large amounts of Ukrainian currency (hryvnia) in to the country unless it was declared upon leaving Ukraine.

It is advisable to check in advance the customs regulations (e.g. the Boryspol Airport website, which has an English version) as rules and regulations have the habit of changing at short and unannounced notice.

When entering the country you will be required to complete an immigration form - currently this is a simple white document with two parts that have more or less identical information. Both parts should be completed on arrival: the immigration officer will keep one part and you have to retain the second, which you will need to show to the immigration officer on your departure from the country. It is not advisable to lose this easily lost scrap of paper, as you'll almost certainly have difficulties on leaving Ukraine (and likely incur a "fine" too). You will need to know where you are going to stay as this is required on the form and the immigration officer will insist that it is filled in.

Talk

Ukrainian is the official language. Near the neighbouring countries, Russian, Romanian, Polish, and Hungarian are spoken. Russian is a close relative of Ukrainian and is most often the language of choice in the south and east of Ukraine. It is safe to assume that virtually any Ukrainian will understand Russian, however, beware that in the western parts people may be reluctant to help you if you speak Russian, though as a foreigner Ukrainians will be more forgiving than to Russian visitors. On the other hand, in eastern parts and especially Crimea, Russian is the most commonly spoken language. In central and eastern part of the country you may also find people using these two languages simultaneously (so called surzhyk—mix of languages). It is also common for people to talk to others in their native language, irrespective of the interlocutor’s one, so a visitor speaking Russian may be responded to in Ukrainian and vice-versa. Kyiv, the capital, speaks both languages, but Russian is more commonly used. So, Ukrainian is more frequently met in Central and Western Ukraine, Russian - in Eastern and Southern parts of the country.

Young people are more likely to speak a little English, as it is the most widely taught foreign language in school.

If you are traveling to Ukraine, learn either basic Ukrainian or basic Russian before hand (i.e. know your phrase book well) and/or have some means of access to a bi-lingual speaker - their mobile/cell/handy number (everyone has a mobile phone) can be a godsend. Virtually nobody in any official position (Train Stations, Police, Bus drivers, Information Desks, etc.) will be able to speak any language other than Ukrainian or Russian. If you already know another Slavic language you will be able to communicate sufficiently.

It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the Cyrillic alphabet; this will save you a lot of time and difficulty.

Buy

To shop you will most certainly need local currency (hryvnia). US Dollar, Euro, British Pound and other currency exchange points are very common in cities, and the exchange rate is usually very fair (except in Kyiv, where the exchange rate is higher compared to other cities). However, sometimes and in some banks there are problems with cash deposits (or that is the official version), so do not exchange too many dollars unless you're traveling to the more provincial areas. When doing person-to-person payments you might be able to pay in US dollars or Euros, as those are widely recognized, and you might in fact get better rates than in official exchange points. However, be careful, because it's not legal to make payments with foreign currency.

If you want to buy any kind of artwork (paintings, Easter eggs) in Kyiv, the place to visit is Andriivskij Uzviz.

BE AWARE THAT IT IS ILLEGAL TO TAKE OUT OF THE COUNTRY ANY ITEMS OF HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE including badges, medals, icons, historical paintings, etc... This law is strictly enforced at all exit points of the country and one risks heavy fines and/or imprisonment.

As of September 2009
1 UAH = 0.125 USD (1 USD = 8.57 UAH)
1 UAH = 0.092 EUR (1 EUR = 12.57 UAH)

Eat

 Ukrainian cuisine is quite tasty, but just as other cuisines in the region uses a lot of fat ingredients, especially in the festive dishes. Traditional local food includes "salo" (salted lard) and soups like "borshch" made of red beets or "solianka" which is a delicious meat soup. The first, salo, is perhaps something you might not make yourself try - however is a delicious side dish, as for the soups being a must-have dish.

If you are outside a big city or in doubt about food, exercise caution and common sense about where you buy food. Try to buy groceries only in supermarkets or large grocery stores, always check the expiration date, and never buy meat or dairy products on the street (you can buy them on the market, but not near the market).

When choosing a restaurant at which to eat, you will find one that you like based on the menu posted by the entrance of every establishment. This may sound strange, but in most towns in Ukraine there are some very good restaurants, sometimes even luxurious ones, and these restaurants do serve properly made food. If you like traveling to more remote parts of the country and are in doubt about what to eat, remember that vegetables are always a safe choice.

Along the way you may find nice places to eat not by following the rare signs, but just by tracing the sky for the smoke of traditional wood fires. These are often places where they serve traditional Ukrainian food, including very tasty shashlyky .Restaurateurs are very friendly, and more often than not you will be one of their first foreign visitors. Next to the "borshch" you might also ask for "varenyky" or "deruny" .You have to try varenyky with potatoes and cottage cheese in a sautéed onion and sourcream sauce - it's a fantastic dish. These are just starters, but ones that might fill you up quickly.

Drink

The Ukrainian specialty is horilka (the local name for vodka) with pepper. Other kinds of vodka are also quite popular - linden (tilia), honey, birch, wheat. Prices range from $2 to $30 (1-7€)/0,5 l. Souvenir bottles are available for higher prices (some bottles reach upwards of $50 (35€)/0.5 l). There is a great choice of wine, both domestic and imported. The domestic wines mostly originate in the south, in the Crimean region - known for wine making dating back to early Greek settlement over 2,000 years ago, although wines from the Carpathian region of Uzhorod are also quite tasty. Prices for local wine range between $2 to $50 (2-35€) per bottle of 0,75 l (avoid the cheapest wines, $1 or less, as these are sometimes bottled as house wines but sold as local vintages), however, one can find genuine Italian, French, Australian wines from $50 per bottle and more in big supermarkets and most restaurants. The price of imported wines dropped significantly over the last number of years and trends indicate further reductions in price.

There are a lot of beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Ukrainian beer is of very good quality. Beer from barrels or kegs (more common in cafes) is often watered down. Canned beer is not very common in Ukraine and sometimes not of the same quality as the same variety sold in bottles. The best beers are brewed by Lvivske, Obolon and PPB (Persha Privatna Brovarnia). Imported beers are also widely available but more expensive – for instance, a bottle of Austrian Edelweiss can cost upwards of $2USD while average price of Ukrainian beer is 50¢. All told, Ukrainian beers are very tasty and gaining popularity elsewhere in Europe.

Of non-alcoholic beverages one should try kvas – a typically slavic drink made of rye or wheat. During the summer one can easily buy it from designated street vendors. It’s better to buy it in bottles due of unknown cleanness of the barrel. Dairy drinks, of all sorts, are also available, although mostly in supermarkets. Bottles of mineral water are available everywhere, as well as lemonades, beer, and strong drinks. When seeking to buy bottled water make sure to ask for "voda bez hazu" (water without gas) otherwise you are likely to be handed the carbonated drink.

Travel to Ukraine and have a great time!