Are you ready to walk 12 km today? Well, so let`s start our walking tour in Kiev from the University metro station. I have chosen this station as a start point of our hiking, because it is the next station after the Vokzalnaya metro station, to where you will arrive from the Borispol airport or the Railway station. So, just simply use the underground to get to the Universitet station.
Before, I will provide you the detail information about the walking tour for today, let`s make a short review of places we will visit. Please, take a look on a map below.
- St. Volodymyr's Cathedral
- The Shevchenko Park
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
- National Opera of Ukraine
- Golden Gates
- Saint Sophia's Cathedral
- Saint Sophia`s square
- Pejzazjka
- National Historical Museum of Ukraine
- St. Andrew's Church
- Andriivskyi descent
- Castle of Richard Lionheart
- Hostynnyi Dvir
- Fountain of Samson
- National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
- Kiev River Port
- Funicular Lower station
- Funicular Upper station
- St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery
- Alcove
- Yevropeiskaya Square
- Friendship of Nations Arch
- Khreschatyk street
- Independance Square
- Passageway
- Bessarabskiy rynok
- Lva Tolstogo square
So, let`s start our walking tour in Kiev and go to the St. Volodymyr's Cathedral. To get to there from the Universitet metro station you should across the Shevchenko boulevard and then to walk about 50 meters on the left. (Follow me, using the map).
The St Volodymyr's Cathedral is an Orthodox church, in the neo-Byzantine style, that was built in 1882. On the top of the cathedral there are seven overglided domes. The Cathedral surrounded by a small park with benches.
I advise you to go inside the church to take a look on the painting on the walls and top, that was painted by the best artist of the 19 century. The final version of the St Volodymyr's Cathedral belongs to the Alexander Vikentievich Beretti.
In front of the St Volodymyr's Cathedral you can see the boulevard. To get to the next point, the Shevchenko Park and University, you should go on the left along the street till the crossroad with a traffic light.
In the middle of the Shevchenko Boulevard it is a pavement with an alley and benches. Along the boulevard there are plenty of historical buildings. You can see buildings of old residences (#4, 12), a building of an old hotel (#5-7), gymnasiums (#14, 18), a college (# 22-24) and other buildings, that was constructed in the 19 century.
Across the road near the traffic light to enter the park.
The Shevchenko Park and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
The Shevchenko Park is one of the smallest park in Kiev in front or the entrance to the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, one of the most popular universities of Ukraine. In 1890, a territory of the park was much bigger and included a territory of the Taras Shevchenko National University, territory of the Clinical hospital and a territory of the Botanical garden.
Nowadays, it is just a small piece of land with a fountain, monument of Taras Shevchenko, openspace cafes, restaurant, and alleys with benches, areas for performance and art and an area for children. The Shevchenko Park is one of the favorite places for students and citizens.
Our next stops will be near the National Opera of Ukraine and The Golden Gate. Go back to the crossroad that you had crossed to enter the park and go along the Volodymyrska street till the another crossroad. On the left you will see beautiful building. This is the opera.
The building of the National Opera of Ukraine was built in 1867. The hall of the Opera can hold 1650 person. It is one of the most beautiful old Opera building in the Europe.
Walking far along the Volodymyrska street you will see a metro station and an old building in front of it – The Golden Gate.
The Golden Gate
The Golden Gate was the main entrance to the ancient Kiev and was built between 1019 and 1026. It was one of three gates to Kiev. There were also Lyadsky gate (you can find the reconstruction of this gate on the Independence square) and Lvivsky gate (Lvivska brama). The last gate were never reconstructed.
On the top of the Golden Gate there is a small church. You can climb up on the Golden Gate to see it.
The metro station in front of the Golden Gate has the same name and worth to see it. It is very beautiful station, decorated as an old castle with a mosaic on it`s walls and huge chandeliers with girandoles. The area between two escalators decorated as a church.
Saint Sophia's Cathedral and Saint Sophia`s square
Walking about 200 meters far on the Volodymyrska street you will reach the Saint Sophia`s square and Saint Sophia's Cathedral on it.
Saint Sophia`s Cathedral was built in the same period of time as the Golden Gate. It is one of the most important historical places of the ancient Kiev. Inside the museum of the Saint Sophia you can find the biggest collection of ancient mosaics and frescos.
Some of the mosaics and fragments are from one of the oldest church – Desyatynnaya church. Fundament of this church you can see near the National Historical Museum of Ukraine. To reach the museum you should continue walking along the same street as before and then turn left on the Desyatynnyi lane.
On the right you will see the area of the Historical museum and on the left you will see a street – The landscape alley (Pejzazhka). Take a small walk along this street before come back to the territory of the museum.
The Pejzazjka
The Landscape alley or (Pejzazhka) is an area along the place of an ancient wall that Kiev was surrounded of in the 11 century. It is a road for walk along the edge of the hill with a beautiful view on the landscape from the one side and a vie of the various kind of art and sculptures with a cats and other ridicules creatures on the other side. That place is usually crowded on weekends. People like to come at Pejzazhka and make funny photos inside sculptures of cats, fishes, rabbits.
National Historical Museum of Ukraine
Walking back along the Landscape alley you will come to the small park near the building of the National Historical Museum of Ukraine. On the territory of the park you can find few ancient statues made with stone and an ancient heathen for religious ritual, also made with a stones.
On the way to the exit of the park, you can also find the fundament of the ancient church that was built in 996. Fragments of mosaic of this church you had been seeing in the museum of the Saint Sophia.
Just in front of the Museum you can see the church with a golden dome. Let`s go there and see what it is.
St. Andrew's Church
Lets go up to the St. Andrew`s Church, the old church that was built in 1754. Before you will enter the church lets walk around it to enjoy nice views on the Andriivskyi descent from the one side and the river Dniper from the other side.
Inside the church it is a famous iconostas, made with linden and covered with a gold leaf. As is easy to see, there is no bell on the top of the church. Maybe, you will wonder why?
This is a legend about the ball. According to the legend it was a sea around the hill. And when st. Andrew came to Kiev and placed a cross on the top of the hill, the river hid inside the hill. And after the church was built on the hill a little spring appeared on a surface of the hill. And due to the legend, a sound of a ringing bell can wake up the sea and it will flood the Kiev.
Andriivskyi descent
The street is going down from the St. Andrew`s Church is Andriivsky descent. One of the most favorite place for tourists and citizens. In the ancient time this street connected an Upper town with the Lower town and was the central street.
Nowdays Andriivsky descent is mostly touristic area with lot of souvenirs, arts, handmade stuffs, restaurants with a national cuisine, museums, and musicians. It is really amazing street between two hills and with old buildings.
Walking down, you can see the castle on the right – the Castle of Richard Lionheart. Of course, the castle had never belonged to a Richard. The castle was built in 1904 like a profitable house. The castle famous with it`s terrifying legends about ghosts and horrific howling at nights.
Hostynnyi Dvir
On the bottom of the Andriivsky descent walking few matters on the left you can see the square building – Hostynnyi Dvir that was built in 1809 as a trading house with 50 shops inside.
Near the building of the Hostynnyi Dvir you can see the fountain of Samson. The fountain was build in 1749 and was the first aqueduct in ancient Kiev. The water was flowing from wooden pipes.
Walking 50 meters far from the fountain you can find the entrance to the one of the oldest academy in Ukraine, Mohyla Academy, that was built in 1659.
Saksaganskogo street is an old street with an old building. Walking along that street you can reach the Poshtova square with the River port with a riverfront area. Here you can buy tickets to the boat and have a small boat trip along the River bangs or just walk along the Dniper river.
Our next point is the Funicular which we will use to climb up to the Michaylovskaya Square. To get to the Funicular, turn back to the Saksaganskogo street and cross the road to the entrance of the metro station. In front of you will see the entrance to the Lower station of the Funicular.
Go up to the Upper station. Advice you to enter to the last door of the wagon and stand near the window. From that place you will be able to see very nice view on the Dnieper. If you will sit, you will not be able to see anything, just backs of the other passengers.
When you will arrive to the Upper station, you will see domes of the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. There are two entrances to the territory of the monastery. You don`t need to go to the central entrance, you can entrance from the first entrance you will see on the left close to the Funicular.
Between the Funicular and the St. Michael's Monastery there is a park on the hill above the Dnieper river with an amazing landscapes. If you will walk straight along the park from the Funicular, you will get to the alcove where you can sit and take time for rest, enjoying an amazing view on the river from the hill.
Walking throw the park to the Triokhsviatytelska street and down you will get to the Yevropeiska square. The most central street Khreschatyk is starting from this point and takes 1.3 km. We will walk along that street later, but before let`s go left to the underground to across the road and to go to the Observation Deck with the Arch, also very popular place for tourists. To reach that place you will need to go up on the stairs near the beautiful old building - National Philharmonic of Ukraine.
In the summer time you can use a rope way to fly above the Dnieper river from the Observation deck to another bang of the river. If you will decide to enjoy in that way, mention that there is a way just on the one side, and to going back you will need to walk by foot.
After visiting the Observation Deck, you should turn back to the Yevropeiska square to continue hiking on the Khreschatyk street till the next point – the Independence Square (Maydan Nezalexhnosty). It is the most central square of Kiev city.
The Independence Square
The Independence Square is divided for two areas by the Khreschatyk street. On the right part you can see a massive building with columns. It is a building of the main post office in Kiev. In front of the entrance to the post office you can see a column with a blue globe on it. And around the column there are a many small lights on the ground with the geographical names and a distance from those places to the column.
Walking along the square you can find the arch with a statue of angel on the top. This is the reconstruction of the second gates to the ancient Kiev.
If you will across the Khreschatyk street to go to the left part of the Independence Square you can see a monument of the founders of Kiev city and the huge column with a statue of a women on it. This is a statue of the Independence.
The Khreschatyk
Walking far from the square along the Khreschatyk very soon you can find a small street between two buildings. The entrance to that street is under the arch decorated with sculptures. The name of that short street between buildings is Passage and it was constructed by the famous architect Vladislav Gorodetsky. You can find a metal statue with the architect in the middle of the Passage.
Let`s turn back to the Khreschatyk and walk 5 minutes to the Bessarabskiy rynok (Besarabsky Market), the old building that was built as a market that was constructed in 1912 and was the first roofed market in Kiev.
If you will continue walking along the Khreschatyk and then along the Velyka Vasylkivska street you will come to the Lva Tolstogo Square. This is a popular place for students and people who like to hang out. Here you can see street musician in front of the entrance to the metro station Lva Tolstogo, sometimes you can see a fire show or other amateur `s performances in that area.
I hope you will enjoy the trip and I know that you will find a lot of other interesting objects and places on the way, but it will be too big post if I will describe to you each of them. So, let it be your own finds.
