When visiting a new city, you want to see everything,  feel the authenticity spirit, look into atypical locations. When you have only one day to do this, it is quite challenging to work logistics and time frame correctly. Active Ukraine team always cares about the quality of your trip, so this time we will help to make your stay in the capital of Ukraine the most comfortable, productive and memorable. All spots of this article are posted into chronological order with the guide-map added. Take a look at the 10 + 1 locations that will show you Kyiv in all its glory with its ancient history and aesthetics of modern transformations.
 

1.​ ​ Observe the historic monumental art of St. Sophia’s Cathedral 

Location: Volodymyrska Street, 24
 
St. Sophia’s Cathedral is a Christian temple and a monument of architecture and monumental painting of the XI century, located on Sofievsky Square. It is recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Program. The architecture of the Cathedral combines Byzantine and Baroque styles. Two types of monumental paintings - mosaics and frescoes - are harmoniously combined in the Cathedral. Mosaic distinguishes the main parts of the interior of St. Sophia Cathedral - the central dome and the altar. In ancient times frescoes decorated all the side walls of buildings, galleries, towers, and choruses. Till today, 260 square meters of mosaics have been preserved and about three thousand square meters of fresco painting of the XI century. Even if you are not a churchman, we encourage you to visit this place that has captured such a long line of Ukrainian history in its art. 

2.​ ​ Dive in a fairy atmosphere with the kid's at the Landscape Alley

Location: Landscape Alley

       If you are traveling with children, be sure to visit the Landscape Alley. Once, the Alley was laid in order to create for tourists the possibility of viewing the landscapes of Podil and the Dnipro. It is located on Starokyivska Hill, which offers stunning views of the city. Now the Alley is known first of all for its art-playground with its quirky installations. All the sculptural elements of this magical place are more like the characters of children’s books. Here you will find the sculpture of the Little Prince and a 30-meter long cat. The site impresses with its colorful mosaics. In addition, the Museum of History of Ukraine is located on the territory of Alley. You can get here from the side of St. Andrew's Descent, or from Poshtova Square, which will not be far away either. If you are riding on the subway - you need a station “Golden Gates”.  The entrance to the Alley is free. So, in any case, we advise you to look at this truly fabulous place. Both for a historical and entertaining excursion.  

3.​ ​ Take a stroll through the Andriyivskyy Descent

Location: Andriyivskyy Descent
 
We offer you to plunge into the atmosphere of an ancient city. This chamber street can be walked for hours. Here you can fully admire the city, monuments, museums, make a pleasurable stop for a cup of coffee and get yourself some unique souvenirs from Ukraine. 

How to get to Andriyivskyy Descent? You can use a metro. In this case, you need to get to the station «KONTRAKTOVA PLOSHCHA». Then go in the direction of Sagaidachny street. A walk to the Descent will take two-three minutes. Here are a few locations of Andriyivskyy Descent on which you can hold up longer:  St. Andrew's Church is an Orthodox Church, created by the famous architect Rastrelli in 1754. It is the only Orthodox Church without a bell tower.  Richard’s Castle – the house was built in the early 20th century in the English Gothic style. The monumental facades are decorated with architectural elements of fortifications-different types of towers and spires. On the left side of the house stands a tall tower with fortress features. It looks truly stunning.  
       ​ Museums:  
       Bulgakov Museum – is the House where the famous writer lived. It is called “the house of Turbines”. It is a place where you can come to get acquainted in detail with the life of the author “Master and Margarita”.  Museum of one street is dedicated to the history of the Descent. In the two halls of the permanent exhibition of the Museum contains hundreds of authentic Antiques — books, paintings, furniture and clothing, photographs and documents telling about the historical events associated with Andriyivskyy Descent, and its famous inhabitants.  Museum-workshop Kavaleridze is a place where the works of the famous sculptor Ivan Kavaleridze. You can also take a look at the ethnic Street-art “Podyh”, painted by Julien Mallan and Oleksii Kyslov. 

4.​ ​ Take a break in a public park «Samosad» 

Location: Spaska Street, 15
 
This place is linked with a wonderful story of reincarnation of waste ground into a public space. The joint efforts of community activists arranged the Park according to the needs of the public. There is a stage with wooden seats, hammocks, beautiful flowerbeds, parking for bicycles and solar panels for lighting and charging gadgets. Samosad is a place where a constant atmosphere of co-creation reigns. All décor elements are made by hand. Cultural events are held on a regular basis there. Continuing the theme of wall paintings, we offer a look at the Voloshska street. Impressive painting "Crossing" adorns one of the walls of the Soviet high-rise buildings. Thus Australian artist and Fintan Magee emphasized the importance of environmental issues. 

5.​ ​ Enjoy the view of the Dnipro

Location: Kyiv Funicular

       The best way to continue exploring the city is by taking a walk along its banks, where you can take in some of Kyiv’s most captivating sights. There are two ways of sightseeing: A funicular system connects Podil with the historic Upper Town. The system was built during 1902-1905 and was considered to be one of the most progressive transport solutions at that time. The cost of one trip on the funicular is 8 UAH.  If you are a fan of hiking, you can use the Park bridge across the Dnipro. The bridge was built in 1956-1957. It connects the Central part of Kyiv with the Park area and the beaches of Trukhaniv island. The length of the bridge is 429 m, the width of the pedestrian part is 7 m. The silhouette of the bridge is one of the most expressive elements of the city. It offers a beautiful view of the majestic Dnipro river, a pleasant memory of which will accompany yours for a long time. 

6.​ ​ Take a calm amble in Mariinsky Park 

Location: Mykhaila Hrushevskoho Street
 
       Mariinsky Park is considered to be one of the oldest parks in the capital of Ukraine. Together with Kreschaty Park, they make up the Park ring of Kyiv - one of the most popular sightseeing routes. Mariinsky Park is located along the Dnipro hills. Its main entrance is opposite to the building of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The Park covers an area of about 10 hectares of land, you can see lime trees, maples, chestnuts and other types of trees and shrubs. The Park is planned in a landscape, English style, it is a unique monument of landscape art. The picturesque place is named after the Mariinsky Palace, which was built in 1750-1755. The main facade of the Mariinsky Palace "looks" at the winding Park alleys. If you are traveling with a loved one and want to take a leisurely romantic walk, be sure to look at the bridge of lovers. It is a Park bridge connecting the Mariinsky and Kreschatyy parks. Couples and newlyweds leave here for good luck locks, ribbons and napkins, tied on a knot, as a sign of love and hope that they will always be together.

 7.  Pay a visit to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra 

Location: Lavrska Street, 15
 
The National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Reserve is the largest museum complex in Ukraine, where 144 buildings are concentrated, of which 122 are historical and cultural monuments. Among them - 2 unique underground complexes (the Near and the Far Caves), temples, museums, architectural monuments of the XI-XIX centuries and numerous exhibition rooms. Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is an Orthodox monastery, founded in 1051 by the monks Antony and Theodosius. Since 1990, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Most of the Lavra buildings date back to the XVII-XVIII centuries and are wonderful examples of the Ukrainian Baroque in architecture. Princes and nobles came here to pray. From the twelfth century preserved almost in the original form of one church - Trinity Goblins church above the gate of the main entrance to the Lavra. Despite any attempt, it is not possible to get 
see all the treasures of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in one day. But it’s a good reason for return.  

8.​ ​ Contemplate the bizarre architecture of the House with Chimeras 

Location: Bankova Street, 10

       Be sure to admire the House of Chimeras - a mysterious brick building with decorations of mythological and hunting stories, made in the style of Art Nouveau. The construction of the building was carried out by the Polish architect Vladislav Horodetsky in 1901-1902. At that time, the building served as a family residence. The building derives its popular name from the ornate decorations depicting exotic animals and hunting scenes, which were sculpted by Italian architect Emilio Sala due to the fact that  Horodecki was an avid hunter. The name of the structure does not refer to the chimera of mythology, but to an architectural style known as chimera decoration in which animal figures are applied as decorative elements to a building.  Due to its near proximity to the Presidential Administration building, the House with its front street is patrolled and bears the status of a pedestrian zone. In view of this, getting inside is quite difficult. A number of foreign visitors are limited. You can try and  take a quick sightseeing tour around the area by yourself but it is better to save time and create your tour with Active Ukraine team.

9. Make acquaintance with Ukrainian contemporary art in PinchukArtCentre

Location: Velyka Vasylkivska/Baseyna Street, 1, 3-2

PinchukArtCentre is a private art center, one of the largest in Central and Eastern Europe. PinchukArtCenter has become an international hub for contemporary art, which provides an opportunity for the development of Ukrainian art youth. Research Platform was created on the basis of the Center, whose goal is to create a living archive of Ukrainian art, from the '80s to the present. The Art Center also invests in a young generation of artists with the help of Future Generation ArtPrize and the PinchukArtCentre Prize. Since the opening, the center has become one of the most favorite places of Ukrainian youth, as well as numerous tourists of the capital. A convenient schedule (12:00 - 21:00) and a free entrance provide a great opportunity to discover the works of contemporary artists. The center was created on 6 floors, among which there are 4 floors with exhibition halls. On the sixth floor, there is a video-lounge and a coffee shop, where you can have some quality rest. 
 

10. Tuck away some first-class snack in the Bessarabskyy Market

Location: Bessarabska Square, 2
 
Once in Kyiv, fairs were held on a regular basis. People could not only taste delicious food but also get colorful impressions there. In our time, the continuation of this tradition is the Kyiv markets. So, whenever your ready for some snack, we invite you to visit Bessarabsky market. The main grocery market of the capital is located on Khreschatyk Street and is open 24 hours a day. This is a historic structure that was built back in 1910-1912. The total retail area is 896 m². Merchants have been trading vegetables, meat, flowers, elite coffee and tea in this beautiful building with a tall ceiling for over than a hundred years. True, some products may cost an arm and a leg but they do correspond to their quality. 
 

11. Dine in the public restaurant Urban Space 500 

Location: Borysa Hrinchenka Street, 9

       Active Ukraine team knowingly chose this place. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that 80% of the restaurant's profit is directed to the implementation of Kyiv development projects. In other words, the institution is a vivid example of active social entrepreneurship. By the way, a similar institution Urban Space 100 functions in Ivano-Frankivsk. How does it work? The founders are 500 socially active people who have United around the idea of quality development of urban space. The restaurant has an "event stage", which serves up cultural, environmental, inclusive, and non-formal educational events. Entrance to them is always free, because of a policy of the institution. The restaurant has a cozy courtyard and 6 rooms, which are named after the streets and neighborhoods of the capital. There you’ll find a classy European cuisine with an emphasis on healthy food. The average check is 200-250 UAH. Therefore, in this place, you can not only have dinner but also invest a small part in the development of Kyiv. 

Here is map for you :

Hopefully, our article was useful to you and made a clearer plan for your travel. So, tell us - ​ which location would you like to visit most?