Duration: 3-4 hours(by bus)
Price, USD: 25
It is a nice opportunity to make a journey in the ancient city Kyiv. You will see the place, where the city was founded, also observe historical architectural monuments of 10th, 11th, 13th, 18th, 19th, and of course you will see modern Kyiv. The excursion with a professional guide interpreter starts from Old Kyiv Hill (Vladimir's Hill, to the honor of Prince Volodimir, the baptizer of Kyiv Rus), the place, where according to the chronicles, the first settlement was established by 3 brothers: Kiy, Shcheck, Horiv and their sister Lybid in 482 A.D. On Vladimir's Hill you will see the duplicate of the basement of Decytinnaya Church (10th), which was completely destroyed in 1240 during the tatar-mongol invasion.
From the epoch of Volodimir you will proceed to the epoch of Yaroslav the Wise, the son of Volodimir. The historical monument, preserved up to our days, is St. Sophia's Cathedral (1037). It is a unique specimen of Old Rus architecture. Mosaics and frescos in the interior of the Cathedral are of great value. There is a nice view from Sophia's Square to St. Michael Golden Domed Cathedral (1113), which was destroyed to the earth in 1934-35 by soviet regime and restored in 1998.
You will see St. Andrew's Church, built in 1754 by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, which is a piece-de resistance of the baroque style. Not far away, Andrew's Descent - a thousand-year old street connecting in the days of Kyiv Rus-Ukraine the Upper part of Kyiv with the Lower. Today it is the Greenwich Village or the Montmartre of Kyiv filled with art shops and exhibits, cafés, beauty and charm.
Continuing the tour of the city we can not pass by the famous Golden Gates (11th), which were the part of fortifications of Kiev in their time, were completely destroyed in 1240 and reconstructed in 1750, 1837. The beauty and grandeur of the Golden Gates inspired a famous musician Musorgsky to write a composition "Pictures from the exhibition". From Kyiv of Old Rus time we are proceeding to modern Kyiv: a famous Opera House (1901), Kyiv National University (1837-43). You will drive along the main street of Kreshchatik, will hear the history of this famous street. Near the Arch of Friendship a magnificent view to the Dniper river and to one of the old regions of Kyiv, Podol, will be opened to you.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Price, USD: 25
One of the most famous Kyiv attractions founded in 1051 by monks Antoniy and Feodosiy for enchanting and expansion of new religion - Christianity. The complex of Kyivo-Pecherskaya Lavra Monastery includes Nearby and Far-off caves, the Church of the Savior on Berestove, Holy Trinity Gate Church, St Nicholas' Church and the Great Lavra Belfry, the highest in Ukraine (96,6), fully reconstructed Assumption Cathedral. The majority of the structures is built in the Ukrainian Baroque style. The ensemble is organically linked to the relief and forms a beautiful and majestic silhouette of Kyiv from the Dnipro riverside.
In 1990 Kyiv-Pecherskaya Lavra Monastery was enlisted into the UNESCO's World Heritage List.