After meeting at the hotel’s lobby and walking up the famous Khreschatyk street we get to the site of a triumphal entrance of ancient Kyiv – the Golden Gates – a crucial part of the 11th century urban defense system created by Yaroslav the Wise and destroyed in 1240 during the Tatar-Mongol raids. In 1982 a pavilion was erected above the remains of the Golden Gates, which recreates the original appearance of this monument.
Then we marvel at the golden domes of the iconic St. Sophia’s (Holy Wisdom) Cathedral, one that survived the Tatar-Mongol raids and now is considered to be one of the main jewels of Kyiv and Ukraine. Later we follow the evolution of Ukrainian architecture, examining the 76-meter Bell Tower that was built in the 18th century at the southeast of the St. Sophia’s cathedral complex. Then we walk across the reconstructed Mykhailivska square, passing a new copy of the historic monument to Cyrill, Methodius, St.Andrew and Princess Olga. Constructed in the 19th century, in 1920s the monument was stolen by the communists and for a long time was considered to be lost, but in 1995 during the reconstruction of the square, it was discovered buried under the road!
We pause to enjoy the wonderful sounds of the bells of the reconstructed St. Michael’s Cathedral and take a short ride to Kyiv’s most celebrated historic site – the Pecherska Lavra (or Monastery of the Caves). Founded in 1051, the monastery covers 75 acres and comprises many churches, cathedrals, bell towers (one which reaches to the highest point on the Kyiv skyline), and monastic cells. Two separate networks of underground caves beneath the monastery contain the mummified bodies of more than 100 monks and six subterranean churches. During our 2.5 hour Lavra visit we go all the way up to the top of the 96-meter Great Lavra Bell Tower and wander down into the underground labyrinths filled with ancient mummified monks. We visit the famous Micro Miniatures Museum, which holds ships carved out of gold, books of poetry, and tiny shoes for a flea, and make an optional stop at the Scythian gold Museum which could rival that of the Hermitage! Following that, we learn more about Ukraine’s complicated past at the World War II Memorial and Museum located nearby. We might even take a lift ride to the top of the tallest statue of Ukraine, the Motherland Statue. It’s 18th on the list of the world’s tallest statues for a small fee you can go up to the height of the shield for a breathtaking view of the Kyiv skyline! After that, we drive to the Babi Yar memorial to pay tribute to hundred thousand Jews and Soviet prisoners of War massacred there by the Germans during World War II.
We end our tour at the Independence Square, the world-known Maidan, the heart of Kyiv and the whole Ukraine that has been the site of much turmoil and revolution over the last decade, and now is a symbol of freedom and resistance from oppression.
Named after the great Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, Saint Sophia Cathedral is one of the city’s best-known landmarks and the first heritage site in Ukraine to be inscribed on the World Heritage List along with the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. Kyiv’s oldest standing church, St. Sophia’s was built in 1037 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise, who...
One of the seven wonders of Ukraine and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (the Monastery of the Kyiv Caves) is a significant sacred and historical site. The Monastery of the Kyiv Caves begins its history in 1051 when the Greek monk St Antony with his follower Feodosy progressively dug out a...
A short and relatively new street for 1500+ y.o Kyiv, Khreshchatyk became the symbol of changes that took place in the capital of Ukraine. For the most part of Kyiv’s history Khreshchatyk remained an undeveloped ravine between several neighborhoods of Kyiv: the old town and commercial neighbourhood of Podil, the Upper City and Pechersk neighbourhood...