One of the oldest cities in Ukraine and the most beautiful capital of Eastern Europe is Kyiv. Kyiv was founded in the 5th century and very often it is called “the mother of Russian cities”. According to Indexdotcom, the city has a huge number of architectural and historical attractions. Those who come to Kyiv should definitely visit the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, which was built in 1051 and is now one of the most important centers of Orthodoxy, the Lavra is included in the list of UNESCO treasures. In the numerous caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the remains of famous historical figures (Ilya Muromets, Nestor the Chronicler, etc.) are buried. The best place for walking citizens and guests of the capital is, of course, the main street of the city – Khreshchatyk. In general, Kyiv has the largest number of churches and temples among all the cities of the CIS. There are many interesting museums in the capital, the best of them are the National Museum. T.G. Shevchenko, the National Museum of Architecture, the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War and much more. Not far from the capital is the city-museum – Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky, which is considered the oldest city in the country. There are a large number of various museums here, and the streets here are amazingly beautiful and unusual. The main resort area of Ukraine, of course, can be considered the Crimean peninsula. The peninsula has a wonderful climate, hot summers and not inferior to most Mediterranean resorts, and short winters. In addition to sea beaches, there are various ancient and medieval sites and cities, monasteries and castles, as well as military monuments. The southern coast of Crimea is well suited for hikers, especially the Tsar’s Path in Livadia. There are hundreds of hiking trails in the Crimean mountains. For tourists who love outdoor activities, there are also cycling routes, but due to the mountainous terrain, cycling will only be safe for trained people. In recent years, equestrian travel has begun to actively develop in the Crimea. The largest equestrian tourism centers are located in Sevastopol, near Sudak and Yalta, as well as in the Belogorsk region. Diving is also developed here, the Tarkhankut Peninsula and the Koktebel Bay are the most popular in this type of outdoor activity. Lviv is one of the oldest and largest cities in Ukraine. This place is rightfully considered a real open-air museum, because most of the houses here are considered real architectural monuments. The city is unique not only in its appearance, but also in culture, as European and Slavic customs and cultural values ​​are mixed here. At the moment there are more than 2000 architectural and historical monuments in Lviv. One of the most popular and visited places by tourists can be called the “High” and “Low” castles on the Castle Hill, the Gothic Cathedral of John the Baptist, the chapel of the “Three Saints”, the “Lychakiv Cemetery”, etc. The largest resort city in Ukraine and simply unusual and diverse city – Odessa. Local beaches are more than 30 km long, one can even say that the entire coastline, from Lanzheron to Kovalevsky’s dacha, is one big beach. All beaches are sandy, but sand was brought here, the only exception is Luzanovsky beach. The city is old, so most of the houses here are already very dilapidated, but, nevertheless, very beautiful. The main attraction of Odessa is the famous Potemkin Stairs, which is the largest staircase in the country and gained its popularity after the movie “Battleship Potemkin”. Those who are in Odessa for the first time should definitely visit the famous Privoz market. In this market, you can hear the real “Odessa language”, just keep in mind that you need to go not to the new covered department, but to the noisy bazaar, which is a little away. If you are with a child, be sure to visit the largest dolphinarium in the CIS, which is open at any time of the year.

National cuisine of Ukraine

Since Ukraine is located at the crossroads of the main European trade routes, since ancient times it has absorbed the culinary traditions of many peoples, but it also presented its original dishes and recipes. The main feature of Ukrainian cuisine is the presence of a large number of components in one dish and the complex process of their preparation. Meat and dairy products, vegetables and flour are widely distributed. Frying products is almost always carried out on pork fat (lard). Of course, borscht is considered the main dish of Ukraine. This dish has a huge distribution here and is divided into more than 100 species. Depending on the recipe, borscht contains from 15 to 30 different ingredients. In addition to meat, fish is often used in Ukrainian cuisine, for example, the most popular fish dishes are: crucian carp baked in sour cream, herring in Kiev, stuffed carp, zander baked with mushrooms, etc. Dumplings are also popular among the local population. They are made here with a wide variety of fillings.