PART ONE GENERAL INFORMATION Chapter 1 Background Information 3 Geography 3, Climate 3, Natural history and conservation 4, History 5, Government and politics 25, Economy 28, People 32, Language 33, Religion 35, Education 38, Culture 39 Chapter 2 Practical information 47 When to visit 47, Highlights 47, Suggested itineraries 48, Tour operators 50, Red tape 51, Embassies and consulates 54, Getting there and away 54, Health 59, Safety 62, Women travellers 64, Racial minorities 64, Travelling with children 64, Gay travellers 65, Disabled travellers 66, What to take 66, Money and budgeting 69, Getting around 71, Accommodation 78, Eating and drinking 83, Public holidays 88, Shopping 89, Arts and entertainment 90, Media and communications 92, Business 94, Travel culture in Ukraine 94, Cultural etiquette 97, Travelling positively 98 PART TWO THE GUIDE Chapter 3 Kiev/Kyiv 101 History 102, Getting there and away 105, Getting around 111, Local tour operators 115, Tourist information 115, Where to stay 116, Where to eat and drink 125, Entertainment and nightlife 132, Shopping 135, Other practicalities 136, What to see and do 138, Churches and holy sites 143, Museums and galleries 151, Parks 154, Around Kiev 154 Chapter 4 Polissya 157 Getting around 157, Chernihiv 157, Novhorod-Siversky 160, Chernobyl 161, Zhytomyr 164, Berdychiv 166 Chapter 5 Podillya 168 Getting around 170 Vinnytsya 170, Uman 175, Kamyanets-Podilsky 178, Khmelnytsk 183 Chapter 6 Galicia and Volhynia 189 History 190, Getting around 190, Lviv 191, Drohobych 212, Truskavets 212, Ternopil 214, Pochayiv 217, Volhynia 218, Lutsk 219, Rivne 222 Chapter 7 The Carpathians 225 The mountains 227, Flora and fauna 228, When to visit 229, Getting around 229, Tourist information 229, Ivano-Frankivsk 231, Yaremche 235, Carpathian National Nature Park 239, Tatariv 239, Vorokhta 240, Bukovel 241, The Chornohora range 243, Yasinya 246, Rakhiv 247, The Carpathian Biosphere Reserve 248, Verkhovyna 249, Kosiv 250, Sheshory 250, Kolomiya 250, The Horhany range 252, Bukovina 254, Transcarpathia 262 Chapter 8 The Black Sea 271 Getting around 271, Odessa 271, Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky 291, The Dnistr and Danube Deltas 292, Mykolayiv 293, Kherson 294 Chapter 9 Crimea 301 History 301, The Autonomous Republic of Crimea 306, Simferopol 306, Yevpatoria 312, Bakhchisarai 314, Sevastopol 321, Balaclava 329, The south coast 331, Yalta 332, Yalta to Foros 341, Alushta 347, Demerdzhi 349, Feodosiya 350, Kerch 355 Chapter 10 The Dnepr 358 Getting around 359, Cherkasy 359, Kaniv 361, Kremenchuk 361, Kirovohrad 362, Dnipropetrovsk 364, Zaporizhzhya 372 Chapter 11 Donbas 381 History 382, Getting around 382, Donetsk 383, Svyatohirsk 391, Mariupol 392, Luhansk 393 Chapter 12 Sloboda 397 Getting around 397, Kharkiv 397, Poltava 412, Myrhorod 416, Sumy 417