Tours

“Any uprising against foreign invaders is a matter of law and the first duty of every nation.”
— Stendhal

This private 4-hour car tour combines a panoramic sightseeing of Kyiv’s most iconic landmarks with a visit to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War and the legendary Motherland Monument. Our city suffered enormously during the Nazi occupation that lasted 778 days. More than 100,000 people were shot at Babi Yar. The city population fell by more than 60%. A professional guide will lead you through 1,500 years of Kyiv’s history — from its founding princes to the darkest chapter of the 20th century.

This tour is for you if you want to know:

• which legendary family founded our city, and what is their story?
• on which ancient hills did Kyiv first appear?
• how was the chief pagan god Perun punished?
• which three places in Kyiv were used for work, prayer and feasting?
• who received more military awards than Marshal Zhukov?
• why did the mass shootings at Babi Yar begin?
• which monument could theoretically be covered in gold?
• how long did the Nazi occupation last in Ukraine?

“Since you live in a Soviet country, your dreams must also be Soviet.”
— Ilya Ilf & Yevgeny Petrov

The USSR was an era for many generations. Some still feel nostalgic — remembering free trips, a stable salary, a loaf of white bread for 13 kopecks, or ice cream for 9. But behind the veil of penny prices lay millions of ruined destinies and lives. On this tour we will show you the real Soviet past — not the myths, but the history.

This tour is for you if you want to know:

• when did the largest country in the world appear?
• in what year was communism supposed to be built?
• who was Lenin’s neighbour in the mausoleum?
• which Soviet-era places still remain in Kyiv today?
• why did the Chernobyl catastrophe mark the beginning of the Soviet Union’s collapse?

“All peoples have a secret sympathy for their evil spirits.”
— Samuel Butler

Have you ever been on Old Kyiv Hill on a Sunday morning? At that hour, a kind of madness reigns in the air — the chime of church bells interrupted by pagan chants. How could such different faiths coexist in the “Orthodox Jerusalem”? We have the answer. On this tour your professional guide will take you through the mystical side of Kyiv — its haunted houses, pagan hills, dark legends and the spirits that never quite left.

This tour is for you if you want to know:

• how many Bald Hills are there in Kyiv?
• where does the pagan god Perun still stand?
• where is the Devil’s Hill in the city?
• where is Kyiv’s most famous “haunted house”?
• why was the monument to Volodymyr the Baptist never consecrated?
• why does the coat of arms of Kyiv bear the image of Archangel Michael?
• where is Kyiv’s Golgotha?
• how is the Central Post Office connected to a poltergeist?

“Walking through the courtyards — it is the city seen from within.”
— Viktor Nekrasov

Everyone knows the tourist landmarks — Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, St. Sophia Cathedral, Independence Square. But today we invite you to step off the main streets and stroll through the hidden courtyards of Kyiv. Here you will find three old ravens in a huge cage, four giraffes and eleven pandas — without a cage, a cat-centipede, and a Ukrainian Madonna made of mosaic. None of these are in a zoo. A professional guide will show you the city that most visitors never see.

This tour is for you if you want to know:

• where is the courtyard with the ravens?
• which Kyiv park is compared to Gaudí’s Park Güell in Spain?
• where does the cat-centipede live in Kyiv?
• where is the “Kyiv Madonna”?
• do pandas really live in our city?
• on which balconies do flowers bloom all year round?

“Beauty is a promise of happiness.”
— Friedrich Nietzsche

The most popular places in any city are its observation decks. It is there that you can truly appreciate the scale of the city, see how ancient architecture and modern buildings intertwine, and take away a unique portrait of Kyiv in all its scope and grandeur. This private 3–4 hour car tour takes you to the finest panoramic viewpoints of the capital — places that locals treasure and tourists rarely find.

This tour is for you if you want to know:

• which is the highest hill in Kyiv?
• where is the “Leaning Tower” of the city?
• where is “the most beautiful place on earth” as Mikhail Bulgakov described it?
• why was the monument to Volodymyr the Baptist never consecrated?
• where was the founder of Moscow, Yuri Dolgoruky, buried?
• where was the first skyscraper in Kyiv?
• which monument was almost covered in gold?

“But without Podil, Kyiv is not possible, as Saint Volodymyr without the cross.”
— words from a song

If you’ve never visited Podil — you’ve never truly been to Kyiv. Nestled beneath the Kyiv hills on the bank of the Dnipro River, Podil is the city’s oldest and most atmospheric historic district. In the era of Kievan Rus it was the beating heart of commerce — the trading quarter, the main port, the harbour and the customs house were all here, in the place once called The Lowest City. Today it blends ancient churches, majestic monuments, old merchant buildings and charming narrow streets into one unforgettable walk.

This tour is for you if you want to know:

• why is Podil called Podil, and what does the name mean?
• where and when were the biggest trade fairs in Kyiv held?
• where was Mikhail Bulgakov born?
• why did Napoleon set fire to Podil?
• where is the Florivsky women’s monastery?
• did Peter the Great really live in Podil?
• where was the first shopping centre in Kyiv built?

“Andriyivsky Descent is one of the real ‘Kyiv’ streets.”
— Viktor Nekrasov, writer

Every city has its landmark street. In Paris it is Montmartre, in London it is Carnaby Street — and in Kyiv it is Andriyivsky Descent. A street with a soul, a character, and a legend. Here Mikhail Bulgakov grew up and wrote his early works, here architect Rastrelli left his mark in stone, and here you will find Landscape Alley — Ukraine’s first art park, often compared to Gaudí’s Park Güell in Barcelona.

This tour is for you if you want to know:

• the history and legends of this legendary street
• where did Mikhail Bulgakov live, and how did Kyiv inspire his writing?
• why does the “Richard the Lionheart” castle have such a nickname?
• was Andriyivsky Descent once Kyiv’s “Red Light District”?
• where is the most “crying” mountain in Kyiv?
• what fairy-tale characters live on Landscape Alley?