Our flight was too early in the morning. When we arrived at Kiev Boryspil Airport we did not eat our breakfast yet. We used Uber to go to the city center of Kiev from the airport. FYI, Uber was widespread in Kiev as well as cheap.

St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral

Our first stop was Cookietone. It was a lovely cozy coffee and cookie shop in Kiev. Aysegul preferred to eat vegetarian food, an avocado burger. In contrast, Elif and I ate chocolate pancakes. Later on, we St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral. It was a beautiful cathedral, inside and out. The exterior walls were a striking yellow, surmounted by domes of the deep blue set with stars and a central dome of gold. The interior was filled with icons and murals. There were disputes over which section of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church owns this cathedral, but as a tourist, it was well worth visiting. It was built in 1852 to commemorate the Baptism of the Rus.

A.V. Fomin Botanical Garden, National Opera of Ukraine, St. Sophia’s Cathedral

After we made a quick tour of A.V. Fomin Botanical Garden, we visited the National Opera of Ukraine. National Opera of Ukraine is one of the most important locations in the country. Unfortunately, we could not attend any performance because it was not available at that time. However, the building was outstanding. It is located in the heart of the city. And then, we moved on to St. Sophia’s Cathedral. It is an impressive piece of architecture. Detailed and complicated it sits proudly above the City.

Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti)

After visiting St. Sophia’s Cathedral we ate our launch and moved on to Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti). On weekends it is the place to visit. A very lively place with a lot of people having fun end relaxing throughout the weekend. The main road was closed for people to walk and have different activities on it (dancing contests, concerts, activities for kids and families). Lots of options to shop, eat, and drink. The place looks amazing and alive at night. This place was close to other beautiful places to visit with nice views.

Chicken Kyiv, Khreschatyk Street

We ate our dinner at Chicken Kyiv that is also very famous in Kiev. After that, we spent our time on Khreschatyk Street. It has nice architecture, a lot of cafes and shops, sometimes crowded. You can also find a lot happening in the streets – street singers, dancers, other activities. the road closes on holidays, so you can walk on it then.