by country
The Classic UKRAINE
DAY 1
Arrival at the airport. Transfer to the hotel.
DAY 2
Kyiv
The tour starts with a visit of Pecherska Lavra, a cave monastery founded in the 11th century by St Antony. Enter both parts of the modern complex: the upper lavra, owned by the state and consisting of a number of museums and the lower lavra, owned by the Orthodox Church and consisting of the caves. Continue to St. Sophia Cathedral and Monastery Complex, the oldest remaining church in Kiev, site of the Virgin Orans mosaic. Outside the gates, there is a statue commemorating Bogdan Hmelnitski, who liberated Kiev in the 17th century. Reach St Andrew's Church, walking along a quaint cobblestone street lined with souvenir sellers, restaurants, galleries and museums.
DAY 3
Kyiv – Odessa (500km./10h.)
Explore the Motherland Statue and War memorials. Lots of examples of classic Soviet-era memorial statuary as well as some amazing exhibits of military hardware. Visit the Museum to the Great Patriotic War (WWII) and find weapons, battle maps, hundreds of original photographs, and a moving installation at the end of the exhibit symbolizing the great losses suffered. Visit Chernobyl' Museum, a fascinating and moving museum. Enjoy a walk along Khreschatik Street, full of entertainers and people wandering around. Overnight train to Odessa.
DAY 4
Odessa
The tour starts from the famous Primorsky Boulevard. View the monument of Duke Richelieu, one of the founders of Odessa. See the Palace of Count Vorontsov and the Palace of Weddings. Continue to the Picture gallery, once a palace of Prince Pototskiy it features a huge collection of paintings by Russian artists. Get to the Pushkin Monument, a bronze bust situated high on a square of gray and pink marble granite, dedicated to the famous poet. See the trophy of the Crimean war. Continue to the Archaeological Museum and the Marine Museum. Walking in the much smaller and betterl kept part of the old town, find a large and beautiful Opera house. Explore Odessa’s Catacombs and learn more about its history. Go to the museum of heroic defence during the time of World war II and visit the cellars of the warriors, who kept fighting the Nazis in the hinterland during the war..
DAY 5
Odessa – Simferopol (500km./10h.)
Enjoy the multi-ethnic city of Odessa where a large number of various religions coexist. Visit the Preobrazhenskiy cathedral, monastery and nunnery. Continue to the Muslim cultural center and then to the Jewish Synagogue and theological seminary. Explore the restoration of numerous religious monuments and shrines. Travel by train to Simferopol.
DAY 6
Simferopol – Sevastopol (70km./1h.30min.) – Yalta (80km./1h.30min.)
Arrival in Simferopol and continue to Sevastopol, an important and historical port on the Black Sea. Visit the amazing museum Panorama, which depicts the siege of Sebastopol (from the Russian point of view) with a display a little like a diaorama, but much more impressive. Explore the ruins of the Greek city of Chersonessus, located about three kilometres from Sebastopol. Departure to Yalta, memorable because of 19th century VIPs who came to cure their illnesses here.
DAY 7
Yalta
Visit Livadia Palace, the last Tsar's vacation residence. It was host to Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt for the Yalta Conference in 1945, in which they reportedly planned the division of Europe at the end of World War II. Go inside and walk past the hall where the meetings took place. See the imperial family's private chapel. Enjoy a beautiful view of the Black Sea and Yalta from the palace grounds. Continue to Chekov's house, where he wrote many of his short stories. Explore the museum dedicated to the writer. Visit Swallow’s Nest castle, located on top of 40-metre (130 ft) high Aurora Cliff. Drive to Alupka. See the famous Vorontsov Estate which was constructed between 1828 and 1848 as the home of Mikhail Semenovich Vorontsov Field Marshall of the Russian army. The palace is a mixture of Scottish Manor house with Moorish traditions. Admire the outstanding views across the Black Sea, overlooked by the mountains. The last stop is Massandra winery, a treasure trove of ancient wines. Taste the wine from Ukraine's oldest winery, which has been producing fine wines for more than 110 years.
DAY 8
Yalta
Transfer to the airport.
