Stroll through history
Kiev’s rich past and architecture is a result of it having been an important city for Lithuania, Poland, the Cossack and Mongol Empires, the Soviet Union and finally Ukraine. After your arrival from your cheap flight to Kiev, take a look around the historical centre, which is based around Podil square. From here you can discover streets full of art, breweries and restaurants. The recently restored Baroque Saint Andrew’s Church adds a touch of grandeur to the setting.
Glimpse the past
Take a look around the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, a stunning collection of buildings including a bell tower, monastery, and cathedral, and intriguingly, access to its 11th century burial caves. Get your camera ready to snap the stunning architecture, recently classed as a UNESCO world heritage site. The city’s more recent past is commemorated by the imposing Motherland Monument which you can visit at the same time as touring around the attached Museum of the History of the Ukraine in World War II.
Heart warming cuisine
After building up your appetite during a day’s walking, you should have enough left in your budget to sample traditional Ukrainian food in one of the city’s many eateries. Try sampling borshch, a hearty soup to warm you up on the coldest of days. For a vegetarian option try holubtsi, or kartoplia solimkoi. If you want to try a real chicken kiev, the city’s most famous gastronomic export, you will need to ask for a Kotlety Po-Kyivskomy.
When to go
Flights to Kiev don’t vary hugely in price depending upon the time of year, although they do tend to be more expensive during the festive season in December.
If you book your return flights in the spring or summer, you will find that the warmer days bring locals and tourists out together to relax and play along the river, or in the local lakes. This is also a good time of year if you are happy to meander aimlessly through the city’s historical centre.
If your visit falls anytime between November and March, you are likely to have to battle with snow to explore the city. Amazing Christmas and New Year’s markets are held in Podil Square. Try looking for some last-minute flights to Kiev during November and December 2023 / 2024 to find a Christmas getaway to suit your budget.
Airports and airlines
For a complete picture of when and how you can get the best deals on Kiev flights, Netflights will search all major airlines to ensure that you can find the best flight for you. To ensure that you are shown the best price, vary the display of your search results by “Best Airline Price”. If you can be flexible with your dates, select “flexible dates” to see the best prices first.
Kiev Airport
Also known as Zhulyany Airport, this municipally owned airport is conveniently just south of the city centre. Unfortunately, there are no direct flights to Zhulyany from the UK. If your heart is set on flying to Zhulyany airport, Belavia airlines offers indirect flights from London Gatwick and Heathrow, via a stopover in Minsk. View more flights to Kiev Zhulyany Airport.
Getting around the airport
Zhulyany Airport has three terminal buildings, the newly built Terminal A is where you can check in for international flights, D for domestic flights and B for business flights. If you need to navigate between the terminals then you can do so on foot via the pedestrian walkways.
Getting to the city from the airport
After your flight to Kiev you could travel the short distance into Kiev city centre on a (frequently running) bus, either all the way into the city centre or to the nearest metro station in about 40 minutes. Alternatively, a minibus service will take you to the central station where you can catch the metro, which is a 20-minute journey. Car rental companies also abound at the terminal.
Before you fly
Fortunately, you can visit Ukraine and stay for up to 90 days in a 180 day period without having to obtain a visa. Now there’s no excuse not to book those last-minute flights.
