... Where a soul can rest. Parks

Volodymyrska Hirka (St. Volodymyr Hill)

It’s one of the oldest sacred places in Kyiv. First, a park called Mykhailivskyi was laid out on this hill, and then, when a Monument to Prince Volodymyr the Great was erected in the park, the park and the hill were renamed. This place fills visitors with energy, gives a positive mood. From the sightseeing platform of the Volodymyr Hill, a wonderful view opens up. In the 1900s, an innovation appeared on the Volodymyr Hill, the Mikhailivskyi electric train, which is now called a funicular.

How to get there: go up by funicular from Poshtova Ploshcha (Postal Square) metro station.

Mariinskyi Park and City Garden (Khreshchatyi Park)

Mariinskyi Park is one of the oldest parks in Kyiv with cosy, quiet alleys and stunning views. It was often renamed. It was called the Tsar’s Garden and the Alexandrovsky Park, as well as the Soviet Garden, the Proletarian Garden, the Palace Garden, the Regular Garden, and the Park of the Victims of the Revolution. At the entrances to the park, there are two elegant Termen fountains; the alleys, where many trees are more than 150 years old, are decorated with monuments and sculptural compositions made in different styles. Mariinskyi Park gives an opportunity to take a leisurely walk in any weather, sit on comfortable benches and drink coffee. On the ledge of the hilly part of the park, a spectacular platform was built, from which you can admire the views of the left bank of Kyiv, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the luxurious Mariinskyi Palace. The Bridge of Lovers, which is ideal for meetings, romantic dates and walks is one of the favourite places of tourists and young people. In fact, it connects Khreshchatyi and Mariinskyi parks.

Location: Mariinskyi and Khreshchatyi parks are located along Hrushevskoho Street, bounded on one side by houses Nos. 9 and 9-A, and on the other by a steep cliff above Parkova Road, and on the third by Dynamo Stadium, and are separated by the Mariinskyi Palace complex.

Park of Trypillian culture 

This small park was opened in 2003. It is a little-known place in Kyiv. Few people have heard of the park, despite the fact that it can be considered a kind of an open-air museum dedicated to one of the oldest civilisations in Europe, the Trypillians. Here, household objects of this culture’s representatives are reproduced from ceramics and stone on an enlarged scale. In the centre of the park, there is a statue of the Great Mother, the main goddess worshipped by the matriarchal society of Trypilians. Other objects include a monument to a bull on wheels, dishes, household items, models of residential premises, and a temple. An equally interesting exhibition, 7 Wonders of the World, is located nearby. It consists of reduced copies of famous monuments.

How to get there: It’s within 10 minutes of walking distance from Demiivska metro station.

Heydar Aliyev Square

The square strikes with its beauty. An unusual architectural solution, a water feature, many various plants — all that differs it from the rest of Kyiv parks.

The square is built in the form of several tiers going down the slope. Its contours resemble a wall of a real eastern castle. The highlight of the park is, of course, the water feature. It cascades in a smooth vertical mosaic and then descends into a small pool. You will not find such a carpet fountain anywhere else.

The mosaic in Heydar Aliyev Square is the world’s only exact copy of the life-size Sheikh Safi carpet. It is made of ceramics, Murano Glass and Italian tiles. The Sheikh Safi carpet is one of the oldest Tabriz carpets that have survived to this day. It was created by order of Shah Tahmasp in 1539. Such carpets are considered a miracle of the East, because they impress with the finest handiwork, small unique patterns, perfectly selected colour scheme, and are bordered with an original rich canvas.

Several species of plants characteristic of Azerbaijan were planted in the territory of the park, and a map of the country was made of the flowers on the flower bed.

At night, a very unusual illumination is turned on in the fountain, which makes the square even more mysterious and fabulous.

Address: 24 Hlybochytska Street (near the Embassy of Azerbaijan).

Syrets Arboretum

The Syrets Arboretum covers an area of ​​7.5 hectares. The park’s collection includes 325 species of trees, including yew and pine trees, 16 species of vines, and 119 deciduous trees. Coniferous trees occupy 50% of the park’s territory, which makes the air clean and healing. A wide variety of plants and shrubs delight the eye, from oak and linden, which are more than 100 years old, to exotic ginkgo and tulip tree. There are also such ‘exotics’ as the Japanese yew, Engelmann spruce, Colorado spruce, Crimean linden, Magnolia kobus. In the spring, lilacs, magnolias, jasmines, crocuses delight with their splendour; and sakuras and apple trees, peonies and irises fill the park with divine aromas.

Karl Meyer, who in 1875 laid the foundations of the park, or rather, planted a small array of deciduous and coniferous tree species, was the creator and author of all this magnificence. Later, in 1949, the arboretum received a second life in the framework of the project, and under the leadership, of dendrologist Mykola Ptitsyn. Walking along the mysterious paths of the park, you will definitely feel harmony and peace. 

Address: 43 Tyraspolska Street.

How to get there: from Nyvky metro station by minibuses Nos. 26, 410, 455, 465, 531 or by buses Nos. 32, 226, 14 or by trolleybuses Nos. 5, 26 to the stop Stetsenka Street.

From Syrets metro station, by minibuses Nos. 23, 47, 223, 439, or by trolleybuses Nos. 23, 35 to the stop on demand Tyraspilska Street, or walk through the territory of Syretsky Hai.