In the land of the Cossacks.
Description
The Cossacks were adventurous nomadic adventurers, pirates and Slavic mercenaries from Eastern Europe. They colonized around the 15th and 16th centuries, particularly the banks of the Dnipro river in Ukraine, north of the Black Sea.
A stay to discover the city cradle of Slavic culture, capital of the first Ukrainian state: "Kyiv (Kiev) RUS". A city rich in its great past history and its incredible current modernity, often unsuspected.
You will visit the following major tourist sites in particular: the Pechersk Lavra Monastery, the Cathedrals of Saint Sophia and Saint Michael, the Saint Andrew's Church, the Saint Andrew's Descent, the long Khreschatyk Street and the Independence Square- Maidan. As well as the Opera, the Ethnographic Museum in the open air and the Miniature Museum.
During your stay, you will also admire the splendours of the cities of Poltava, Zaporizhzhya, Dnipro, Cherkasy, Chyhyryn and Subotiv.
For all group trips in Ukraine, Vacanture offers:
- a choice of modern and designer hotels, located in the city centre, with a range from 3-star to 5-star hotels (in line with international standards of comfort, hospitality and aesthetics);
- a choice of modern restaurants, with a designer decoration, and a high quality service. They offer a revisited authentic Ukrainian cuisine, designed to satisfy a demanding international clientele;
- transfers in modern, air-conditioned buses that meet strict international standards for comfort and safety. Highly qualified personnel for bus driving;
- optional activities for evenings.
The detailed program of the stay:
Kyiv (Kiev) - POLTAVA - ZAPORIZHZHYA - DNIPRO - CHERKASY - CHYHYRYN - SUBOTIV - Kyiv (Kiev)
8 days / 7 nights
Program (8 days / 7 nights)
-
1
Kyiv (Kiev)
Reception at the international and modern airport Boryspil in Kyiv (Kiev).
Transfer to a hotel. Installation in rooms.
Lunch at a restaurant.
Departure for the guided tour of Kyiv (Kiev), during which you will discover its main monuments: the University of Mohyla, the Golden Gate, the Golden Domed Saint Michael's Cathedral and Saint Sophia Cathedral.
Dinner at a restaurant.
In the evening, you will attend a performance of the National Opera (performance by reservation).
-
2
Kyiv (Kiev)
Breakfast.
Visit of the Pechersk Lavra Monastery, splendid and millenary. With immense religious importance in the history of Orthodox Christianity.
Visit of the miniature museum.
Visit of the treasure museum "Gold of the Scythians".
Lunch in a restaurant.
Walk along the picturesque Andrew's Descent (Andriivskyi Uzviz), the oldest district in Kyiv (Kiev), where many painters, artists and craftsmen offer their craft creations.
Visit of the remarkable St. Andrew's Church, in Baroque style, with its terrace overlooking Kyiv (Kiev).
Cruise on the Dnipro river with Champagne, Gorilka and red caviar.
Possibility of dinner on the boat or in a restaurant.
Visit of the museum of Icons and miniatures. Visit to the treasure museum "Gold of the Scythians".
Lunch in a typical restaurant Pervak where you will discover the traditional "50 gr" of horilka (vodka).
Walk along Saint Andrew's Descent (Andriivskyi Uzviz), the oldest district of Kyiv (Kiev), today home to many painters, artists and craftsmen offering their creations.
Visit of St. Andrew's Church. A living example of 18th century Baroque architecture,St. Andrew's Church was built according to Bartolomeo Rastrelli's plans. The interior decoration with its carved woodwork and iconostasis are invaluable objects.
Departure for a mini cruise on the Dnipro river, a river that crosses the city. (Possibility of dinner on the boat).
Overnight at hotel. -
3
Kyiv (Kiev) - POLTAVA
Breakfast.
Departure by bus to Poltava.
We head south to the city of Poltava which is considered the "soul and heart" of Ukraine. In this hospitable little city, under the influence of Ivan Kotlyarevskyi, the Ukrainian literary language was definitively formed.
Lunch during the visit.
On the way stop at the village of Gogoleve (visit the Museum of Gogol, a very famous writer) and the village
of Opishnya, a former center of Ukrainian pottery.
Installation at a hotel.
Tour through the city. Visit to the Church of the Transfiguration, the Church of the Assumption, the House-Museum of Ivan Kotlyarevskyi.
Dinner in one of the most beautiful restaurants in Poltava.
Overnight at a hotel. -
4
POLTAVA - ZAPORIZHZHYA
Breakfast.
Departure by bus to Zaporizhzhya (300 km), to the land of the Cossacks.
During 2 days you will live in the atmosphere of glory of the Cossacks.
Installation at a hotel.
Lunch.
Guided tour of the city of Zaporizhzhya, located on the banks of the Dnipro river, in the heart of the territory of the valiant Zaporizki Cossacks.
Founded by the Cossacks in the 12th century in the heart of the Ukrainian steppe to protect itself from Ottoman invasions. The city was largely destroyed by Peter the Great and Catherine II, but still has a museum dedicated to the history of the Cossack people.
Boat trip to Khortytsia Island, which overlooks the rapids of the Dnipro river. It was in 1533 that the Cossacks built on this island the system of fortifications called the "Zaporizka Sich".
In the evening, you will enjoy a show of Cossacks with horses.
Folk dinner with tasting of the traditional Cossack dish called "kulish".
Return to a hotel.
-
5
ZAPORIZHZHYA - DNIPRO
Breakfast.
Departure from a hotel.
Visit to the Cossack History Museum on Khortytsia Island.
Visit to the Kurgans (mounds) of the Island.
Lunch in a restaurant.
Departure for the city of Dnipro, founded by Prince Potiomkin in 1787. The city experienced a great industrial boom at the end of the 19th century following the construction of the railway between Kryvyi Rig (rich in iron ore) and the Donetsk coal basin.
Under the Soviet regime, the city of Dnipro was banned to all foreigners. It was one of the most important places in the military industry: the famous SS20 rockets were built there. Only the museum of their construction recalls these periods.
Dinner at a restaurant. -
6
DNIPRO - CHERKASY
Breakfast.
Departure to Cherkasy with a stop in Chyhyryn, former residence of the Ukrainian hetmans (senior Cossack dignitaries) and in Subotiv, where the most prominent hetman, Bohdan Khmelnytskyi,is buried.
Lunch composed of traditional dishes: kulish, smoked sausage, fish, holubtsi (cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and meat). During the meal, you will attend the show "Cossack Mamay" with songs, dances and popular games.
Solemn initiation to the rank of Cossack accompanied by the presentation of a charter of honour approving your commitment.
Arrival in Cherkasy.
Installation at a hotel.
Dinner at a restaurant. -
7
CHERKASY - Kyiv (Kiev)
Breakfast.
A short visit to Cherkasy, a city founded in the 13th century, rich in historical monuments.
Transfer to Kyiv (Kiev).
On the way, stop at Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi: visit the magnificent museum of outdoor folk architecture.
Lunch in Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi.
Installation at a hotel in Kyiv (Kiev).
Dinner at a restaurant.
-
8
Kyiv (Kiev)
Breakfast.
Free time.
Transfer to the airport and assistance with boarding formalities.