Social program
Excursions
The cost is not included in the registration fee*
Rusan fountains. Romance of Kiev Venice
Start: at the main entrance to the hotel Tourist
(exit from the metro Livoberezhna towards the shopping center Livoberezhny)
Duration: 2 hours
- We are waiting for a new route on the left bank and an interesting story about how to create this beautiful island – Rusanivka.
- Rusanivka tract on the left bank of the Dnieper opposite Kyiv has been known since ancient times as the possession of Kyiv monasteries. According to some historians, it got its name from Sava Rusanovich, who in the XVI century owned the neighboring lands.
- At the edge of Rusanivska Bay was washed island, which rises above the water level by 3-5 meters. Over the next thirteen years, an artificial sand island was built up with 9- and 16-story multi-section residential buildings.
- Surrounded on all sides by water, Rusanivka resembles a park rather than a residential neighborhood.
- The complex of geyser fountains is located along the embankment of a residential area on the left bank in Kiev. The fountains shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow, the water jet of the composition reaches 30 meters in height.
And at the end of the tour we will get to a real fountain show.
Journey through the Bald Mountains of Kyiv
Start: from St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral, then Desyatynna Street, Andrew’s Descent to the Castle Hill (optional – climb the mountain).
Duration: 2 hours
- You will learn what the “Devil’s Beremishche” is and about the first recorded place where sorcerers, fortune tellers and witches of Kievan Rus gathered. What are the characteristics of a bald mountain and who are “Those Who Know”? What is “Marriage”? Who presided over the Trypillia family and tribe? What is the difference between the healers of Western Europe and the healers of Kievan Rus? Who are “Rusalii” and why were they chosen, what is the difference between them and “Kharakternyky”?
- We will tell what changes the witch’s bouquet has undergone, becoming the bouquet that is brought to the church to be consecrated.
- We will walk past the Sigh to the Castle Hill, talking about each of them. We will also remember a little.
- Talking about medicinal plants, we will try to determine which of them is yours and which tree is your talisman.
In the footsteps of the Kiev Princes
Route: Vladimir Cathedral – st. Volodymyrska – National Opera – Golden Gate – Sofia Square – Starokyivska Mountain – Desyatynna Street – Mykhailivska Square – Volodymyrska Hill – a monument to Prince Volodymyr.
Duration: 3 hours
- This is a walk through the streets that were once part of the ancient city of Vladimir and the city of Yaroslavl.
- During the tour you will learn:
- Where the remains of the first monument to Princess Olga are kept;
- What are the controversies surrounding the date of the founding of the famous St. Sophia Cathedral;
- Why the relics of St. IV Barbara were brought from Byzantium to Kyiv;
- Why the construction of the Vladimir Cathedral was delayed for 20 years;
- How temples were destroyed in the 1930s and what a secret inscription is hidden among the mosaics of the Golden Gate metro station.
- Extraordinary stories about architects, artists, church figures and patrons who loved Kyiv are also waiting for you.
- After the tour, which will end on the famous Vladimir Hill, you can, on your own, continue your walk across the new pedestrian bridge over the Vladimir Descent.
Theophany
Start: final stop of the trolleybus № 11 on the opposite side from the entrance to Pirogovo (you can get on the trolleybus at the metro station VDNH)
Duration: 3 hours
- Feofania – is our Switzerland, a luxurious place for relaxation of body and soul. The historic site is located on the southern outskirts of Kiev.
- You will visit Feofanivsky Park with a cascade of lakes and a Scythian settlement of the 6th century. There are paths, wild grapes planted near the benches, covers on lanterns with the image of Archangel Michael, a playground, a stone wall with a hidden water mill. Four lakes with embankments are connected in a single cascade. In Feofania there were dachas and academics. It was here in 1950 that the first computer in continental Europe appeared – an electronic computer, which barely fit in the left wing of the house. This house has been preserved and you will be able to see it. The outstanding academician SO Lebedev, the founder of the school of computer science, whose talent flourished in Kyiv, laid down the principles of building a computer – artificial intelligence.
- You will walk along the pilgrimage path to the springs of the healer Panteleimon and the “Tears of the Mother of God”, the baptismal font and the St. Panteleimon Monastery. This tour is designed for any tourist. Everyone will be able to learn a lot of new information about the history of the area, visit the settlement, touch the holy icons and walk along the amazing forest trail.
Excursion to the Kiev-Pecherska Lavra
Start: at the main entrance to the Trinity Gate Church
Duration: from 2,5 hours
- Lavra is a city within a city, almost 100 buildings of XI-XXI centuries on an area of about 28 hectares. That is why the Lavra is sometimes called the “Orthodox Vatican.”
- On the territory of the reserve “Kiev-Pechersk Lavra” there are ancient temples and buildings, about which legends are composed and amazing stories are told. These are the Trinity Gate Church, the Church of All Saints, the Great Lavra Bell Tower and, of course, the Assumption Cathedral – the main functioning church of the Lavra, as well as many other buildings.
- On the territory of the existing male monastery there are many things worthy of attention: a monument to the founders of the monastery, the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the bell tower of Kovnir, fortifications, galleries, icon benches and much more.
- The relics of the monks of Pechersk rest in the Far and Near Caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. They go to them from everywhere to see with their own eyes the miracle of the Lord, or, according to skeptics, the mystery of science. The caves also have myrrh-bearing heads, underground temples, cells of hermit monks.
- After visiting the caves, you can go down to the holy springs to drink the consecrated water. The water tastes good, cool, clean. The springs are located next to the magical rose garden, as well as the Church of the Life-giving Spring, which you will admire at the end of the tour of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
- The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra has a wonderful observation deck. Here you can admire the panoramas of the city, as well as views of the existing monastery. It is here, on the territory of the Lower, or the monastery Lavra, visitors go after a tour of the reserve. If desired, you can buy souvenirs, and not only those related to the Lavra, but also Kiev or Ukraine as a whole.
“7 MIRACLES OF KYIV”
Start: near the monument to Hryhoriy Skovoroda, Kontraktova Ploshcha metro station
Duration: 3 hours
- And for this considerable time, invaluable architectural monuments were built on the territory of the present capital, which are deservedly included in the list of “7 Wonders of Kyiv”. During the tour you will have the opportunity to see the sights of Kiev from the windows of the bus with stops to see the most interesting of them.
- You will visit seven best sights of Kiev:
- Vladimir Cathedral (relics of Barbara);
- huge fortification -Golden Gate;
- the famous Sophia of Kyiv;
- the temple, decorated with a golden mosaic – St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery.
- The House of Chimeras is the strangest house in Kyiv, dotted with chimera sculptures with the theme of underwater and terrestrial fauna;
- St. Andrew’s Descent and St. Andrew’s Church;
- and finally – the world-famous complex Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
- You will learn many interesting facts and stories, as well as get incredible pleasure from the wonders of Kiev.
