Two days are plenty to see the highlights of Kyiv without rushing. We split the route into two areas: Old Kyiv and Podil on the first day, the Lavra and Pechersk on the second. You can walk between the sights, and in the evening join a guided walking tour. The opening hours below will help you avoid closed doors.
Day 1: St. Sophia’s, the Golden Gate and Andriivskyi Descent
Start with St. Sophia’s, the cathedral founded by Yaroslav the Wise in the early 11th century. In 1990 it became the first site in Ukraine on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Under the dome is the Oranta mosaic, 6 meters tall and original from the 11th century, and the walls carry over 7000 medieval graffiti, including the autograph of Prince Volodymyr Monomakh. The museum is open from 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:30.
From Sofiiska Square it is a few minutes’ walk to the Golden Gate, the main gate of Kyiv, mentioned in the chronicle under the year 1037. Inside the pavilion, fragments of the 11th-century fortifications survive. From Tuesday to Thursday it is open from 10:00 to 18:00, from Friday to Sunday from 11:00 to 19:00, and it is closed on Mondays; in winter the museum opens only on Saturday and Sunday.
National Reserve “Sophia of Kyiv”. Ukraine’s first UNESCO site – the 11th-century St. Sophia Cathedral with the Oranta mosaic
24 Volodymyrska St (Sofiiska Square), Kyiv
from25UAH
Golden Gate Museum. Kyiv’s main gate of 1037, a symbol of the city and a UNESCO-listed site
40A Volodymyrska St, Kyiv
from70UAHAfter lunch, head to St. Andrew’s Church, the only surviving building in Kyiv by Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Its terrace offers one of the best views of Podil and the Dnipro. Next door is the Museum of One Street, the only museum in the world devoted to the history of a single street: over 350 death masks, recreated shops and workshops, and Bulgakov’s belongings.
At 17:00 the Andriivskyi Descent walking tour starts from St. Andrew’s Church: 2.5 hours over Castle Hill and past the Bulgakov House, down to Kontraktova Square. The street is steep and cobbled, so flat shoes are a must.
St. Andrew’s Church Museum. Rastrelli’s masterpiece where the Apostle Andrew foretold a great city
23 Andriivskyi Descent, Kyiv
from20UAH
One Street Museum. The world’s only museum about the history of a single street
2-B Andriivskyi Descent, Kyiv
from200UAH
Day 2: the Lavra and Pechersk
Give your second day to the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a monastery founded in 1051. Here are the Near and Far Caves, where the monastery’s story began, the Trinity Gate Church of 1106–1108 and the Great Lavra Bell Tower, 96.5 meters tall, with a panorama of Kyiv. The reserve is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00. From Arsenalna metro station it is a 15–20 minute walk along Lavrska Street.
Tucked away on the Lavra grounds is the Mykola Syadristy Microminiature Museum: a rose inside a human hair and a caravan of camels passing through the eye of a needle. You view them through microscopes, so allow half an hour.
Kyiv Pechersk Lavra National Reserve. A cave monastery founded in 1051 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
9 Lavrska St, Kyiv
from50UAH
Mykola Siadrystyi Museum of Microminiatures. A rose inside a hair and a camel caravan in the eye of a needle, on the grounds of the Lavra
9 Lavrska St, Building No. 4, Kyiv
from100UAHIn the afternoon, choose art or a walk. PinchukArtCentre in the Bessarabskyi Quarter is a contemporary art center with free admission, open Wednesday to Sunday from 12:00 to 21:00. The Khanenko Museum is a late 19th-century patrons’ mansion with the Don Quixote Hall and a rococo Golden Study. Both are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
PinchukArtCentre. A free contemporary art center in the Bessarabka quarter
1/3-2 Velyka Vasylkivska St (Bessarabka quarter), Kyiv
Free
Khanenko Museum. A late 19th-century patrons’ mansion with lavish interiors and art exhibitions
15–17 Tereshchenkivska St, Kyiv
from250UAHIn the evening there are more walking tours at 17:00, each 2.5 hours long. Pechersk sights covers the House with Chimaeras, Bankova Street, the Verkhovna Rada and Mariinskyi Palace. Kyiv Art Nouveau takes in Bessarabskyi Market, the apartment buildings of Khreshchatyk and the former Geneva Hotel. If industrial history appeals, try Industrial Podil with its 19th-century breweries and the site of the city’s first power station.
Pechersk sights. Mariinskyi Palace, the House with Chimaeras and the Park of Eternal Glory
Next: Nov 12 at 17:00
2.5 hours
from400UAH
Kyiv Art Nouveau. Early 20th-century architecture from Horodecki to Ginzburg House
Next: Nov 13 at 17:00
2.5 hours
from400UAH
Industrial Podil. Breweries, Horodecki’s cement plant and Kyiv’s old power station
Next: tomorrow at 17:00
2.5 hours
from400UAHIf you are here on a weekend
On Saturday at 10:45 the Pyrohiv walking tour meets: three hours on foot among wooden churches, windmills and villages from every region of Ukraine. The Pyrohiv open-air museum covers 133 hectares and has over 300 authentic buildings. The farmhouse interiors are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, so Saturday is ideal. Another morning option is Artistic Kyiv, starting at 11:00 from Kontraktova Square: Podil murals, Mystetskyi Arsenal and PinchukArtCentre in 3 hours.
Pyrohiv. Autumn in an open-air village: windmills, wooden churches and houses from all over Ukraine on the hills of Kyiv
Next: Nov 14 at 11:00
3 hours (11:00–14:00)
from350UAH
Artistic Kyiv. Podil street art, Mystetskyi Arsenal and PinchukArtCentre
Next: Nov 13 at 11:00
3 hours
from450UAHIf you have time left
- The National Museum of the History of Ukraine on Starokyivska Hill, a few steps from St. Andrew’s Church.
- St. Cyril’s Church with 12th-century frescoes and early works by Mykhailo Vrubel.
- The Chocolate House, a palazzo from 1901 with its original state rooms and an Ivan Marchuk exhibition.
- The Museum of the Hetmanate in Podil, in the old Mazepa House.
Good to know
- St. Sophia’s, the Golden Gate and Andriivskyi Descent are easy to walk between, while the Lavra is best reached by metro to Arsenalna.
- Walking tours include only the guide, and museum tickets are paid separately on site.
- During an air raid alert, museums usually send visitors to a shelter, so leave a little spare time in your plan.
- Prices and the nearest tour dates are on the cards above.
If you want to get out of town after two days, see our guide to day trips from Kyiv: Kaniv, Sofiyivka, Chernihiv, Baturyn and even Chornobyl. All the tours are on the tours from Kyiv page.
