World Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Kiev is the city where the new and the old make wonderful possibilities for cultural and aesthetical tourism. Nevertheless, before you visit this fantastic city, take your time to decide on at least two points: accommodation and transport.

Let us discuss picking an accommodation. Depending on what you can afford and personal preference, you may either choose to stay in a Kiev hotel, or rent an apartment. Mind the class of Kiev hotels to evaluate the quality of the service and accommodation and the price you are willing to pay for it.

Kyiv boasts of several luxury hotels. There are virtually dozens of less posh Kiev accommodation opportunities. A luxury hotel will cost you around $400-850 per night, four star hotels will be around $150-$500, three stars will be about $70-300, two stars will be from $50 to 120 and small and one star hotels charge around 25-100 per night.

There exist also a couple of hostels in the city for students and young people. In an ordinary hostel you will have modest but clean accommodation and several sofas or beds in one room.

In case you want to spare some money, you can rent an apartment. For the cost of a modest hotel room in the price range of $90-150 you can get an excellent apartment in the city center. Inexpensive one-room apartments may be rent for less than $50. Some owners that give for rent this kind of Kyiv apartments may as well meet you when you arrive. The rule of thumb of here is to reserve the apartment some days ahead.

If you are really desperate for money or would like to have something more extreme, you may rent a sleeping berth inside a train car. There's a train station ?Karavaevy dachi? where you may negotiate a sleeping place for some $15. Try this at your own danger.

Of course few people come to Kiev to spend their time indoors. The megalopolis provides many great places of interest if you are able to find your way around. Do not worry, though. The public transportation is fairly appropriate.

The most comfortable way to move around is Kiev taxis. the driver will deliver you you from the station to your hotel or apartment for less than $35. Generally, for a visitor from the European Union or the US, the taxi service should be reasonably inexpensive. It is a pleasure to taxi Kiev around. Nevertheless, if you do not plan on using only taxis in Kiev, the city has some other transport options to offer.

In the first place, it is the metro that covers most of the city. It is especially practical when you have to travel large distances during hot hours with huge traffic jams on the roads. Second of all, there are buses, trolley busses and trams. These are quite inexpensive: you pay a fixed fee to travel any distance. However, they are not very regular. Third, you could always walk around or use Kiev's unique transportation - funicular that goes up the bank of the Dnieper. At last, you can simply use your feet.

Make sure you visit Kyiv. The city has got plenty of sights to impress an aspiring tourist.