Ukraine

This is the Central Ukraine chapter from Lonely Planet’s Ukraine guidebook.

Layered with dark fertile soil, Ukraine’s breadbasket heartlands are split between forested Polissya to the north and the endless agricultural flatlands of Podillya to the south. Some say this region epitomises the ‘real Ukraine’ and, frankly, it would be hard to argue with that.

This is the Crimea chapter from Lonely Planet’s Ukraine guidebook.

As the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the US State Department advise against travel to Crimea, we have not visited the Peninsula to update our coverage and we have provided no practical information or advice for visitors. Instead, we present and overview of its history and main destinations, as well as the implications of Russia's takeover of Crimea for travellers.

Shaped like a diamond, this tiny subtropical gem has always been an eye-catcher for imperial rulers – from Romans to Russians. Crimea is now firmly controlled by Moscow, which applies the same rules to foreign visitors as in Russia proper.

Coverage includes: History, Crimea Under Russian Rule: What Has Changed for Travellers, Yalta, Bakhchysaray, Balaklava, Simferopol, Sevastopol, Feodosiya, Gurzuf, Kerch, Novy Svit, Sudak, Kara-Dah Nature Reserve, Yevpatoriya, Crimea Explained.

This is the Eastern Ukraine chapter from Lonely Planet’s Ukraine guidebook.

The region was hit hardest by the crisis precipitated by the 2014 revolution. Donetsk and Luhansk are on the front line of a simmering conflict, but the rest of eastern Ukraine is safe to travel in, provided that you watch the news.

• eat, drink, dance and learn at Kharkiv’s antiquated plants turned arts and education cen-tres, Fabrika
• maps
• hop on a time machine in the historic core of Chernihiv, Dytynets
• transport
• confront Ukrainian Cossack cavalry in the middle of the Dnipro River at Khortitsa Eques-trian Theatre
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Chernihiv, Myrhorod, Poltava, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Za-porizhzhya.

This is the Kyiv chapter from Lonely Planet’s Ukraine guidebook.

As revolution has come and gone, and as war in the east smoulders, Ukraine’s capital has undergone a cultural rebellion. A creative wave has swept the city, embodied by urban art, vin-tage cafes and 24-hour parties. Seemingly overnight, Kyiv has become hip.

• admire the beauty of Orthodox ritual and meet the mummies of the famous Kye-vo-Pecherska Lavra
• maps
• stand on the hallowed central square, Maydan Nezalezhnosti, where duelling revolutions changed Ukrainian history
• transport
• join the hipster masses to explore Kyiv’s electric bar scene
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: History, Sights, Activities, Tours, Festivals & Events, Sleeping, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping, Around Kyiv.

This is the Lviv & Western Ukraine chapter from Lonely Planet’s Ukraine guide-book.

More quintessentially Ukrainian than the rest of the country, and distinctly more European, is the Galician capital of Lviv. An emerging tourist magnet, the city is a truly captivating place, rich in historic architecture and with an indulgent coffee-house culture.

• cobble-surf Lviv’s city centre packed with churches, museums and eccentric restau-rants
• maps
• pay your respects to Lviv’s great and good of yesteryear at Lychakivske Cemetery
• transport
• make a caffeine-and-cake halt at some of Ukraine’s best cafes
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Lviv, Ternopil Region, Ternopil, Kremenets, Volyn & Rivne Regions, Lutsk, Dubno.

This chapter contains the Welcome to Ukraine, Ukraine’s Top 15, Need to Know, First Time Ukraine, What’s New, If You Like..., Month by Month, Itineraries, Visiting Chornobyl, Outdoor Ac-tivities, Travel with Children, and Regions at a Glance chapters from Lonely Planet’s Ukraine guidebook.

Your journey to Ukraine starts here. You’ll find the tools to plan your adventure: where to go and when, how much to budget, plus in-depth info on rich cultural history.

• tailor-made itineraries, arranged by region, themes and events
• list of highlights and best experiences
• everything you need to know about visiting Chornobyl
• user-friendly country overview ensures you won’t miss a thing

Coverage includes: Welcome to Ukraine, Ukraine’s Top 15, Need to Know, First Time Ukraine, What’s New, If You Like: Churches, Folk Culture, Jewish Sites, Museums, Outdoor Activities, Soviet Architecture, Month by Month, Itineraries, Visiting Chornobyl, Outdoor Activities, Travel with Children, and Regions at a Glance.

This is the Southern Ukraine chapter from Lonely Planet’s Ukraine guide-book.

This region was touted as the Russian California when immigrants from all over Europe poured in to build the port of Odesa. Although less multicultural today, Odesa is still permeated with porto franco spirit, displaying Jewish humour and French conviviality.

• join Odesa foodies on a revolutionary assault of the City Food Market
• maps
• spot a zebra on a steppe safari through the vast Askaniya Nova Reserve
• transport
• relive the most poignant of cinematographic dramas at Odesa’s Potemkin Steps
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Odesa, Dnister Estuary, Vylkove.

This is the The Carpathians chapter from Lonely Planet’s Ukraine guidebook.

Clipping the country’s southwest corner, the Carpathian arc has endowed Ukraine with a crinkled region of forested hills and fast-flowing rivers that feel a continent away from the flatness of the steppe.

• set up base camp in Kolomyya to visit its museums and arrange hikes into the hills
• maps
• soak up the relaxed atmosphere of Uzhhorod on the frontier with Slovakia
• transport
• wander the pastel-coloured heart of Ivano-Frankivsk, a pleasant gateway to the moun-tains
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Ivano-Frankivsk, Carpathian National Nature Park & Around, Yaremche, Kolomyya, Kosiv, Rakhiv, Bukovyna, Chernivtsi, Transcarpathia, Uzhhorod, Mukacheve.

This chapter contains the Ukraine Today, History, The People, The Ukrainian Table, Art & Architecture, Music & Literature, Directory A-Z, Transport, and Language chapters from Lonely Planet’s Ukraine guidebook.

All the info you need on everything from history, the Ukrainian people and their culture, to flights, public transport, climate, money, the internet... you name it. Get tips for women travellers, gay and lesbian travellers, travellers with disabilities, and travellers with kids. And get the most out of your conversations with a handy language guide and glossary.

• a rundown on the country and its people today
• info on Ukrainian cuisine
• full coverage of Ukrainian history
• details on the intriguing arts scene

Coverage includes: Ukraine Today, History, The People, The Ukrainian Table, Art & Architecture, Music & Literature, Directory A-Z, Transport, and Language.