About this tour

There is an expression: "Kyiv is impossible without Podol".

During the tour, you will understand why!


Ancient Podil is located in the valley of the great and mighty Dnipro, preserving the atmosphere of antiquity.

Podil got its name from the old Slavic "hem" - a lowland between the foothills and the river. This is the oldest settlement that arose at the junction of the old and new eras. During the time of Kyiv Rus, it functioned as the Lower City. In the 17-18 centuries it turned into a trading, cultural, educational and religious centre.

The first stand-alone cinema in Kyiv was built there, the first electric tram operated there, the largest covered market in Europe was built there, the first water supply system appeared in Kyiv, the House of Peter the First miraculously survived the fire, and the contract house still remembers all the trade deals concluded in it, and the Hungarian pianist Franz Liszt also performed there and instead of three gave eighteen concerts, but lost almost the entire fee to the student Kotyuzhinskiy, a gambling cheater.

Narrow streets, romantic courtyards, temples and unusual ancient buildings of Podil are waiting to meet you. During the tour, you will be told about the famous people of Kyiv-Podillya, about the life of the people of Kyiv in the past, interesting stories and cases...


The price includes:

- support throughout the route;

- professional guide;


You can also purchase from our website:

medical insurance;

train, bus, plane tickets;

hotels.


The tour is individual and conducted in Ukrainian, English, and German. 

5 reasons to choose tour

1

Fall in love with Podol

2

Walk around narrow streets and yards

3

See splendid architecture

4

Learn secrets of Podol

5

Take beautiful pictures

Key landmarks

1

Contractova Square

The centre of the cultural life of the capital with a thousand-year history. Its existence has been known since the times of Kyiv Rus. After the destruction of the Upper City by the Mongol-Tatars, Podil with Contract Square became the new centre. In 1499, Kyiv received Magdeburg law and it was there that the magistrate's office and town hall were built, which, unfortunately, have not survived to this day. In the 16th century, the square was called "Rynkova", because merchants' storerooms with goods were already located there. The location received its modern name already in the 18th century when it became the main place for holding fairs and concluding contracts.

2

House of Peter the Great

There is no reliable and documented information about the stay of Tsar Peter the Great in this house. However, the rumours are often true. According to legends, in 1706, during his visit to Kyiv, it was in this building on Kostyantynivska that Peter the Great stayed. And Hetman Ivan Mazepa himself received the tsar. Peter the Great came to Kyiv to resolve questions about preparations for the Russo-Swedish war. According to a note in the journal of the tsar himself, he was also in the Pechersk Lavra, where he stayed for about a week.

3

Kyiv funicular

The Kyiv funicular is one of the landmarks of the city. This rather exotic form of transport appeared in Kyiv in 1905. The purpose of creating the funicular was to connect the Upper Town and Podil by the shortest route. But only over time it was one of the most notable objects built on Post Square, the lower station with an arched entrance. After the introduction of the metro, the funicular has significantly lost its importance as a type of public transport. However, it is still in demand among locals living in Podil, as well as among numerous tourists, who are simply delighted with its unusual construction and the views that can be seen from its steep track.

4

River station

The former main river port of Kyiv is located on the right bank of the Dnipro in Podil, the historic part of the city. The Kyiv river port was built in July 1897. A new station building was built on Poshtova Square in 1961 according to the project of architects V. Hopkalo, V. Ladny and others. The tower of the building resembles the masts of sailing ships.

What is included?

Professional guide

Professional guide

*From each purchased tour, we transfer 10% to the Ukrainian Refugee Support Fund. All profits from press tours are transferred to the reconstruction of Ukraine.