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Ukraine Highlights and Events

Travel in Ukraine with Intrepid

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Quick question. Name Europe’s second largest country… Stumped? Here are a few hints - think Mediterranean-esque coastlines, soaring mountain ranges, architectural outposts aplenty and a capital city that's often referred to as the Mother of Slavic cities. Given up? That’s okay – a warm welcome is on the cards for those who escape the glare of Ukraine’s flashier European neighbours, and discover a nation that’s quirky, cultured and full of life.
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Experience Ukraine's highlights on these trips

St Petersburg to Budapest

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16 days
Original
  • USD $3,340
    CAD $3,180
    AUD $3,070
    EUR €2,385
    GBP £1,945
    NZD $3,930
    ZAR R25,455
    CHF FR2,940
    *     Total price tool tip

St Petersburg to Istanbul

St Basils cathedral, Moscow
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33 days
Original
  • USD $5,770
    CAD $5,490
    AUD $5,300
    EUR €4,120
    GBP £3,360
    NZD $6,785
    ZAR R43,940
    CHF FR5,070
    *     Total price tool tip

Ukraine Highlights

Opera theatre, Lviv
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9 days
Original
  • USD $1,795
    CAD $1,730
    AUD $1,670
    EUR €1,295
    GBP £1,060
    NZD $2,140
    ZAR R13,845
    CHF FR1,595
    *     Total price tool tip
* Refer to booking conditions

Highlights


Ukraine's Top Picks

 
Ukrainians often refer to their first cousins as 'brother' and 'sister'
 

Top 5 Ukrainian Pop Stars

  1. Ruslana: Don’t let the movie-star good looks fool you, Ruslana is one of Ukraine’s most talented musicians. Proficient in vocals, piano, guitar, drums, keyboards and of course, the Ukrainian alpine horn, Ruslana channelled her Carpathian Mountain-dwelling roots and became the pride of the nation by winning the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest with her original composition ‘Wild Energy’. Currently living in Hollywood and mixing it with the stars, Ruslana’s latest projects include collaborations with T-Pain and Missy Elliot, as well as her new single ‘Wow! (I’m so amazing)’, which features a street dance hip hop battle between her two alter egos: Ruslana-boy and Ruslana-girl.
  2. Sofia Rotaru: After honing her vocal skills by singing to her blind sister Zina, Sofia Rotaru rose to fame after winning a ‘festival of popular talents’ in Kyiv. At the age of 17 she performed a closed-door concert in the Kremlin; however, she had to flee to Yalta after her family was persecuted by the Soviets for celebrating Christmas. Her transgressions were eventually forgotten, as she was awarded the one-off ‘Best Ukrainian Pop Singer of the Twentieth Century’ award by the former USSR. Rotaru is a personal favourite of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and she is estimated to be Ukraine’s richest pop star - earning a handy $4.76 million a year!
  3. Iryna Bilyk: One of Ukraine’s most celebrated stars, Iryna Bilyk has released 12 albums and continues to attract large crowds to her energetic live shows. At 25, Bilyk had the honour of performing for the President of the United States, Bill Clinton. More recently, she released ‘I Love You’, a duet with Jean-Claude-Van Dam, who is reportedly a huge fan of her music. In 2007, she married her dancing partner from the local TV show Dances with the Stars 2.
  4. Taras Petrynenko: Beginning his musical career in 1969 with a televised dance performance with a group of school students, Petrynenko rose to become the undisputed leader of Ukrainian rock music. After serving a brief period in the army, Petrynenko was banned from performing his controversial ‘Song about the Song’, and fled to Russia with his new group, Magic Guitars. After returning to Ukraine and recording a new album, Petrynenko’s newly formed band, Hrono, endured a forced break-up, mainly because the accompanying musicians refused to return from the band’s international tour. Despite this, Petrynenko went on to be crowned a ‘living legend’ of Ukrainian music and played a big part in the Orange Revolution, performing his songs to a passionate crowd in Kyiv.
  5. Oleksandr Ponomaryov: Born and bred a boxer, Ponomaryov was devastated when his deteriorating eyesight began to derail his chosen career path. Undeterred by a lack of musical knowledge or training, he decided to follow his other great passion, striking a deal with a prestigious music college which agreed to provide him with tutorage - on the condition that he complete the gruelling 7-year curriculum in the space of 12 months. Apparently he passed, and in 2003 he went on to be the first artist to represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest, impressing the judges with an act that combined contortionists with an Apollo spacecraft. He finished 14th.

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Ukraine at a glance

  • 3
  • Kyiv (population 2.6 million)
  • 45.9 million
  • Ukrainian
  • UAH
  • (GMT+02:00) Helsinki, Kyiv, Riga, Sofia, Tallinn, Vilnius
  • Type C (European 2-pin), Type F (German 2-pin, side clip earth)
  • +380

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