Top Rated Attractions in Kiev

The Museum of Art named after Bogdan and Varvara Khanenko was founded on the basis of their private collections. The museum is also known as the Museum of Western and Oriental Art. Now it keeps one of the best collections of foreign art in Ukraine. From 1919, the number of exhibits has increased more than 13 times, from 1,250 to nearly 17,000 artworks and a total of 25,000 exhibits.

St Volodymyr's Cathedral is an attractive cathedral situated in the very heart of the capital city of Kiev in Ukraine. It is a prominent landmark of the city and is easy to spot with its eye-catching yellow walls and indigo cupolas. It is an exemplar of the unique neo-Byzantine architectural style. It was designed by Alexander Vikentievich Beretti and features six piers and three spectacular apses. The interiors of this house of worship are adorned with a marble iconostasis, mosaics, paintings and vibrant frescoes. Florid bronze sculptures can be spotted near the entryway. At present, this site is owned by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and is frequented by legions of people every year.

Deep teal-colored onion domes, bejeweled with gold trimmings sit atop this grand Baroque church in the heart of Kiev. The church is perched atop the Andriyivska Hill and it offers from its vantage a soul-stirring panorama of Podil's historic neighborhood. The Saint Andrew's Church was built in 1754 to honor Saint Andrew, known to Ukrainians as the 'Apostle of Rus'. Designed by renowned Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the church was built when Russian Empress Elizabeth decided to build her summer abode in the city. She herself laid the first symbolic brick of the new palace and church. Among the many features of this splendid church, the sweeping stucco interiors and the tracery of iconostasis under the gold-laced central dome are held in high regard.

A series of gilded domes, undulating and gently cascading in their capacity, adorn the bright-green rooftops of one of Kiev's most extraordinary monuments, the Saint Sophia's Cathedral. This cathedral was built in the first half of the 11th Century to commemorate the victory of Yaroslav the Wise over the Pecheneg tribe. For years, the cathedral served as the interring site for several Kievan royals including Yaroslav himself. At the outset of the 12th and 13th centuries, the cathedral witnessed a wave of deterioration by Vladimir-Suzdal forces and Mongolian invasions, a situation that remained largely unchanged until the 16th Century. After Metropolitan Peter took the reins of the Orthodox church in 1633, the church slowly underwent a marked revival that continued well into the 18th Century. At this time, the cathedral's baroque extension included a bell tower, a seminary and a bakery, among other features. Today, St. Sophia is rightfully considered as the treasure of Ukraine and is protected by UNESCO.

The Literary Memorial Museum of Mikhail Bulgakov settles down in house number 13 on Andreevsky Uzviz. The exhibit opened its doors on May 15, 1991, and contains an impressive 3000 exhibits of the Russian writer's original belongings like books, photos, postcards and many more items. A visit to the museum will give you a sense of the various stages of Bulgakov's life, from being a pupil, student of medicine, family doctor to eventually, a writer.

One of the finest architectural marvels of the capital city of Kiev in Ukraine is the stupendous St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery. It is the quintessence of the distinctive Ukrainian Baroque architectural style, which was prevalent in the 18th Century. Its interiors are equally spectacular and are noted for the florid elements which are associated with Baroque architecture. The premises of the monastery comprises of a cathedral, bell tower, Economic Gates and the Refectory of St. John the Divine. Very little of the original medieval monastery remains, especially after the demolition which was carried out by the Soviet authorities in the mid-1930s. A major part of the current building was reconstructed and was eventually made accessible to the public in 1999.