Things to Do in Kiev

With its brilliant gold domes and beautiful olive-colored roofs, St Sofia Cathedral is one of the most striking of the Ukraine's religious structures.

Mikhail Bulgakov was born in Kiev, and studied medicine at the city’s university. So there couldn’t be a better setting in which to pour over his masterpiece, ‘The Master and Margarita’ than in the city’s botanical gardens on a fresh day in spring.

The Ukraine is a beautiful, sparsely populated country. And just a short tram journey from the city center, the suburbs give way to deep, fairytale-like woodland.

Kiev is a city of great markets: Petrivka Market is a mass of stalls and stands selling books and films, while the covered Besarabsky Market is the place to do your grocery shopping. Even if you’re not looking for anything in particular, as a spectacle they’re pretty impressive.

This vast, sprawling monastic complex is a World Heritage Site. A huge network of 11th century caves (some of which are lined by the mummified bodies of monks), can be thoroughly investigated. Just don’t forget to buy a candle!