Discovering the nature site most fit for picnic in Kyiv
Though spring isn’t pampering us with too much sun and green grass so far, the heart already begs for a jolly picnic.
If you want to just spread a blanket on a lawn, lounge staring into the blue sky, eat a hamburger, and read a book, it’s not a problem to find a nice green site, particularly if you take into account that Kyiv is recognized as among the greenest cities in Europe.
So to organize a relaxing time in the open air, you can choose any park you want, starting with Mariyinskiy Park right in the city center, from where you have a beautiful view of the Dnipro River and the Kyiv hills.
City parks are a nice combination of nature and civilization: after taking refuge among trees and bushes you can exploit all the luxuries the city can offer – cafes, shops and cinemas that will diversify your day.
Keep in mind that all well-trimmed city parks, including Park Slavy located at Arsenalna metro station, Volodymyrska Hirka near Mykhaylivska Square, Peremohy Park by the Darnytsia metro or Druzhby Narodiv Park on the banks of the Dnipro become too crowded at the start of spring, especially on weekends.
Moreover, they are busy tourist sites as well. So, if you want to spend your free time in a quieter environment, you should look for something else, a botanical gardens for example. Admission to botanical gardens is free in Kyiv.
They represent a mix of parks and forests: depending on your mood, you can admire rare species of plants growing along neat alleys or get lost in their “wild” corners.
Kyiv has the Fomin Botanical Gardens next to Universytet metro station, as well as the Hryshko National Botanical Gardens and Syrets Dendropark. What makes such places even more tempting is the multitude of flowers and trees blossoming and spreading their fragrance in the air.
However, if your planned picnic extends beyond the limits of reading and chatting, and you would like to mix in a social barbecue, parks and botanic gardens are not an option, since they’re considered nature reserves.
Instead you can try the Pyrohovo open air museum, located on the city’s outskirts. Pyrohovo, originally a village, incorporates examples of Ukrainian architecture from the country’s various regions.
Wooden houses and other characteristic village buildings are situated amidst ravines, forests, fields, and lakes. It’s possibility to try national dishes in a local diner, listen to Ukrainian music, enjoy some horseback riding or retire into the forest far from the sight of any people.
Among the disadvantages of Pyrohovo is the Hr 10 admission fee and a ban on bonfires. Barbecues are an option, but only in specially designated places. So choosing Pyrohovo would make your picnic more formal.
Less obliging places would be Hidropark and the Trukhaniv Islands, located in the middle of the flowing Dnipro. Though the islands are calm during the winter, the first warm days of spring bring the first migrations of Kyivans to its beaches, cafes, discos, amusement parks, boat and horse rentals. Except for the occasional quiet corner, every green patch is occupied by noisy crowds.
Another place where no one cares whether you make barbecue or not is a small village Puscha Vodytsia on Kyiv’s outskirts. It’s less crowded because it takes time to get there. However this advantage can actually become a negative – if you have only one day at your disposal, a trip to Puscha Vodytsia will be a needless waste of time. The eight lakes of this region, its forests and lawns deserve more of your time – that’s for sure.
Staying in the city and relaxing in a forest, while attracting minimum attention, is now a hard task. However Holosiyivskiy Park comes closest to suiting our needs. The complex consists of Holosiyivskiy Park, Holosiyivskiy Forest, the National Agriculture University Park, and Rylskoho Park, where the forest begins and extends all the way to the city limits, reaching the above mentioned Pyrohovo village. Yet if you decide to drop by the latter, you will need to cross marshes and thickets.
Though the complex offers the chance to stroll along tree-lined paved paths, eat ice cream, feed local ducks living on the park’s four lakes, rent a boat or go deeper into the forest, where no one will bother you as spend your time as freely as you wish.
Holosiyivskiy Park Complex (87 Holosiyivska Street, 263-7070)
