Find the best way to get refreshed this summer
While some people easily cope with the heat, others suffer through it. Belonging to the latter kind, all I can think of during the hottest summer days is relaxing in an air-conditioned room with a bottle of cold lemonade always at hand. But of course, I can’t spend the whole summer at my office desk or in my bedroom – after all it’s summer, not winter. But if I am going to spend my time outside – and not at a beach – the most important question is how to cool myself down once in a while. Having thought of all the possible options, I’ve come up with a list of things to do in Kyiv to get refreshed without actually jumping into a river.
A ride with the wind
The desire for a shot of adrenalin is usually what drives people to carousels and other amusement rides. However, rushing through the air, screaming with excitement while the wind blows in your face and your hair whips around, can also help you cool down and forget about the heat around you. If that’s the kind of thing you like, you should head to the amusement park at Hydropark. There you’ll find the biggest assortment of rides, carousels and similar entertainments. I often go there myself to take a ride on a roller coaster or the bumper cars. Another place for amusement rides is the grounds by the Druzhby Narodiv Arc. The selection of attractions there is much smaller than at Hydropark, but it’s conveniently located just a few steps from Maidan and Khreshchatyk.
Another way to take a ride in the wind is by driving a motor scooter. Driving a scooter you don’t need to fear getting into a traffic jam – and most importantly you don’t even need a driver’s license to use one. There are many companies in Kyiv where you can rent a scooter. For example, Moto-Opt offers Honda Dio scooters for $10 per hour. In addition to a scooter, you can rent a helmet for Hr 5 per hour. However, you will also have to leave a $350 deposit. Be very careful while driving and don’t forget to wash the scooter before returning it. If you give back a dirty scooter you’ll have to pay an extra Hr 10 to have it washed.
However, if you prefer a more calm way of cooling down, you can visit Kyiv’s riverboat station and take a ride down the Dnipro on a boat. A ride from the riverboat station to Patona bridge, which lasts an hour and 20 minutes, costs Hr 25 for adults, Hr 10 for children and is free for children under five.
On weekends you can take a tour to the Kyiv Sea reservoir, which is three hours long and costs Hr 40, or ride to Osokorky, which costs Hr 25. Kyiv’s riverboat station also offers three-day cruises to Kanivske reservoir. Such a trip will set you back Hr 550.
If playing water sports are your idea cooling down in the heat, you’ll find everything you need at Natalka sports club. There you can rent a row boat for Hr 12 per hour (Hr 3 from 6 a.m. till 11 a.m.), a catamaran (Hr 12 per hour), a yacht (Hr 100 per hour), a wind surfing board (Hr 60 per hour, Hr 130 with an instructor) and water skis (Hr 300 per hour).
Moto-Opt (21A Elektrykiv, 239-5086, www.moto-opt.com.ua)
Natalka (9 Pryrichna, 463-6073, www.natalka-boat.kiev.ua)
Wash it down
If you have ever hung out on Maidan on a hot day, you have definitely seen young people and children splashing in its famous fountains. You might be hesitant to partake in this activity given that fountains are not always the cleanliest and it may seem inappropriate, but splashing around these fountains has become a kind of custom in Kyiv and is not frowned upon. In fact, doing so is considered just as natural as drinking beer or taking photographs with monkeys and owls.
Still, no one can claim the water in the fountains is very clean, and if you prefer cooling down in a more civilized way, you should choose places that are specially designed for this – swimming pools. There are numerous swimming pools in Kyiv. In order to be allowed to swim at most of these pools, you will be required to present a spravka (health certificate). Unfortunately, most of the swimming pools close for summer, so I’ve compiled a list of the ones that stay open in the summertime.
Vodnik swimming pool is 25 meters long and has six lanes. 45 minutes of swimming in Vodnik costs Hr 28 for adults and Hr 15 for children aged six to 14. This pool also has a training gym. However, to take a swim at Vodnik, you’ll have to hurry – it closes July 15 and reopens in August.
Yunist, on the other hand, is open during the whole summer. This club has a 50-meter open-air pool and 25-meter covered one. However, to be allowed to swim in this pool you will need to have a record of prepayment from a bank. You can pre-pay at a bank by filling out the necessary form, obtained in advance from the club. 45 minutes costs Hr 30, but it is possible to prepay for several hours in advance and visit the club whenever you like. Yunist also offers aqua-aerobics, which cost Hr 35 for one hour and takes place Monday thru Friday, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Vodnik (62 Voloska, 428-8620)
Yunist (7 Bastionna, 285-2122)
Need some ice?
Quite a different way to cool down is to visit a skating rink. Usually, inside the skating rink the temperature is rather cold (about 10 degrees), so don’t forget to take warm clothes with you. Those, who have tried skating at least once know that this sport gives you a great adrenalin rush. Also, skating in the summer is a special type of escape – while outside the heat reigns, making you sweat, and feel lazy and tired, on the rink you find a little bit of winter and forget about summer for a little while.
One of the most popular skating rinks in Kyiv is Ice Club Pioneer, which is situated in the city center, near Arsenalna Metro Station. In addition to the skating rink, there is also a rest area and cafe. The floor is equipped with a special rubber covering that allows you to walk to the cafe in your skates. The most popular time at Pioneer is Friday, when the club hosts an ice-party, where there are ice shows and performances, and famous deejays play club music. If you are new to skating, the club’s instructors will happily explain you the basics. Two hours of skating at Pioneer costs Hr 20 to Hr 30 during work days and Hr 40 on weekends and holidays. One lesson with an instructor lasts half an hour and costs Hr 30 during work days and Hr 50 on weekends. If you don’t own skates it is possible to rent them for Hr 20. You can also rent protective gear for Hr 20.
One of Kyiv’s largest skating rinks is Atek ice stadium. The ice rink is popular among both amateur and professional athletes, who are known to train there. Atek is also known as the host of Ukraine’s hockey championships, which are held regularly there.
The stadium houses a cafe where you can have tea, coffee or a snack. The skating hours at Atek are as follows: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 p.m. and 8.30 p.m; Thursdays at 5.30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8.30 p.m.; on weekends there are six skating sessions non-stop from 12.30 till 8 p.m. If you bring your own skates you can skate for Hr 15 per session on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Hr 10 on Thursdays and Hr 18 on weekends. If you need to rent skates, the price for skating will be Hr 27 per session on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Hr 25 on Thursdays and Hr 35 on weekends. To rent skates you will have to leave a deposit of either a document (driver’s license or passport), mobile phone, or Hr 400 money deposit.
The ice rink located at Karavan shopping center is considered to be one of Kyiv’s most popular ice rinks. It’s open from 8:15 a.m. till 1:15 a.m., offering you a flexible skating schedule from early morning to late at night. There are several restaurants and cafes next to the ice rink, so when you are tired of skating you can rest and enjoy a meal right on the spot. To skate at Karavan, you will have to pay Hr 10 to Hr 25 for children and Hr 25 to Hr 45 for adults for a 45-minute skating session. The price includes payment for skate rentals, which means that if you bring your own skates, the price still stays the same. The ice rink has an instructor who will kindly help beginners learn to skate. One lesson costs Hr 30. If your skates are dull, it is possible to sharpen them for Hr 10. The ice rink also has a coat check and luggage office.
Ice Club Pioneer (1 Dniprovskiy Uzviz, 496-5353)
Ice Stadium Atek (20 Chystyakivska, 502-1818)
Karavan shopping center (12 Luhova, 461-8205)
A drink in the shade
The calmest and quietest way to cool off in Kyiv is to go to a city park, where you can walk in the shade of tall trees on your own or with friends, drinking lemonade or ice tea. One of these places is the Central Park of Culture and Rest. It is located in the center of the city near Yevropeyska Ploshcha. The park is situated on a high hill and provides a beautiful view of the Dnipro River and the left bank from its survey ground. But personally, I prefer the Hryshko botanical gardens in Pechersk. The gardens consist of many different parts and present flora from different regions of Ukraine, middle Asia and the Far East. Although this park isn’t free – you’ll have to pay Hr 2 for children and Hr 5 for adults – it is the calmest and most beautiful one in Kyiv.
Finally the quickest and easiest way to get refreshed is by drinking something cold. You can simply have a tonic with ice, but it’s also possible to find more original refreshments at Kyiv’s restaurants and cafes.
Some of the most refreshing cocktails are smoothies – a mix of ice and fruit. But while they are popular in the US, it’s not so easy to come by them in Kyiv. A while ago you could only get smoothies at T.G.I. Friday’s, but now they’re also available at the Russian restaurant La Russe. The place serves 11 different kinds of smoothies, made from fresh fruit and vegetables with sour cream, yogurt or honey.
Marocana cafe added a range of refreshing cocktails especially for summer: sorbets of fruit and berries with liquor; original fresh vegetable juices – cucumber with honey and kefir, beetroot and celery with honey, and tomato-orange shake with yogurt and spices; strawberry cocktails and Poire of pear pulp with banana juice and ice cream. Cafe Volkonskiy keeps pace with Marocana, offering a range of refreshing, non-alcoholic fruit cocktails: Fruit-mousse, with orange slices, orange juice, mint and sweet grenadine; Crusher Orange, with orange, orange juice and ice cream; and Mohito with bitter lemon and all the customary components apart from rum.
Central Park of Culture and Rest (2 Volodymyrskiy Uzviz, 278-3092)
Hryshko botanical gardens (1 Tymiryazevska, 285-4105)
T.G.I. Friday’s (5A Bessarabska Ploshcha, 235-4264)
La Russe (1 Mezhyhirska, 467-7517)
Marocana (24 Lesi Ukrayinky, 254-4999)
Volkonskiy (15 Khreshchatyk, Passage, 207-5995)
