Plenty of places to take the kids in summer
Summer is a joy for kids and a new challenge for parents who have to keep their kids busy since school is out. However, the summer holidays are also a time for children to get out of the house and enjoy the warm weather in the city.
Nature walks in Kyiv
Let’s start with the most affordable option – a stroll in a park. If you have enough free time during the week when most others are busy at work, I would advise you to enjoy all the pleasures of Kyiv’s parks – the pride and joy of the city. In the morning, when the air is still fresh, you can spread a blanket on the grass, read a book, play games and just relax, eat an ice cream, and take in the greenery. If your kids are thirsty for attractions, they can enjoy a ride on the Ferris Wheel. A trip to Pyrohovo open-air museum is a nice educative pastime where your child will not only have a pleasant walk in the open air but also get to learn about Ukrainian culture.
If your child loves animals, head over to the Kyiv Zoo. They will be able to feed the animals, most of which roam freely on the grounds near Polytekhnichniy Institute metro. Another option for fans of animals and nature is a visit to an ostrich farm. Visits should be arranged two days in advance and are possible from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. only. The entrance costs Hr 5 for adults and Hr 3 for children.
Holosiyivskiy Park (87 Holosiyivskiy)
Kurenivskiy Park (134 Frunze)
Park Nyvky (84 Peremohy)
Pyrohovo (1 Chervonoznamenna)
Kyiv Zoo (32 Peremohy, 236-6054)
Ostrich farm (Brovary area, Zazimye village, 558-5861)
Amusement parks
If you want to visit an amusement park, Hydropark is a perfect spot. There you and your family can enjoy the sand and the surf along the Dnipro River. The Detskiy Gorodok (Kid’s Town) opens at 10 a.m. and includes all the attractions that a child would enjoy including a haunted house, go-carting, and a trampoline. The price per ride ranges from Hr 5 to Hr 25. If your children seek something more exciting, take them to Zhazhda Skorosti (Craving for Speed). There your kid will be taught how to drive mini-cars designed just for kids.
But if it rains, head indoors to one of the indoor recreation complexes that are sure to keep the kids entertained. Igroland in the Karavan complex, Dyvosvit, Tropical Park and Aladdin are the options combining shopping and recreation.
If you are looking for something outside the city, drive out to Partizan and Dim Ravlyk. Partizan is a restaurant complex that offers amusements for children. Kids will be entertained by clowns and treats. At Ravlyk, children will learn some great skills including how to build houses, make dolls and shoot with a bow. Parents can also book a nanny for an additional price.
If you are looking for some winter-style fun there are many indoor skating rinks around the city where children can practice their skating skills. The most professional rink is Kryzhynka (Snow Flake) where the top skaters in Ukraine are trained. The rink also houses the best skate-sharpening service in the city and will cost Hr 10. The only disadvantage of Kryzhynka is that if you aren’t a professional skater, it is difficult to find ice time. The ice schedule is typically free on evenings and weekends for amateur or beginning skaters. Aladdin and Karavan’s ice facilities are best for recreational skating.
Hydropark Detskiy Gorodok (Hydropark metro station)
Carting-center Zhazhda Skorosti (9 Hlushkova, 526-0631)
Kryzhynka (7 Henerala Zhmachenko, 543-9849)
Igroland (Karavan multiplex, 12 Luhova, 461-8206)
Aladdin (3A Hryshko, 200-0100)
Dyvosvit (24/10 Marshala Malynovskoho, 502-0088)
Tropikal Park (160 Frunze, 492-0578)
Partizan (near Pidgirtsi village, 28th kilometer of the new Obukhivska road, 467-7343)
Dim Ravlyk (Chumatskiy Shlyakh, near Blakytne Lake,27th kilometer of new Obukhivska road, 451-5844)
Summer camps and sports
Pioneer camp became the most widespread summer pastime for most children in the Soviet times. Though nowadays parents don’t send their children away so eagerly, summer camps are still popular. Moreover, the best, like Artek camp for example, are now accessible for all children from nine to 15 years old. Artek still gathers children from all over the world and is famous for its culturally developing activities such as theater performances, movie shoots, and of course physical activities.
Scout organizations are known in Ukraine not only through movies, there is one of them, namely Plast, operating for almost 100 years already. The Plast camp program is classic and aimed at developing survival and scouting skills in children while promoting Ukrainian culture at the same time.
If your kids are athletic and prefer to participate in sports activities they can do so at Olimpiyskiy Styl (Olympic Style), which offers training groups for children. In addition to a fitness program the center is equipped with a swimming pool for kids.
With golf taking off children can practice their golf swing or practice putting at the Golf Academy at the Kyiv Golf Center. Classes cost Hr 140 per lesson. The equipment can be rented, but there is one condition that allows taking a class – each group has to count at least four children.
Artek (Crimea, 8-0654-363-080, 8-0654-363-217)
Plast (11/27 Mazepy, 280-8555, 8-095-797-8858)
Fitness center Olimpiyskiy Stil (1 Fizkultury, building No. 6, 289-7395)
Golf Academy (10D Heroiv Stalinhradu, 428-3031)
Theaters and museums
Fortunately, original museums keep opening in Kyiv, offering kids and their parents something new to explore. Among the most recent additions are the Car History Museum, Museum of Dolls, and Circus Museum, the latter being organized by the Kobzov circus.
If you want your kid to get some knowledge of nature, you can conclude your trip to the zoo with a visit to a Zoological Museum. Both you and your child will have lots of fun at the Museum of Water – for example get inside a huge soap bubble. To watch the night sky studded with glistening stars you should go to Kyiv Planetarium, where special programs for kids are offered on weekends.
Among the theaters worth visiting are Kyiv Operetta Theater (try “Mister X” or “My Beautiful Lady”), Kyiv Academic Puppet Theater and Kyiv City Puppet Theater, TIUZ, and Puppet Theater at Karavan multiplex.
Car History Museum (1B tarasa Shevchenka)
Museum of Dolls (8 Klovskiy Uzviz, 253-5400)
Museum of Water (1V Hrushevskoho, 279-5333)
Circus Museum (82 Prospekt peremohy, 400-3230)
Zoological Museum (15 Khmelnytskoho, 234-1613)
Kyiv Planetarium (57/3 Chervonoarmiyska, 287-7508)
Kyiv Academic Operetta Theater (53/3 Chervonoarmiyska, 287-6257)
Kyiv Academic Puppet Theater (1A Hrusheskoho, 278-5808)
Kyiv City Puppet Theater (1 Myropilska, 513-1500)
TIUZ (15/17 Lypska, 253-6219)
